Friday.. Where the hell have you been all my life?!

In the spirit of it being Friday and taking a lead from Krysten at Why Girls Are Weird and her "10 Things That Made Me Happy This Week", I think I'll follow suit and play that game.

Ten Things that Made Me Happy This Week:

1. Going to see Unbroken with my Mom and Jeff Tuesday night;
2. Having sore muscles.  It means I'm doing something right and not plateau-ing all the time.
3. To have a full fridge of food.  Some people aren't blessed to have a full fridge or food on the table.
4. Baxter's 7th Birthday yesterday.
5. I love having 5 months of the year where my two boys, Charlie and Baxter, are the same age (born 7 months apart from each other, yet still sharing the same blood (they both have the same momma and dad). 
6. Planning a little overnight getaway to Niagara Falls/Buffalo in March to celebrate the upcoming wedding of a friend.
7. Seeing the schedule for the 2015 Yoga Conference and happy that the lovely and inspiring Seane Corn will be there this year (she was in South American last year for an Off the Mat endeavour but will be back again this year). Yayyyyyyyyyyy!!!!! :)
8. My evening with Jeff last night. *smiles*
9. Knowing that I get to have dinner with my friend Tara tomorrow night after day 1 of 2 of the restricted/unrestricted gun course her hubby and I are taking together (Jeff and Tara are both licensed).
10. TGIF mother*ckers!!

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I just got back from the gym and my legs are sooooooore! I was off on Monday and therefore didn't make it to the gym.  Tuesday I wasn't able to get to my usual BP class so I did legs and abs on my own.  Wednesday and Thursday I did BP.  So there goes to the legs.  And today I did a spin class with Leanne, figuring that I'd spin my legs out a bit and loosen them up.  Uhmmm no.  Not at all.  So I'm betting on waddling tomorrow.

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Work continues to be busy as shit.  Which, I suppose, is good in theory and sure the days fly by but sometimes I just have so much to do and don't know where to begin. 

 

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Baxter's 7th (!!!) birthday was yesterday and so after work, we went to Global and got the boy a stuffed polar bear (which, might I add, lasted all of 5 minutes tops before he decided to bust it open and get the squeaker out.  LOL.  We got him some yummy treats, bully sticks to chew on and puppy ice cream for both him and Charles.  The second we got home, they were on us because of the yummy bag we had in hand and they stared up at the counter until they had their dinner and THEN I gave them their yummies. 

 

Charlie is still limping a little bit.  I feel like a bad pet parent but I just don't feel he's in pain nor do I feel like spending at least $200 alone for an xray that will only show breaks and shadows that indicate arthritis.  I don't believe it's a luxating patella because he puts weight on his leg, and he's not in any pain.  Not once had he cried out or whimpered and he can also bend his leg, something that luxating patella's won't allow.  Plus, with luxating patellas, they're most often detected earlier on, they don't usually just develop just like that.  So for now, I've been trying to keep him quiet, alternating with confining him (which of course he hates) and he's now getting glucosamine twice daily, which can't hurt him and is good for his joints.  The thing that's sad though is that he just doesn't know how to slow down; he still thinks he's a young lad but he's getting up there.  Depressing but that's reality, right?  So we'll see how things progress with him......

 Isn't this pretty?  I can't recall the artist but I believe I saw this on The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust's Facebook page and I loved it.

Pretty much.... lol

 Enjoy your weekend folks! xo

Uhmmmm.. It's Wednesday already?!!  Not that I'm complaining but seriously though, where the F does time go?!

 

Less than one month until Christmas now.  The weather has been all over the map here.  One day it'll feel like a mild, spring like day and then the next, you're pulling out your winter jacket again.  It makes it difficult getting dressed.

 

Last night I went to a hot yoga class with an instructor that I know through the yoga studio where I used to do karma exchange.  Wow, what a class that was.  It was a Moksha and it was a hot flow class and dang it was a good, sweaty one.  Just hours before that, I was at the gym on my lunch and doing Liane's 1-hour BodyPump class.  While I was a smelly, sweaty mess yesterday for the better part of the day, I felt amazing last night leaving yoga. 

 

Work has been busy today so I didn't get much of a work out in today, I just went to the gym to do some deep stretching, some abs, a few leg things and then rolled out my quads, hamstrings and ass on a scary looking roller that hurt like hell. 

 

 

A little more about MOI..

 

What industry/line of work am I in? I work in the securities regulatory industry and that is all I will say.

 

Travel plans for 2015?  We were toying with the idea of doing Dominican Republic (Punta Cana) next September but I feel like it's already too soon.  I'd love to go away tomorrow, don't get me wrong, but I want to save up properly so that we can do a shit ton of diving.  I'm not positive if whale sharks are on the migratory path so that we can see any there but I know that they have a marine sanctuary there where sperm whales come every year to mate.  You're not allowed to dive with them but from what I understand, you can snorkel or bob with them on the surface, you just can't dive around them.  I've seen a few videos and they're amazing.  One video showed a mother and her calf and she was just chillin in the water, probably about as curious of us as we are them.

 

Three places you could travel to RIGHT NOW?  Barbados. Bahamas (hello Stuart's Cove aka shark diving).  And Europe, I'm going to say Paris or Amsterdam.  This girl right here LOVES Europe. :)

Do you have a favorite book? Or a book that just changed your life - gave you a whole new perspective on things? Hmm, I've certainly read a lot in my day but I'd say The Yoga Sutras by Nicolai Bachman and The Daily OM by Madisyn Taylor.  Those are everyday-type books.  Of course I love me a quick, entertaining read by Stuart Woods so anything of his is good.  Same with Iris Johansen and Gillian Flynn.

What three people would you want to have dinner with, dead or alive? My Dad, hands down.  He's been gone now for 27 years.... My Grandma, my mom's mom.  She passed away in 1997 I want to say and I miss her so much.  She was such an awesome lady and I spent a lot of summers with her. For the third, I'll pick someone famous and say I'd love to have dinner with Eminem.  LOL.

Would you get a goat or a horse? What's your dream pet? "Pet" not so much but elephants.  But between a horse and goat, that's a tough one.  Horses are beautiful but goats can be funny, mischievious little creatures.  I pet sit three of them and they were like waiting little children when you arrived at the home and they heard you in the yard.  You can read/see pics here, here and here.

 

 



My rant of the day - Instagram Fitness Coaches/Meal Planners

There's something that's been chapping my ass for a bit now and here it is:
Fitness Coaching/Meal Plans/Trainers on Instagram - It seems to be the latest craze everywhere I look on social media, particularly Instagram is where I'm seeing it.  Everyone and their brother is a fitness expert and you can purchase their meal plan/workout plan/etc. for a low price of ______ (fill in the blank).  Now, I know in this day and age of technology and rampant social media, we can get by with seeing and interacting with people and doing things online like we weren't able to before.  One being, coached by someone online or buying a fitness program or meal program from someone you've never met and someone who you don't know jack squat about and their qualifications.  I mean, hey, if it works for you and you're happy, cool, but I just think it's bogus.  And hey, if you can make an income from doing just that, good for you.  But that's also a lot of leg work, promoting, marketing, and sell-sell-selling yourself.  Some people also need others' motivation and support and input but I don't, myself.  Just my two cents.  I go to the gym at least 5 days a week, sometimes 6 if I'm feeling spunky on the weekend but I'm also learning that I also need rest days.  My quads and hamstrings are always tight and aching from doing squats, dead lifts, etc.  Also, in this day and age where we have tools like Google at our disposal, why the fuck aren't these people doing their own research?  Educating themselves instead of paying someone to do it for them.  I just feel like people are getting more and more stupid and more and more lazy.  I guess some people want to look and feel good but don't want to put the work or effort in. 

Don't get me wrong, I think there are legit people out there in the internets that have proper credentials but I think so many people are naïve.  And lazy.

Another thing that makes me laugh at the gym:  chicks that wear sports bras with a push up underneath.  It's like, seriously, you look retarded.  Just stop that non-sense.  Just stop.  In our spinning class, there are a few, plus there's also a few that just give oogly eyes to Scott, the instructor.  Sure he's nice looking from the neck down but dude is OLD.  Literally, STOP drooling on your bike and batting your eyelashes.  Work out.  Stop being ridiculous and get your sweat on.  That is why you go to the gym, is it not?

Another observation about the gym:  What is with the people you see day in and day out for years, still out of shape and their bodies aren't changing.  Or if you don't know how to use a machine, ASK.  It's that simple.  I totally understand that gyms can be intimidating, especially if you're new to them, but come on.  Speak up.  You want results?  Put in the work and you'll see results.  There are no quick fixes or miracles.

Alright, sounds like I'm being bitchy here so I'll leave it at that.  :)

Merry Christmas before I forget!

Well we survived the Ice Storm of 2013.  Scrapped the car three or four times over the weekend and we were still taking off huge layers of ice off the car when we went out yesterday.  Almost 300,000 people are without power, thankfully we are not included in that statistic.  We drove around all over the place and there were so many pockets of neighbourhoods in darkness and yet you'd look across the street and they would be on.  So strange.

 

Our trip to Barbados next year has already been booked.  We're heading down there on September 10th for 2 weeks!! WOOOOOO!  Can't wait.  And to boot, my mom is treating us to the hotel and flight so all we have to worry about is spending money and money for scuba diving.  We'll have to get our regs serviced next year, even though they haven't been used that much.  It's not something I want to fuck around with being that a regulator is your lifeline in the water.  So I don't mind spending some money getting them serviced.  The only thing we won't be taking down is tanks and weights (for the obvious reasons).

 

Christmas shopping has officially concluded.  We purchased our last gift yesterday afternoon with success.

 

Now I'm off to the gym for a Jillian Michaels Shred class and then I'll be going home.  I think I've finally caught a bit of Jeff's sickness.  While he's feeling a bit better than he had been, it seems my throat feels like there should be razor blades down within in.  Blah!  I can't get sick, especially this close to Christmas for god sakes!!

 

If I don't post beforehand, Merry Christmas!!!! :)

 

 

 

 

 

Going Vegetarian and other things

I've been unintentionally putting it off but I think once the New Year hits, I'm going vegetarian.  I want to.  I need to. It's going to happen.  I've seen too much, read too much... all of which can't be undone or rather, I can't plead ignorance like so many billion people do.  I know that animals are sensitive BEINGS and I don't care if you disagree with that statement or not, it is my opinion and mine alone.  You can't tell me that animals don't feel.  Look at mother cows that have their calves taken away, same with horse... They cry for days..... Same with marine life, they bellow at ridiculous unchartered levels of decibels trying to communicate with their loved ones that are taken from them or mercilessly slaughtered.  There is no humane way to kill an animal.  There just isn't.  So, it is what it is, I'm not going to be a staunch, rigid vegetarian that turns my nose up at stuff I won't eat, I'll be polite.. and of course that's not to say I'll never, ever eat meat again, but at this time in my life, I can't do it anymore.  So I've set a deadline and I'll abide by it.

On a different note, I just got back from the sweat box aka the gym and combat class kicked my ass.  I only lasted 35 minutes of the 45 minute class, fuck they're intense.  I'm realising that I'm not completely 100% yet, almost but not quite.  I just feel gassed and low energy.  I'm about 3 weeks into taking my new meds and while I feel infinite times better than that first week/week and a half, I'll hopefully be feeling marvelous by 4 to 6 weeks.  My dilated/enlarged pupils still creep me out but hopefully that subsides too.  We'll see. I'm optimistic.  Most of all, I'm happy again and smiling and not just pretending or faking it because that's what I feel I have to do to be normal or to get by.

Totally unrelated but wanting to write about it.  So now that I'm 30, it's like I've turned into an old lady.  Jeff and I both are old farts.  We get up once, twice a night to pee and usually end up passing each other coming and going in the hall way, it's hilarious.  Not really.  It's really disruptive to our sleep!!  The boys never budge.  Charlie has been sleeping above my head or on my pillow lately, he's been quite tired.  Poor little love, life is just so damn tough.  And Baxter, the past couple of mornings he's been laying at the end of the bed stretched out and I'll pass beside the bed and he'll crawl under the covers and be my leg warmer.  I love having a warm furry beside me sleeping, it's so comforting.  That's not to say I don't like sleeping beside Jeff, lol, I do, of course!  *smiles*  Speaking of the dogs, they're over at my mom's house today for a play date with her two, along with Lily and Stella, a neighbour of ours' dogs that lives downstairs.  They go visit my mom for the day at least once a week and they come home EXHAUSTED!  It's adorable just how tanked they are.  They come home, have dinner and then both disappear into their respective hiding spots to sleep, Charlie in the closet and Baxter stretched out on our bed.

Well, it's been a busy afternoon so that's all for now.  Off home to get the dogs, go home, make dinner, wait for Jeff to get home from crossfit and then go out and buy something and make for my work potluck lunch tomorrow. 

Peace and love xo

Purty flowers Jeff got me for no reason at all

I've got a bigger post coming from the weekend up north.  Lots of pictures of beautiful fall colours, the dogs enjoying the fresh air and *cough* their first snowfall. 

Anyone else notice that Blogger is a bit glitch as of lately?  I'd move it but frankly, I don't have my own domain name and two, I don't know anything more than the basic HTML bullshit. 

Random: Today I switched things up at the gym and went to a Jillian Michael's Shred class.  Wow.  All I'm saying is wow.  My face is still crimson.  LOL But it's good to mix shit up, right? 

For now, I leave you with this.  Go to this link.  (Helps if I post the link, huh? Lol) http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AboutFDA/CentersOffices/OfficeofFoods/CVM/CVMFOIAElectronicReadingRoom/UCM371578.pdf

This list above is what the FDA released about all those dog treats that contain products from China and/or are made in China.  Basically, don't feed your dog anything you wouldn't eat.  Capiche?

Back tomorrow with the weekend recap post.

Toodles ;)

Weekend, Rants of the Moment and Pet Pictures

Ugh after working ALL weekend, he tells me he's tired and taking the day off.  Not only does he work a 4-day work week anyways, this week is shortened because of Thanksgiving yesterday and then in addition, today.  So a whopping 2 day work week.  I work ALL bloody weekend and you're tired? Puh-lease.  Give me a break.  And giving me attitude about it like it's my fault.  Yeah, you can go fuck your hat.  Next.

Next rant, then I'll shut up.  Why the fuck do people complain and complain about shit but don't take ANY steps to rectify or fix it.  Story of my fucking life at work, I think everyone has the mentality that "someone else will do" shit.  It's horse shit and I'm just really tired of people being lazy and not being proactive and passing it off to the next person.  Every work place you get lazy ass people or people that pass the buck, because it's beneath them.  Okay, I'm done and I feel better about life now. LOL

I just got back from the gym, the weight lifting hour class and I needed it.  I walked all weekend with my dog visits and I was off on Friday (which I intended on going to the gym but never made it *frowny face*), but it's just not the same as going to the gym.  I met some amazing, lovely new animals that I never had the chance to previously meet and a few of them stole my heart.  In particular, a 9 year old German Sheppard.  Poor girl's back end is failing her but she tries so, SO hard to get around and even to play with her over-sized sticks.  *smiles*  I didn't rush my visits with her, it was all on her own time, I just couldn't rush her knowing that she was struggling even though I was helping her while I was at her house for several visits a day.  Thankfully, Audi's (the dog's name) mom will be home tomorrow and I'm sure she'll be overjoyed to be reunited with her.  And vice versa.  Despite being crazy busy this long weekend, I was able to squeeze in a dinner over at my mom's house yesterday evening in between the bed time (and last) visits.  It was delish and I definitely had a food belly afterwards. LOL Man I love food! That's why I go to the gym, to eat all the yummy food this world has to offer.  Oh and not to look 500 lbs whilst doing so.  :)

So let's let the pictures speak for themselves.  Enjoy.



 
 

 

My first Border Terrier









I actually walked TWO Rhodesian Ridgebacks this weekend and it was awesome.  One of my fave breeds.  Both dogs were polar opposites.  One was a bit younger, still very much a puppy and prey driven.  The second one was much more calm, listened to direction, etc.  Both beautiful, handsome boys. :)



 



The ever so happy, Bandit



Bugsy lol

This guy, George and Chester, just above, the second Ridgeback, were a delight to care for.  Big, happy lugs :)



 

P.S. Blogger sucks on the best of days and fucks up the spacing... Grrr!



This was supposed to be a Monday post... Now it's Tuesday.. Sigh... Story of My Life, right? lol

K something I want to get off my chest now.. I really am getting sick and tired of people bitching, whining and/or complaining about everything under the sun, most often trivial things that aren't the end of the world but people blow them up into mountains.  Put things in perspective people, in the grand scheme of things does it matter that much?  Let it go.  Now I realise there are legitimate things people worry or stress about or complain about but again, perspective.  Bitching and complaining about leaving your boyfriend because he's a filthy man that doesn't help out around the house... What man do you know that ISN'T like that? Not fucking man, let me tell you.  I think I'm also just a fucking magnet for people to unload their bullshit and garbage on.  I AM a good listener but I feel people just unload all of their bullshit on me and its heavy man.  I have my own shit, people need to quit complaining or if not, make a change, do something differently.  But constantly complaining about shit isn't going to solve anything.  I mean, this isn't rocket science and on the best of days I could heed to my own advice, but come on.. The definition of insanity is repeating the same thing over and over and expecting different results. 

I'm done on that topic, I just seem to see negativity all around me and I try so hard to surround myself with positivity but being around people like that, it tubs off on you.....

Anyways, I just got back from the gym, did a Body Pump class for one hour and my triceps and abs are aching at the moment and come to think of it I've got pretty wobbly legs.  We'll see how I wake up tomorrow and I'll report back. 

Anyways, I can't write much anyways because I'm so swamped at work.  Basically, after 4 long weeks house/dog sitting at my mom's for her while she was away with my step-dad in England, we are finally back at home.  Halleluiah!! LOL  I can't say how nice it is being back at home.  The dogs are even happy back at home.  Those critters are at the groomers as we speak getting all handsomified for Momma bear!  Pictures to come of their coifs!

xo

P.S.  Is this not the prettiest bracelet?  My friend that went to London, Paris and the South of France brought this back for me.  LOVE!!

Well hello there kids, it’s HUMP day!

And this week, for me (us), that means 4 more sleeps until my mom and step-dad get back from their 4-week trip to England aka we get to go home (!!!!!) and everything will resume to normalcy again:

• To sit on our couches.. (such simple things, right?
• To have things like our Henckel (sp?) knife-block (my mom has shitty knives at her place, although I know I could have brought them with us, that probably would have resulted in some missing or having a mishap myself transporting them, being the ever so graceful gal that I am lol)
• Our OWN bed and pillows (Jeff hates my mom’s pillows, they’re like hospital pillows)
• The dogs are going to sleep for 2 months from winding down from the excitement and literally just not settling down much because of the other two dogs and the constant shadows that I have following me from room to room (I’m never alone, which is comforting that I’m so loved but Jesus Christ, I can’t even go to the bathroom without FOUR of them in there with me seeing what’s going on LOL)..
• It’ll be nice to have our closet back (instead of having schlepped over a ton of clothes for 4 weeks, work clothes mainly was the concern)
• Our shower (where the hot water tank NEVER runs out)…
• No crazy, hyper-sensitive aunt that will freak out when the internet goes down or the router freezes (she literally goes into major panic mode when the internet goes down - had an incident about this very same matter 2 weeks in that resulted in her freaking out, her being rude and then when I tell her to calm down and stop over-reacting, she cries..... Ugh it's just a mess... Not to mention her inability to help out my mother with the dogs while she's away but she has the nerve to ask my mom if she thinks my step-dad would look after her dogs next May while her and my mom go away to Barbados for two weeks.  I'm sorry but lady, you can't even, sorry scratch that, can't be bothered to look after the dogs while my mom's away.. It's such a long story and I'm not going beyond what I just wrote because it just infuriates me to no end.  She's so selfish and unappreciative of everything in life.
• Moving along, it'll be nice to have our toaster oven back, where I can cook multiple things at once without just the oven that I've been working with at mom's. 
• I won't have to make dog food every few days.. Not a big deal but I've got to plan it out so there's enough food and I'm not, say, out of food in the morning before work.
• I'll get to walk back and forth to the train every morning again.. While it's been nice to drive from my mom's, the morning walk kind of wakes me up and gets me going at a godforsaken hour.

Sure, it’s nice to be at my mom’s, at the house, more space and all that good stuff, but it’s not “home” anymore.  Home is where Jeff and I are. 

Jeff took the day off tomorrow to hang with his buddy Chris that he's recently reconnected with.  Friday he's taking the two nieces to this DigiTour concert thing for YouTube people (Yeah I'm old, this doesn't interest me in the least), so I'll probably meet him after work for some grub, leave him, bus it back home to feed the dogs and what not and then meet him at the highway on his way back so he has some company there and back after the concert.  Saturday will be cleaning/packing day and schlepping shit home day.  And well, Sunday, we pick up my parents around 5'ish and then we're free!!

Anywho, that's enough for now.  I've been writing this off and on for a few hours and it's time to put an end to the babble.

Charlie is SNORNING like you wouldn't believe in this picture

Tripod Stand

Firefly or Titibahasana

Bakasana or crow/crane pose

Sweaty mess after Combat class

What's up Wednesday!

Does marriage get any easier?  This past year has been B R U T A L!  I'm tired of everything being thrown back in my face like I'm the problem, I'm always wrong.  I'm so sick and tired of it.  I realise that I'm not perfect, I'll be the first one to admit it, but fuck!!  End rant.

On to more positive shit.  It's really hard for me to be positive when things are seemingly well and then they take an abrupt nose dive.  But I'm learning.

I seriously need to get the fuck away, get some sunshine, some relaxation.  I couldn't believe that today is only flippin Tuesday.  Wtf, bro? Woah, took a step back and worked for a few hours and then came back to this.  I need a WTF, today isn't Tuesday, it's Wednesday.  Can you tell I'm exhausted?!

And to boot, I went and did weights yesterday and then followed up with yoga in the evening.  *Sigh*

Took a day off today even though I get cranky when I don't go.  Going to watch me some Joe Schmo later and Survivor. 

Peace!

Mondayyyyyyyyyyyyyy... You always reappear with a vengeance

My weekend.  In short, nice and relaxing despite schlepping nearly a U-Haul over to my mom's while we're there for 2 weeks house/dogsitting. 

I just got back from a lovely hot yoga sesh with Miss Danielle at Yoga Tree. Mmmm was it ever nice :)

Happy Monday, may you all have a wonderful day, whoever all you creepers are that don't identify yourselves. :P xo