Moments Worth Mentioning

I am a firm believer in following your gut instinct. I think women especially have a way of just knowing when something seems out of sorts. My gut has been talking for several days now. So I decided I better start listening to it…

I thought I had a plan. But as plans go, it didn’t work out how I had hoped. My gracious mom has been keeping my dogs for almost 3 weeks now as we wait to make final arrangements to get them to their new owner. The reasons for the delay, as legitimate as they may be, have been frustrating. At this point, I am over it. My dogs (and my mom) deserve to have a plan. The “limbo” situation has gone on long enough.

As much as I would love to have the dogs back, its just not a reasonable option. I still need to find them a new home. But finding a home for them when they are 800 miles away is ridiculously challenging. I want to see where they are going, and I want to meet the new owner(s) in person. I obviously cannot do either of those things being so far away. So… the decision was made. (As of 9pm last night.) The dogs are coming back to Michigan! My wonderful dad offered to bring them back to me. He will be making the 2 day drive, and will be here Friday afternoon. What a great unexpected family reunion!

In the mean time, I think I have found a wonderful family to adopt my dogs. I have plans to meet them one morning next week. Here is part of an email from them:

My family and I have been researching this breed for over three years now. We currently have been heavily researching breeders, rescue groups, etc. I was ecstatic to see your ad today. My husband and I have two children, boys ages 7 and 4. We have been waiting until Noah (the younger son) was old enough before we introduced any dogs into our home.

Found this, and fell in love with it. Thought I would pass it along…

Apparently working two jobs is just how its going to be for a while. I’m actually OK with the idea. I am still trying to financially “rebuild” thanks to my past life from Georgia, and I have been taking every opportunity possible to meet new people these days. Even if it means meeting them while I’m on the clock. This past weekend, I started a new second job. (I resigned from the Bath & Body Works fiasco.) My new job is a dream come true… pathetic and a little scandalous… but still a dream come true.

My official title is “Beverage Cart Attendant”. But better known as a “Beer Winch”. Thats right. I am working at a golf course. I serve mixed drinks, beer, soda, and various snacks to the lovely golfers from a golf cart/cooler on wheels. I have the grueling task of driving around the course in search of thirsty golfers. I get to wear short shorts and cute shirts. I get to enjoy the fresh air and work on my suntan. On a good day, the scenery even includes a foursome of eligible bachelors. And did I mention that the tips are pretty amazing? What else could a girl ask for?

This is going to make for an amazing and profitable summer. Life is good. Golf is good. Guys that can pull off plaid shorts…. Great.

“Ever wonder why the IRS calls it Form 1040? Because for every $50 that you earn, you get 10 and they get 40.”

Its a done deal. I made the 6 hour drive to Lexington, KY this weekend to hand off my beloved dogs.

Saturday started early. I had most of the dogs belongings already packed, but I still had to figure out how it was going to fit into my car. The dogs always get very excited when their leashes are out, or when they suspect a car ride is in their future. On Saturday, they were jumping and barking and shaking with excitement. I wish I had been able to find a way of telling them that today was nothing to be excited about.

We got on the road a little after 8am. The dogs did remarkably well on the long drive. We stopped every 2 hours for short walks and potty breaks. The dogs and I had a long conversation during the drive (I did most of the talking). I explained what was going on, and that they were going to have a new owner to love. By the time we hit the Kentucky boarder, we were all in agreement that it was for the best. We rolled into Lexington around 3pm. My mom wasn’t far behind. We found a hotel that allowed pets, and settled into our room. My mom and I spent the rest of the afternoon trying to not think about what the next morning held. We went and had a pedicure, and found a great restaurant for dinner. She was a wonderful distraction for me.

The dogs were predictably restless that night. They were obviously out of their element, and after our long talk, they were uncandidly aware that we were sharing our last few hours together. The next morning went by in slow motion. I tried to savor every last moment. After a quick breakfast, the time had come to say goodbye. I took each one individually in my arms for a final snuggle. I was amazingly well composed, and had a sense of peace about the decision. This was an answered prayer if I had ever seen one. The dogs whimpered as I put them into their crates for their journey to Georgia. I swear they knew exactly what was happening.

I made it back to Michigan around 2pm on Sunday. I immediately noticed how quite my apartment had become. My mom called about an hour later to report that they had made it safely back to Georgia. She said they were unbelievably well behaved and very quite during the ride. They were running around her backyard when she called me. They haven’t been able to run without a leash in a long time. The freedom was well overdue.

They will be staying with her for the week until Jeremy can come and get them. They have been to her house many times before. I am hoping that being with my mom will make the transition away from me a little easier for them (and for me).

Good luck babies! I love you and will forever miss you.

A few blogs ago I mentioned that I was starting the process of finding my precious dogs a new home. I posted it on here not actually expecting anyone that I know to want them. But as luck would have it, a friend has come forward and has expressed interest. He is actually a friend of a friend, but just the same, he is not a complete stranger. And as relieved as I am to know that a home has been found, I am completely devastated knowing that the time I have left with my babies is now limited.

Jeremy is a vet technician. He lives and works in Atlanta. He already has two cavaliers that are living a life of absolute luxury. His two dogs go with him to work and play with the “doggy day care” dogs, or are left at his parent’s farm for the day. They are hardly ever left alone. They are also treated to weekly massages and grooming sessions. They are given fresh fruit or vegetables for treats. They travel when he goes on vacations. His dogs live a better life then most children. I couldn’t ask for a better place for my babies to call home. I have questioned this guy backwards and forwards, simply because what he is offering seems too good to be true.

So, the past few days have been used to make arrangements on getting the dogs back to Georgia. I refuse to stick them on a plane. So my only other option would be to make the drive. I am hoping to meet my mom half way to make the exchange. I can only imagine what condition I will be in as I get closer to actually handing them over. I keep telling myself that this is what’s best for them, and honestly what’s best for me. But, my heart is breaking in a way that can’t be understood by anyone who doesn’t have their own “baby”. They say true love is being able to look beyond your own needs and be willing to put aside your own selfish desires for the betterment of someone else. I hope that’s what I’m doing. I hope that this is not a mistake. And, most importantly, I hope these two dogs will be able to understand (in whatever way their minds work) that I am trying to do the right thing.

As much as I am attached to these dogs, they are just as attached to me. I can’t walk out of a room without two wagging tails falling close behind. I raised them both from 8 week old puppies, and they have never known anyone else. The breed is known to have strong loyalty instincts. They decide very early who they will take to. These two silly dogs have a horrible case of “separation anxiety” when they are left with other people. I think that’s why I am a little concerned about handing them off to someone else. I can only hope that they will be able to fall in love with him just as they have with me.

I am back, and after a night of sleeping 13 hours, I am feeling good. Below is a time line of my trip.

Wednesday (4/2/08)
Met up with some friends after work. Went out and had a few drinks and managed to not find a bed until after 1am. One of the guys was an old high school friend that I hadn’t seen since last summer. It was a fun night that included some dating advice given by my two single (obviously expert) guy friends.

Thursday (4/3/08)
I awoke at 6:30am to drive the hour back to my apartment. Spent the morning doing last minute packing and errands. Took the dogs to be boarded, made a quick run to the gym, and was back on the road by noon. I had some time to kill, so I made a lap through the mall in Auburn Hills. (Love that place!) I managed to find the Detroit airport around 1:30pm. I have been to this wonderful place twice before, but this was my first experience actually catching a flight there. The word I would use to describe this airport would be: Getto. The two parking lots that I had mapped out were, of course, full. So I lapped that stupid place 2 or 3 times trying to find a parking lot that had available space. I finally found a spot that required catching a flight just to get back to the airport since it was so far away. Mental note: No more flights out of Detroit.

Flight took off around 3:30pm and I arrived in Denver about 3 hours later. Sprinted across the airport to board my next flight. Landed in San Francisco about 2 hours later around 7:30pm (local time). It was 10:30pm in my world.

I found my friends at the airport and finally got to our hotel at around 8:30pm. None of us had eaten dinner. So, we caught a ride on the BART to find some food. (The BART is exactly like MARTA for those of you from Atlanta – But much more expensive). The train let us off and we quickly realized that we had made a huge mistake. None of us had been forewarned about the homeless population that took over the streets of Union Square at night. We managed to find the Cheesecake Factory, and not a moment too soon. I will be the first to admit that we were scared to death.After dinner we took the walk back to the BART, which dumped us out at the airport. From the airport we took the shuttle to our hotel. I think we finally got to our room around 1am (4am Detroit time). I had been officially awake for 22 hours. Exhausted was an understatement.

Friday (4/4/08)
Got up at 8am, grabbed some breakfast ($20-unbelievable), registered for the symposium, and was it meetings until lunch time.

Took the afternoon to get in as much site seeing in as humanly possible. We took the hotel shuttle to the airport, grabbed the BART to Union Square, and hopped on a Cable Car down to fisherman’s Wharf. We had lunch over looking Alcatraz. Took a cab over to the Golden Gate bridge. After taking about 326 pictures we decided to head home. We got on a bus and took a very comical, very crowded 30 minute ride back to Daly City. The bus dropped us off at a BART station. We took the 15 minute ride back to the airport and once again took the shuttle back to the hotel. Public Transportation was the word(s) of the day.

We decided to check out the hotel bar and spent the rest of our evening there. Ate, drank, met some fellow ATCs, and finally got back to our room well after midnight. A couple of my roommates found (and got thrown out of) the jacuzzi that night also. I didn’t partake in that activity.

Saturday 4/5/08)
Up early once again to be downstairs by 8am. Actually learned a thing or two and enjoyed most of the presenters. Found the guys we had met the night before and had a good laugh. Found my California co-workers and made plans to go out that night. The conference ended around 4pm, and I met up with the guys from work about an hour later.

They took me to downtown San Francisco. We had a few drinks at a local bar and found a little “hole in the wall” Tapas restaurant a little later. I LOVED that I could experience a side of San Fran that only a local could show me. I had things for dinner that night that I couldn’t pronounce, let alone, tell you what food group they were in. But it was delicious! And of course we shared a few glasses of Sangria to complete the California experience. Got back to my hotel once again after midnight. My roommates stumbled in a few hours later. Another mental note: Don’t share a hotel room.

Sunday (4/6/08)
At the airport by 4:30am. Took off at 6am. In Denver a couple hours later. Back in Detroit around 3:30pm. Managed to find my car. It surprisingly had all four wheels still attached. Drove as fast as I could out of that place and back into safer territory. Got home about 1 1/2 hours later. Ah… Good to be home. Took a shower and was in bed before the sun went down for some much need shut-eye.

Took Monday off from work… Best idea I have ever had.