Musings: Vacation Dreamin’
Stephanie – Attorney
A Hobby Holiday is calling my name! I have wanted to go to any of the national parks located in the Rockies for a long time, but recently I found out that there is a trip that combines the national park experience with a quilt shop hop – Heaven! It is as if someone was reading my mind.
My dream vacation will remain a dream in 2023 (due to necessary home renovations), but I am hopeful that the fall of 2024 will see me finally experiencing Yellowstone and Grand Teton in all their glory and blissfully adding unique fabric finds to my quilt stash! The other advantage to waiting until 2024 is that Amy is teaching Amelia and me how to crochet. So, by 2024 I might be looking to squeeze in a few side trips to the yarn stores as well as the quilt stores. I could be in serious danger of exceeding the suitcase weight limit!
Amelia – Client Services Coordinator
My Dream Vacation (but any vacation would do, really): At this stage of my life — with two children under the age of 4 — when I imagine the perfect vacation, well, I picture myself lounging lazily in some exotic tropical location taking a nap. I dream of uninterrupted snooze sessions, playing in warm turquoise water and salty breezes gently swaying nearby palms. Having grown up here on the Gulf Coast of Florida, my ideal getaway will always involve warm salt water, the trade winds, and the hot sun felt on my skin. Four tickets to Hawaii, please!
Amy – Client Services Coordinator
Washington State is my choice for a vacation destination in the US. The state’s natural beauty is on full display in the spring and early summer, with its gorgeous mountain trails and fields of wildflowers. As an avid knitter, I would visit Tolt & Wool, a famous yarn store among knitters, where I would indulge my passion for knitting while surrounded by beautiful yarns and the friendships of other knitters.
Candy – Marketing Coordinator
Destination: Honolulu. Maybe it is because I remember when lushly verdant, magical, and mystical Hawai’i was granted statehood in 1959. Maybe it is because Walter Lord’s Day of Infamy, an iconic tome detailing the attack on Pearl Harbor, made such an indelible impression on my high schooler’s mind. Maybe it is because I was a young adult in the late ’60s watching Jack Lord (no relation to Walter) portray the original Hawaii Five-O’s Steve McGarrett, who overcame weekly nasty guys with nary a wrinkle besmirching his impeccable business suit. Waikiki Beach, Diamond Head, King Kamehameha’s statue, outriggers, luaus and, yes, even poi. They are all calling me. (Just close your eyes and envision South Pacific’s lilting tune, yet haunting, “Bali Hai.”) However, at my age, I think I’ll skip the surfing lesson.
When talking with clients about their estate plans, several clients told me that they no longer have pets in their lives because they worry about what would happen to their furry friends if they became incapacitated or passed away. Families care about their loved one’s pets but are not always in a position to take them into their homes due to allergies or pets already in their households.
There are so many benefits to having pets in our lives and so many pets in need of a loving home that it felt like there had to be a way to bridge this void and allow more seniors to keep pets in their lives. Thus, the inspiration for Caregiver PAWS Connection and its Furry Godparent Program.
The Furry Godparent Program, in conjunction with Caregiver PAWS Connection’s shelter partner, Friends of Strays Animal Shelter, helps to place Pinellas County cats and dogs that need new homes because their senior owners have become permanently incapacitated or passed away.
The birth of Caregiver PAWS Connection has been a winding journey through the starts, stops, and delays of Covid but I am happy to share that the charity is once again on the road to growth. You can learn more about Caregiver PAWS Connection and its programs by going to its website at www.caregiverpaws.org.
Caregiver PAWS Connection is thrilled to be one of this year’s charity recipients of the funds that will be raised at the St. Petersburg Women’s Chamber of Commerce fundraising event called “InspiHER,” to be held at the Birchwood in downtown St. Petersburg on Thursday, March 16, from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm. You can read more about attending what promises to be a fun evening and a chance to support two charities focused on assisting seniors at https://wccstpete.com/2023-annual-fundraiser.
Caregiver PAWS Connection is growing thanks to individual pet lovers in the community, as well as pet-loving organizations. It recently received a grant for its Furry Godparent Program from Better Living for Seniors (BLS), Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas, and we are so grateful to BLS for its generous support.
“Insider Secret – We Love Vacations, Too!”
as provided by Stephanie’s cats, Emma and Cooper
Don’t misunderstand: We are happy to see you return (as long as you bring us a present and act sufficiently contrite for leaving us). We do, in our nine lives’ worth of wisdom though, understand that a little time apart is the foundation upon which strong and lasting relationships are built. So, please pursue that dream vacation with our blessing!
