Surprise from Hubby

Hubby has lost, and kept off, 97 pounds over the last 2 years and I am so proud of him. Unfortunately, I have slowly gained weight. I always used the excuse that my back was hurting too much or that I was too tired. While that was true, I could have pushed myself a little harder. I am really tired of feeling tired all the time and truly do want to unload the extra pounds. A lot of extra pounds actually. Now, that I have no more excuses, I have been trying to be more active and eat better. I have been trying to either go walking or doing crunches with an exercise ball. I feel like I get more of a work out when I go walking, so that is really my favorite (those crunches are killers). When I go walking, I use my MP3 player that hubby bought me a few years ago. It is nothing fancy, but it worked for what I needed. When he met me this week for our normal Wednesday lunch date, he brought me a nice surprise. A new water bottle to take walking with me and inside the water bottle was a new MP3 player that does both audio and video. He knows that I am not good at buying things for myself (I don't even like to go shopping for clothes), so I love it when he brings surprises for me - even when they are not big ones like an MP3 player.

Wookie

Today I was getting into my comfortable clothes after work and washing my face when I hear these noises coming from the living room. I had no idea what the sounds were, but it sounded just like a wookie for the movie Star Wars. When I peak my head into the living room, I see hubby talking to Riley and her answering him in this wookie sound. It was totally hilarious. She loves to "talk" and just kept going as long as he would continue to talk to her. When he stopped and she felt like she was being ignored, she made the wookie sound first and then went straight to a bark. Unfortunately, she will not talk like this with me. I apparently don't know the wookie language.

She is definitely a handful, but she has been a positive influence on the whole family - especially her sister. Abbie was getting a little pudgy since being on the epilepsy meds and keeping up with Riley is slimming her back down to her normal weight.

Family Walk

Even though it looked like it was going to rain, the whole family went for a walk. Hubby handled the dogs so I could go at my own pace and get a good walk. Both dogs had their tongues hanging out before we really got going good, but they managed to last for the whole walk. We walked for a total of a mile. I was totally beat, but it felt good later. Even the dogs were worn out - they slept the rest of the evening.

Hands

I loved my grandmother (I called her Nan) dearly and was always intrigued by her hands. She did not have feminine hands, but they were not masculine either. She had hands that showed she had to work hard in her life. My hands have always looked like my grandmother's hands; however, I have not had to work near as hard in my life as she did in hers. When I was coming home from the hardware store today, I looked down at my hands and arms only to notice that I also have her arms. Not very feminine, splotchy, and scarred. A part of me was a little sad that my arms are not more attractive, but a part of me is proud that I have the "McCoy" arms.

In the Zone

Riley loves it when her Daddy rocks her to sleep at night. She gets totally relaxed and zoned out. She is now up to 16 pounds, but still skinny enough to fit through the fence.

Exercise Ball

I have been doing reasonably well with my walking, although the scales seem to be moving in the wrong direction. Today was supposed to be my day to go walking, but stayed home because hubby wasn't feeling well. On the days that I do not go walking, I work on stretching and strengthening my back muscles by using an exercise ball. Those things give you more of a work out than you realize. Today I tried doing one of the twisting crunches (not sure what it is really called) and that did not feel good on the back at all. That felt like someone was trying to rip my spine out in little pieces. Clearly I was doing it wrong, so I need to stick to the basic crunches for a while.

Tomorrow is back to the walking and I am going to try a new path that I picked out. On this one I can even take Abbie. She would enjoy getting away from her rowdy sister for a little while.

Fire

Today there was a fire in our building. Thankfully it was at the other end, but it still is a little unsettling. The apartment management at first did not even try to evacuate the building. They tried to pass it off as sprinkler issue. When the fire department finally showed up, everyone was evacuated. I am so thankful that the hubby was home. He was able to keep the dogs calm and get them outside. I can't even imagine how scared they must have been with the alarms going off and everyone running around like crazy. To make it even crazier, it decided it was time to start pouring rain just as everyone was being evacuated.

This type of thing always makes me think about all of the things I would like to get out should this happen. I know realistically that there would never be time to get everything I would want out of the apartment. I guess as long as my husband and my "babies" are safe, everything else doesn't matter - although some of it could never be replaced.

Lance Armstrong

Since Lance Armstrong has a home here in the Austin area, it is not unusual to see his name in the local paper. Typically it is a positive article; however, today he was in the paper for having the most water usage for the month of June. He was number one on the most used list with 222,900 gallons of water in one month. I can't even imagine what he must be doing to use that much water. Granted his home is larger than most, but he used 26 times more than the average household in the city (average use in Austin is 8,500 per month). According to the Utility company who assess a penalty to those who use excessive amounts of water, his water bill for that month was $1630. At number 10 on the list was another local celebrity, Jerry Jeff Walker at 185,000 gallons of water. At least Lance did admit that his usage was unacceptable. Many of the other people on the list would not even respond for comment.

Huskytoad

Riley went back for a check up today and the vet said she was doing great. She is now up to 11 pounds! She is healthy and right on track for a puppy her age. She goes back in one month and will probably get her rabies shot then - poor baby. This is a picture that we took while she was in her favorite relaxing pose. We call it huskytoad because she looks like a horned toad the way she is all spread out.

Bruise

How does a person give themselves a bruise in their sleep? This has happened to me and I have no idea how it happened. I am not a sleepwalker, so I know it had to have happened when I was in the bed. I went to bed on Saturday night and woke up Sunday morning with a big nasty bruise on the underside of my left arm near my arm pit. It is about the size of a golf ball and looks like I was either hit or pinched really hard, but neither of those things happened. I told my husband that I was going to tell everyone he did it so I wouldn't have to tell them I somehow did it to myself. I have always considered myself "talented" when it comes to bumping in to things and hurting myself, but this one is beyond me.

Out of Shape

I am so stinking out of shape it is not funny. On Friday I went for a walk and came back exhausted. I was so sore for a couple of days, but was glad I finally got off of the couch and did something. Today I went for another walk. My plan is to walk on Monday, Wedensday and Friday then take the weekend off. After my walk today, it became obvious just how out of shape I really am. After only 30 minutes I was wiped out. Granted, it was pretty hot outside, close to triple digits, but 30 minutes should not have made me feel like I couldn't move. I came home, took a shower, then just wanted to collapse. Unfortunately, Riley was not going to allow that to happen. I am hoping it gets easier as I go, because this is a killer on my out of shape body.

The Simple Life

No matter how little sleep they let you get at night, or how many times they get in to things they shouldn't, or how rotten they have been all day long; when you see their loving faces, you can't continue to be upset with them. If only our lives were as simple as theirs: eat, sleep, play, and if you are about to get in to trouble - act like you don't know what they are talking about.

Star Wars: Clone Wars

Today we went to see an advanced screening of the movie Star Wars: Clone Wars. I'm not a huge Star Wars fan, but I enjoy watching the movies. When we got there, they were taking up cell phones so no one would take pictures or film bits of the movie. They also had one of the Storm Troopers and Bobofet in costume taking pictures with people. The people attending were primarily employees of Time Warner and their families. We were all treated to the movie, popcorn, drinks, and a chance to win prizes. I didn't win any of the prizes, but we had a good time. One of my coworkers brought his family and we were talking to his son who is 9. I asked his son if he had gotten his picture taken with the Storm Trooper and his response was - "How? He doesn't have a cell phone either." We all cracked up. I guess kids today don't use cameras that aren't part of their cell phones.

I know a lot of people aren't interested because it is animated, but I actually thought is was pretty good. It was 3D animation which is not like the typical cartoonish animation. In comparison to Transformers, Star Wars is much better - hands down. The movie had a good story line and was interesting to watch. Don't listen to the critics - get out an go see the movie. My favorite characters were the Padawan and Stinky.

Stupid Drivers

The street we live on is fairly busy and there are a couple of school zones, so the police patrol this area constantly. Tonight when I was out taking a walk, I watched two people get pulled over in a span of about 30 minutes. The street is very open, so the line of sight is not blocked by trees, building, or corners. The police are in plain sight, sitting in the same spot in a big open parking lot; yet the drivers still don't slow down. Almost every single day I see someone getting pulled over getting a ticket. Usually they are pulled over right at the entrance to our community. I have no sympathy for these people who drive this street every day and still won't slow down. Okay, I am done venting about the stupid drivers on my street.

Making Jewelry

I had previously made a simple pair of black and silver earrings and they turned out pretty decent. Today I decided to make a necklace to go with them. I set out all of my beads and put out what I thought was all of my supplies. After I took the time to string the beads, I started to wonder how I was going to make this clasp stay on the wire. That's when I pulled back out my starters guide and realized I needed crimper beads. After I make a trip to the craft store to find crimper beads, I will be able to finish my necklace. The set is pretty simple, but I wanted to make something that I would actually wear on a regular basis. Stringing beads is more tedious that I thought, but it was still fun. Maybe after I get a better variety of beads, I will be able to come up with something more colorful. Anyone have any tips on the tools and supplies a beginner should have?

Exercise

It is time I got off of my behind and do a little exercise. The back is healed, the infection is all gone, and there are no more excuses. I have decided that I am going to begin by going for a 30 minute walk every other day. I have got to build up my strength or we will not be able to get back to geocaching. Not to mention I need to find a way to destress from work.

Motivation

My motivation to go to work today was at an absolute zero. I really wanted to stay home with the hubby and play with the dogs. Unfortunately, I had a lot that needed to be done and today was when the "big meeting" was to take place. There was no news out of the meeting, but hopefully we will know something soon. The tension around the work place is getting unbearable while everyone waits for the news.

Bedtime

I am always catching grief because I have spoiled Abbie. I don't so much see it as spoiling as pampering. When Abbie was a baby, the only way I could get her to go to sleep at night was to hold her on my shoulder and rock her to sleep. Well, now I'm not the one doing the spoiling, or pampering, whichever you want to call it. Riley expects her daddy to rock AND sing her to sleep every night! He will cradle her in his arms with her laying on her back, and as he rocks and sings to her, she will go totally limp. Once she is limp and relaxed, I can put her in her kennel and she will fall asleep without whimpering. On the nights that he does not rock and sing her to sleep, she will whimper for a short period and then drift off to sleep. I still rock Abbie to sleep some nights when she is being restless. I want to see daddy rocking and singing to Riley in 6 or 8 months when she weighs 50 pounds!

Ready for a Decision

With the prospects of having to make some major life changes, I have been thinking a lot lately if I want to stay in the Human Resources profession. I want to work in an environment that is team oriented and employee focused. Unfortunately, that is not the case with my current environment. I have also found that I have a very good technical ability for HRIS items and actually enjoy that type of work. Luckily, I am willing to relocate to almost anywhere. I would prefer to relocate to a colder climate since I have had enough of the Texas heat, but I will go where ever is necessary for the right job. My brother wants me to move to California. I am not really interested in moving there. I do not have a body that should be seen in a bathing suit on a beach. My parents want me to move back to Stephenville, but the job possibilities are very limited. I am already applying for new jobs, but am finding the job market here is really tough right now. All I know is that I am ready to know what is going to happen so I can know what plans to make. You would think by the time you reach age 42, you would know what you want to do with your life. Me, I am still trying to figure it all out.

Faithful Monkey Has Near Death Accident

Monkey is a faithful and willing playmate, he never refuses to be part of a game of tug-of-war or just be there when Riley or Abbie nees someone to snuggle. Unfortunately, monkey had to be rushed in for emergency surgery today to close the gaping wound in his neck. He is now fully recovered from this ordeal and has been advised to take a few additional days of rest. Unfortunately, he will not be able to survive another serious injury.

Abbie's Oral Surgery

Abbie has not been feeling great for the past several days. She had two seizures in 3 days and then was mopey and wouldn't eat after that. We realized that her teeth were bothering her so we scheduled her for a cleaning. She went for her appointment today and the poor baby had a broken tooth that was exposing some of the nerves. No wonder she didn't want to eat or play. She had the tooth removed while they were cleaning her teeth and put in a few stitches. She has some pain meds to take for the next few days, but you can tell she is already feeling better than before. She is still a little tired and doesn't really want to play with a hyper 8 week old puppy, but honestly I wouldn't feel like it either. I totally panic at the thought of going to the dentist. I have to give myself a pep talk just to do the cleanings every six months. When I had my wisdom tooth pulled, they gave me an anti-anxiety med before I had it done. I can only imagine how poor Abbie must feel. She thought she was going in to play with all of the techs at the vet clinic and came out with stitches in her mouth. We will baby her over the next few days and then she should be back to our normal bouncing off the wall child.