Disney Wish 2023

I had a great birthday weekend at the end of May!

My birthday fell on Memorial Day, so I had a three-day weekend and fortunately, there was a three-day Disney Cruise that fell on the same days! Perfection! We sailed on the Wish for the second time (the first being last September) and while it would have been great if it had been a longer cruise, we loved every minute of it!

I've written many times before about our other Disney Cruises, and with each one (this was number nine for me and number eight for C), we've gotten smarter about what we choose to do.  This time. we didn't go to any of the shows or any of the sit-down meals. Amazing! Why we haven't avoided these in the past?!? Not only are they time consuming, but they're crowded, so we really felt like we had so much more time to enjoy the ship! We also avoided the Pirate Party, which was on the night of my birthday, and instead hung out at the Star Wars themed Hyperspace Lounge, which was fabulous!

the location of our room was fantastic -
down this little hallway with no other rooms nearby!

the layout of our room was so great!

our room last time on the Wish was on Deck 9
and was themed after The Princess and the Frog;
this time we were on Deck 11 and the theme was Moana

honestly one of the most important
albums of my childhood

there was a very cool inflatable obstacle course
for kids themes after The Incredibles

went to a silent DJ party

Hyperspace Lounge

birthday dessert - better than any cake!

went back to Hyperspace Lounge for a second time

the atrium is beautiful!

We have another Disney Cruise coming up in about seven weeks, and we can't wait!

Fun Fact: Right now, there are five Disney ships. Before the Wish joined the fleet, if you sailed on the all four, it was informally coined a "Grand Slam." Now, if you've sailed on all five, apparently it's known as a "High Five on the High Seas!" Adorable!

Happy Tails to you!

Avalanche Goes to "Summer Camp"

We've had Avalanche for five and a half months now!

When we brought him home on January 1, it was pretty clear that he had lived the first eleven years of his life without affection. He was unsure about being petted, he didn’t like us in his personal space, and hugs were out of the question. We gently doled out love any way we could and slowly he began to trust us. Since March, he's been letting me hug him when he gets out of the car, but not at any other time. C is fortunate to work from home and he and Avalanche have grown very close; although he always wants to be near C, Avalanche had never initiated any physical affection with either of us. The best way to describe it is that he's become accustomed to us loving on him, but has demonstrated no particular interest in reciprocating!

June rolled around and he starting doing little things once in a while that showed how comfortable he was becoming: chasing his toys, prancing around, and vocalizing (which is highly entertaining!). We hope to see these behaviors more and more and time goes on because they represent his metamorphosis.

The best moment so far happened one morning last week. We were about to head down to the kitchen for breakfast when C sat at the top of the stairs to pet Avalanche. This was not unusual, but Avalanche's response was...he was wagging his tail and then he leaned toward C and nuzzled his face into his chest! To others, a small and insignificant act. To us, pure magic.

I luckily had my phone and was able to get a pic. Did I cry? Of course! He’s learning what family is. What safety is. What unconditional love is.

I love their relationship!

This past weekend, we drove Avalanche up to Canada because he is staying with C's mom and dad while we travel, so we will be without him for 32 days. THIRTY-TWO DAYS! Although he's had five stays at kennels that were 3-4 days in length, and one long, 11-day stay when we went to Switzerland over Spring Break, we'll be gone for 25 days and that was just too long for him to be in a kennel, no matter how wonderful it is. We were spoiled for 23 years with our Dachshunds, as my mom watched them every time we went away, but a little Dachshund would be too difficult on her now, so a strong, sometimes stubborn, Husky is simply out of the question!

You may recall that back in April we went up to Canada so C's parents could meet him and they really hit it off, so we've been telling him for weeks that he was going to summer camp at their house!

It was hard to drive away without him on Sunday morning, but we know he's going to be extremely spoiled and loved while we are away!

C and Avalanche picked me up
from school on Friday and
we left for Canada from there

we crossed the border around 1:15 am

he was immediately at home!

happy boy

I did not want to leave him!

Happy Tails to you!

Birthday Surprise

Several weeks ago, five of my best friends surprised me with a birthday weekend getaway to celebrate my fiftieth birthday!

All I knew was that I was having lunch with one of them, so I was pleasantly surprised when she picked me up and there were actually two of them in the car! They told me they'd asked the others to join us, but they had other plans, and I didn't give it a second thought because I was just so happy for the three of us to be going out to lunch together.

After lunch, they told me that we were going strawberry picking for something fun to do, and what followed was a multi-hour drive during which time we laughed and chatted. I wondered what particular strawberry field we were going to because we seemed to be driving a fair distance, but I was enjoying the afternoon and their company, so I didn't ask any questions.

As we turned into a wooded resort area, they told me we weren't going strawberry picking, and I was immediately confused. I asked, in what may have been a slightly panicked voice, if we were going hiking, but I was assured we weren't, which brought relief but no further understanding of what was happening!

We pulled into an empty driveway and they announced that we had arrived, but I was still confused and I asked if we knew someone at the house. They said that it was ours for the weekend and that the three of us were having a girls' weekend for my birthday and that they had a bag in the car that C had packed for me. What?!?

It was honestly not my finest moment because I'm sure I looked like a deer in headlights as I tried to process everything. 

We went into the house and there were decorations and balloons everywhere, which only added to my confusion, and as I said, "How are there already balloons here," the other three jumped out from the kitchen and yelled, "Surprise!" Naturally I was shocked to see them and loved the explanations as they took turns telling me how they had pulled it off.

What followed was an amazing weekend of laughs and tears and stories and friendship, and the memories we made will last a lifetime.

I learned that they'd been planning the weekend since January. Honestly, weeks later, I'm still pretty speechless about it. The time, effort, and cost that went into this weekend - not to mention that they each gave up a weekend with their own families to be with me - are not lost on me and I am grateful beyond words for all they did. 

These women are more than best friends to me. They are truly my sisters from other misters. We spent years and years at the same school, and while there will only be two of us left after this year, our connection is not dependent on seeing each other every day. We've witnessed the highs and lows of life together, celebrating the wins and consoling each other during the losses. I was also the fifth grade teacher for four of their children and those kids are now grown up and driving and getting married and having children of their own. Despite their age, they will always be "my" kids, too.

I'm thrilled I've made it to the half-century mark and was able to spend an unforgettable weekend with these five phenomenal women who made me feel so very loved.

I don't know how I got so lucky, but I would do anything for them. I'm a firm believer in the idea that friends are the family we choose and these five are my family.

Rare as is true love,

true friendship is rarer.

~ Jean de la Fontaine ~

Happy tails to you!