?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?Hello there and happy Wednesday! I had hoped to post a little earlier than now…..but we are on vacation time….and the Cape has been great! A lot cooler and more windy than I had expected. Normally we are pretty warm only searching for sweatshirts at night, but not this year! This year sweat pants and blankets are certainly part of our vacation uniforms. This falls in line with an unseasonably cool summer for all of the east coast. Most DC and Northern Virginia summers are famous for their hot, humid and heavy days, with August being considerably painful….but not this year and we are so grateful! Only our second summer with a dog it has been lovely to really enjoy his walks and our time outdoors.
These are our last few days on the Cape and we hope to really make them count! We have plans for putt putt golf, lots more lobster, trip to Woods Hole, family dinners and soaking up the sun! Danny’s brother arrived Sunday night and hailing from Arizona, it is special for all five us to be together.
Quinlan is settling in and enjoying his vacation - as much as one little anxious dog can! He loves to bite at the waves, lay or dig in the sand and have all this open land to sniff and explore. He suffers from a desperate desire to run free and explore on his own (as most Shibas do) and so far only one escape, someone left the front door open but he came running right to the beach to find me….PHEW (and since starting this post we have had another escape…someone is getting more comfortable)!
On the other hand we have had a family friend out with her dog and that did send him into orbit. He is terrible with other unfamiliar dogs and his stress level was through the roof - which added to Danny and I feeling the same. For two separate days he spent a lot of time locked in our room, but he always seemed content enough and very happy to join the rest of the family when invited back. We do feel for him as one of his known “safe places” at home is hiding under a bed and the room we are in just does not have that option. He has burrowed into my bed, our closet and various corners trying to get his Q time……and it does make us appreciate that he needs his breaks too. This particular friend’s dog is also a rescue and suffered from severe anxiety - but instead of anger acted in fear. She worked with a trainer and had outstanding results. Realizing the peace she was able to offer her puppy, we are now considering the same path with our pup - to be continued.
As for me - the trip has had ups and downs. My goals of blogging, running, sticking with my prayer time, and being appreciative of time with family have been followed and forgotten. Danny and I have enjoyed the change of pace, but still found fears and frustrations of what the fall will hold (the coming months hold a lot of change). My realizations of how particular I have become about, well life - has surprised me. I have been part of the family for several years and my go with the flow ways seem to have disappeared. My expectations of how the house should be kept, the family should interact, or my relationships progress are becoming more stringent, sometimes by the minute.
When I used to reach a limit I would be grumpy or a little off, snip at Danny and just need some time, but I felt like I would bounce back. Now I am proud to say I feel a wave of frustration coming and seem to recognize/control it better - yet when I choose to be snide or uncooperative it feels very contrived. All in all the week has been pretty good and no true damage done, but I am keenly aware of the need to keep focusing on being grateful, loving and patient. As I look into our final days here and the start of a new season I am going to continue to focus on getting out of my own head, using my growing self awareness for good, and be better about allowing my husband to help (his request - and I appreciate that!).
Danny has been doing pretty well. I think one of the challenging pieces of vacations over the past few years is we become keenly aware of the battle CF is putting up. Early Cape years were FULL of adventures, days in the sun and my gorgeous husband’s dimples calling me to follow him…..anywhere. Each year Danny’s ability to keep on rolling does slow down. This year he has required a few extra naps (Quinlan welcomes the roommate), and time for more treatments. Danny rarely complains or loses his patience with it all, but it still is hard to be able to see a change that is gradual, yet when years exist between Cape time - we can easily see from one trip to the next the big changes.
The potholes of vacation are certainly NOT the whole journey. Danny and I escaped for two separate date days - thank you so much to my in-laws for puppy sitting!!! We visited Newport - Danny’s old stomping ground and caught up with some favorites from VA and the Kennedy tour of Hyannis! Both of these dates with TONS of pictures will most certainly be reviewed in the coming days. Not sure if it was the sites, the food or just a break with Dan, but they were both just awesome!
In addition to our escapes we have enjoyed some great family time with some of Pat’s ( my mother-in-law) sisters - Mady and Mary-lou and Mady’s family. Dinners, cocktails, sunsets and lots of laughs….but nothing really beats being this close to the ocean. Cheers to a few more days by the sand and surf and final days of summer.
Today I am adding a special addition for my brother, Sawyer! It is his birthday and I want to say how incredibly proud I am of his forging a new life in Chicago and chasing his dreams…..only to make them come true with each passing year! Happy Birthday Sawyer!
