Excuses

I was running this morning and I was thinking about how long it had been since I'd last gone for a run.  It's been about a month and, of course, most of the progress I'd made has flown the coop.  Then I started thinking about all the excuses I used as to why I wasn't running.

*I need new shoes.  These shoes make my feet hurt.
      While I did desperately need new shoes, my old shoes had been doing just fine.  I was using this as a lame excuse.

*Work is picking up and I don't have time to run.
      Yes, work has been picking up (Yay!), but that's still no excuse for not running.  I would always run in the morning anyway, long before I'd have to be at work.

*It's too cold.
     This is probably the closest to the truth.  I'd wake up, try to get out of bed, and jump back under the covers for warmth.  Then I'd invariably fall back asleep.  Of course, I lived through 4 Minnesota winters.  The lowest it's been this year so far is 35 degrees (and that was late at night).  I should definitely be able to handle a 40 degree morning.

The fact of the matter is, though, I didn't run because I just wasn't motivated to run.  I was tired and cranky.  I needed some rest, yes, but I took advantage of the time I had.  It's a shame too, because I really enjoy running.  It's my time in the morning to be myself.  It's bonding time with Cody.  It's fresh air, before all the cars are on the road time.  It's quite nice.

That being said, there's nothing to motivate you like a new pair of running shoes.  I couldn't wait to get them on.  Plus, they're so comfortable I'm thrilled to wear them again and again.  My old sneakers are being used for work (I need to be able to maneuver with the dogs too), but these sneakers are just for running.  Imagine how bad I'll feel if I don't use them.  Yay sneakers!  Yay running!  Yay me!

Staph, Worms and Vet Visits! Oh My!

What an exciting weekend/Monday I had.  I usually pride myself on everyone in my household being happy and healthy and well taken-care-of.  This is why this weekend was so hard.  Such was not the case.

Let me start off with Cody.  As I've posted before, he had a staph infection a couple of months ago.  Antibiotics and steroids helped him tremendously, and I thought all was well.  However, he recently started scratching again.  I'd feel so sorry for him as I'd watch him scratch and scratch and scratch and find absolutely no relief.  Then, as is common with staph, he started to smell.  Of course, all dogs smell at some point, but he smelled like rotten fish.  So, since I had a vet appointment scheduled anyway (he needed his annual shots) I thought I'd ask about it.  Sure enough, we have him back on antibiotics.  This stuff is stronger, so hopefully it will knock this thing out.

Then there's Mo, the cat.  He will occasionally have these bouts where he'll get sick to his stomach and then he's fine.  I was planning on asking the vet about that too and maybe have him tested for diabetes or thyroid issues.  Things changed Friday.  Hans and I came home after dinner with Jessica around 1:00 am.  About 30 minutes after we got home Mo vomited all of his dinner, and it had barely been digested at all.  He then spent the entire night and into the next morning being sick every two hours.  So, that was night of no sleep number 1.

Saturday he seemed to be doing better, so we decided to feed him a small amount.  A few hours passed and he was still fine, so we decided to proceed with our day.  When we came home around 6 he had gotten sick a few more times, but we just figured it was a stomach flu or something.  Saturday night, however, he started to vomit but when he was done he was wheezing.  His lungs were audibly congested, and he wasn't looking so good.  I decided, however, that it wasn't quite an emergency yet and we could wait until Sunday.  I still, however, wasn't taking any huge risks so I spent most of the night up with him making sure things didn't get worse.  That was the night of no sleep number 2.

Sunday he had a slight fever and was obviously feeling terrible.  I didn't want to put him at risk, but I still didn't think he needed the emergency center.  I suppose to be honest, I was afraid of the cost there too.  You can figure that just walking in the door will cost you $250, and I still figured it was just a cold.  You know, he may have aspirated some vomit, or he may have caught Cody's staph.  It could be pneumonia, but that could wait.  I still kept a close eye on him all day, though, and was actually relieved when I heard him cough (he was coughing up stuff, I thought it was good). 

Monday I took him to the vet first thing.  He was noticeably declining.  His energy was lower and his appetite was waning.  If you know Mo, the energy thing isn't such a big deal, but the lack of appetite is huge!  The vet's diagnoses?  Heartworms.  It's very rare for a cat to get heartworms, but it happened to him.  Now he's on steroids to kill the worms and antibiotics to boost his immune system and fight off the pneumonia the worms caused.

So how is he now?  He's surprisingly much better.  I figured it would take a few days for him to really improved, but after his first set of meds yesterday morning he seemed to be coughing less and eating more.  This morning he was purring and jumping on me just like his old self.  I'm excited by this improvement and can hardly imagine what he'll be like in 9 days when the treatment is over.  Not to get into too much detail, but I've noticed big differences in the litter box as well (even from before he was sick).  I'm wondering if, once the worms are gone, his body will actually receive more nutrients and he won't have to eat as much.  Maybe he'll lose weight!  Maybe he won't stink up the kitty "bathroom" so much.  This could be super exciting!  Wish him (and me) luck!

New Blog

Alright, so more posts will come soon, but I just wanted to let everyone know I now have a new blog.  Visit askadogtrainer.blogspot.com for dog training tips and answers to various dog questions.  The first post is about puppy-proofing your house.  Enjoy!

A Very Happy Birthday!

Today is my birthday. While this birthday has been a bit less eventful than others in the past, it has also been a wonderful birthday. Let me preface what I'm about to say by explaining that for the past week or so I haven't been feeling so great. I've been tired and sore. My nose has been slightly running, and I've just felt run down.

I'm also a big believer that everyone should have their birthdays and major holidays off from work. That's why I told all my clients that I would not be in today. A few clients I told weeks ago, and others I just made sure not to schedule for today, but either way I had today off. My thought was that I could take a relaxing day and deal with some odds and ends I might not otherwise have time for. Yeah, that didn't happen.

I slept. I slept a lot. I spent most of the day on the couch, under the blanket, curled up with the cats and Cody, watching reruns of The Office. I did go out for lunch with Mom, but I took a nice, long nap after. I feel much better now.

I also had a wonderful dinner with Mom, Dad, Sherry, and Hans. It was nice to spend some time with my family as a whole. I also received some wonderful, thought-felt gifts. It's obvious everyone knew exactly what I wanted.

So, yeah, thanks guys! Thanks to everyone who called / emailed to wish me a happy birthday. Thanks to everyone who respected my day off and let me sleep. Thanks to a wonderful husband who got up early to make me waffles for breakfast. Thanks to a great family for coming out to celebrate. Oh, and as always, thanks to a wonderful Cody (and I'll include the cats here too), Mo, and Stolte for being such great cuddle-bugs / foot warmers. I had a great day because of all of y'all!

Tid-Bits

**Things have been going quite well on the sweets front. I had a little trouble about a week ago, and learned that if there are cookies at Dad's house then it might be best for me to steer clear. All other sweets (the ones that were in the apartment) were sent off to Hans' work where they were thoroughly enjoyed by all. I've been enjoying lots of fruit, though!

**Things on the exercise front aren't going quite as planned, but they are going. The one thing I'm not doing that I really want to be doing is running. I used to run every morning, but I've been sleeping in the past few weeks. I blame it on the fact I'm in desperate need for new sneakers. That being said, however, I am getting some exercise. Being a dog trainer, I'm constantly moving with the dogs. I've been taking a lot of dogs on walks, and that at least keeps me moving. I am also hoping to hit the gym sometime soon so I can work on weights. I need to strengthen my arms and legs.

**Business is doing quite well. August and September were a bit slower, but October seems to be making up for it. I think Bark in the Park helped a lot. Oh, and keep your eyes peeled. I'm starting a new blog for all those dog owners out there. It will basically be a series of posts on questions I'm commonly asked. Topics include (but are not limited to): Why does my dog eat grass? How can I get my dog to stop barking? My dog's very aggressive, what should I do? My dog is scared of everything! What can I do for separation anxiety? Plus, of course, I'll gladly answer any questions anyone may have. I'll let you know when it's actually up and running.

**Last Sunday, Hans and I moved Mom's old washer and dryer into our apartment. They're so much quieter, and they're energy efficient. We're doing loads and loads of laundry!

**My birthday is officially in FOUR DAYS! I'm pretty excited. I have a lot of stuff planned for the next week. October 13th is also my in-laws' anniversary. Everyone's celebrating!

**Events in and around Richmond over the next week include: The Richmond Folk Festival, Halloween Haunt, Italian Festival, Graves' Mountain Lodge Apple Harvest Festival, Knights of Columbus Octoberfest, Shocktoberfest, and many more. I know I'll definitely be going to at least 3 of those events. If I have time, I'll go to more.

Other than that, I suppose there isn't a whole lot going on. I'm doing my best to stay busy, which, I suppose, is all anyone can ask.

Twins Territory

Last night was an exciting night for Hans and me. While I read my the APDT Chronicle of the Dog, Hans searched the internet trying to find the Twins game against Detroit. He finally found it...in the bottom of the 9th. The score was tied 4-4, so I set my reading aside for what I thought would be a fairly quick win for the beloved Twins. Then we went into overtime.

At the top of the 10th the Tigers did something terrible. They scored! Hans and I moaned and moved to the edges of our seats to pray that the Twins tied things up again. In the bottom of the 10th, we hooted and howled as, first, Cuddyer hit a triple and then Tolbert hit a single and allowed Cuddyer to make the run. Things were still tied, 5-5, and I had learned this wasn't just going to be a short game.

It wasn't until the 12th inning that I'm sure we woke the entire apartment complex with our screams and howls and whistles. Casilla, during his only at bat the entire game, delivered the single most important hit of the game. His hit allowed Carlos Gomez to make the run, finally bringing the game to an end after 12 innings.

Why is this game so important? It means the Twins are now the American League Central Champions. It means the Metrodome, which will no longer be used for the Twins after this season, will live to see another day as the Twins play the Yankees. It means the team I was rooting for won! Hurray!!!!!

That being said, it was a great game played by all. Detroit wasn't going down without a fight, and, even though both teams were exhausted, they continued on for 3 extra innings. It takes a lot of heart and stamina to do that. As I mentioned before, Detroit kept us on the edges of our seats. Unfortunately for them (and lucky for us) the Twins were working just as hard. GO TWINS!

In other news: Vikings beat the Packers. Take that LunarGoat!

Bedknobs and Bookcases

Today, Hans and I did something that he does all the time and that I've done maybe once in my life. We built something!

In an attempt to create even more order in our lives (and expand the kitchen and my office) we decided to put a bookcase in the hallway between the kitchen and my office. The problem is, it's hard to find a bookcase with the precise dimensions we needed. We needed the shelves to be just so high, and the entire unit could only be so tall and so wide. Plus, we're a little strapped financially, so we couldn't go spending a couple hundred on the perfect shelf. That's why we decided the build one.

Here's the thing: I know Hans can build a shelf in just a couple of hours. I also know he builds stuff all day everyday and the last thing he wants to do is spend his Saturday building something else. I also thought that maybe, just maybe, he'd enjoy building it if he were teaching me. That's why, for the most part, Hans didn't build. He (with Cody's assistance) instructed.

You're talking about someone who's never used a table saw. Heck, I have trouble with a hand saw. Yet somehow, I cut boards. I glued boards. I drilled holes and screws into boards. Yes, I made sure Hans (or Cody) was looking over my shoulder the entire time, and no, I probably couldn't build something again without his supervision. However, I could cut a board again. Plus, I know the basics of building a shelf. Yay!!!

See my masterpiece!