Picture This

'The trees..... we've never seen so many trees in our lives - literally countless', we exclaimed as we settled into our new campsite at Pictured Rocks, Michigan. The campground was stunning. We were strategically situated in a canopy of green with no sky in sight and the campsites were thoughtfully and neatly laid out.

The next day, we set off in our

trusty V-Dub to have an adventure

on the water. You know by now,

how much we love this.

We were directed to start at

their office in Christmas town,

complete with a larger than life

statue of Santa. The lady at the

office was not the same friendly lady

on the phone and she barked to us

that our dog would be fine in this

kennel behind the building.

Audible sigh came from me as

Doug looked around assessing

the sitch.

The chef picked up on the vibe and out from the kitchen comes a very sweet woman with a pairing knife in one hand and a dishtowel in the other. We explained that we were told that she would most likely be in the office with the lady on the phone.

She tried to assuage our feelings by saying 'I'll go grab a proper metal water bowl for your dog' in response to my inquiry about the styrofoam bowls and Pearl being a puppy who still has her moments of chewing, when given the chance.

As Doug & I stood at the kennel and Pearl let out a couple of hail Mary cries from within, I tried to decide if I was feeling unfounded fear or tapping into my infinite wisdom. I appreciate countless traits about Doug and one of them being that he is calm, steady and supportive.

I rubbed my face, something my kids pointed out that I do when I get maxed out, and said 'I don't know what to do, I'm not sure we should leave her.' Doug said 'we don't have to go' which gave me the supported pause that I needed. Then I asked him, 'would you go if I wasn't standing here freaking out.' and without hesitation he said, 'yes'.

So, off we went with the knowledge that the nice lady was due to be back to the office shortly and in the meantime, Pearl would not be eating styrofoam for lunch.

We then drove over to The Duck Pond Cafe for a free lunch and then a short walk to the boat. The diner was busy and our lunch took a while, but we were early and other cruisers were behind us in being served. So we knew we wouldn't get left at the dock.

It was pontoon boat and once we learned the bow can end up being a soak zone, we promptly took to the stern and asked if we could join a couple at their table who we had chatted with briefly in the restaurant.

They were locals out celebrating their 38th anniversary which was ironic to me, because it was my first anniversary 37 years ago. Which led me to this ongoing thought that Doug and I share, in regards to that big number that couples have representing how long they've been married.

For a couple that we just met on the day cruise, we have no idea what that looks like day in and day out. However, for the couples that we know well - when they have a marriage that we aspire to, it is a wonderful feeling to know that they truly found a friendship and that they not only love each other but they like their partner as well. True goals for us.

Yet, sometimes hearing their number can leave us feeling that this is the only thing that keeps them together...their big number.

Which leads me to this thought..... Picture this. Picture that instead of valuing numbers; length of marriages, annual income, number on a scale, etc, what if we went a little deeper.

What if we valued the quality of one's friendship and the mutual respect in a partnership that goes well beyond loving someone. What if we truly liked our partners and if that was not a reality, society would applaud the courage it took to leave well over the big number that someone has clung onto.

What if we valued someone's life's work because of the contentment it brings them because it impacts our greater good. When they leave their work each day or night, it not only brought them true joy but left those around them feeling inspired and lifted up.

What if we valued our actual measurements of health by reviewing our lifestyle and activity with a trusted doctor and that would be reflected in our bloodwork. Not to mention the level of our peace and contentment which is honestly shared with a trusted therapist as we talk about our inner landscape.

Ok, onwards with our cruise with Jody and Chris. He was an iron ore minor and she was a teacher. They both were so nice and had such great energy. Specifically, I felt as though she was a sister from another mister. I was the only one who ventured up to the soak zone and a fellow cruiser snagged this pic. I wish I had a pic of the four of us, but take my word for it, they were awesome and we had a nice time hanging out.

The cruise was picturesque and we saw so many interesting things; buildings, wildlife and rocks, lots of rocks.

I did my best to be in the now and to trust that we did the right thing by leaving Pearl and taking time for ourselves.

We got back to the office and she was indeed, inside the office with the nice lady. She had a great time and was happy as can be.

Our next drive is our longest one, as we beeline it over to Hixton, Wisconsin. We shaved off a few days to get back to our family sooner for a Savannah Bananas game and Wisconsin drew the short straw. We are hoping that was a good example of using our intuition well. Time will tell.

Here's to focusing on what truly brings you genuine friendships, contentment at the end of each day and good health!