Greetings from the less-than-tranquil Pink Palace!
We returned from Paris on Friday and two days later set out on a 26-hour round-trip drive to pick up our latest Homeward Bound rescue, Gizmo Pierre (shown above on the left).
After teaching the New Year’s Eve mini-retreat at Tranquil Space, Tim, Belle, and I headed toward Pennsylvania to get a head start on the drive. I made my end of year donations and, per usual, couldn’t keep my eyes open long enough to see the ball drop.
Mom and Pops had graciously agreed to watch Mookie and Gizmo while we were in Paris with Belle and to meet in St. Louis (somewhat midway between DC and OK) for a reunion.
Up early on New Year’s Day, we made the additional eight-hour trek to St. Louis and spent a wonderful evening and following morning with Mom, Pops, and the pugs at the beautiful Union Station hotel (where it was -2 degree outside).
Yesterday was our first full day together at home. Following a 1am return and early morning vet appointment for Gizmo, I was with clients until 9:30pm. Midday I checked in with Tim expecting a fairy tale update and, instead, it was chaos.
Two pugs had a brief altercation. One pug peed on the bed, so Tim began washing the two lines affected. Then another pug peed on the bed, so he washed all the linens. Once he sat down to check email, Gizmo claimed his lap as Belle looked up at them from the floor with her “doe eyes,” as Tim described. Since she’s never more than a few feet from Tim and definitely isn’t one for sharing him, he set up a chair on either side of his to accommodate all of them.
I called as he was heading out the door with all three (no easy feat) and Mookie was freaking out in the background (the norm, he has lots of anxiety). Poor Tim, I could barely hear him over Mookie’s barking, but could tell it wasn’t going well. He’d just driven 26 hours in two days, was still struggling with jet lag, and had three special needs pugs to handle. No biggie.
He shared how he’d taken that great photo (top one) and everything looked perfect, but he was already exhausted. We ended the call when he got home from the walk to find the washer making beeping sounds indicating an issue. The not-so-needed cherry on top.
Since I had a break between clients, I grabbed us both lunch and headed home to help handle the pups and give him a breather.
Today has been slightly smoother and I know we’ll continue to adjust to the “new normal.” Gizmo is the sweetest pup, sleeps most of the time, and always wants to be next to you.
Also, this photo below makes me laugh. Someone commented on Instagram how well-behaved they all looked. Truthfully, this image was snapped right before Belle jumped off my lap and cut in front of a server carrying a tray filled with dishes. He saw her just in time, but we were horrified. That would have been a mess!
So, as you can see, those photos don’t always tell the full story! Here’s to a continued adjustment to 600 square feet of three pugs, one kitty, and two adults. We’ve got this (she keeps reminding herself)! Bisous. x
