Guest Blogger - Charlie Talks About His Summer

Hello, Charlie here.  Yahoo, summer is over!  I have to tell you this summer has been a rough one for me.  I am sure you can tell by all the pictures and stories my mom has been sharing, that my mom and dad have been super busy with out of town trips almost every weekend.  Where does that leave me you ask, I will tell you.

There travelling this summer has left me everywhere.  I have stayed at Grandma & Grandpa Lapier's, Grandma & Grandpa Brown's and evan at home.  I have felt a little left out of the fun over the last 4 months but I have also spent time with some of my favourite people.

I have stayed home a few times by my self to keep an eye on the house for mom and Dad and when I do, Aunt Karli & Uncle Adam make sure I have food and a few visits.  Aunt Karli takes me for runs (which mom hasn't been doing very much of lately) and that is super fun.  Uncle Adam gives me lots of scraps and takes me for rides in his truck.  Mom and Dad say that Uncle Adam and Aunt Karli are not dog people but they like me because I am special.

One week my Aunts stayed with me.  This was so awesome because they were really lazy for most of the week so we just snuggled, ate chips and watched a whole bunch of Keeping Up With The Kardashians.  I got a lot of belly rubs that week.

My grandparents are fun too.  Grandma & Grandpa Lapier have an awesome back yard for me to run and sniff in.  There neighbour's dog, Alstat, is really fun to play with and Marley is normally there so I can play with her too.

At Grandma & Grandpa Browns I get to play with their dog Lilly and Grandma always takes us to the beach to run and swim and catch sticks.

I guess my summer has not been too bad but I am really glad that mom and dad are going to be spending more time at home with me on the weekends.

A Lesson Learned on Vacation

Vacation time is so necessary but sometimes you don't realize that until you actually take time off.  I think it is very easy to get caught in your regular routine and be wound a little too tight without realizing it.  

This was the case for me returning from my vacation.  It took some clean air, water, trees and quality time with my husband to make be realize, I need to work harder on my life's balance.

This will probably be a life long journey for me as I am someone who completely throws myself into things.  I have some pictures from my Muskoka vacation that I will keep as a reminder to always take a deep breath, look around and prioritize.

Here are some of those photos, enjoy!   

Early Mornings

I just returned from vacation where I spent a week in a beautiful summer home with 14 close friends.  I have to say my favourite parts of the days were the early mornings.  I was one of a few early risers so there was normally a few ladies stirring around the kitchen making the first pot of coffee, cutting fruit for breakfast and of course cleaning up the empties from last nights, night hawks.  

Anyone one else who is an early riser understands the calm and beauty in this part of the day.  Especially with the number of people in the house, these mornings kept me sane. 

During my regular work week the wee hours of the morning are also my most productive time in the day.  The hours before the phone begins to ring and the emails start to roll in.  

In the busyness of my beautiful Muskoka vacation I made time to make my own little memories and recharge the way I know I need to.  I am feeling a little sluggish from staying up later than I normally do and not eating as healthy as regular but for the most part I feel recharged and am looking forward to getting back to reality.

Stay tuned for vacation pictures in an upcoming post.

What I Have Learned From a Year of Blogging

I have been blogging for a year now. I really enjoy telling my story and getting some of my crazy thoughts out of my head. At times it has been challenging to set time aside to sit and write. Once I do make time to do it, I always enjoy the process.

More often then not I will write a blog and then sleep on it and review it the next day. This has allowed me to work through certain situations on my own and logically. Some may say that I am a little dramatic. The process of writing my thoughts while my emotions are high and then evaluating them when I have had an opportunity to calm down and think logically has given me a new perspective on problem solving. I am working to apply this process to my real time life experiences.

I am excited to continue sharing my story and am appreciative of the people who have taken part over the last year.

Thanks for reading, sharing and responding.

Love,
Audrey