Tag Archives: getaway

Pet Care

Make Your Pet Care Reservations Soon

June is here !! The school year is winding down (or has already ended) … your summer schedule is about to begin. Have you already planned your vacation or getaway? Have you made plans for your pets while you are away?

In order to fully relax and enjoy yourself while you are away, you need to know that your furry family members are lovingly being taken care of. Let’s face it, they are not just pets, they’re family … like a child or grandchild. I believe they have feelings and emotions, just like us. Evidence of this can be seen by their excitement when we arrive home at the end of the day. They lavish us with affection. They snuggle with us if we’re sad or feeling sick. They love us as much as we love them, you can see it expressed in their eyes. Furry children, just like their human counterparts, need TLC.

At Tracy Helps You, we love all kinds of animals and we take pet care seriously. We think your pet should feel pampered, like they are on their own stress free ‘stay-cation’ while you are gone. We’re not talking about a trip to the local boarding kennel. Let us take care of them for you. We will come to your home to visit them … spend time playing with them or taking them for a nice walk, above and beyond the basics of food, water and ‘bladder relief’. Just let us know how many daily visits you would like for them to have.

If you prefer, we can also stay in your home while you are away. In addition to caring for your pets, we can take care of some of your routine household chores for you … bring in the mail and newspaper; water your garden and/or houseplants, curb service on garbage day, etc. Having someone ‘home’ everyday will give you peace of mind knowing that your home is secure and that your pets are safe.

Call today to make a pet care reservation with Tracy Helps You !

10th Anniversary - Thankful for Romantic Days at the Beach

Tracy Helps You’s Thankful Thoughts for Today ~ 11/9/14

November 9, 2014 ~ Today I am thankful for Anniversaries that remind us of old memories. Today is our Wedding Anniversary, and I am sitting here remembering our wedding ceremony.

It was a gorgeous, sunny and mild autumn day in Chicagoland. It was a second marriage for both of us and we wanted a simple ceremony. It was more important to us to be surrounded by friends who knew us well to participate in a meaningful ceremony. Our Pastor preached a very personal and heartfelt sermon for us because he knew us all so well.

We had the world’s youngest maid of honor and best man … my kids, who were 9 and 12 years old at the time. We wanted them front and center because we weren’t only a couple joining together in marriage, but joining as a family as well.

Our simple cake and coffee reception was right after the ceremony at the church. We were then whisked away in a white limo … just the two of us, off to our romantic honeymoon ~ a log cabin nestled in the Smoky Mountains.

Such a wonderful memory … I think I’ll find the video so we can watch it this evening to relive those memories … and get a chuckle over how young everyone looked … after all, laughter is an important part of a great marriage 🙂

♥ Today I’m thankful for Anniversaries that remind us of old memories ♥

Spring Break Getaways

Spring Break Getaway ~ Staycation ~ or ~ Clean Up Week ??

When did Clean-Up Week change to Spring Break ? Back in the day, when I was in grade school (late 1960’s / early 1970’s), Chicago public schools had a week off in the spring called Clean-Up Week. It was always a “staycation” for me because we literally cleaned. It was a time of major spring-cleaning at our house – wall washing, hands and knees floor washing. Whenever I smell Pine Sol, I have flashbacks to scrubbing the stairway to our second floor apartment on Southport Street. My grandma (who raised me) used to say she loved to give the house a good “airing out” after a long winter. I remember her hanging the kitchen curtains on the pulley laundry line and watching them flap in the breeze on a sunny spring afternoon. 

I’m not sure exactly when, but by my high school years, it was called Spring Break. I have wonderful memories of my senior class trip to Hawaii during spring break. As a travel agent during the 1980’s, I can attest to the fact that spring break travel was very popular, especially for college students. During the 1990’s, it started becoming a popular time for family trips as well.

In the last 10 years or so, the “stay cation” concept has been gaining popularity.  The idea of taking short day trips and then sleeping at home seems to work well with the current economy. You can sight see and check out local tourist attractions while saving money on lodging and breakfast. 

So, what does Spring hold for you this year? My husband and I plan on a combination of Clean-Up and Staycation. We have some small projects around the house and I think it will be fun playing tourist in my hometown of Chicago. What are your plans … similar to mine or warm tropical getaway? 

photo by: eskedal
Burr ... Below Zero Temps

Visiting Minnesota During A Deep Freeze

My husband and I like to take weekend getaways whenever we can.  We believe its good for our relationship to get away from the regular routine of everyday life once in a while to reconnect with each other.

Granite Falls, Minnesota

Enjoying our visit to Granite Falls.

Last weekend we went to visit some friends in Granite Falls, Minnesota. It was a very long road trip … just over 9 hours each way. The weather was quite frigid, well below zero, but we managed to stay warm … think – layers, layers, layers 🙂

It was fun to spend time with old friends. They moved to Minnesota last July, and this was our first time seeing their new home. They are truly gracious hosts and great tour guides! We planned on having a relaxing, low-key visit and it really was. We enjoyed wonderful meals and long talks. We went to church and then shopped the stores in their small town . We played games and watched a movie, we saw Coach Ditka’s number be retired and saw the Bears win {gasp} on Monday Night Football. We even went bowling 🙂

Our plan is to go back next summer to visit and go to the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Walnut Grove. The cast from Little House on the Prairie will be there in July … sounds like fun 🙂

All in all, it was a wonderful getaway and we look forward to visiting again.

 

Autum Fall Scene Log Cabin

Tracy Helps You’s Thankful Thoughts for Today ~ 11-10-13

November 10 ~ Today I am thankful for weekend getaways. I think it is so fun to escape from everyday life for a couple of days. It doesn’t have to be far from home. I just like to get a little break from the normal day to day routine.

This weekend, we are having a romantic weekend getaway to celebrate our anniversary. We have reserved a cozy little log cabin out near the Rock River. The weather is supposed to be dry and sunny, but pretty cool. We will bundle up and take a long walk along the river; hopefully there will still be some beautiful leaves on the trees. Then we can warm up by the fireplace 🙂

♥ Today I am thankful for weekend getaways 

photo by: bterrycompton