The Year is Over!

We have reached the end of another year. Woo?  It has been a weird year, I think it was for a lot of people.  For me, I am glad it is over. I am thinking the Mayan's really predicted me being injured.  So it wasn't really an Apocalypse for the world, it was just a back injury for Jenni.  Either that or the "Fiscal Cliff" (dun, dun, dun) (but seriously, I love how they wait until now to deal with it, but any hoo, that is not the point of the Kitty PotPie Blog!)

I have been in a fight with my insurance/my HR for drug coverage since October 9th.  I kid you not!  The hours I have spent on the phone and writing letters could have paid for the full cost of the drug this whole time, but my HR doesn't care, because my salary doesn't come out of their budget.  And the person that was suppose to call me over a month ago finally called me on Saturday.  So that was nice...ugh!

But oh well, I meet with a surgeon on the 8th of January.  Which scares the SHIT out of me (sorry for the swear, but come on surgery is scary enough for swearing).  But the thought of not having to go to work for up to 6 weeks sounds like heaven...I am dreaming about all the books I can read and movies I can watch!

I would do a recap, but I didn't really have any long term goals this year.  Maybe that is why my year was so weird...nah!  I did learn today that I am 10.5 pounds heavier than I was this week last year.  Which in my defense happened to be my skinniest week in the last 266 weeks. (yes, I have been keeping track that long) (yes, I am that lame AWESOME!).  I am at least on the way back down instead of on the way back down.

Being injured has been really weird for me. I gained a TON on one of the meds I was on (like 10 pounds in 5 days, I kid you not).  Now I am losing about 2-3 pounds a weeks.  I don't know if it is good or bad, because I am not losing it because I am working out, I am losing because I am not hungry.  And when I say I am not hungry, I mean, I eat breakfast and I am usually good for the rest of the day.  So freaking weird.  I can see why they now give this med to people to help them with binge eating, it totally cuts all cravings.  I miss being hungry, but then again I don't.  I like that I can have treats in my house for weeks at a time and be fine with just eating one.  I am sure once I stop this drug, I will have to go back to measuring stuff out to control portions, but for now I will just worry about getting enough calories in.

hmm, what else has happened?  Oh, Nova has been injured as well.  She has something wrong with her ankle. Ugh, that has been a nightmare as well.  Good thing she is pretty! Because, man, seeing an orthopedic vet is EXPENSIVE as are the drugs! I have spent an obscene amount of money on that damn dog in the last 3 months.  And she doesn't care for nor does she understand about being on full rest.  The best is when the veterinary neurologist (he was the normal vet cost since he was filling in for her) was telling me to keep her calm and not to exercise her for two weeks (after 3 months of her not being walked) and she is jumping over my head.  Literally, her head is going over my head.  And he says "I know it is easy for us to tell you this, but hard for you to do.  I have a young dog at home too.  Mine is a year and a half and he can be a handful".  To which I said "She is four and a half" His reply? "Oh good luck..."

So how is Nova doing? She is fine.  I haven't felt to see if there is inflammation lately, because frankly, I don't want them to stick a needle in her ankle joint because if there isn't an infection there is a high likelihood that she can get an infection from the process.  And who are we kidding, my dog would for sure get an infection. So unless she starts completely limping again, she is just going to have to deal with it.  She doesn't seem to be in pain.  She just wants to play.  And would probably love a walk (which I am not really willing to do, poor girl).  OH and she can now balance things on her head, but only if there is a treat she can watch at eye level (we are obviously still working on it, but it is getting better)

In other news, PotPie is still the best.  Seriously, could I love a pet more that I love her? She doesn't cost me a crazy amount of money.  She is warm and fuzzy.  She cuddles with me.  She has cute little legs and a fluffy tail.  And I don't have to go outside and pick up her frozen poop, because she poops in one place which happens to be a plastic bag with drawstrings.  BEST PET EVER!!!

Well, that is my summary.  I hope you all are doing well and that 2013 is better than 2012.  I know for me, that will not be hard. :)

Attempt Bazillion...

Here goes attempt bazillion at being healthier. I don't even think that is an exaggeration.

This week I will track all my food, eat out only once (Cafe Rio), minimize candy (it is Halloween after all) and do some form of exercise every day (walk on breaks, pilates and/or my PT exercises)

Next week, I may adjust my plan, but I feel it is doable.

Notice how walking Nova isn't in the list? Well, she is on complete rest for two weeks due to a sprained ankle. We are a house of injuries!

Salut!

I need to upload my pictures from Montreal, but I will do that later.

Right now, it is snowing, which means this year is almost over... (dun, dun, dun)

As I get older I feel that I am getting more introspective, which is an interesting thing.  But last night I was thinking about it and I don't think I have gone a full week without eating out in a long time (probably since high school).

I think I am going to make that my goal, though I already have dinner plans one day next week, so maybe I will have to start Tuesday...

Do you all think you could do it? (Mom, you don't count, you don't live by restaurants, but I still love you ;p)

70°

It is funny to me that in the summer, I sleep with just a sheet when my house is 70°. But in the winter, 70° means a down comforter and the hope that Pie will cuddle.

Burgled.

No, that is not just to draw people in, I actually had my house burgled.  It makes me want to barf.  But here is the story and my rant.

On Friday, I left my house like normal.  But because it was such a lovely day and I love to have airflow through my house, I left my kitchen window and my bedroom window that faces my backyard open.  I co-led a field trip that went over, and I had a strong draw to go home for lunch, but when a coworker suggested I go to lunch with her, I agreed and didn't go home.  Well the draw to go home got stronger and stronger, and the pain in my back got more and more intense (probably feeding the draw of my house).  So at 2:35, I left work and headed home.

I called my dad on my way home, to check in. So I was still talking to him when I got home, I noticed that my gate wasn't latched, but that is happened before, so I just got upset at myself and made a mental note to be more diligent in checking that before I leave in the morning.  (I have to go through my gate every day, because my person door in my garage is broken.)  I also, had to call Nova a couple times before she came out from under the porch, but I figured she had just been sleeping. Then my backdoor was weird to unlock, but whatever, no biggie.  Next I noticed the vest that had been thrown on my "Do Not Sit. Broken" chair was on the floor, so I figured that was PotPie.  Then I noticed my storage closet was open, and I honestly thought to myself, "How did Pie get that open?"  I then proceeded to my bedroom, saw Pie chilling on the bed and then saw that my drawers had been emptied onto my floor and my closet had been trashed as well (though they did leave most of my sweaters on the shelves).  At that point, I told my dad I needed to call the cops since my house had been broken into.  As I was dialing dispatch I ended up sinking to my kitchen floor crying.  Dispatch didn't answer, (which made me cry more), so I called 911.  They asked me for my address, but before I could tell them that, I had to explain it wasn't really an emergency, but I couldn't get dispatch the other way.  The operator didn't really care...So then he transferred me to dispatch and I got the same message as before, which I heard the first time as we aren't here, but really it was like "stay on the line and we will answer", whoops.  Dispatch was also very insistent if my house hadn't been checked I should go outside, but I told her I would just check then, which I did. And it was empty. Then she told me I needed to start making a list of things that were gone, without touching anything....um okay? How do I get a pen if I can't touch anything????

When the cop showed up, he checked my house again with his gun drawn, which freaked me out more.  I believe the whole time I was explaining to him, while bawling, that I had already checked and that if someone was there, I would have known instantly.  He then took my statement while we waited for CSI.  Now, CSI is kind of like TV, except it was just one person in a van.  She was very nice and took pictures and prints.  Though she did say that she got a latex glove print, so the miscreants were wearing gloves, awesome.

My statement involved a LOT of tears, like every time I realized another thing was gone.  My biggest breakdown came when I saw that my giant red piggy bank from Mexico was gone. Luckily, I realized that while the cop was outside.  But he was SO concerned with my electronics, which I guess are the easiest to track due to serial numbers. I, however, could get a flying flip about my electronics.  Though I really want my freaking data I had on my laptop.  I had every school paper on there, which I will miss. I had photos that had not been backed up or printed. Most of all, I had the spreadsheet I used to track my gas mileage on there.  I had been keeping track since February 2005 of my miles driven, gallons bought, price, location and mileage for my car. I had a TON of data!!!! It made me cry yesterday when I saw the receipts that I had not entered into my spreadsheet, because it makes me so sad I lost that information.  And I want to kick myself, that when I thought about backing up my laptop last weekend, I put it off until this weekend :(  My laptop also had a TON of personal data, like tax returns (which I can get from Turbo tax again), my mortgage applications, saved passwords, basically stuff you have on a personal laptop. Oh, also, on my DSi, I only had 4 Sudoku left to finish!!!  BASTARDS!!!!!

But the stuff I will miss the most is the stuff that can't be replaced. My necklace made with diamonds from Grandma, the bracelets that had been made for me by Bonnie and Zoe, my piggy banks (I am missing 4), my one of a kind earrings, and then all my data.  Overall, I think I lost about $4000 worth of items, but that is just a guess.  I am still working on my list.  It makes me sick to work on it, so I think it is going to be a long process... But not too long since I will have to give it to the detective assigned to my case and my insurance company.  And an added layer of fun is that I have to do it on my work computer, because I no longer have a computer at home. Awesome.

If the thieves are reading this, I want the stuff you are just going to throw away back!! Just put it on my porch. You obviously know my schedule, you know when you can do this without getting caught!!

And for my friends.  If you have any pictures of me wearing jewelry/watches, please send them to me.  I need proof for my insurance company.  Even if it is from YEARS ago, I need pictures.

So much for "Come What May, September"!! That backfired BIG TIME!! So here is to "Screw You, October" - Okay not really, I am not that negative of a person.  Though I have yelled extra at people today that only deserved a little bit of yelling....

DSD 2012!

Doggie Swim Day was last Saturday. It was great fun, as always. Nova was the first dog in the pool, however she was not the last dog out, like she has been the previous two years. And she let me know that she did not approve of us leaving early. It took 3 attempts to get her out the gate. Or really, 3 tries before I realized I just needed to take a different path to fool her. She was really funny. We would walk to the end of the deep end (which is nearest to the gate) and she would look at me and RUN back to our spot (it is our spot, because I have thrown her toy from there all three years we have gone) and sit.  So of course, I would have to throw it again.

Here are some action shots.  I even learned how to caption, so good job me.

I love this shot - especially the tongue

Swimming in

Splash down!

Beauty Shot

Her ears make me laugh.

Waiting to go again.

She has been limping a little, but I figured the swimming would be good for her. While I think it was, I think 2 hours was too much, especially with jumping. After she took a little nap, she didn't use her back leg for the rest of the day :(  She did start using it again the next day, but I think she is still a little sore.  Good thing DSD only comes once a year!!

Wha??

The Final Check-in (for last week)

1. Finish curtains - YES!!!  See picture below

2. Eat breakfast at home - WOO YES!!

3. Pack a lunch for work four times - No, but I did eat a packed lunch every day I didn't have a lunch meeting 1/2 point!

4. Keep the table clean for the whole week Clean the table - YES! See picture

5. Walk Nova 5 times - I think I only got 4 :(

6. Vacuum and dust - YES! Even my ceiling fan! Heck! I even vacuum my couch, foot stool, and kitty furniture!

7. Spray weeds - Nope, we had rain.

8. Do my pt exercises daily - Yes, but I dropped the exercises I didn't like

9. Track all food - Woo! Got it!

This is my photographic evidence!! I don't love my curtain lengths, but I can live with them.  And they are DONE! I even made a cute little short curtain for above my swamp cooler with the excess material.  I know, I know, I do too much!

This is a picture of the saddest dog ever.  She is sad because she doesn't get more walks (plus she barfed on Friday and Sunday, so I don't think she has been feeling well).  

I have had her (and my house) for FOUR years now.  WOW! It blows my mind. Especially when I look at pictures from four years ago and she is so "little".  I brushed her yesterday or Sunday (the days blur) and I noticed that she has some grey coming in, it makes me so sad to think about her becoming older, which means she is going to DIE!!!  Any who...

I  love that four years after me regretting getting a dog, because it upset Pie, they get along.  Sure, there are still moments that Pie hisses at her, but usually it is after Nova has sniffed her so vigorously Pie got moved in the process.  I like that now I can have one on each side of me peacefully, or even sometimes on the same side (that is only if the dog is sleeping).  It is so nice and peaceful. Which leads me to....

SEPTEMBER!

I cannot believe it is September.  This year has FLOWN!!  I get asked when I hurt my back and I am like oh a couple of weeks ago and then I realize it has been TWO MONTHS!! Luckily, it is feeling a lot better (well not right now, but overall).  I am even getting a new chair at work!!

And because I like goals and themes, my theme for the month is.....

Come What May

I am going to try and take the relaxed approach this month.  I am unplugging from websites that just suck my attention and spend with real people or real books (okay, kindle counts).  I will still be logging my food and doing what exercise I can (and hopefully I will be able to do more soon), but I am not going to make goals, besides do what I can. I am just going to focus on being happy. I tend to be a stress-case, which stresses me out more, so I am going to stop that.  Sure, I will still make lists, but only because otherwise I forget things (like kitty food and litter..), plus, I like making lists.  Oh, wait, I do have two goals, clean off my fridge and clean out my papers (bank statements, medical crap, tax crap).  Those are big enough goals for the month!

So if you want to talk to me this month- email me, or call me.  Otherwise, I am going offline! (okay, I will still probably blog, because I have remembered how much I like to blog, especially random crap)

Cheers my friends! Enjoy the cooling weather and the clear nights of September, I know I have been!

Mid-Week Update

It is weird how as an adult all the days blur.  Anyway, it is Wednesday and I started my goals on Sunday (which I didn't state, but that was the start, because that is the beginning of the week).

How am I doing? Meh, pretty good. Here is the round-up

1. Finish curtains - nope

2. Eat breakfast at home - WOO on schedule, though today was my last container of pre-made steel cut oats, so tomorrow is going to be hard.  Oh wait, I have yogurt.  Still on track!

3. Pack a lunch for work four times  So when I wrote this I forgot to look at my schedule, I had a lunch meeting Monday and another tomorrow...BUT other than that  (so you know yesterday and today...), I have been doing awesome!

4. Keep the table clean for the whole week - I should have made the goal to get the table clean...nothing has been added, but it is still chaos.  I did start working on the piles last night (medical and mortgage stuff mostly), but then I got shooting pain down my leg and I figured it was time for bed. So this is changing to Clean off table and yes, I can change my goal midweek.

5. Walk Nova 5 times - I am at 2, so on schedule.

6. Vacuum and dust - nope, but I think about it everyday...

7. Spray weeds - Saturday is my day for this!

8. Do my pt exercises daily - Woo, rocking this one!

9. Track all food - Again, WOO! Totally doing this.

I feel that I am making good progress or at least trying hard.  I have been having later nights at work lately (to make-up for pt) so it is hard, but I am plugging along.  As for my back, the longer days at work are no fun.  The sitting is bringing back the pain.  And I try to remember to get up and walk, but I am at deadline point, so I need to get stuff done. Ugh, why can't someone just give me an endless supply of money?? or just pay all my bills, I don't need a lot, I just got my mortgage refinanced.... Anyone?

Goals and a shot

<p>I have found I do best if I am working towards something. Even if I fail, I still do better than if I wasn't trying at all. Wow, that is a "duh" statement...</p>
<p>Anyway, I think I'm going to do weekly goals for a bit. So here we go.</p>
<p>1. Finish curtains<br>
2. Eat breakfast at home everyday<br>
3. Pack a lunch for work four times<br>
4. Keep table clean for the whole week (Does not mean moving the mail pile to a new surface)<br>
5. Walk Nova 5 times<br>
6. Vacuum and dust<br>
7. Spray weeds (sadly pulling isn't working)<br>
8. Do my pt exercises daily<br>
9. Track all food</p>
<p>Hmm, I think 9 is enough. I have been slacking big time because it hurt to move, but I got a cortisone shot in my back and it seems to have helped. And this list is really more of a To Do list, but it is what I need this week. :)</p>
<p>Which getting the shot was interesting. I didn't realize I'd have my whole butt exposed or that it would send a crazy electrical pulse throughout my body when they put the needle in the wrong place (totally scared me and made me cry.)</p> <p>However, the Drs and Nurses were awesome. They were so nice, funny, caring and young (like my age, ha ha). And my dad was so great for coming up to drive me to and from AND getting me a delicious Vietnamese sandwich for lunch! </p>
<p> So that my life right now. I will check in later to report on my progress and give goals for next week. </p>

Humidifier

Pie loves the humidifier. When I turn it on, she runs in the room to stick her face in the moisture. She sleeps in front of it. She drinks out of it (by reaching her paw in and licking it off). And of course, she sits on it.

I think it beats even the fish tank as her favorite water source. She is a funny kitty.

We shall see if she likes the warm mist in the winter or if her love is only for the cold mist. And yes, I own a cool mist humidifier AND a warm mist humidifier! What can I say? I'm greedy!

Stretching

Back in the beginning of July, I competed in, errr, ran/walked/hiked in a 10k trail run up in PC. It was brutal. I had done a 5k trail run a couple weeks before and it wasn't horrible, but doubling the length meant the introduction of "technical" areas.

Well, I don't really do hills, must less technical hills, so this run was a challenge for me. I stumbled a lot, but I finished. On the drive home, I was talking about it with my friend and remember saying that it was not a good run and that I wasn't sure if I was going to compete the race series, because it was so bad. (there were a 15k and half marathon left, now just the half is left.)

Well, the next day I hurt, and I figured it was just being more sore than anything since I pushed so hard. It kept getting worse. I would stretch, foam roll and pop some ibuprofen and call it good, but it wasn't. The following Sunday, I got a massage..it was the worse massage ever. It smelled like acetone in the room (she is in a salon). And instead of massaging, she did this weird petting thing. But I did feel slightly better the following day, so I decided to work out. Well, that was a mistake. I happen to go to a class that all we did was twisting with weights and jumping. By that Thursday, I could not go from sitting to standing, standing to sitting, laying to sitting, sitting to laying, etc without tears coming to my eyes. So I went to the Dr, she prescribed a steroid, lortab and physical therapy. Totally got roid rage and learned that lortab gives me insomnia and doesn't kill pain, but it does kill my brain power. Yea drugs...

Anyway, the point of my post, my physical therapist gave me some exercises to do at home. They are basic things, but all require me to be on the floor, which means Nova either stands over me or lays right next to me.  And I mean RIGHT next to me, she must be touching me with her whole body . She is funny, especially when she does cobra when I am doing cobra :)

As for my back, I have two bulging discs and some arthritis between the bulging, woo hoo for me! I'm seeing a specialist this coming Monday...

Oh, other good (?) news, after Tuesday's pt session, I will have met my deductible of my high deductible health plan. Good thing, I still have 7.5 months left of the plan year! Because I'm going to live it up! Dermatologist here I come! What other medical things can I get done before April?? Suggestions?

The Birds

I think it is pretty well-known that I am terrified of birds. However, I also love birds. Basically, I want to look at them, but I don't want them close enough that they could possibly touch me or swoop at my head.
In fact, I loved them so much as a child, I wanted to be one when I grew up. My Mom crushed that dream pretty quick with logic. Damn you, logic! You always ruin all the fun!
So when I saw these robins I knew they needed to come live at my house. I bought them off etsy, but the girl actually only lives about 6 blocks from me, quite convenient.
I think it is one of my better purchases of the year. Right up there with my orange chair. Ok, that was free, but I would have paid for it, just don't tell the guy I got it from that!

Thirty-two?

Thirty-two? Really?

When I was younger, I never understood "old" people that didn't "feel" their age. Now that I am that "old"person, I totally understand.

I'm actually quite content with 32. Whatever, another year. Though once when I was 19, I had a 32 year old ask me out and I freaked. 32? That is so old! Though it may have been his horrible mustache that freaked me out more - nah, it was his age. :)

This last year was good. I tried new things like pilates and kickball (which I'm playing again this season). I pushed my body harder in running and biking, even if I did gain 10 pounds back...  And I learned that I do have limits, hence the MRI tomorrow... But overall, a very good year.

My actual birthday was probably one of my most chill birthdays ever and it was lovely. Seriously, I was content all day, even when I did my dishes. But more and more, I am content with my life. Sure, there are areas I could improve/change, but I've found I really like me. That may sound silly, but when you have had years of doubt, it is nice to find that you are, in fact, a good person.

So here's to another year! And please no surgery!

Lost Kitty

I seem to lose Pie a lot. Don't worry, I always find her. Usually in places like this picture, aka the hamper

Who's a pretty kitty?

POTPIE!

Tada!

I figured it out! There's app for it!

Here is a lovely picture of Nova. She needed a star "so everyone knows she is a rock star". It is already faded since she played in the sprinklers a lot.

And here is a picture of the lovely Zoe in the outfit I got her for her birthday (back in May...) I love her. She is wonderful.

So I had this brilliant idea to update my blog from my phone. It works, but not for pictures. :( sad. Blogs need pictures!

Happy Birthday Nova!

Okay, it was yesterday, but I didn't blog.

Nova is now four.  Yes, I have a four year old dog, and I am not afraid to admit it. I am old enough for a four year old dog.

We celebrated Nova's birthday with party hats, okay one hat.  And for her special birthday treat, she got TWO carrots when I left for the morning.  I know, I know, I went all out and shouldn't have...but dang it, she is worth the extra carrot.

Here are some pictures of the party hat.

Yes, PotPie wore it first.  She is much more willing to put up with me.  Surprising, I know.  Plus, it is easier to wrangle her.  Nova requires lots of sweet talk and treats, Pie requires a scratch under the chin and she is good.

I love love love love this picture.  I had interrupted her eating to make her wear the hat, and her look is a mix of embarrassment and being annoyed.

Nova is a funny dog.  She didn't want to come near the hat at first (there may have been some nervous pee), but once she calmed down and I got it on, she was fine with it.

 She really is a good dog.

Happy birthday, Nova-dog!

Well.

I did pretty good at staying on the "wagon", but like always I could have been better, much better.  And boy, could I tell at the triathlon this weekend!!  But I finished with a good time (for me),  but I wish I had been 3 minutes faster.

Here is the breakdown.

Swim

T1

Bike

T2

Run

Overall

08:00.6

04:31.6

57:20.3

02:44.7

35:13.7

1:47:50.7

I have a lot of room for improvement and luckily, I have a month to improve, because the next is on June 16th. That run will actually be a full 5k, instead of just 2.9 miles.  So I need to practice running without music or a friend to motivate me.  Seriously, I flounder without one of those items helping me along, sigh.

It really was a fun event, but it definitely had its issues, like the fact the pool was PACKED and you couldn't really pass, because one side of the lane was for down and the other was for back.  If we had a full lane, it would have been less stressful, at least the next Tri gives a full lane, which really means I need to swim (since I ended up walking, which sucked).  And the bike/run included a MONSTER hill (twice for the bike), it was not my friend, I hate hills so very much! But it did have a nice downhill AND diet coke at the end, which sounded good, but actually made my stomach mad (still drank 2 cans though).

I am still deciding if I would do that event next year, I guess I will decide when it comes time to register!

It is Official...

I am back on the work-out wagon.  I had fallen off and then backtracked, but I have caught up and am now sitting comfortably on it.

Okay, so not really.  Maybe I can say that next week, but today is the first day back on the wagon.

My goal for the next 8 weeks is to hit 90% of my work-outs (I have 11 schedule every week, plus one that is not scheduled, but I am going to try today) and ride my bike to work every day I can.  I have certain days that I have to go places at lunch or right after work or that I don't have work, so I am not going to ride those days, but I should be able to get about 30 rides in or average 3.75 rides per week.

Why am I going full bore again?  Well, I will tell you.  I have gained weight, a lot of weight! I am not at my highest or even close, but I am closer than I would like to be, so I am going to get back with it.

In addition to the extra lbs, I have two tri's coming up and I am not ready!! AND after that, I have my trail runs, but for now, I am just focusing on the next 8 weeks.

Wish me luck! I will need encouragement, but not candy...

The Anti-Nova

So I have told most everyone this story, but every time I think about it I shake my head.

On Wednesday, I was pulling up to my house to eat lunch and I see Nova in my front yard. So I was like "CRAP THE GATE BLEW OPEN!" And my first instinct was to honk my horn, Nova knows my car, so I figured it I called attention to myself, she would run towards me. Well, that sent her running, so I rolled down the window and yelled "NOVA!" and she ran faster. SO then I am thinking, that maybe she just wants to explore or didn't hear me (because I am so quiet). My next move was to pull over, grab my purse and go after her, thinking that when she saw me she would run back, so not the case, she TOOK off.

For the next mile, I alternate between yelling and sprinting to catch up. OH and did I mention that I was in flip-flops? I end up taking them off pretty quick and then had to carry them and run barefoot. After multiple close calls, I finally catch up (seriously a mile later) and say her name and she looks at me and I think "sh*t, that is not Nova!". So yes, I spent a MILE chasing some random dog that was Nova's body double and I have the blisters to prove it.

Now for those of you who know Nova, know that she is the most codependent dog EVER. Seriously. She rarely leaves my side and if she does, she is always within seeing distance. We have gone hiking with other dogs that ran all over the place, but she was always within 30 feet of me and checked in every 20 seconds. And other times that the gate has blown open she has been in my backyard, though occasionally she does run west from my house down the dead end to eat the cat food a lady puts out for the strays, but never does she run from me. So I think I was just so shocked that she would run from me that I went mental. And now when I think about it, I think why didn't I just look at the porch, because I am sure she was up there with her feet on the railing looking over the fence to why I was screaming her name like a lunatic.

Silly dog! But I am glad it wasn't my pup. I was getting really really really mad and was ready to blow. Plus, I don't need that kind of rejection from the neediest dog ever!

Oh and when I finally saw that it wasn't Nova, the dog ran again and I thought about going after it to find the owner, but then it crossed 700 East and looked at me smugly from the other side, and I thought "meh, not my problem, I am going home to my pup". So yes, I left it on the run. But honestly, by that point my feet hurt so bad, I knew there was no way I could go another mile after a dog that didn't want to be caught. Plus, I didn't want to explain to my boss that I was going to be late from lunch, because I had rescued a dog. Again.

Where did all my motivation go?

Last year, I was so motivated. Where did that all go? Can you use up motivation?

While I am still working out and eating better, I just don't have the drive I did a year ago or, hell, even 6 months ago. And it is not just in those areas, it is everything.

I can't even think of goals for this year, much less goals for the day! That's right, I am having a hard time making to do lists! WHICH I LOVE!!

Life is weird.

So if anyone has any suggestions, let me know.

On a different note, I love these (the pic is a link, so click it!)

February Adventures

This past weekend, I decided I needed an adventure. So I set out on a road trip with a friend to the oldest saloon in Utah, the Shooting Star Saloon in Huntsville. Now while it is old, it is really known for the Star Burger, which is a double hamburger with a polish sausage on it. I got the mini-Star, which was just one patty. It was pretty good. I'm sure it would have been better if I didn't have a chest cold that made me not hungry.

Here is the saloon. It is pretty cute.
Another reason it has a claim to fame is the St Bernard head it has on its wall. The story is that some old timer's dog died and he was so sad, that he had it stuffed. Well, when he took it home, his wife said no, so he went to drink away his sorrow and ended up trading the head for his beer tab. The dog is extra weird, because it is on a bear mount, because I guess in olden days, they were not use to stuff dogs.
They also have this. I don't remember what it is called, but it is disturbing no matter the name.
Another adventure from this weekend was having Hazel stay the night. She is one of my favorite people in the world, but man, is she is exhausting!! These pictures were taken while I was laying on the couch. This was a couple hours before I took her home and as you can see Nova and I were exhausted, and Hazel used the opportunity to dog pile.
Luckily, Nova loves Hazel as much as I do :)

February brings birthdays and a new co-op.

First things, first. Happy Birthday Kitty PotPie and Bernie. Okay, so I know I am posting this on the 2nd and your birthdays are on the 3rd, but I am just excited!! KPP is now EIGHT! Wow! I can't believe she is so old, she is in kitty middle age!

Here are some pictures from the past year.

Now that she is more mature, she is interested in being outside. So occasionally I take her in the backyard. She spends most of the time smelling things, but one day she did decide she needed to be on top of the dog house.

I actually see this a lot, but it still makes me smile every time. She is so pretty
This year she has also taken a liking to Nova's bed, but only occasionally does Nova allow her to stay on it.
This is the most recent picture. She spends a lot of time on the bathroom counter, either sitting there while I get ready or sitting there wait for me to walk by and turn on the faucet.
Another favorite pose, she really is a cuddly kitty, but only if you are me.

Happy birthday, little Kitty!

I don't have any pictures of Bernie, but I will say that he is one of the greats and I am privileged and honored to call him my sDad. Happy Birthday, Bernie!

Now for the food. I had been part of a local food co-op that was run through a organization than did other things to better the community. Well, that organization realized that the co-op was not breaking even like they had hoped, so they shut it down. Which was a total bummer, especially since I had missed like 6 months and the month I decided I was going back they announced it was their last month. SAD!

Luckily, I live in a neighborhood that values inexpensive fresh vegetables and fruits, so the Sugarhouse Co-op was born. There are some changes, but I think they are for the best. It is now every other week! Which is exciting and is totally going to challenge me to eat a ton of fresh veggies/fruit, but it is a good challenge Another change is there are no add-ons (for now) it is strictly produce. Which is fine, though I did love the bread and tamales, but I can get them from other sources. And they have moved to Thursday morning pick-ups instead of Saturday, again this is fine, but challenging, because I like to sleep in and 7a is much earlier than 9a, but it gets me out of bed and going when I am suppose to be getting out of bed and going, so it is not a bad thing.

Today was our first pick-up. For $12, I received the following.

That breaks down to:

4 gala apples

4 fuji apples

3 pears

1 box of strawberries

5 oranges (I had eaten one by the time I took this picture)

1 bunch asparagus

2 bunches of broccoli (I did take an extra bunch from the extra pile)

1 bag of grapes

6 red potatoes

3 onions

2 cucumbers

2 green peppers

1 bag of carrots (which I have so many carrots in my house I am going to turn orange)

1 head of red leaf lettuce

SO MUCH FOOD!! The wonderful woman who is organizing the whole thing, did mention we may drop down to $10, since we are getting so much. I guess with the other co-op they had 30% overhead so for $10 we were only getting $7 worth of food. So at $12, we basically doubled our share sizes.

I am excited about getting all of this. I realize I could probably get better deals on some of the items, but I really like just having someone hand my a box of produce. That way I don't have to decide what I want, it is already decided. :)