Stella & Ringo

Stella & Ringo

I got back to the west side of the mountains just before Stevens pass closed.  I’ve been pretty lucky getting back and forth between Wenatchee and the Seattle area.  We’ve had some heavy storms and then with the weather warming up, the avalanches and the passes closing.  There are still tall walls of snow along the highway but other than rain and some mixed snow and rain on the top it was smooth sailing.

Anyway, I’m now in Bothell watching energetic miss Stella and handsome Ringo.  It’s been a year since I’ve been here.  Stella was just a little puppy then and now she’s turned into a beautiful young lady.  Ringo is such a sweet old soul and gentle as ever.  It’s good to see them again!

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Back in Wenatchee

Wow, it seems like it’s been a long time since I’ve been in Wenatchee.  I’m here pet sitting three adorable and lovable dogs.

Daisy, Bentley & Bella

Besides enjoying walking around Birch Mountain with the pups, I’m able to spend some much needed time with my family and friends before heading back over the pass to the west side again.

Las Vegas!!!

After our wonderful week in Mexico it was time to head to Las Vegas to complete Susie’s 12 day 60th Birthday celebration.  As a gift to ourselves, Susie & I decided to fly first class, a first for both of us!  It was a wonderful experience!

Susie was so generous.  She paid for our entire trip to Las Vegas.  We stayed at the Paris,

We went to Cirque du soleil and Menapause.

We sat on the terrace of the Paris and had dinner while watching the beautiful fountains of the Bellagio.

We had a wonderful champagne breakfast at the Rio

And then headed down to Fremont

Wild and crazy girls heading for Fremont

And Susie ran into a girl celebrating her 21st birthday!

This was the ending of a perfect celebration!  We were all totally exhausted by the time we went home.  After all, we’re not as young as we used to be but I think we still know how to have one heck of a birthday bash!

How Pet Insurance Can Save You Money

Here is a guest post written by my daughter, Heather Kalinowski. As the mom of a five-month-old baby boy and two dogs, she is always looking for ways to be thrifty. She works for Trupanion pet insurance and truly believes in the benefits – both financial and emotional – a pet insurance policy can provide.

In today’s economy everyone is looking for ways to save money. For pet owners, saving money requires evaluating even more things, including pet food, grooming costs, boarding or pet sitting expenses, and veterinary care.

Unfortunately, for many pet owners, veterinary care is the biggest thing that digs into the family budget. While expected expenses such as yearly exams, vaccinations, monthly flea medications, and dental care can be easily factored into the budget, the unexpected expenses like major injuries and illnesses can cause a huge amount of financial strain and can lead to heart-breaking decisions.

Pet insurance is one way pet owners can help protect their finances in these difficult situations. When a major medical condition develops in their pet, pet owners with insurance can easily and immediately opt for the best medical treatment available without worry of cost.

When you are trying to be thrifty, it can seem counter-intuitive to pay an insurance company a premium every month on the chance that it will pay off in the end. However, pet owners who cherish their pets as part of the family and who may not be independently wealthy need the financial reassurance that if something catastrophic does happen with their pet, they will be covered.

It makes a lot of sense when you consider how veterinary treatment has advanced in recent years and the increase in expense that comes with those advances. Medical conditions that were once thought to be fatal in pets like cancer and diabetes are now curable with veterinary care that rivals that available to humans.

But if you don’t have the funds to pay for these advanced services, you only have two choices – max out as many credit cards as possible, plunging yourself into debt, or make the heart-wrenching decision to leave your pet untreated. With pet insurance, you don’t have to worry about making this decision – you are financially covered and in the end, you end up saving up to thousands of dollars.

Zihuatanejo, Mexico!!!

I am lucky enough to be able to go to this wonderful little town of Zihuatanejo again this year.  My good friend and traveling partner Susie has joined me to meet up with my sister Bonnie and her husband Gary along with some other good friends. This year Susie turns 60 so this is her Suzapalooza.  A week and a half of celebrating and having fun up until her birthday on the 6th of February when we will be returning to Seattle.

Let the celebration begin!

We are once again staying at La Cas Que Ve Del Mar.  A beautiful complex on the hill up from La Ropa beach.

View from our room

Our favorite thing to do while we’re here is to head to La Ropa beach in the morning and spend the entire day at a friendly restaurant called Elviras.  We spend the day laying on lounges, walking along the beach and playing in the water.

A walk along the beach

The water's perfect!

Another beautiful day!

Enjoying the sun

Cervesa on ice, muy bien!

In the evenings we usually head out to one the the great restaurants for dinner.

On our way to catch the bus to Bandidos for drinks, dinner & dancing

We had dinner at El Suspiro’s one night.  It has great food and a wonderful view of Zihuatanejo and La Ropa beach.

Dinner at El Suspiro's

Enjoying the beautiful sunset from El Suspiro restaurant

View from El Suspiro

We spent one day in Ixtapa.  What a contrast from the little fishing town of Zihuatanejo.  Ixtapa is a big tourist town with huge all inclusive resorts with hundreds of people crowded around the pools.  We had lunch at one of these resorts called Barcelo’s while overlooking the white sand beach.

Lunch at Barcelo resort in Ixtapa

And of course our trip would not be complete without going to the Sunset bar at least once during our stay.

Three Amigas on the way to the Sunset Bar

View of La Ropa beach looking down from the Sunset Bar

Our time here in paradise has almost come to an end.  It’s just never long enough.  The good news is that the next stop is Las Vegas where we will continue celebrating Susies birthday!