122 & Still Going Strong!

When you get a chance to realize your passion and pursue it, it's very fulfilling.

Such is the case for me in regards to travel and my writing. I can hardly believe, though, that I've been prolific enough to write 122 pieces on my own travel experiences in the last calendar year!

I've been in California, Nevada, Texas and North Dakota, Minnesota, Colorado and Georgia this year.

Thanks to the Disney Cruise (November) I can also add a few more exotic locations to the list. Those being Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel (but I don't really think it's fair to count that one as we did not get off the ship in Mexico.)

I work hard and travel is my "carrot." As long as I have a trip planned at some point in the future, I can work as hard as it takes to get there.

I love to experience new places, see new trends, and taste new cuisine.

If you'd like to read about some of my experiences, stop by the travel blog. You'll see some common threads, meet a few characters, and see plenty more palm trees!

www.escapethe204.blogspot.ca

Bucket List

Having a 'bucket list' has become about as common as wearing eyeglasses. And whether you have one or not, whether you've seen the movie or not, you GET the concept.

It's basically a very personal, very cool list of things you want to see and/or do before you "kick the bucket."  Glamourous slang isn't it?

My bucket list is a work-in-progress. I have a few little things that I want to do in the near future, and aspirations to have a grandiose list at some point. But in the meantime, I've realized I've done a whole lot of really cool things that IF I'd planned or could have dreamt up, then I probably would have had them on the list.

So maybe my list is a reverse list. A "been there, done that" list of very cool things that I've actually experienced.

In no particular order:

• Took my kids to Hawaii
• Met Teemu Selanne and talked "Jets" with him for a few minutes. And he signed his hockey card. 
• Sat front row at the Katy Perry concert in the Bahamas. A concert for 400 people in the ball room. She was on top of the charts and days later announced a world tour. 
• Sat behind home plate at a sold out one-night-only MLB game 
• Accidentally ended up in the NY Yankees' office. Saw their World Series trophies on display. 
• Spontaneously went to an Eastern Finals game in the NHL. Was awed by the goalie (Tim Thomas) who would win the Vezna trophy and a Stanley Cup just weeks later.
• Saw the first NHL game between the Coyotes and the Jets 2.0
• Saw future Hall-Of-Fame Quarterback Brett Favre play live. 
• Came within 4 feet of a very rare Tiger Shark (backstage aquarium tour) 
• Did lots of watersliding through shark tanks
• Had my photo taken with Mickey Mouse
• Saw the Disney castle, and shed a tear. 
• Saw a full size gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian hotel, at "fake" Christmas
• Wrote a book that spent several weeks on a Best-Sellers List
• Ran for public office
• Touched the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans in the same year
• Climbed to the top of a (small) mountain
• Saw U2, Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Prince and Def Leopard in concert(s)
• Stayed at the Bellagio Hotel in Vegas
• Bought a struggling restaurant and turned it into a veritable hot spot
• Catered "lunch" at 2AM to a movie set for a big name actor
• Rode a huge roller coaster & overcame my life-long fear. 
• Owned a convertible and a classic car

It sure sounds awesome when you put it in a list! I really had no idea that I'd lived such an exciting decade. It sure sounds that way. I can hardly believe that's me...my life. When I look in the mirror... I see a dull boring person, with no social life, who obsesses about work and family. I see a woman getting older by the minute and missing out on more than I participate in. But maybe I need a new mirror... that all sounds pretty adventuresome and dynamic to me right now. 

What will the future hold? I'm pretty excited to find out and keep the list growing! 

My Tribute to Oreo

Oreo.  Where can I start?

Oreo was a dog, grateful for her home and people every day of her life. She was an orphan... a stray... a homeless lost puppy, found on January 8th, 1997. It was a bitterly cold day and she was found downtown, huddled under a car. She was dirty and hungry, and according to the vet's expert opinion "dumped downtown, an unwanted Christmas gift." He told me, "She'll be a perfectly good dog and love you forever if you just clean her up and give her a home."

He was right. So VERY right!

Oreo was more than just "good." She was gentle and smart and oh so very loving. Really, "grateful" is the best and only word to describe how she was and lived every day.

Fast forward to how she literally changed our lives.... Oreo was a lively, border collie insatiable for exercise and play. We started off walking her. Then running with her. Then riding a bike. Then biking miles and miles through the woods. Then we brought in a canine playmate, Mocha.  Ultimately, we chose to move out to a country house so that they could have enough space to play and roam. I even rode horseback and those "energizer bunnies" bolted along the trails hours at a time.

When the kids were born she took on the role of hall monitor. She knew who was coming and going and had one eye on each of them at all times. But she was hardly interactive. She left the role of "nanny" to Mocha, the labrador/dalmatian dog. Oreo, though gentle and loving, had no interest in kids climbing all over her and tugging at her ears.

Though mild mannered and sweet like a cookie, Oreo was never going to back down in the face of danger. If her people were threatened she never hesitated to take charge. Like the time we encountered a coyote on the trail and she ran him off. Or the time another dog came racing at the kids, and she let out a bark 4 times her size.  She never ceased to amaze me.

In her latter years she could be found curled up on the floor at your feet, or underneath a table. Never very far from her people... always in the room and keeping a watchful eye. Every night in the yard, she'd meet me in the driveway. That's one of the things I have missed the most. I swear she could hear our vehicles a mile away.

When I call her a Border Collie, it was mostly about her habits and instincts, and of course her looks. But did we ever really know the genetics of our mutt? No. But she was brilliant and agile, loyal and loving and absolutely steadfast in her dedication to her family. To me, she was everything a border collie embodies. And a herder! Such a good herder.

She was a mischievous little clown at times too. She'd steal the whole chicken breast off your plate if you left for 10 seconds to grab something from the fridge!  She'd lock eyes with you, and do it anyways if she ever got caught in the act! From underneath the table, to on your chair and out the door with your chicken before you could holler her name!

And there was no fencing that dog either! Over, under, through.... didn't matter. Whatever it took to get out, she'd do it. There really was no point ever trying to contain her.

She hated swimming, but loved going to the lake.  She loved to play chase with you, but never fetch. Try getting her to fetch and you would be the one running after the ball. It was "beneath her" and you got that glare every time you tried.

I remember that she loved digging her own carrots out of the garden. And though no dog treats ever drove her wild... shortbread cookies at Christmas time were absolutely her all-time favourites. If you tried lifting a shortbread to your mouth, she'd leap into your lap and snatch it out of your hand before it ever touched your lips. She was crazy that way! And I loved it!

Mocha LOVED ice cream. Oreo didn't care either way. Oreo would let Mo lick every drop of it and she'd still be wagging her tail all happy and content to have the empty cup after.

Mocha spent her time sleeping on the kids' beds, while Oreo was always at my feet. She had this little thing about curling up in the warm spot the minute you'd leave the bed in the morning. Turn around for a second and she'd be curled up next to your pillow.

I really miss her, still. She was my first doggie and taught me so many things. She was really ill once at 12 years and managed to bounce back. I certainly considered the 4 years after to be bonus time. I was really grateful for the bonus time. We had some great walks, some great cuddles and some great memories together in those last years.

The day she left to find her resting place I was devastated. I didn't want her to die alone. I knew something was up because she was more tired than usual and had refused to eat her favourite wet dog food that morning. (I used to feed her privately, out of sight of the puppy, so she wouldn't be rushed and could get every morsel herself.) Well, that day I put her dog food back in the fridge and labelled it "Oreo." She went outside to the yard. That night when I got home from work she didn't greet me and just could not be found.

We searched and searched well past midnight, and then again at dawn the next day. I must have called her name a hundred times. Out property is densely treed and the grass was so thick she could have been anywhere, we just couldn't see her. I was so upset. I just wanted to find her.

Then just after lunch she stumbled out into the yard into plain sight. She was limp and disoriented but alive. I scooped her up into my arms and told her everything I needed to say. I petted her lovingly and the kids did the same. There's no way she should have been alone at the end. As fiercely independent as she was, she needed her family that day and her family needed her. I was so grateful she changed her mind and came home. That was my Oreo... she knew I needed her and if it took her last ounce of strength, she was going to be at my side 'til the end.

I don't consider it a sad ending. I consider it the perfect ending to a good life of canine-human companionship. She loved us and we loved her. We gave Oreo...and Mocha too, the best years and the best times and they gave us theirs.

Forever grateful,
Cathie


(Oreo was buried alongside her canine sister, Mocha. May they both rest in peace.)

Raising a Spoilt Border Collie

Our Belle, is a great dog. She's still young, and has more energy than an atom, but she's still an absolutely great dog! I love her like crazy.  She's never going to replace the love and lifetime with Oreo and Mocha, but she's definitely part of this family and we're having lots of fun together.

What she has taught me already is that we spoil her. And you know for certain you have a spoilt dog when:

1) they get more bed space than you do

2) they are absolutely insulted when you buy generic dog treats

3) when the "no dogs allowed" rule (for new furniture) lasts 2 days

4) when she destroys your shoes and you say, "they were uncomfortable and I didn't like them anyway" and toss the shoes without even scolding her

5) never finish a meal without giving them a taste

6) you turn the volume down on the TV so you don't wake the sleeping dog next to you

7) your dog has more toys than you ever did

8) you spend more time and money in pet stores than you do the hair salon

9) if you have ever considered doggie daycare

10) have monogrammed ornaments and a stocking for your dog at Christmas

Pretty quiet. But not pretty at all!

I've been pretty quiet lately. I've hardly done any writing. This is because I'm on auto-pilot.

After working the last 55 consecutive days, without a day off, I'm basically a robot. A robot with deteriorating looks and deteriorating ability to function.

A regular customer, a person I would even consider a friend, summed it up the other day like this: "Cath... Aw, you look like crap. I mean, you'll bounce back, but how much more of this can you take?"

All I heard was "you'll bounce back" and I'm thinking.... I usually CAN, but what if I CAN'T this time? What if there is no amount of $200 eye cream and night serum that will ever restore my outer glow? Lord knows at this point, the inner "glow" is pretty much gone.

So, I agree, 55 days is not healthy. Not a good idea. I wouldn't recommend it.  But truthfully, days 35-45 were the hardest. I was still hoping for a day off at that point. Now, I've pretty much given up wanting/hoping/expecting/planning for a day off, and that, frankly, that has made it easier. Now that I've resigned myself to the fact that each day the sun rises and sets, I must attend to the restaurant... I'm ok with it. I know what I need to do.

Failure simply isn't an option. Either is getting sick. On that note, I'd highly recommend Cold-FX and washing your hands 800 times a day. It works. Seriously.

Now some days are easier than others. And an 8 hour day feels like a cake walk. It's practically a day off kind of feeling. Even the kids are in shock and awe if I'm home in daylight. Mom... you're home??? It's not, "Mom... you're home!!!" It's said with a much more suspicious and "what's wrong" kind of tone.

Mondays used to be my favourite day. Kind of a slack day, meant for cleaning and getting caught up at work. And now, the last 2 Mondays have been complete and total, unpredictable, you-would-not-believe-me-if-I-told-you kind of gong show days. I'm pretty much scared of Mondays now. So I think I will just stick to referring to days of the week, by their numbers. As in, hey.... happy day 56.

So I'm just going to stop typing now and pretty much shut up. I'm sure we both agree this isn't pretty.

Don't worry.... I'll bounce back. Maybe.

You know you're tired when....

...you can fall asleep sitting in a chair working. I believe I sat upright and slept hours last night with my hands on a keyboard.The last thing I saw was 4AM on the clock. Doing schedules and analyzing data and planning promotions. That's glamourous stuff to be doing all night.

...you know you are tired when: you put ketchup on your own hot dog. And you don't even like ketchup!

...you know you are tired when you can't find the words any more and just point to things as a means of expressing what you want.

...you know you're tired when you consider coffee as a priority, not a beverage.

--you know you're tired when you fall asleep before the child you're reading to.

...you know you're tired when you start setting 6 alarms in the morning because you already sleep through the first 5.

Business Owner's Bad Math

I own a restaurant. We are open 7 days a week, including all holidays. But by design, it's merely seasonal. We are closed in the dead of winter, and thank goodness for that because I really can't keep up this pace more than 250 days a year.

Closed 115 days a year? Over 100 days off.... that sounds amazing, right? Well, lets do the math. It's exactly the same as a person working 5 days a week and having weekends off. That "regular worker" would get 2 days off, each of 52 weeks (plus stat holidays) so they are off likely 115 days a year. Same!

But, the pace is really hard to keep up without a solid sanity break here and there. I'm not bragging. I freely admit I must actually be crazy for working like this.

Let's look at August, shall we? With staff departures and holidays, and sudden staff illness I ended up working every single day in August, except for the 1st.  I worked (in the restaurant) from August 2nd to 30th consecutively. Each day was a 12 hour day, except for 4 days. Of those 4 days, I worked two days at just 8 hour shifts, plus two 5's. (For interest, I used my one half day to drive out of town to run errands and do chores/visit my mother. The other, I got my hair and nails done.)

12 x 26 = 312
2 x 8 = 16
2 x 5 = 10

That's 338 hours in the building and/or rushing to grab supplies.  This does NOT include time spent in my home office planning meals, doing schedules, preparing advertisements, and the other "brain" tasks outside of the physical serving, cleaning, cooking which is required on site.

So if a "regular worker" works 7.5 hours a day, 5 days a week, it would take them just over 9 weeks to complete 338 hours of work.

So, by my bad math, I worked 9 weeks in August!!! LOL  Agreed. It's not healthy, or sane. But when others were calling in sick, and the show must go on in a 7 day a week operation, that's what the owner does. After all, it's my name on the wall and my reputation at risk.

The bigger question is really... what WEREN'T you doing in August?  Well, I can honestly say that I have gone another whole summer without going to the lake or camping. I didn't go fishing or hiking or to a beach either. I certainly didn't go out partying or out for dinners. I didn't have a bonfire with my kids or even touch a BBQ. I did not attend a concert or go to any fairs or festivals. I really didn't do any "summer" things that people enjoy in this part of the country. I had one drink on a patio... so I guess that was good! LOL

What I DID do, was dedicate 8 days in early July to a family vacation. It was certainly good to get out of town. But the fact remains, since that vacation, I have worked my ass off and am physically in desperate need for another break.

I find myself in a little rut. I'm like a carnival pony. As long as I keep my head down and my feet moving, things will stay on track. And as long as this little carnival pony can see a vacation (my "carrot") dangling in the distance, I should be able to keep going. It's not easy! But easy is never worth it.

As my new favourite proverb, I'll lastly note: Opportunity looks a lot like hard work...and for those who really know me, they KNOW I've never been shy about hard work.