Drama 101

Lordy, yesterday was a drama day!

Little Duke had a potential adopter who was declined because his dog was not neutered and had bred him with a genetic issue.

The guy went ape-shit!  Super, duper long story but the short version ... he made horrible threats against the rescue and against me.  So much so that cops got involved, possible restraining order and lots of lawyer crap.  Some people SUCK!  Hate is a big word, but I hate this guy.

Now Duke is off all sites and might not get his perfect match - he'll get a great match, but I thought he could find PERFECT.

Turns out little 17 lb Duke loves to run.  We've gone running for 2 mornings - my 3 mile loop with only occasional stop to pee (him, not me LOL).  I need a break today - Duke won't be happy.  That little dog can RUN!

I've been super busy with Releash Atlanta stuff and foster dogs.  Busy feels good!

On another note, finally started The Crown with my friend.  SO GOOD!  I can't wait to watch the season!!

Short and sweet today!  Later gators!

Quick Update

(Sorry the pictures are all over the post.  My computer skills are letting me down this morning LOL)


The dogs ...

Transport pup - Beanie.

Friday we transported 3 dogs to their foster homes after taking Noelle (now Ellie) to the vet for the day.  4 hours on the road.  Lots of dogs happy to spend the weekend in a warm bed instead of at the vet.  Big smelly pup had to ride in the crate (he wasn't playing nicely).  I didn't get a picture of him (but he's happy and bathed now!!).

Transport pup - Maggie 12 week puppy!

Then an emergency owner surrender.  Dog fight that lead to a bite from her dog.  The home was 15 minutes from her so we picked up the rescue and are fostering him.  Straight to the bath as he stunk of smoke - yuck!!

Hubby is INSISTING we keep him.  LOVES him to pieces.

DUKE!

Ellie is real deal sick.  Like the kind that shortens her life.  New medication and fingers crossed.  She'll be with us for at least 2 months and forever if we can't find the perfect, loving home to care for her.  Heartbreaking for real.

Jen Hatmaker:

Awesome evening.  Better than my biggest expectation of the night.  It was a sermon of sorts.  But inclusive, FUNNY, thoughtful ... couldn't say enough about her group.  Beautiful music, beautiful stories.  Uplifting in every way.  And we're now sponsoring a little girl in Bolivia - the mission part of her book tour.  We sponsor a child in the US but like this organization a lot too.  Little Jimena from Bolivia.  ChildFund is the international organization and Children, Inc. is US based.


In other news we had dinner at eldest and girlfriend's last night.  Fun night, great food.  We wanted them to adopt Duke but they didn't.  I thought he was a great match for them.  But I need to butt out of their business.   Plus they graduated from JMU with the DUKE DOG mascot.  I thought it was meant to be ... bummer!!

Time to walk the gang of dogs.  Dogs make me HAPPY :-)

Fun Day in the Making

I survived the dentist!  Good-bye for 3 months - woo hoo!

Today should be a fun day.

First, lunch with my crazy-fun aunt.  She's always good for lots of laughs and family scoop.  Persian restaurant with some yummy, yummy food!

Tonight is a speaker event with Jen Hatmaker. She's an inspirational, Christian speaker - all about empowering people.  I love that she has a deep faith with no judgement.  Everyone welcome, everyone accepted, everyone celebrated.  And she calls the church out on it's bias, judgement, etc. (in a respectful way).  As she says (in a very paraphrased way) ... her Jesus, her God walks with love, not divide.  And she's funny!!

I'm going with a good friend and that makes it even better.

Releash Atlanta stuff is going full throttle.  It occurred to me yesterday, that my "work" or my "wish" came true.  I was bummed having so many things end ... my Lift Studio classes and friends, my original connections with Releash, etc.  I was looking for something to fill the void and this is stepping up.  I'm making new connections, doing something fulfilling and having a good time.  Ask and you shall receive ... when it happens, it's always a little surprising.

My RN license renewed.  I'm beginning the "looking" phase.  Being super picky and taking my time (lol - can't get much slower).  Forward motion though.

On the workout front:
OrangeTheory was offering a free week trial but my headache had other thoughts.  They have a free one-time try anytime, so it's still on my radar.  My Lift Studio changed up the classes and some sound interesting.  Mulling this over too.  The weather is warmer so outside running should be back on the table soon.  It's still below freezing in the morning - need those temps up and I'm back outside!

Life is SLOWLY on an upswing.  My moods are still wonky though.  Fake it till you make it - my mantra right now.  Could this be the start of menopause - lordy I hope not - that will be a long 5-8 years LOL.

Posting Slump

I'm not sure why I'm in a posting slump.

My headache is getting better.  It's running in the background now.  When I think of it ... yep, I have a headache, but with a little distraction, I can ignore it.

While I've been under the weather -- my workouts were puny, my eating was too much (healthy, but too much).  I hope I'm turning a corner.  No promises for today, but fingers crossed it's the start of feeling more myself.

Just as I feel better .... DENTIST today.  Ugh and double ugh.  Have I ever mentioned how much I hate the dentist?  My dang snaggle tooth and nerve pain have me up in arms every 3 months (I go twice as often so it's not as bad).  Three months flies by in dentist-time.  I keep saying by noon today it will all be over ... for 3 more months.

Tomorrow is a fun day though.  More on that tomorrow.

Friday is a trek south of the city to take Noelle to her vet check-up.  I hope we can start her steroid taper.  Interrupted sleep might be contributing to my headache cycle and this girl has to tinkle all night long!

Maybe this sleep thing is THE thing that's messing me up.  I am a princess and I LOVE my sleep.  Hmmmm ...

Until tomorrow ... later gators.

MIA Again

I've been flying under the radar for a few days again.

I'm in a headache cycle that won't quit.  Sometimes this is a build-up to a migraine; hopefully not this time.  Morning and evening are the worst so I haven't felt chatty.

We canceled dinner plans on Friday (headache was out of control).  I was bummed - korean bbq with good friends.

I had a volunteer event yesterday for Releash Atlanta.  It was great to meet people, tons of good (compliant) food, lots of information.  Then my headache hit.  I had an hour plus drive home with blurry vision and a throbbing head.  I was super happy to hit my warm, safe bed.

5 PUPPIES, one mama, one big rescue dog!  It was great!
I'm second row, second from left holding a PUPPY!!

Today is brunch out with the kiddos.  Then the afternoon at a friend's house to boo watch the Patriots.  I'll be in-and-out to take care of Noelle.  And probably home early if my headache has anything to say.

I've been doing light workouts and eating well.  I'd like to up the ante on the workouts and eat on more of a schedule (with more well-rounded meals), but I'm doing what I can right now.  I've also been a couch potato ... and that's not productive either.  Fingers crossed this headache stops soon.

Some of my bloat and water pudge has gone, but not much progress on the pants fitting.  I actually feel too lousy to care that much.  I'll keep plugging along and eventually there will be better progress.

Later gators.

Morning Struggles

I'm a self-proclamed morning person.  I'm especially a morning person when I'm eating well.  Yet, for about a week, I've been anything but one.

Dragon-ass in a big way!

I don't know if I'm fighting a bug, getting ready for my monthly visit or the disrupted sleep is hitting hard.  I have ridiculously low energy.  I hardly want to sit at the table.

My workouts are tough ... even the warm-up feels like a 9/10 effort.

Thinking feels hard too.

So on that note, I'm keeping this short, sweet and boring again.  Later gators.  Hopefully, tomorrow will be more lively.

Holly at her new home!  She's so HAPPY!!

Adoption Day!

Holly heads to her forever home today.  I couldn't have wished for a better place for her - she's going to be so HAPPY!  She's is spunky, funny and an overall sweetheart.  Have the BEST life little girl!

Noelle had her vet visit yesterday.  Looks like she's going to need more time to recover - at least a month and no guarantees.  It's probably some sort of immune response, not poison.  I asked the vet about her back leg because she sometimes limps and lifts it.  After x-rays, it was discovered she had a COMPLETE break that healed improperly.  That means she was never treated for it.  Bless this little girl.  The vet said it, thankfully, wasn't bad enough to amputate.  Good lord - I never had that possibility in mind.

Last night was a book event with Melissa Hartwig of Whole30 fame.  It was cool to see her in person.  I didn't learn anything new though and we didn't stick around for the signing (it was a line for hours).  Still -- super glad I did it.  I doubt she'll be back to Atlanta anytime soon and it was neat to see her live.

My healthy habits and healthy eating are going well.  Dinner last night at Seasons 52 and I kept it clean.  I love Seasons 52 when you are watching your food intake.  Portions are moderate, calories are listed, flavors are good, restaurant and service are top notch.  Fancy feel without overindulgence.

We have snow in the forecast later today.  I need to drop Holly off an hour up into the mountains.  Fingers crossed.  And I must hit the grocery store.  Lately, the refrigerator is empty just when I hear about bad weather.

I'm fighting the tired still.  With only one dog tonight, I should a better night's sleep.  Noelle still needs her steroid at a high dose, so the night potty continues.  I'm hoping to pee-pad train her.  So far, she has no idea what to do with them.

I have some new thoughts on my workouts, but I'll save those for another day.  Is it bedtime yet?!?!?

5-4-3-2-1- GO

I read The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins.  It's an interesting concept -- something I sort of practice already, but not so "formally."

Her book is small, but still could be summed up in about a 1/3 of the pages.  There is a TED talk that gets great reviews and I'd go that route rather than the book (save a few bucks).

The tool is designed to help you do something you overthink and talk yourself out of doing.

Working out.
Inviting someone over for dinner.
Raising your hand for a question.
Asking for a raise.
Starting the project.

Something that might trigger rejection.  Something that you know you should do, but can't bring yourself to do it.  Something that is easy to complete, but you keep procrastinating it.

Mel's start was getting out of bed without snoozing. One change and things snowballed for the better.

When that "feeling" hits that you know it's good idea to take action but you think - "I should do this BUT" ... then you start the countdown. 5-4-3-2-1-GO.  And MOVE into ACTION.  Don't think, just do.  Why?  Because your intuition is already pinging you to do it.  Don't let your insecurity and your fickle brain talk you out of it.  INTUITION doesn't steer you wrong.  Even if you get rejected, etc, ... the win is in the DOING.

Counting backwards is a MUST.  If you count UP, you can keep going.  Counting back gives you no choice.

I KNOW she explains this better!!

I do something similar for working out.  I'm not allowed to let my mind wander with reasons for NOT working out, until I've actually started the workout.  Works like a charm.  Of course, I don't stop once I've started and the excuse-thoughts dissipate quickly.

With other things, I say to myself "get up Trinity" (from the Matrix) and that cues me to MOVE!

I like her SIMPLE idea and it's catchy.  I don't use my techniques enough (other than working out). I'm going to give it a try!

Dogs are calling 5-4-3-2-1-GO... LOL just kidding (not about the dogs, but the countdown).  Later gators!

MIA Update

I've been missing for a few days.
Here's a rather boring update:

I've been a morning zombie taking care of these two little girls (hence the missing posts).  They have me up 3-4 times a night (and still accidents) and this old body (and lover of sleep) is struggling.  Holly is meeting a family today and it looks perfect.  Fingers crossed.  Both girls are super loves, just not great with the potty thing yet (I still think it's the medication).

Still going strong on my healthy routine (minus sleep which is usually not a problem for me LOL).

Releash administrative work is picking up A LOT!!  That's also grabbing time in the morning and afternoon.  All of us are still training, so each new application brings questions and questions and questions.  The more I do, the more I'll know.

Nothing on my license renewal yet.  Hope it goes smoothly.

My new kitchen gadget arrived and I haven't even taken it out of the box.  I really AM tired and busy LOL.  The busy is GOOD.  Productivity was sorely missing ... glad to have it back.

It's funny how lousy I feel when I don't get enough uninterrupted sleep.  My brain is mush; my body is slumped ... it makes a difference.  Holly should be adopted soon and that will help.

I'm at a loss for anything else to say :-)  Later gators!!

A Little Shift

I mistyped my title ... can you guess what it said LOL.  That title is for another day LOL!

So in my quest for my normal routine back, I decided to change up that normal routine a bit.  I'm a morning person -- a real deal morning person.  I'm also a person who LOVES a list and LOVES crossing off that list as FAST as possible.

The early part of my day is jammed packed with getting stuff done.  It feels great.  Check, check, check off the list.  Usually by mid to late afternoon, my list is finished.  I'm tired but accomplished and it's time to relax.

I sit on the sofa to read or watch TV and EAT!  Usually, I start eating because I'm hungry.  When I'm in get-stuff-done mode, I usually haven't eaten lunch.  But that eating leads to more eating and then mindless eating.  You get the picture.

I'm making a conscious decision to SLOW DOWN my to-do list for the day.  Pace myself, take lunch, take breaks.  It's okay to do wash at 3 o'clock.   Then, I'm not famished by afternoon.  I have distractions during the witching hours -- it's not all a rush to relax and feed my face.  I'm still pushing out the crappiest of the list in the morning and saving the non-urgent, busy work for afternoon.  But it's helped.  It's helped mentally and physically.  My list is getting done and I'm not feeling as (self) pressured.

I'll see if it continues to help.  Every little bit it worth something!!  Later gators.

Drum roll ...

Guess what??

I ordered a size up because I like pjs big and sometimes they run small.  These are really, really big though -- especially the top.  Oh well.  I still LOVE them.  Maybe they'll shrink a bit (I'm taking them off before bed and washing them).  I think a smaller size would still have an odd fitting top -- something about the proportions are different -- especially in the shoulders.

Anyway ...

Back to a night of peeing and taking dogs out.  Not as bad as the first night, but a turn-around in progress.  Up three times and still accidents - ugh! We're finally warm enough again for real walks.  I'll see if that helps.  I think it's Noelle's large evening dose of steroids contributing to the frequency.

I kicked the proverbial butt yesterday on my to-do list.  CE credits done, uploaded to reporting agency, application for renewal sent.  Bam.  Now waiting.  I also got my passport renewal stuff ready and am going for the picture today.  Clearing some big, yucky stuff off my plate!!

Today is a rest workout day, CVS for my picture and Trader Joe's.  I'm doing some training for Releash this afternoon.  Simple day.

I'm feeling stronger with my promise to myself.  Three good quality days in the bank.  The best part?? I have nothing major to derail me.  My pattern these last few months was to get back on track just in time for a major something (holiday, trip, etc) and then struggle before I tried to get back again.  Over and over.  I have some social stuff in January, but I'm sticking to my promise.  It's really important since I'm on the edge of a wardrobe disaster (as in my clothes might burst!).  I don't want to buy new clothes because of crappy, unhealthy gluttony.

I'm also on the brink of progress.  A HUGE motivation for ME is feeling good in the morning.  And feeling good includes being able to get dressed in real clothes (not just sweats)!! Searching my closet for something to wear that possibility fits, that hides the poor choices, that feels semi-comfortable ... it puts me right back to how I felt before I lost the weight.  It's a HORRIBLE feeling for ME.  Any whiff of that feeling and I panic ... doesn't matter what size.  I know what my body looks like when I'm respecting it.  It doesn't look like that right now.

Keeping my promise today -- come hell or high water.  Later gators.

T-Shirt Mania

One of my "reward" gifts came in the mail yesterday.  T-shirt with "be kind" on the front.  LOVE it!  I spend most of my time in t-shirts when I have a foster dog -- no point in muddying up my good clothes (ummm, plus they don't fit).  The problem is my shirt collection is hurting.  Stained, ripped, worn ... but I still use them.  I feel like a bum.

Since I've had a recent issue with the blues, part of feeling better (for ME) is looking better.  Clean my crap up!!  Enter the search for new shirts.  My favorite company went out of business so I've been on the hunt.  I'm picky on fit and fabric.  I usually need unisex sizing for the length.

I ordered 2 - one v-neck in woman's sizing; one crew in unisex.  I like the crew.  Size is good; fabric is nice; no shrinking.  Winner!!

I went back (ETSY - UniqueBelletique) to search for more.  Guess what?!?!?  You can easily CUSTOMIZE!!  OMG!  An addiction is born ... or potentially born if I like the results.

I can't tell you how many times I say "I wish I could find those words on a shirt."  And, this morning, with the opportunity at my fingertips, I couldn't remember NOT ONE!  I have a quote book, but it's all lengthy stuff.  I want short and sweet, but not too preachy.

I searched and searched and decided to do a french word for our trip.  Sourire -- means "smile."  Good stuff.  As soon as I ordered it, I came up with a great idea.  Using different fonts:
     Atlanta
     London
     Paris
Perfect for the plane ride for our May trip.  Comfortable, fun, conversation piece (even if I only talk to myself LOL).  I'd get matching ones for everyone, but my boys are firmly against matching anything unless it's a sports team (party-poopers).

P.S. If this goes well, I have my new favorite gift to give to all my girlfriends!!

I have another reward in the "maybe" box.  If I pull the trigger, I'll give you the scoop.  STILL no dog pjs ... I'm super bummed and a couple of weeks away from canceling the order.

______________________________________________________________________

In other news:

A possible ice storm is expected late morning.  Looks like today is a hibernation day. (BTW, schools are cancelled, but rumor has it, it's because of the GA college game tonight ... got to love the south!!)

Both dogs did really well last night - good girls.  We're forming our routine.  Dogs are amazing!

Hubby came home last night and I was able to get a zillion (actual count) of errands run while he watched football and the girls (I crated them 2 times already).  Glad to have that stuff off my list.

Holly is crating fine with Noelle in the crate with her.  No more anxiety.  I ordered the recommended stress tabs to try if she needed them.  Good to have on hand for the future fosters.

CE credits will be done this week and I'll apply for my license renewal next week.  Then resume update.  Then the search begins.

I have coffee with a friend on Wednesday - good to get out of the house.  Maybe another something later in the week.

Still lots of to-dos on my list for the week, but I've already made a dent.

Today is another ME day of healthy choices.  Keeping my promise feels good.  Duh.  That should go on a t-shirt!!!  Later gators.

Looking Up

I feel better this morning.  Maybe because I finally made THE DECISION to get back in the game ... didn't half-ass make a decision ... didn't dial it in.  Kept a promise to ME.

I slept oddly well, when I was able to sleep.  Noelle had me up 3 times to pee outside, but somehow I still cleaned up 4 accidents on the carpet last night.  Calgon take me away!  We've got some learning to do.  I'll see how tonight goes.  If she's improving, we'll trudge along.  If not, sadly, crate time is necessary.  It's hard because Holly does fine in the bed.

A little bit on the sisters.  The reunion wasn't the Hallmark moment I envisioned.  Humping, growling, etc.  They care about people more and who's getting something they aren't (treat, belly-rub, etc).  It's good news though; much easier to adopt individually.

Noelle 

Holly

Family is home for a brief moment today.  Youngest heads back to school; hubby on business trip early tomorrow morning.

Update on the kombucha.  The brown GT bottle seemed the same to me.  The Dr. brand was horrible - down the sink immediately.  Glad I only bought one bottle.  I think my kombucha kick is over again.

I have a list of house stuff to round out today and a bigger list for this week.  Time to make the donuts all week long.

I'm, once again, committed to the promise to ME today.  I'll take more luck if it's going around though.  Later gators.

It's ME again ...

Why does what seems so easy and important and doable in the morning all fall to pieces in the afternoon?

I'm fighting the witching hours hard.

My brain is trying to talk my mouth into some not-so-good things.  A few good days ... a promise to ME ... working hard at ignoring my brain.

I want cheese and crackers.  Then a glass of wine.  Then something sweet.  Then I want to repeat it, at least twice.  Honestly, typing this makes my mouth water.

I need to want to fit into my clothes MORE.  And feel better.  And, and, and.

Gratification NOW vs better stuff later.  The decision seems so simple in the morning.  I LOVE mornings.  I'd go to be obscenely early if it weren't for the pups -- just to end this day.

Thanks for the vent/rant time for a second go today.

It REALLY, REALLY is just a few good days in a row.  Come on girl -- you got this.

The Blahs

I'm majorly BLAH this week.

First week of having a foster means hibernating.  I need to acclimate the little pup, spend quality time, not too much crating, house train, etc, etc, etc.  This means I go out very little, cluster my errands for only one trip out and become a house hermit.  Being a hermit magnifies the blahs.

Add to this problem, this week my family is on vacation, my two best local buddies are MIA (foot surgery and their vacations) and it's colder than a witch's *$%.  All decreasing my "doing stuff" ability.

My only "out" this week was lunch with a friend.  The rest of the week was yucky clothes (I'm cleaning up dog stuff all day), reruns of Frasier and talking to myself.  Maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but I feel closed off from the world.

Now add a few more goodies.  I pick up a new foster today (start the hibernation clock over), hubby is out of town all next week, youngest goes back to school Sunday night.  It feels like a lonely week coming up too.

Adding again to my woes, I've not been reasonable about my eating.  Eating good food, but way too much of it (hello home all day and bored).  So very little "good" happening for my work effort.

I'm plugging through some stuff.  Releash Atlanta is kicking up some work, my CE credits are getting done, but I'm really blah overall.  I've caught up with peeps on the phone and that's been nice.  I need more though.

And when I'm blah, I tend to see the glass half empty.  Lunch with my friend was good (I thought so at least).  Good conversation, stuff in common, etc.  Yet, the end of lunch we said good-bye and that was it.  No "that was fun, let's do it again" ... no "thanks for suggesting this" ... no message after the fact.  Now my good lunch feels less-than-good because I'm focused on this no-second date situation.  I feel the ball is in her court to ask to do something.  What if she didn't enjoy herself?  I don't want to become that pushy person you need to make excuses to avoid.  If she gave positive feed-back, I'd be more than happy to lead the invites.  I wanted this WIN ... a complete win.  Hello crazy ME -- we've been spending lots of time together lately LOL.

In conclusion ... I NEED TO GET MY BUTT IN GEAR!!!

Hmmmm, where have I heard this before?

Sorry for the Debbie Downer rant.

Last night, I told myself to get a run of a few really good days together and then the momentum will change.  Just a few days and I do so much better.  Today starts that little streak ... a promise to ME!!!

Really good days means:
     up early
     be productive
     be busy
     workout hard
     eat well
   
Wish me luck ... I know it's up to me and not luck, but ME doesn't seem to be getting the job done ... so some LUCK might serve me well.

Morning brings the chance for a do-over, start-again, do-better.  Good morning ... pretty please.
 

PICTURES!

The picture technical difficulties were brought to me by a faulty cord, fortunately (anything more than that and I'd never have pictures again!!).

First, some pictures of the latest foster baby, Holly.  She's a Norfolk Terrier.  Her sister is recovering from a blood clot they now think was from rat poisoning.  She's coming to me on Saturday (if all goes well) and I'll take her back to the vet for check-ups.  No way I'm letting her sit in a crate for weeks on end.

That little underbite ... LOL!!!

She's a stinking beauty!

She's so happy to snuggle and be warm, safe and loved.
All human woes can be cured from a pup cuddle.

On the subject of my LOVE of RITUAL DRINKING:

Meet my Christmas beauty ...  holy cow ... look at that shine!  It took a hot minute to figure it out, but I'm doing well and enjoying the espressos.  I'm experimenting with different beans.  The only downside is once you commit to a bean, it's IN the machine.  That means swapping between caffeine and decaf is a problem (only when my son is home and wants caffeine).  We're compromising and doing 1/2-caf (or I sneak all decaf and he doesn't notice).  The machine will let me know when it needs the BIG clean and descaling -- that will be another learning curve, but well worth it!  I have a 2-tiered basket on order to store all the beans and cups.

With my back-to-healthy eating, I decided to add Kombucha back for a week or so.  I'm straining it so no snot babies!!!  I read that Brew Dr. is one of the best.  I haven't tried it yet - stay tuned.  When I went to Sprouts to buy it, I found brown bottled GT.  You need ID to purchase.  It's supposed to be totally unprocessed and, therefore, can have higher alcohol content (still hardly anything).  Curious to see if I notice a difference. Stay tuned again ...

Lunch out today with a (mostly Facebook) friend I met at bookclub a few years back.  I rarely see her, but find we "chat" on Facebook a lot.  I asked her out before Christmas, but our flight problems had me reschedule.  I'm curious if we can form a better connection outside of cyber-world.  This is part of my NY Resolutions - expand my friend base.  I'm a little nervous ... or maybe uncomfortable is a better word.  With only 2 people to hold conversation, etc, it pushes my social muscles a bit.  I'm sure it will be fine.  SHY-ME is rearing her ugly head this morning.

I'm almost finished with my CE for RN license renewal.  Awesome.  I was a brut yesterday while my house was getting cleaned (and it helped with the pampered-guilt!).  Hope the reporting and CE acceptance goes smoothly.  I'm on the slowest boat to going back to work EVER, but forward motion is happening!

On the workout front, I'm doing a mosh of stuff ... adding some Tabata routines back ... more regular lifting, etc. Anything to combat this boredom.  I want to complain about how cold it is and I want more moderate temperatures back so I can run outside ... BUT I complained non-stop about the endless summer and too humid weather so I'll SHUT-UP LOL!  Once the temperatures are above freezing, I can add my outside runs back and that's going to be great.

Later gators.

Yes, it's Wednesday

 ... but I keep thinking it's Tuesday.  Anyone else struggling?  Holiday on a Monday AND a new year?!?!  What day, what year, where am I?

Today is cleaning crew day.  Love/hate relationship with this day.  Of course, I love my house cleaned (by NOT me) and I love that my back thanks me for that decision every time.  BUT (cue the  whining), I have to figure out dogs, me, etc for hours all afternoon.  Sometimes they come at 1:30, sometimes at 3:30 plus cleaning time.  That's a big window.  Okay, enough rant.  I just happened to remember it's Wednesday and a quick panic hit me.

I have one of the fosters (Holly).  Adorable little girl.  Her sister needs more recovery after a blood clot.  I'm bummed she's at the vet still, but one dog at a time is so much easier to acclimate to a household.  Pictures to follow, but I'm having some import issues from my phone this morning.

Plugging along with my healthy habits.  Last night was hard again.

I have stuff to share, but it needs to come off my phone with pictures.  (Hint ... I LOVE my new espresso maker.)

I'll try to figure out my technical glitch and post later.  Time to start my WEDNESDAY!!

Back at IT

What is IT? ... my normal grind, but my OLD NORMAL GRIND.  You know, the health, happy, productive NORMAL I let go of recently.  That's what I want to have again ... please, pretty please. (Good news is that it's all up to ME!!  The bad news is that makes it somehow harder answering only to ME.)

I spent the week between Christmas and NYE having a practice, build-up week.  Dabbling in back-to-healthy.  I don't normally dabble.  I do or I don't do.  (All or nothing ... I know you so well!!)  But I read an Instagram post about having a practice week and it resonated.  I don't think I'll do it again, but it was something to try.  (It felt like too much work without enough results.)

Yesterday was the real deal for the long haul.  And it felt hard.  At night.  As usual.

This week is a challenge.  The first week back always is a shocker to all those lovely bad habits that I love and hate all at once.  I keep focusing on that ONE WEEK goal.  Here's the good news -- sticking to it for ONE WEEK makes HUGE strides to changing direction, feeling better, etc.  ONE WEEK. (Now technically ONE WEEK minus ONE DAY.)

ONE WEEK I can do.

After one day ...
My new watch is looser.  Good-bye swelling - water holding - inflammation.
My belly bloat is already improving.
I woke up more easily.

Duh says my body.  Treat me well and I do well.

Of course, my biggest WANT is to have my clothes fit again (yes, self-esteem and vanity blood-sisters).  My second biggest WANT is to have my mood more stable.  Lately, I'm all over the map with "moods."  For example, hubby and kids are heading on their yearly ski trip tomorrow and I'm all sad.  Since when do I get sad having the house to myself?  It's not a normal reaction for me.

I've been super sensitive to social media stuff too.  Also, NOT me!!  Was that text dismissive?  That comment sounded a bit mean.  Why am I the last to hear about this?  I'm the only loser who didn't do anything for NYE.  Etc. Etc. Etc.  Strange.  I think it's the food-mood connection.  (Didn't plan that rhyme, but I LOVE it LOL)

Time will tell.

In other news ...
My productivity list is going well.  I'm cruising through my CE for license renewal.  My teeth are starting to look whiter (thanks Crest Whitening Strips).  I'm reading lots.  It feels good.

In other, other news ...
If all goes as expected, I'm getting 2 foster girls today.  They've been delayed due to health stuff.  Hopefully, progress over the weekend.  Sweet girls.

My workouts are still dragging, but I'm plowing through.  The weather is COLD -- way too cold to run outside (careful what you wish for ... um, endless summer hex).  I'm on the search for a new routine.

I'm super chatty this morning, but this post is long.  On that note, I'll say see-you-later-gator.  Day 2 begins.

Happy New Year!

XOXO