It's been nearly six weeks since Belly passed away and it still doesn't feel real. We've passed through a range of emotions during this time, sometimes a whole range of emotions in the space of an hour. Coming home to our cottage and not seeing his wagging smiling self in the doorway is hard. Nighttime, when Belly normally would be snuffling around the cottage playing with his toys, is hard too. Seeing something out of the corner of our eye that almost lets us think he's there, like the breeze moving the curtain just so, is harder still. Unless you've lost a forever pet, it can be difficult to imagine how much of your life they fill up, and how much is empty once they're no longer here.

We've been moved beyond words by all the kindness and love all of you have shared with us. Your comments on our last post about Belly's passing, your emails and cards, and your phone calls are what have helped us take everything one step at a time. Not a day goes by that we aren't reminded how much Belly and his story means to people all around the world. And for that we will always remain grateful. Thank you so very much to all of you for caring about us and Belly. We can't tell you how much it has meant.



Some days are more difficult for me, some are more difficult for Tim. But we've been taking care of ourselves and one another as best we can. Our friends who knew Belly have helped to remind us that he would want us to be smiling right now, just as he always wanted. And we try to console ourselves by feeling lucky to have been his mom and dad as long as we were.

Still it hurts, incredibly so.

We've been trying our best to keep ourselves busy and constantly moving so we don't have as much time to think. We've been trying to get out of the house more, especially on weekends, away from the reminders and away from the quiet. Our drives and walks along the Cape Cod coast have been serving us well. Many nights we've been getting lost in television – which is quite an accomplishment given we don't own a television, but online tv has been taking care of us. Books, always a constant in our cottage, have come out in even larger numbers (and larger library fines too). Up until a few days ago, we avoided any big cooking sessions together – they were just a reminder that part of our family is gone, the fuzzy four-legged part who would helpfully clean up any crumbs while we cooked. But this weekend we put on our aprons from Laos and opened a bottle of wine and quickly lost track of the time amongst all the chopping and stirring.

Our cat China is trying her best to fill up the space. She's a remarkable cat in her own right, but she's really been stepping it up these past few weeks. The moment she hears either of us crying, she runs over and nuzzles us. And when we get home, we see her waiting in the door while we walk up the steps. Then, right as we're putting the key in the door, she races back to Tim's office and out of sight. But once we've walked into the cottage, she trots out full speed to greet us meowing the whole way. She's been helping us laugh again.

Still it hurts, incredibly so.

Neither of us is sure how long our lives will feel like we're in a holding pattern. How long we'll have to push ourselves to keep filling up the quiet before we feel overwhelmed by it. But for now, we're getting by. And every now and again, we're able to smile. Just like Belly always wanted.

Perhaps not surprisingly, travel has been one of the best ways to keep us distracted. Whether it's traveling itself or simply daydreaming about it, traveling has been taking care of us.

In the past few weeks we've visited Philadelphia and North Carolina. We'll be back in Philly again later this month and then it'll be time for us to visit Canada again too. (For those keeping track at home: this upcoming trip will make our third time to Canada just this year!)

And, of course, there's the matter of where to go this fall.

Tim and I will have about three weeks to go somewhere in the fall. Which, while it isn't long enough for a trip around the world, it is a pretty solid chunk of holiday time.

And so now the question remains, where should we go?

Should we head to one of our previous haunts? Or should we chart new adventures together someplace else entirely? Is there a place in the world you've fallen in love with that we should see too? Or is there some place you've always wanted to go?

We'd love to hear any and all suggestions from everybody. Even if you've never left a comment before, or never left the country before, please don't be shy. Just suggest away!

If nothing else, you can see it as a way to help distract two hedgehogs, or at the very least a way to daydream of new lands for you to visit too. Sometimes the most exciting time for anyone is when we don't know where to go from here.

So let's take a stroll together. Put aside your worries about feasibility or money or time off from work. Let your mind wander. And tell me, where do you want to go in the world?