From Sad to Sadder...but Plans R Coming Together

I really hate to have a blog filled with sad news and planning details, but it seems that's all I have to report lately. Two weeks ago I reported the sad news that one dog was put to sleep and tonight I have the sadder job of reporting our other dog left us for a new home. We've only had her 14 months but I'm more heartbroken over losing her than I've been over the loss of any other dog. Maybe it's because of the five dogs I've had in my life, she's the only one I've let go of before they saw the end of their long happy lives. It seems like the ultimate betrayal to me, even though the couple that took her are super nice, seem more than equipped to deal with a dog who is as special as she is and have another dog with similar needs as hers who needs a playmate, plus our dog (cry ~ now their dog) was even nice to the husband which is miraculous for her because she normally tries to eat men. All of that hasn't lightened the load of guilt I feel though. She was given to me at a time when I needed her the most and she's attached to me like glue. The lost look on her face when she stared at me out the car window may never leave my mind ~ not unless I see some really happy video of her playing with her new dog friends. Let's hope that happens, and soon!

On a happier note, we have new and improved travel plans that include a Fourth of July trip to see relatives down south, a trip to Los Angeles, and a trip to Maui before we head to Europe! It looks like we're back to starting out in Frankfurt but still heading north from there then working our way back around through Berlin, Dresden, over to Bonn and then to Baden-Baden and who knows where from there.

Right now I'll be happy to get a good night's sleep and wake up feeling rested and ready to start a new day without any pets to take care of (which hasn't happened in over 40 years except for over a few short months of time).

A Sad Day Indeed

We said goodbye to our beloved Caesar today. He was a faithful, loving, canine companion for more than sixteen years and this happy picture was taken just this past spring. He enjoyed playing frisbee but had really grown too blind to catch it anymore, though he still tried his best at least twice before going inside to rest. The end is never easy but I believe only the selfish hang on, refusing to let go when it's obvious the time has come. So let go we did, though it made for a sad day, indeed. Caesar, we will hold you in our hearts as long as they still beat within us.

A Step Closer (or TEN)

This week was a week of pure grief! Our passports were due to arrive on Wednesday so our excitement was building, but on Saturday we weren't expecting my son's to arrive along with our birth certificates. It would have been even better had mine arrived (which was processed first according to the Dept. of State) but I kept my fingers crossed and hoped for the best. On Monday our passcards arrived, both of them this time and we were elated, except for the fact that my passport was not with them and the mailman told my son he hadn't seen it. The Dept. of State had the confirmation number so I waited. Finally on Tuesday I caught up with our regular mailman who had just delivered it to our box! At last a chance to be fully ecstatic now that we were a step closer to getting everything we needed for traveling!

Now I just need to sell off everything else we own (having very little luck there), deal with the dogs (new home for a doberman and put one to sleep), get plane tickets, insurance, places to stay while we travel, make an overnight trip to see relatives down south, finish cleaning out and throwing away all of the junk we can't sell (making good progress with that), learn some basic phrases in a few languages, pack up a few boxes of things we're keeping, buy one new computer and we're good to go. How many things is that? TEN. That's not too bad, right?