Missing Disney World

I miss our vacation. Every. Single. Day.

Found: Goals

Ok, my pity party is over.  Thanks for attending.  I gave a lot of thought to what I want to do with myself the rest of the year.  I figured I would be thorough and add in some non-fitness related goals to give me something to do when not turning into a fitness machine.

• Increase my speed by doing hill workouts and intervals with a sub 10 minute mile as the ultimate goal
• Maintain a sub 10 minute mile and finally hit a sub-30 minute 5k
• Run the Rock 'N Roll Half Marathon Relay
• Take a yoga class 
• Finish digitally scrapbooking 2010 road trip and regular scrapbooking 2011 road trip
• Organize and back-up digital photos
• Save $$$$ - Now that I've paid off my second mortgage, I need to start saving for a down payment.  So, my goal will be to avoid things that cost money.  No frivolous spending.  Race registrations and running shoes are excluded from this restriction.  HA!
• Get out of the house more on my days off.  Do something other than sit at the computer all day.  I'm still searching for things to do to keep myself occupied - I'm open to suggestions.

So it's not a wonderful list but it's something.  Maybe I should make a list of random activities and pull them out of a hat each weekend.  That would certainly mix things up!

Bolder Boulder 10k

I can finally say I've ran the Bolder Boulder!!  Sort of.  Pretty much my entire life, I've heard of the Bolder Boulder.  In previous bouts of running, I never even thought of trying it.  My friend Bryn had walked the race multiple times in the past and asked if I wanted to run it with her this year!

Never one to turn down a chance to run a race these days, I agreed!  The race is a huge deal in the running community.  It draws about 50,000 runners and the elite runners come from around the country to put a notch in their belt.  I was bummed to learn that Ryan Hall was not running this year.  Don't know who Ryan Hall is??  Google him and watch the London Olympics.  :-)

Anywho, the race was awesome.  The course was much flatter than I expected and the course spectators throughout Boulder were highly entertaining.  I really liked the fact that each kilometer and mile were marked with banners.  Often times at races there is a tiny little mile sign at each mile and most of the time you can't see and have no clue how far you've run.




The race ended in CU Boulder's football stadium.  And one of the coolest things about this was that as soon as we were done, we headed up into the stadium with our snack bags to watch the elite runners.  This is the only race I've seen the elite runners start after everyone else.  It was really cool to see a filled stadium give a standing ovation to runners.  No balls, no tackling, no half-naked cheerleaders...just runners racing their personal best.  And holy fartleks, were they fast!!!





Bryn and I didn't run the entire thing.  I was just reaching my groove around Mile 3 when she needed to stop for a walk break.  I didn't want to leave her behind amongst 50,000 people so the second half of the run was a run/walk.  We finished the 10k in about 80 minutes.  I think our average was 13 minute miles.  Not bad!!  And it was a personal best for Bryn!!

It was a fun race!  I'm already looking forward to next year!

Homemade Dog Food: Take Two

I made up another batch of Brinkley food yesterday.  The crock pot did most of the work.  This recipe didn't make as many servings as the last recipe.  I did make each serving a little bigger, closer to 2 cups as he's now almost exclusively on the home cooked food. 

2lbs of chicken breast
2 cups green beans
1 cup carrots
1 large sweet potato
1 1/2 cup rolled oats

I added things in stages throughout the day.  I added the oats at the end to soak up all the juices left in the crock pot.  I didn't want any nutrients left after cooking to be wasted in juices and oats are commonly used as a filler in homemade recipes.  I know Brinkley can tolerate oats because I've used them in homemade recipes for his dog biscuits.

Brinkley hasn't taste-tested this recipe yet.  He hasn't been a fan of carrots previously but the ones in this recipe are mushed up so much I don't think he'll notice them.  I split it up into servings before bed time and he'd already had his dinner.  My guess is that it will taste similar to what he's been eating all week.  I think there is more chicken per serving though so he will probably really like it.

I'm still waiting on Brink's Glycoflex to arrive.  I'm not impressed by Amazon this go around.  Purchases usually arrive within a day or two but not this time.  I also have found a multi-vitamin for him made by the same company that makes Glycoflex.  Most holistic vets recommend a vitamin in general but especially encourage it when a dog is on a homemade diet.  And the best news... much cheaper than I thought.  A year's worth of vitamins will cost about $40.

Brinkley hasn't had any digestion issues.  I think his coat is already getting a little softer and shinier.  I'll be interested to see how long it takes for him to lose a few pounds.  It will probably take some experimenting with portion sizes before I know for sure what he needs. 

I think the next recipe I try will include beef and eggs, both of which I do not have on hand.  I think I've got food through next Wednesday now.  If I cook next Tuesday, I should be set for all of next week!!

Wanted: Goals

Ever since getting back from Disney World, I've been in a rut.  I've been completely unmotivated to do pretty much anything.  I can easily persuade myself not to do something.  Just this morning I talked myself out of going running.  The fat girl inside of me somehow made a walk sound like the better option.  I hate that fat girl.

I need to bust out of this rut.  Badly.  I feel like a sloth.  I've been restless and can't get to sleep when I do go to bed.  Then I feel exhausted when I wake up because I got little sleep.  I took a nap on the couch last night because I was all discombobulated from such little sleep the night before.

As with many other times in my life, I feel like a need a plan of some kind to keep me on track.  The 100 Day Fitness Challenge kept me focused and motivated.  My guess would be that I did something fitness related for 80 of those 100 days.  And even though the scale didn't move that much, I did notice a change in my level of fitness and in how my clothes fit!!

I think partly why I'm in a rut is that I don't really have a reason to leave the house on my days off.  It's very easy to just stay in my pajamas all day when I don't have to go anywhere.  I feel like I'm wasting my time off.  I either need a hobby that gets me out of the house or better discipline when it comes to hobbies at home.

Other than running and finishing the Walt Disney World Half Marathon in January, I have no goals to motivate me.  I think I need to change that.  Any suggestions???  I would love to return to jujitsu but there are mornings where I wake up and my chest still hurts.  The thought of getting it crushed inward every time I'm slammed to the ground does not sound fun.

Something has to give soon.  If I'm boring myself, I can't imagine how much I'm boring you!!

To Be A Writer

In an ideal world a person could choose what they wanted to do in the world and that would be that.  I don't know a single person in real life who is doing what they really want (and I mean really, really WANT) to be doing.  Reality sucks.  People settle all too frequently.  I'm certainly one of them.

I work in law enforcement.  Never, ever, ever did I plan or aim for working in law enforcement.  It was never on my radar.  When I started college, I wanted to write.  I didn't know what to write about, I just knew I wanted to write.  Being a writer sounded like the perfect career.  I could pursue things that interested me, write about them, and get paid.  And if I could do that and take great photographs to accompany my words, all the better.

Even though life has taken be down quite a few different paths since college, I still think being a writer would suit me just fine.  I like being inside my head during the writing process.  I like trying to arrange words in an order that makes them flow so smoothly you don't even know you're reading.  Not many people can write that well.  I have my moments but I'm far from great.  And there are days where I'm far from good.

The trouble with my wanting to be a writer is not a lack of ideas or inability to write.  I can safely say my biggest hurdle is following through and finishing.  I bet most wannabe writers would say the same thing about themselves.  I know a handful of people who love reading, research, and writing just as much as I do. They dream of a writing career but have real life to deal with too.  They certainly have the ability and desire.  And just like me, it's following through and finishing that is their literary downfall.

If I had all the time in the world, could I finish a writing project??  I think what makes someone a writer more than anything else is self-discipline to consciously approach a blank slate and keep going until satisfied with the final product.

One of the bloggers who I read frequently just quit her day job to become a full-time farmer and writer.  She took a huge leap of faith in order to do what she really wants.  I'm envious.  I'm a coward when it comes to putting myself out on a ledge when real life is involved.

Poppy Love

While Brinkley and I were out walking this morning we passed a few huge poppy plants.  I stopped to take pictures and Brinkley stuck his head in each one to sniff and investigate.

When we got home Milo started loving up all over Brinkley.  Milo - the grumpy, anti-social cat - would not leave Brinkley's side.  The only thing I can figure is that Milo loved the smell of poppies.  I never would have guessed that!?

Clearly, life is rather boring for me if I'm posting about my cat and his love of poppies.  I'll do anything to avoid doing laundry! ;-)

Run first, then walk

As ordered, I ran my three miles today.  I had to wait until about 7 to get started so that I wouldn't overheat.  Brinkley was incredibly confused when I left him behind.  He did his usual pre-run dance while I got ready to go.  The look on his face as I closed the door was like a knife through the heart. No, I'm not being overly dramatic.  He looked confused, betrayed, and desperate all in one look!  Ok, maybe I was just projecting my own feelings on him.  It really sucks to leave him behind.  I feel like I'm letting him down.

I assured him that I would be back soon and told him we would go for a walk when I got back.  My run went really well.  The only annoying part was the smell in the air.  I'm not sure what is in full bloom at the moment but it's potent!!  By the end of the run my allergies were really starting to bug me.

As promised, Brink and I then went for a short walk for my cool down.  I think it was enough to satisfy him.  We'll go for a longer one in the morning!!

Walt Disney World: Day Two

We started our first full day in Disney World at one of my favorite parks - Disney MGM Studios  Hollywood Studios.  Even though it's a park with an identity crisis, it's still a great park.  I had a million memories come flooding back walking past Mickey's of Hollywood and Keystone Clothiers!!  Squeee!!

We started off right by hitting up The Great Movie Ride!!  It was just as great as it's always been!!  I was glad to see that nothing had changed.  In the weeks building up to vacation I kept reading about all of these updates to rides and shows.  I'm glad the powers that be didn't screw with The Great Movie Ride!!  It's truly a classic!

We followed up The Great Movie Ride with Star Tours.  Brent's motion sickness did not agree with Star Tours.  At all.  Thankfully, his reaction was not nearly as bad as it was in Ohio so we were able to continue on with the day.  Although, I'm pretty sure Brent had written off Disney and the entire trip at that point. 

We hit up The Backlot Tour next.  I think the last time I visited Disney World the featured movie while waiting in line was Conair or something like that.  This time around it was Pearl Harbor.  The movie effects thing at the start was entertaining!!  And I noticed the cast members no longer do the ride commentary.  It's all automatic now.  Boo.  I was bummed to see the tour was shortened to include the costumes and carpentry shops, the Boneyard and Catastrophe Canyon.  Remember the little street with the Golden Girls house and all of the others?  Gone.  Boo.  Change sucks.  But I guess they had to move everything to make room for their motor sports show, which we saw later in the week. 

After The Backlot Tour, I took a ride on Woody's Midway Mania.  Brent decided to sit out the Woody ride as it spun every whipstitch.  So I rode it by myself with a Fastpass.  A Fastpass is mandatory for that ride.  I don't think it's worth a 30 minute or more wait.  It was a lot of fun but it's very short!!   

I loved our brief time at Hollywood Studios.  I would have loved to head down to Rockin' Rollercoaster and Tower of Terror but Brent and I had lunch reservations in Norway at EPCOT.  We park hopped via the water taxi.  We arrived in EPCOT at the International Gateway with plenty of time to walk around the lake.  We rode the boat rides in Mexico and Norway before checking in at the restaurant.  Disney really needs to update the Norway video!!  I think Norway deserves a 360 show like China and Canada!

For our late lunch we had reservations at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall.  Not too long ago, Disney changed this restaurant over to a character dining place.  We didn't really care much about it being a character dining place.  We just wanted to try some Norwegian food.  Our reservation was for 3:05.  We arrived at the podium at about 2:50 and finally made it to a table around 3:20.  I'm not sure if they were allowing walk-ups so I have no idea if waiting 30 minutes for our "reserved" table was normal or crappy.

We were ushered in to meet Belle!  A printout of our picture with Belle was delivered to our table later.  I'm too lazy to scan it but it turned out pretty good!  HA!  Brent got to meet all the princesses as they stopped by our table to chat us up.  Brent was called a sailor by Ariel and a beast by Belle.  Classic!  The food was pretty darn tasty too!  I love me some Lingonberries!!  The dessert was fantastic!!!  We pretty much gobbled it right up before I even thought to take a picture!

After refueling and giving our feet a break, we had a bit of a second wind to start trucking around EPCOT.  We wandered around the lake and popped into each country.  The China movie was pretty cool.  That was the first time I had seen it!

It was a hot and busy day!!  We went to EPCOT the very next Friday as well and it wasn't nearly as busy as it was this day.  Brent was getting grumpy and started complaining about the crowds.  I figured sitting down in air conditioning for a while would be a good idea so we waited for the next showing of The American Adventure.  It was nice to sit down in those cushy theater seats for a half hour show!!  Even though I've seen it a dozen times, it's always nice to see!!  The volume of the show is a little loud though!!  Some ear plugs would certainly come in handy in that theater!

 

By the time we reached the France pavilion, it was approaching time to plop a squat for Illuminations.  Knowing we would be back another day, we skipped the Canada show and headed over towards Norway to find a good spot to sit.  We did find a great spot right between Norway and Mexico.  It was only 7:30 so I told Brent to hold our spots while I fetched ice cream!!  Our first Mickey Ear ice creams were enjoyed along the lake with one heck of a sunset!!!

The fireworks were great!!  There is a whole other story about Illuminations and how I managed to piss off dozens of parents but that's probably for another day.  Let's just say if I stake out my place an hour and half ahead of time, don't expect me to be nice to you or your kids when you arrive minutes before show time and expect your kids to have a front row view once the fireworks start going off.  I'm going to end my brief rant now as I can already feel my blood pressure increasing just thinking about all of the stroller pushing parents with entitlement issues.

Anywho, I enjoyed the fireworks!!  And because the park was open late to park guests, we also enjoyed Spaceship Earth with no line!  We showed our hotel card and hopped right on!  I would have loved to stick around longer and hit up some of the other Magical Hours rides but Brent was exhausted so we called it a day!!

Brent crashed when we got back to the hotel.  I waited around for a bit and met my parents, brother, sister-in-law, and Moxon who were just arriving!!!  Mox opened his Welcome to Disney package and we set our meeting time for the morning!!  Before I knew it, the morning alarm was going off!!!

First Batch Done!

I picked up some library books, my race packet, and some chicken while out running errands this morning.  Then I came home and started my first batch of Brinkley food.  I used ingredients I had on hand and that I'd seen on various websites with homemade dog food recipes.  I'm not sure I've got the proportions correct.  I think there needs to be more meat.

Dog Chow Take One

2lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breast

2 cups white, long grain rice

1 large sweet potato

1 cup brocolli

1 cup celery

I put everything a big pot and with some water to cover.  After bringing it to a boil, I let it simmer for 2.5 hours.  I then divided it all out into 1.5 cup servings.  My best guess would be that a 1.5 cup serving runs about 350 calories or less.  For now, it will be mixed in with a little kibble to help his digestive system adjust.  Since we're still trying to lose a few pounds, we'll start out on the low end and increase servings size as we get him to his goal weight.  :-)  It's just like humans!

Brinkley gobbled up his first meal!!  LOVED it!  He licked his bowl clean!  I've got enough to last us five days but I'm going to make another concoction tomorrow.  I'll get a stock going in the freezer that way I'm not always pinched to be cooking something.

Switching to Homemade Dog Food

I think it's time to finally do what I've always said I would do...make Brinkley's food at home.  In researching joint supplements, I starting reading all about dog food again.  I should have known better but I just couldn't help it.  And I found a few dog health podcasts to listen to as well.  And I started watching You Tube videos.  And then I finally decided that it can't be all that dang difficult to just make his food at home!!  In all of my random readings, here's what I've found...

Pros...

• By making his food, I know exactly what goes into it.  I will no longer have to decipher the back of a dog food bag and wonder what all that stuff is.  If the front of the bag says chicken and rice or lamb and potato, those should be listed on the back, right??!!
• No chemicals, which are increasingly linked to dog cancer and poor development (hips anyone?)
• Increased energy, softer coat, clearer eyes
• Improved diet can help Brink lose weight
• Natural source of protein, vitamins, and minerals can help with arthritis
• Alleviate allergies, which are most likely caused my chemicals and excessive use of corn and wheat as fillers in dry kibble. 

Cons...

• I have to actually cook it.  Consistently.
• Everyone will assume I'm crazy
• ????  Anyone got anything else???? 

There's a huge debate among dog food chefs as to whether or not homemade dog food should be raw or cooked.  I can understand both sides.  Yes, when wolves/dogs kill their prey, they don't cook anything.  They eat the meat, bones, organs, and stomach contents (plants, berries, etc.) as raw as mother nature makes it.  However, I don't want to end up sick myself by feeding my dog raw chicken, beef, etc. 

I know myself too well.  My Type A personality would be absolutely paranoid that the counter tops, dog dishes, and feeding area were contaminated at every feeding.  To me, it just makes better sense to cook everything.  Nutrients can't be completely lost in cooking otherwise everyone would be telling us to eat raw as well.  Duh.

Another "myth" surrounding homemade dog food is that it lacks the appropriate balance of nutrients.  Supplement creators, suppliers, pushers, or what have you say you need to add a tablespoon of this and that to make the meal whole.  It seems as though it should be the other way around.  Commercial dog food is meant to help a dog survive, not necessarily thrive.  All those supplements would probably help a dog more on a kibble diet than a natural diet. 

All of the bloggers, commentators, etc. have nothing but rave reviews for homemade dog food.  Dogs are healthier and live longer.  If homemade dog food was truly dangerous and detrimental to dogs, people would be screaming and commenting negatively.  People compare a dog eating kibble every meal to a human eating fast food or junk food at every meal.  People get sick, feel sluggish, etc on the the crappy diet.  On a healthy diet, it's the opposite.  Same for dogs.  Common sense can rule supreme if you give it a chance.

I know Brinkley.  I know when he's happy, sad, depressed, bored, lonely, sick, etc.  I plan to keep a close watch on him and see how his body reacts.  It's all an experiment of sorts in hopes of helping his quality of life as the years go by.  As I find, make, and use recipes, I'll post them on the blog.  Wish me luck!!

Off to a good start!

My weekend has started off pretty darn good.  Mr. Miles and I fit in a two mile run this morning.  It was our first run in a long time!  I got to see his super duper smiley face!!  He loves going for a run!!  Unfortunately, that was all of the excitement for Brinkley today.  I spent the rest of the day out at my parent's new house assembling furniture and moving stuff around.  Next weekend, I'll be painting at the old place.

My mom also made me a second birthday cake!  And Moxon decorated it with Lion King characters!  It scrumptious.  And I'd be lying if I said I haven't already dug into the leftovers I brought home.  Yum!

I've decided tomorrow will be a super productive day for me.  I have lots to do around here.  My clothing piles are a little out of control.  I managed to empty out my two running clothes drawers this morning in search of a matching pair of socks, so I need to sort everything and put it all back in place.  I think I'll be adding to the garage sale piles soon!!

I'm also going to do some cooking tomorrow, for me and Brink.  Brinkley is going to a home-cooked diet starting this week.  And I need to get back to cooking for myself.  I'll be stocking up the fridge and freezer to get us through the next few weeks.

I have a few errands to run but for the most part, I'm going to try spending the next two days entirely at home.  My mom did tell me I had to run three miles tomorrow though.  So I better get out and pound the pavement so I can say I did what she told me too!  She just knows that I have a six mile "race" coming up next Monday and should stop being so lazy!  Always looking out for my best interest, she is!

The last time I went running was around the beginning of the month - BEFORE vacation.  I thought a two and half week break would make for a painful first run.  It wasn't too bad though!!  I'm working on a strategy to make me a stronger, faster runner by the end of the summer.  I'm going to try my best to turn Brinkley's hip dysplasia and limited run capacity into a blessing by finally incorporating hills and speed work into my weekly workouts.  The one hill that I plan to run, I can take Brink along and have him be my spectator while I run up and down, up and down.  He can kick it in the shade where I can see him as I do my run.

I'm tired just thinking about running hills.  And yawning my head off.  Time for bed, I think.  Goodnight, all.

Walt Disney World - Day One

I'm not quite sure exactly how to approach blogging about a ten day vacation any more.  I always start out with great ambition and intentions but the wheels usually fall off the wagon and I never get the entire story told.  And Disney World is a whole different animal because days tend to blend together after you've been to each park more than once.

I guess I'll just start from the beginning and see where it takes me.  It's hard to believe the beginning of the trip was almost two weeks ago.  It seemed to take forever to get here and now it's already long gone!  I guess Disney hasn't perfected making time stand still ... yet.

Friday morning Brent and I woke up before the crack of dawn to take Brink to Brent's parents' house.  They were on Brink duty while we were on vacation.  Brinkley was excited to hop in the car but was less than thrilled when we tried shutting him in the house as we were leaving.  He almost knocked Brent's mom over trying to squeeze between her legs and the door frame trying to get back outside to be with me.

The plane ride to Orlando was uneventful.  We arrived on time and took Disney's Magical Express bus to the All Start Sports resort.  Passing through the Disney entrance and seeing the Tower of Terror made me super giddy!!  I kept looking left and right trying to spot my favorite things!

After dropping off our luggage and changing into proper Florida attire, we headed to Downtown Disney.  We started on the Marketplace side and walked through all the shops and all the way over to the West Side.  The ultimate goal was to reach the House of Blues to eat dinner.

As soon as I entered the Christmas store, I was in Disney heaven!  I wanted this and I wanted that!  We moved down the line.. the Goofy Candy Co., the Pantry, the toy store, Team Mickey, and the World of Disney.  By the third shop, Brent was already overwhelmed.  We'd been in Disney World for just a few hours and his mind was boggled.  So much to see and it was taking time right off the clock.  He didn't want to shop, he wanted to check things out.  I tried to tell him that Downtown Disney was all about shopping.  And eating.

We did eventually make it to the West Side and to the House of Blues.  After calling to check on Brink, we waited for about ten minutes for a table.  Service started out a little slow but the food made up for it!  It was delicious!!!  I had read online that the cornbread was super delicious so we tried it.  And it was super delicious!!  I probably could have just eaten plate after plate of cornbread.  Brent got some jambalaya rice and shrimp thing and I got shredded bbq pork.  We were stuffed and all shopped out so we headed back to the hotel to try to get some rest for our first long day in the parks!

Success

Two things: one big, one small.

The small - I ordered Mr. Miles a joint supplement this evening. I decided to go with Glyco Flex III on the recommendation of a family friend and vet tech. She said it is the best option, even if on the pricier side. After shopping online and comparing it with NutraMax Dasuquin, which is what Brink's vet recommended, I found it was half the price of Dasuquin. After loading dose, it will be 1-2 tablets a day or about 75 cents a day.

I figured the supplement was the most basic place to start and probably the easiest decision to make.

The big - I wrote out my last 2nd mortgage check and stuffed it into an envelope tonight!!! I'll mail it tomorrow and do a little happy dance all day!!! I'm proud that I paid it off as planned but I'm bummed it doesn't come with more fanfare. The ceiling should open up and dump balloons and confetti all over me!! Woohoo!!

What's next?? I plan to stash money away like a squirrel and pay off the student loan with the highest (and variable) interest rate. I can't just pay more each month to pay if off because they (Uncle Sam and his goons) just move back the next due date rather than take it off principal. Bastards.

So, in short, today was a success!!

Tuesday Tidbits

• I'm in mourning today.  I really, really, REALLY do not want to go back to work tomorrow.  I really, really, REALLY wish I was back in Disney World.  I'm so sad that it's over.  So sad.  I can't believe it's over.  Sniff, sniff.

• My suitcases are unpacked.  And my fridge is filled with healthy food.  I've yet to look at my bank account to see what kind of damage was done on the trip.  I think I'll hold off on that for a few days.

• I thought for sure I gained about 15 pounds while I was gone.  Prior to shower this morning, the scale surprised me.  I'm right where I was when I left.  My guess is that it will take a few days for vacation to catch up to me so I will not be surprised if I see the number jump up in a week.

• As I'm in mourning, I also lack all motivation to do anything physical.  I could have gone running this morning but I didn't.  I'm not ready to enter that world again.  That world where I'm not allowed to eat what I want and have to exercise in order to feel like I'm not wasting a day. 

• One good thing going for me right now is that the house is pretty much clean.  That whole cleaning the house like mad before we left thing really worked out!!!

• Another good thing...I've watched A LOT of television over the last few days.  I caught up on all of my shows and even watched a few season finales!  The Castle finale was amazing!!!  And a bit surprising.  The whole episode was superb and I can't wait to own it on DVD so I can watch it over and over and over again!  I also loved the Hawaii 5-O finale!!!  And the CSI: NY episode was great!!  I was excited to read that CSI: NY was renewed for another season!!!

• I'm feeling the urge to nap at the moment.  But I shouldn't.  Brent and I are headed to the airport in the morning to send him off for 3 weeks in Alaska.  If I nap now I won't be able to sleep later.  I will be in bed early this evening.  I plan to watch the season finales of NCIS and NCIS: LA while in bed tonight!  I've perfected laziness over the last two weeks and I'm going to end this vacation with a bang! 

• Ok, I'm out of post-vacation blues rambling.  Once I get my photos uploaded, I'll start recapping the trip.

We're Home

We're back from our magical Walt Disney World vacation!! It was a great time and I'm sad it's all done but the unpacking.

I loved spending time with my entire family!! If exhaustion is any clue of how much fun we had then we had a blast. We were walking zombies towards the end of the trip!!

I'm going to sleep the next few days! I'm definitely not ready to return to the real world and want to delay it as long as possible.

Flashback Friday

May 05, 2007

Singin' in the rain!

I wasn't exactly Gene Kelly dancing around light poles or side skipping along but I may as well have been because it was so much fun running through the rain yesterday. I had managed to get about a mile and half into my run before it started to downpour. Luckily, I had warmed up some in the first mile and half that I didn't get too cold once it started to rain. It was pouring! It was energizing! "What a glorious feeling...cause I'm singin' in the rain." Yes, I know I'm a dork, but it was so much fun. I just wish the puddles would have accumulated faster so that I could have pounced around in them.

When I finally neared home, a guy that was getting into his car said, "Now that's dedication!" That made me feel good but I also had to laugh because if he'd only known that I was only just a beginner (again) than it might not have been so impressive!

It's rainy out again today. Or at least it's got the rainy look to it. I haven't seen rain drops yet. Maybe once I head outside it will start raining. I'm sure it won't be nearly as much fun as yesterday. Running four minutes, walking one minute wasn't so hard but it never is the first time because it's new. Today it won't be new, it will be harder and I'm kind of dreading it. I should just curl up on the couch and watch a movie...I wish I owned Singin' In The Rain. That would be perfect

~ END ~

I love, LOVE, LOVE running in the rain!  It is amazing how energizing it is to get splattered in the face with rain drops.  And I can almost always miraculously run faster when I'm getting rained on!  Brinkley doesn't enjoy getting rained on.  And he really hates sprinklers.  He can run beside while pushing me away from whatever sprinkler is in our path.  Deathly afraid of sprinklers, he is!

Flashback Friday

May 05, 2007

The mysterious clunk solved????

As I'm pulling out of my parking space this morning, I hear it again. Clunk. My car had been clunking every so often, just when I turned the wheel at the right angle and going at a certain speed. I thought it was my imagination because it was so totally random. Mystery solved...at least I hope. As I'm half way out of my spot I realize there is a Snapple Bottle, or part of one, kind of spinning on the ground. I got out to check my car - why I'm not sure. It's not like I could have fixed it had something been broken. So, I'm thinking that possibly this chunk of Snapple bottle had managed to wedge itself somewhere under my car. I know it wasn't there last night when I pulled into the parking space so it had to be in/under my car. It sounds crazy but my car seemed to be steering better on the way to work. I'm glad I didn't take it into the dealer and have them look at a clunking problem. They probably would have charged me $500 and laughed all the way to the bank.

This week has been crazy hectic but I've managed to stay on my training program. I had a not so nice run on Wednesday because I was running into the wind for most of it. Every time I changed directions, the wind changed too. It was painful and tiring. Yes, I'll take some cheese with my wine. Yesterday I was suppose to have a 30 minute easy walk but got caught up practicing my speech while I was out and about in the neighborhood and sped along for a good 45 minutes. It's amazing how many people are home at 2:30 in the afternoon. Oh and I really, really want a dog. My parents would probably kill me if I got one because they would, at some point, likely have to take care of it when I left town for an internship, and I'm not so sure they would appreciate that. I just really want a dog to take walking/running with me. Maybe I could just borrow random dogs. I'll just start knocking on doors and see what happens...or not.

~ END ~

It's the pre-Brinkley Miles days!!  I remember how badly I wanted a dog!!  I was browsing the golden retriever rescue websites daily!  DAILY!  It was just a matter of time before a cute one caught my eye!  Only he wasn't a golden retriever and he was a rescue dog.  His story is to come months down the road.  Stay tuned!  And I was right, my parents have had to watch Brinkley Miles so many times.  It takes a village ... wait, that's too cheesy.  It takes my awesome parents to help me take care of my dog!  He and I greatly appreciate all of the time they've spent checking on him, dog sitting, and spoiling him.  

Give me options!

Puppy Brinkley.  It's hard to believe he's almost 5.

Now that I've had a week or so to let the idea of Brinkley having hip dysplasia sink in, I think I'm starting to get a better grip on things.  The first conclusion that I've come to is that I need more options!  Brinkley turns 5 on June 1st.  FIVE.  To me, that's young, even for a dog.  I'm not too keen on the idea of pumping him full of Rimadyl so young.  His kidneys and liver would surely be affected as the years go by.  Essentially, Rimadyl is a pain killer which sole purpose is to mask the pain rather than address the source of the pain.

I can understand why my vet prescribed him pain meds.  As the vet explained to me, I don't have to use them every day, right now.  This is great news because the pills are PRICEY!  20 pills for $37.  Recommended daily dose is 1 every 12 hours.  That's 10 days of pain medicine for $37.  That's $1350 a year if Brinkley were to be entirely dependent on pills to manage his hip pain.  Who knows what other internal pain or problems would crop up with that kind of medicine.  Common sense tells me that if I started giving them to him, he would exert himself, be in more pain, and require continued medication...evil spiral downward.

Thankfully, Brink is no where near that stage now.  And I would like to delay that as long as possible.  For now, he'll only get some pain meds on the rare occasion that he exerts himself so far that he's limping and struggling.  Those days are few and far between right now.

So, what options do I have to help Brinkley delay the inevitable??  His current vet mentioned acupuncture.  She's certified in it so that recommendation made sense to me.  But she really didn't offer anything else other than to add a joint supplement to his diet and change his diet so that he loses about 10lbs.  After losing 30lbs myself, I know how losing a percentage or two of body fat can improve mobility and energy.

Those options still weren't enough for me.  I wanted more.  I wanted to find something that would allow Brinkley to somehow get stronger and possibly increase his range of motion.  I stumbled upon dog hydrotherapy.  So far this sounds like a promising option.  As with humans, exercise in the water allows the dog to move their limbs and exercise (and build muscle) without their weight putting pressure on their joints.  I've located multiple places nearby that offer underwater treadmill therapy.  And I found one place that has an indoor heated pool for open water swim for pets and owners.

I also asked a friend who is a vet tech her opinion on Rimadyl, joint supplements, etc.  She not only provided me a great lists of joint supplements but suggested Adequan which is an intermuscular injectable glucosamine.  From doing research on that, I've found vets have had great results with it and in the long run it is cheaper than all other products, like Rimadyl.  And unlike the others, Adequan is aimed directly at the muscles and joint in need of attention to repair and rebuild cartilage.  After a loading period, it's only administered once every 4-6 weeks and very few side effects.  While Adequan sounds like a great option, I still want to find out what long term effects it may have before I start Brink down that path.

For right now, we're doing nothing.  We're packed for our trip.  And Brinkley is packed for his stay at Brent's parents' place.  I'll do more research and start making decisions when I get back from the trip.  Brink and I will have to work even better as a team if I'm going to get him to old age with as little pain as possible!!