Our Summer Vacation

Some people travel all over the world for their summer vacations. Although that sounds like a dream come true, I could not afford to do that financially or with the vacation time I have accrued at work. This year I took a week off work for my vacation. I haven't done this for many many years, but thought it was a good idea to get away and to get some things done at home. We left on Monday for Bryce Canyon and took Rocky with us. Rocky has never travelled more than a 15 minute drive to the vet. It was like packing a baby. We put a sheet on the back seat, put his kennel with his special blankey and toys in it. I had his treats, dishes and water behind the seat too. He actually did pretty well. He cried for awhile, then Malek held him because I was driving. Rocky really wanted to sit on my lap, but Malek kept him at bay since that wasn't safe. We stopped in Beaver for gas and to let Rocky out for his business. He was happy to get out, but it was really hot and I had to make sure he stayed hydrated. He wouldn't drink water out of his bowl, so I poured a little in my hand, and he licked it right up. (Yes, I washed my hands afterward.) He got back in the car and put his face in front of the air conditioner to cool off. We also brought a water bottle to "mist" him and keep him cooled down. He did spend some time in his kennel sleeping.

When we got to Ruby's Inn, we discovered that they did not allow pets in the main building of the hotel. Well, that is where my original reservation was because I wanted a whirlpool tub for my fibromyalgia. They had other outlying buildings that did not have the whirlpool but pets were allowed there. I explained that I had reserved the whirlpool room in the main lodge because of my fibromyalgia and that their website said they accepted pets and made no mention of the no pets in the main lodge rule. They made an exception and allowed it. I must say, Rocky was a perfect gentleman and made no messes. He was very good about telling us when he needed to go and we took him outside. He even stayed in his kennel without barking for an hour while Malek and I went to dinner. We sure got a lot of compliments on him. By the way, the whirlpool was totally awsome! Someday, I would love to have one in my own bathroom!

We ran into another snafu regarding pets though. Malek and I had planned to take the simplest trail with Rocky and found out that pets aren't allowed on the trails either. Oh brother! So, we drove to each of the designated sites and got out, let Rocky out, and took pictures of the beautiful canyon. This actually worked out for the better because I don't think we would have seen all the views if we had walked only the one trail. Even though bringing Rocky seemed to be an obstacle, we worked around it and were very glad we brought him. We really bonded.

We took several pictures and I'll have to post a few when we get them developed. But I did want to write about our experience while it was fresh on my mind. We got home late Wednesday afternoon. I had a major headache all the way home. By the time I got home, it was a migraine. Thursday was a blur to me. I remember trying to get to the doctor to get a shot, but my doctor was out of town. So I asked them to look in my file and see if they could prescribe something and call it in to the pharmacy. They did. I was so grateful. I slept the rest of the day Thursday and most of Friday. I think I will change my schedule at work to 1 1/2 days of sick leave.

Friday afternoon my head felt better and so I took the challenge of cleaning out the garage - a task that was on my list of things to do while I was off work. There were some items I had to throw out and some items I am giving to Malek's girlfriend to sell at their garage sale next week. Most of it is just junk that will end up at the DI if it is not sold. My other planned task for my time off was to clean out my file cabinet. I hope I can at least begin that tomorrow. However, Saturday is scheduled to be a very busy day for both Malek and I and I hope that I will find the energy to accomplish everything that needs to be done.

Monday will be here soon enough and I'll have to return to work. I am so grateful for work, but it sure has been nice to have this time off.