I Have a Secret, But This Isn't It

There has been so much going on these last couple weeks, I almost don’t know where to begin. There have been some major developments in our life, some of which I am not ready to disclose entirely (no, I’m not pregnant), so I’m only going to give you samples of our latest happenings.

For one, I didn’t go with Richard when he went to Ventura Beach, California, a couple weeks ago. Instead, he took a friend and I stayed behind and spent some quality time with my cousin and her family. I spent my time laughing, talking, and leaving sweet little love notes for everyone.

 

While there, I went on long walks by myself, and even longer walks with my cousin and her kids (and I mean “longer” in its most exaggerated sense. We carried children and bicycles, and pushed strollers and bodies until we finally got home).

I loved these walks because they took us by a little farmyard teaming with life. They had goats, donkeys, pigs, geese and a turtle – all in the same pen!

We celebrated Halloween while I was there. I didn’t dress up, but my cousin and her family did. They were adorable. She crocheted that little hat for her daughter; my favorite part is those cute antennae. Also, that’s real mechanic’s grease on my cousin’s husband. He said, “It’s so hard to stay clean while you’re working on cars, but I seriously had to scrape around to find this stuff for my costume. How ironic!”

But while my life was taking on a steady, comforting monotony, Richard was behind the scenes conducting an orchestra of change.

I will only say that it looks like we are going to be hanging up our travelling shoes for a while, and spending some time in southern California.

I have a lot to say about that, but for now, let me just say that there are worse places to end up than Paradise. I mean, look at these pictures!! Mountains AND the beach; oranges growing in my front yard; 70 degree weather in November (and apparently most of the rest of the year, too).

Mountains + Beach = Happy Weilers

Richard striking his usual "king of the world" pose.

Like I said - Happy Weilers!

Awww...

We’ll still be doing a ton of travelling, but it will have more of the business-suit feel instead of the gypsy flare. (In fact, we’re on the road this week already. I’m hanging out at my sister’s in Oklahoma while Richard is at an event in Nashville).

I’ve really had to take some time to seriously orient myself to this change of plans, which hasn’t been easy, considering the whole road-warrior thing was still so fresh. But I’m happy about this new direction, and I’m sure it will prove to be a great blessing for both Richard AND me (but more on that another time).

For now, Annabelle, my little pup, will still be staying with my sister as we work out the details on our permanent arrangements. (She's been there since we hit the road last month.) I've missed her sorely, but I’m enjoying soaking in her presence as I spend some time at my sister’s in Oklahoma this week.

I have missed my dog much more than I thought I would. There are times that she crosses my mind in an unexpected moment, and all I can do is slump into a chair and wait for the ache to pass. I am so glad to be spending time with her right now. As much as I felt the weight of her absence, being with her again is as natural as breathing. It feels like I never left…

I’m embarrassed to even admit how much she means to me. After all, she’s just a dog, right?

Which one of us looks happier? 

But really, she’s been more than a dog to me. She’s some grossly distorted version of a child-dog hybrid. (Note: This would be a good time to laugh. If it isn't funny, then the alternative is that I'm just really disturbed O_o.) 

She keeps my house from being too quiet and feeling too empty. Honestly, at my sister's, she’s probably being treated like a dog for the first in her life.

And I’m so relieved to find that she hasn't transferred her loyalties and affections entirely to my sister (who is taking GREAT care of her, by the way). As much as I've hoped for them to bond this last month, I was dreading, and even had a nightmare about, the possibility that they would have bonded so thoroughly that I would be hogwash to Annabelle.

But as soon as I saw her, she alleviated my worries. She wouldn't stop licking me for the whole 40-minute ride back to my sister's, and when I woke up the next morning, she just laid there and stared at me. Very sweet.

Although, I have to say here that the night before that beautiful awakening, it seemed my worst fears had come true. When I went to go to bed, I found that Annabelle was already locked away in my sister’s bedroom! To make matters worse, she’d gone in there on her OWN.

I was so upset. I paced outside my sister’s door, wondering how much of a creeper I'd seem if her husband woke up to find me snooping around their bedroom on my hands and knees. In the end, I decided a long-term relationship with my sister was more important, so I went to bed, sulking.

And sucking on sour grapes.

My sister's dog laying claim to my bed...

In fact, I decided, “Fine. She takes my dog, I take hers!” So I proceeded to try and cuddle with my sister’s 55 lb. dog for the night. Well, first of all, she was more interested in having me cuddle her butt. Second of all, she tired of my embrace very quickly; it only took her about 20 seconds to find somewhere else to sleep.

Hmph.

To make matters worse, the dog was still in my room the next morning when she heard the dog-knappers rise. She promptly jumped on my throat and thrashed me with her forearms until I let her out.

(Although none of this keeps her from claiming my bed during the day.)

But the happy ending came when my sister let Annabelle into my room early that morning. She promptly snuggled into me, and all of my grievances were forgotten...almost.

Coming up next: reflections on my time on the road.