My husband and I had just said to ourselves a few months ago “ok, we are not booking any more trips until the end of the summer” as we have quite a busy travel schedule coming up.  This said while we were enjoying a fab trip to Fairmont Heritage in Acapulco (lols).  While there a friend mentioned that they had rented a beach house in the Abacos Islands and would we like to come for a week?  Where in the heck where the Abacos Islands?  Beach House…in February, the middle of what was supposed to be a brutal Canadian winter?  SURE!!  We are in!!  We’ll figure out the details later….
Turns out the Abacos Islands are part of the Bahamas, our winter hasn’t been that bad here in southern Ontario and our hearts were recently crushed.  None the less a trip such as this was on our bucket list, today we prepare for Lisa from Pawsitive Wellness Pet Care to stay the week with little Oli.  She is Amazing with animals and so great to have someone staying in our house while we are gone.  So today will be cleaning, cleaning, cleaning and packing.
Packing a carry on only – YIKES!  How will I fit enough clothes in there to cover my “fluffy parts”!  Then there are the hair care products, shoes..it might be cold – windy !!!   I am feeling STRESSTED about getting ready for a great trip.  Did I mention its going to be an adventure getting there?  Fly to Nassau, short flight to Marsh Harbour and then – gulp- a 25 minute boat ride to Elbow Cay.  Oh yeah…on a small boat cause we will have missed the ferry by 15 minutes.  A small boat, over open water….and I get sea sick on small craft.  Hope I don’t have to pee cause if I have to go down to a head, I will be screwed.  Will toss my cookies everywhere. :( Gotta remember to pack the ole Sea bands.
So dear imaginary readers, cross your fingers for us.  No hurling, good weather and time to heal our hearts.  Chat from Paradise soon!

Hard to believe dear imaginary readers, its been a week – over a week- without our big dog.  I still look for him every day, when cutting peppers he would always come for a snack; eating my breakfast, share your toast please mom…..The tears are less, the weight and pressure on my chest a bit lighter but still there.
I admit I lost most of the last week to grief – actually did ab so lutley nothing on Saturday, I mean honest to goodness nothing.  Don’t remember if I have ever done that without being very sick.  I kicked myself in the pants on Sunday and made myself move.  Little Oli no longer looks for his big buddy and has gotten used to (I think) taking walks with just the two of us.  Some days though he still has that SPCA dog look on this whole body all day long.
My husband and I are off on a trip for a week and have a great lady coming to live with Oli.  It’s very nice to have someone come to your house to man the pup, but I am still concerned how he will do without us here.
I did manage to work out a bit yesterday and today, even though I am sad this “fluff” still has to go.  Proud of myself that I did not fall into the whole bad comfort food thing this past week.  Perhaps a wee bit of gin and a little wine but not whole bottles.  Positive right!?!    I have been thinking of how I can work out on a small island with a group of people and not look life a goof.  Guess getting over that feeling is part of the process, just gotta do what I gotta do and to heck with what anyone else thinks right?
Here is to the little steps – mental and physical that get us to where we want to go.

Almost eleven years ago our family was looking to add a “big dog” to our family pack.  There was the five of us and one scrappy little general, our schnauzer Tucker.  Tuck needed a buddy, some one to play with doggy style, not just with our kids.  The search began with my husband giving me a limit I could spend while all the while he was thinking, “ha ha..she’ll never be able to get what they want for that amount!”  Away he went to the east coast on a business trip and we began a full frontal assault of the “for sale” pages in papers and on the internet.
Low and behold..a day or so later we found an ad for “Labradoodle Puppy for sale”, the kids and I arranged to head out into the bright blue beyond to find a friend for Tuck.  We drove for about an hour and came to a lovely country home where the “mom” dog had be bred to have puppies to make a little extra cash and she could have a friend.  There were two pups left, cleverly named “colllar” and “no collar” catchy but we knew who was who!  We had brought Tuck along as we wanted to see  if there was any chemistry with either of the pups.  We introduced the dogs while having a glass of lemonade in the breeders back yard.  Low and behold, “collar” took to Tuck right away – hide and seek and war games were happening!    After about 20 minutes I asked the kids what they thought, all were in agreement that we should take “collar” home with us.
I took a minute and asked them if they had played with “no collar”, a big resounding “no” was heard.  I asked them why not?  The answer “well Mom, he is hiding under the bench, he is afraid of Tucker”.  I asked who they thought was incharge of the games that “collar “and Tuck were playing, and the answer was  “collar”.  I explained that I thought  no collar was the better choice as we wanted Tuck to stay as top dog.   Several phone calls later with no response from Dad we took no collar home.
We named him Marley, after Bob Marley as he was the proud owner of black and silver kinky hair.  For the next almost eleven years he helped us laugh, cry over the premature death of Tucker and to grow as individuals.  Three years ago, Marley got his own buddy in the form of a dog we thought was a three year old Tibetian Terrier cross that was rescued from a kill shelter in Texas.  Turns out the rescue, Oliver was 10 – the same age as Mar.
With Olli came the routine of opening the blinds in the office every morning  for “squirrel theatre” – so they could watch and be tormented by the squirrels out front.  We all waited for and watched each days installment of “fight club – Mar and Ollie style”.  And then, last week Mar got sick.  And yesterday all of our hearts were shattered when we had to put him down  – oh how I hate cancer.  It was a quick attack – on the table as my husband and I were telling him how much we loved him and what a great dog he was he was still wagging his tail.
We had no choice, it was the right thing to do.  Today, from the east coast of Canada to Scotland and several points in Ontario we are all crushed.  The pressure in our chests , directly over our broken hearts is incredible.  Olli isn’t eating and is either sleeping on Mars favorite pillow or is searching the house for him.
I finish writing this dear imaginary readers through tears that are streaming down my face.  Dear, dear Mar…you were our big dog, our friend, Rest In Peace .  Find Tuck , he’ll show you the ropes.
LOVE YOU MAR

Oh man!  Like many women my age I need to loose some inches of “softness” and then remeasure in muscle.  Getting there is truly a pain in my ass lol!  I am working with an on line trainer who has connected we with the Precision Nutrition program and I am working out at home on my own.  So far so good, but…ya but….this is the first time that getting fit has turned into a mental excersise as well.
If I thought that cheating on my hair stylist was difficult, boy oh boy!  This one is wwaaayyyy more work and stress.  I guess I really can’t say cheat any more cause the hair is still looking pretty good.  As a result, I am making it official and saying it in black and white. I officially have left the old and have moved on to the new hair artist!  Wooh hoooo! Now that didnt hurt a bit.
I suppose that 2017 is going to be a big year of change for my family and I.  My husband and I have been traveling quite a bit and will continue to do so until mid summer.  Son graduated and living with his girlfriend in a city close but not too close if ya know what I mean (think positively here folks).  Eldest daughter will graduate in June and has no idea where in the world she and her live in will be. And I do mean world – yikes!  That causes me serious stress.  Finally the baby girl is rocking it in her Education program out east and has made it clear that while she may return to the mother land she will not be living here in the boonies.   Guess she has another year or so to figure that one out.  This is the year that dear husband and I have to figure out what we are going to do other than travel.
And then there is the weight loss.  If I am going to be honest with you dear imaginary readers I must confess that it is far more than just weight loss.  I have to learn and therefore carry out putting myself first and sticking with it.  Been so busy raising children, working, caring for dogs that my marriage and myself have taken a back seat.  Time to rearrange the train so to speak…..first steps are baby steps.  Work out a bit each day and think what and why before I out something in my mouth.  My goal is to be a bit stronger and steadier in a couple of months when my husband and I go  hiking with eldest daughter and her boy in the Highlands of Scotland.
Please send positive vibes my way XO!