Countries

Welcome to my adventures. Happy reading!

Norway, here we come!!

Probably one of the most strange, and exciting, phone calls I have received in a long time. I was sitting at a gluten-free brewery in Golden, Colorado with my sister (she lives in Anchorage – and we are both Celiac, hence the gluten-free.) My Facebook messenger phone was ringing…and it was Simon of Bazinga Pharaoh Hound fame… telling me it was “time” to make travel arrangements and come to Norway. During the call, Simon mentioned I could take Cayman to Sweden for lure coursing and a dog show – seriously, pinch me! Ok, yes, I am weird 🙂

Less than an hour later, I booked my flight leaving July 23rd and returning August 3rd. Now, to make the complicated arrangements of traveling with a dog, internationally. Yet, I could not believe I would get 2 more countries on my list plus add to my family! What excitement!

Manifestation

When you put it all out there — what you truly want as a goal, the Universe (God or whatever you believe in), conspire together to make it happen. I used to think this was a bunch of hooey – and found out it DOES work this way. Here’s my story on how it worked for me this year… and how it relates to #60by50.

One of the items on my vision board was adding another Pharaoh Hound (dog) to our family. We were a family of 3 and it felt like something was missing since our Weimaraner Jake passed away in August 2014. Our youngest was going to be 3 years old, and I prefer to space my dogs 3-4 years apart (more on that in another post!)

Keep in mind I ran a nonprofit, all-volunteer dog rescue for over 10 years – and while I will always wholeheartedly support responsible rescue groups, I also do that same for responsible breeders. Full disclosure – both my purebred Pharaoh Hounds, Kaba and Cayman, are intact. While Kaba will never be bred, I find it is healthier (through years and years of proven peer-reviewed studies.) Cayman has sired 1 litter to-date, and I did not keep a puppy from that litter (though I know exactly where each and every puppy he produced lives and that they have wonderful families.) If you are going to judge, move along to another post about travels. You have been warned.

I wanted a puppy, a male since I only have males in my house, from Cayman but I needed to find an ideal match for him before I would agree to let him sire another litter. This is not a simple process. Cayman is fully health-tested (results posted online at ofa.org and available to the public) and he has a CHIC number, which means he passed all the tested required of our parent club (Pharaoh Hound Club of America has guidelines of which health tests this breed should have completed before being bred.) The female must have all her health testing completed. Then, since the gene pool is a bit small for the breed, we have to ensure there is not too close of a relative. And, I want to make sure the female complements Cayman, adding components I would like to improve. Further, the female must be a show and field champion – like Cayman – has proven their abilities in both venues. Above all, and the most important aspect to me, is temperament – the female must be very outgoing, friendly, good with children and other dogs, and not overly hyper. It’s a tall order.

In order to fulfill my goal, I started conversations with several breeders of Pharaoh Hounds, most of whom I’ve known for a number of years and only a few I had met. One stood out to me, due to his in-depth knowledge of pedigrees and ability to speak very honestly and frankly about the good and not-so-good points of the females. With that being put out into the Universe….all I had to do was wait (and pray.)

And, today… my prayers were answered – we found the ideal match! Talking via Facebook messenger (did you know there are FREE international phone calls using this app??!!) – we hatched a plan for me (and Cayman) to go to Norway!! SOOOO excited!! Now, we wait, for the ideal time. But, 2016…Norway… here we come!!

#60by50

Eeep! Here we go…

I did it! I booked a ticket. It’s crazy. OMG. Can’t believe it!

All the thoughts that rushed through my head when I booked our plane tickets to New Zealand and Fiji. It was not completely out of the blue, but it was. Less then two weeks after joining Facebook groups, email lists, and following pages… there it was: a bright and shiny beacon, calling my name. “Air New Zealand flights from $800 roundtrip.” I blinked again, did they miss a “1” in front of the “8?” Is there a catch? There HAS to be a catch! (Note: sometimes there is a catch so read all the fine print – all of it!)

I first saw the post as was getting ready for work, the day before (an idle January Wednesday.) When I got home from work that day, I revisited the post (I saved it – ProTip!) and I went to work on checking dates. Like all travel deals, there are RESTRICTIONS to when they are offered. Do not be bummed or disappointed – great deals come to those who are willing to be flexible. PERIOD.

ProTip: If you want to go to destination X at time Y, be prepared to pay and not find deals. That is how it works. Also, if you want to travel, you need to be able to go with the flow – travel is not for the weak of flexibility.

Anyway, back to the deal. First, the deal was from LAX and I live in Denver. But, where there is a will, there is a way. I can easily get from Denver to LAX on a number of airlines, any time of day. That will not get in my way of this deal. The deal was specifically for November, and the flight departure times were specific, as well. Meaning, the deal was only for certain flights, certain days, and certain times. Again – be flexible.

November – New Zealand – sounds legit. But first, I checked out some online advice (google is your friend) on whether this was an ideal time of year to visit. Hint: it is!! Even if the time of year is less than ideal for your destination, weigh the pros/cons of the deal – if it’s $200 for a trip to where you’ve always wanted to go, then go. Just buy the ticket!

Adding on – well, New Zealand is a long way to go (13 hour flight) and there is a lot to see. After scoping out the length of time we could get off work, and combining it with the Thanksgiving holiday, there were a few days we could hop over to Fiji – and who doesn’t want to go there? Luckily, Air New Zealand made it super easy to add-on. I found their website easy to navigate, and I was able to book the following trip >> LAX to Auckland; Auckland to Nadi, Fiji; Nadi to LAX. Total cost: $2600 ($1300 each) which included upgrading from the lowest-tier economy seats to much nicer ones (worth it for a long trip,) but did not invest in first class, as that was prohibitive to the budget.

What remained, was getting from Denver to LAX, LAX to Denver… and plotting the driving portion of the North and South Islands, oh, and where to stay. This part is the most fun, after booking the ticket of course. More to come on this exciting trip. Now… to tell my husband we are going! Ha!

#60by50 2 unique countries – and 1 more to go, to meet my goal in 2016!

Moscow & Sister Time!

My younger sister, and yes I know I look younger… She lived in Moscow for three years, and part of my #60by50 is recalling, and posting about my previous trips. Russia was so different, interesting, a bit scary, but also eye-opening and so much fun! So I’m not just slightly older, I’m also taller, just kidding. I know somewhere she’s standing on her tiptoes right now being taller. Here, she can have it in writing: I’m shorter, but a lot… but my heels help!

It was October 2004 and quite an adventure. We stayed in her apartment, mere steps from Red Square. Visited so many amazing sights, toured museums, learned about how Russians made a lot of discoveries, and navigated a world where nothing was in English (this was before mobile phones were smart.) Eating was risky and an adventure to say the least. It wasn’t culturally accepted to have dietary restrictions (we both have Celiac.) Nor, was it easy to explain exactly what gluten is in or why I can’t ingest it. Nevertheless, we loved it! Not sure I’d go back to Moscow itself, but I’d be up for Siberia and St Petersburg.