Cody Day

It was two years ago today that Hans and I drove to NC to pick up our baby boy. I was so nervous. Well, nervous and excited. I just kept thinking how happy I was to finally have a dog again, but I was nervous because I had no idea what to expect. How big would he be? Would we develop a good bond? Would he be a chewer or a house-wetter or just a general terror? Lucky for me, he was none of those things (well past the puppy stage anyway). He was just a sweet, 11-weeks-old pup who wanted a lot of love and a comfortable lap to sleep on. He was perfect.

Now, two years later, he's no longer considered a puppy. He's 14 in people years, but acts much wiser. He's my companion and my friend. He's my blanket on cold nights and my cuddle-something when Hans has to work late. He gives me kisses in the morning and hugs to greet me in the evening. He makes a wonderful mascot for the business, but he makes a much better friend.

The thing is, I wish I could explain how much he means to me without sounding like a crazy person. Anyone can explain her love for her child and people will understand, but how do you explain that you love your dog the way most parents love their children? How do I explain that when he's upset I'm upset, or when he's sick I'm sick?How do I explain that, as much as I love, respect, and cherish all dogs, if another dog bites him I want nothing more than to hit it with a 2x4? The joy I feel just by seeing him smile brightens my whole day. It makes getting up in the morning worth it.

I've always been of the belief that anyone who wants a dog should have one, but it's not because I'm a dog trainer or just because I have a fondness for dogs. It's because there's no way to replicate the love you feel when you have a dog who loves you. My dogs have always made me a better person. They help me express my feelings. They make me happy. Yes, they can make me terribly sad too, but isn't that true for all creatures you love.

I guess what I'm saying is I hope you understand. Cody has been such a wonderful addition to my life. I'm so happy to have him. Thank you Hans for loving him with me. Thank you Dad for agreeing to me getting him. Thank you Cody for being such a wonderful friend / son / companion.
How could that NOT make you smile?

Anti-Chocolate Chip Cookie Land Update

Well, I did it. I had some cookies. I had chocolate chip cookies, and oatmeal raisin cookies, and white chocolate macadamia cookies. It was cookie galore. Oh, and today I had some ice cream (shh, don't tell Hans). So, how do I feel? To put it plainly: Like shit.

Of course, I'm exhausted from last week and the events of this weekend anyway, but I haven't felt this tired in a very long time. I fell asleep in the middle of a book. Running sounds hard even though I usually enjoy it, and Cody certainly isn't getting the exercise he got last week.

I am on a sugar crash. A major one. The one thing I'm really hoping for, though, is that I won't start craving things like cookies and ice cream again. Now that they're out of the house it should be fairly easy to avoid them, but the cravings are terrible (especially when there's nothing to satisfy them). I'm also hoping I can jump back on the exercise wagon without too much trouble. The cooler weather should help.

The thing is, a cookie here and there isn't that big of a deal. If I'd just had the 3 cookies at Bark in the Park (one of each flavor) I'd feel fine. Now, however, I just feel gluttonous. Oh well, back to work!

Bark in the Park

Bark in the Park was yesterday, and while it was cloudy with the threat of rain, I still think it went fairly well. There were probably about 1500 people there yesterday, and our booth stayed busy the entire time.

Cookies and Cody both helped to bring people over. We were the ONLY ones giving away people treats.
My two boys are looking as handsom as ever in their new uniforms. Cody liked his so much he had to show it off.

There I am during a "slow" period. Check out the sign set up. Didn't Hans do a great job?

I really love this picture. Pick out my booth from the line of booths. Can you find it? I'll give you a hint: Mine's the one with the banner on it.

Yeah, the banner was pretty cool, and I have to thank Hans for figuring out a great way to hang it. I had a few former clients who showed up, and when people mentioned how well behaved their dogs were, they'd just point to my tent and say, "The tent with the banner. She's the one who trained my dog." Like I said, it was a good day.

Oh, and the best part? I have cookies and bones left over! The bones we're going to freeze and use again (I still have Ask a Trainer every weekend), but the cookies are being sent to Hans' work. Yes, I did have a chocolate chip cookie, and yes, I'll probably have another. But, it's like they say, "All in moderation."

Anti-Chocolate Chip Cookie Land- Update

Well, things have been going quite well in Anti-Chocolate Chip Cookie Land. Technically, my 2 weeks ended last Wednesday, but I'm making more of an effort to keep it going. I am allowing myself to have some fun (fried fish is too tasty to pass up), but I'm just not overdoing it. Basically, I'm keeping my meals smaller, and I'm passing up on the daily Starbucks. Also, I'm trying to keep up the exercise thing. What can I say? It makes me feel good. So, what have I noticed? Quite a bit actually.

The first thing that happened when I started was that I dropped a few pounds...fast. That was nice. However, as my body has adjusted, I've started to plateau. That's ok, though, because I can see my body becoming stronger. I may not be showing much change on the scale, but I can feel and see a difference in my clothes. Besides, I still haven't even added in weight training yet, so I definitely have something to step up my workout if I need to.

I've also noticed I've had tons more energy. I'm having a blast taking Cody for walks, and the house is staying cleaner. A few weeks ago it was an effort just to get out of bed. Hans and I are having a blast. We are still fairly pooped come evening, but instead of just vegging out and watching t.v. we'll often play RockBand or some other game on the Wii. Last night we even took Cody for a little mini-walk and then played with him outside some. Have I mentioned that Cody loves this too? Oh, and when I mention evenings, I typically mean 7:30 or later. Any time before that and I'm typically still at work.

Yes, I feel good right now. I'm hoping I can keep it up, because I'm still tempted by a lot of foods. Eventually, I know those foods won't even appeal to me, but until then I just have to keep a plan. Wish me luck!

Little Updates

This week has been fairly non-eventful. Not a lot has been going on. I've been preparing for Bark in the Park, and I believe it will come off without a hitch. There is still a lot to do, though, so I'm still freaking out a little. Mainly, I have to finish baking dog treats. The biggest thing is I'm not sure how many I should have. I want a minimum of 200 pairs, but I'm not sure that will be enough. Along with that, I'm buying cookies for people, and again, I'm not sure how many I should have. There may only be 200 people there, in which case I'm hope at least 100 stop by my booth. But what if there are 800 people there? I want to make sure I don't run out. Jess, Byron, and my mom are all coming over on Friday to help me make everything look nice, so I'll probably just bake as much as possible until then. Luckily the bones are easy to make, and it's just as easy to make a double batch as it is to make a single.

Other than that, Saturday was pretty fun. Hans and I went to the 43rd Street Festival with some friends of ours. We saw a lot of really nice art. There was one piece that was a picture of a dog, and I almost got it. It was really cute, but I decided to save my money for now and spend it on something better. The festival was also really good for networking. There were a lot of people with dogs there, so I stopped them and asked if Cody could meet there dogs. Once they mentioned how well behaved Cody was (and shock that he was only 2 years old) I would hand them a card. Hopefully I'll get some calls from that.

Oh, lastly, I'm trying to figure out some fun activities for Cody this week. I need him to be exhausted come this Saturday. I'm already planning to take him on long walks, take him to the dog park, and take him to the river. Along with that, I'm hoping some extended time at Mom's house will wear him out (he loves playing with her dogs). The plan is that, if I do these things every day, he'll be too tired to move on Saturday. However, if anyone has any other ideas, it would be very much appreciated.

What's Happenin'!

*I had yet another Ask a Trainer session this past Saturday. They seem to go well, and I think they're a great way to get my name out there. Now all I need is for the clients to give me a call!

*We're less than two weeks away from Bark in the Park, and I'm quite nervous. I'm just about ready, but I do have a few last-minutes touches to complete. This week, however, I got my banner and my car magnets. They look great! Plus, Hans set up my tent and rigged it so the sign can hang just above my tent. He did an amazing job. I'm so lucky to have such a talented husband. I know I wouldn't have even thought of doing that, and I certainly wouldn't have known how to do it even if I had thought of it.

*My birthday is just under a month away. I think I'm looking forward to it mostly because it signifies fall for me. Plus, it means I get to go up to Grave's Mountain Lodge and pick apples. And Cody will get to romp in the mountains. It's all a good thing. Yes, there are things on my wish list (some to do more with business and some not), but I really just want to have a good time with my friends and family.

*Anti-Chocolate Chip Cookie Land is still in progress. I had a bit of a fallback yesterday at Dad's house. I did turn down the ice cream. He told me I had to have it and I wasn't getting up until I did. Luckily, I was kind of expecting to have a sugary experience, so I ate less earlier in the day. Plus, I've already been for a jog this morning, and I'm hoping to work out again this afternoon to make up for it. I have a few somewhat easily attainable, short-term goals set for this week and for the next couple of months. Really, though, it's all been easier than I expected. Hans and I were cutting back anyway due to money issues, so there's really nothing around to tempt me, and even if there were, I can't afford to pay for it. Yay!

*Other than that, not much else is happening. I'm having fun keeping the apartment clean and doing as much for the business is possible. I just hope I continue having fun and can eventually share that fun with all of you!

I Am An American!

Maybe this is just a way of briefly procrastinating, but I thought I'd share some thoughts with you.

My mom stopped by this morning to drop off a book she's been meaning to give me. While she was here, she mentioned something about the bru-ha-ha surrounding a speech President Obama gave yesterday to school children across the nation. See as I have no t.v. and I rarely listen to the radio, I haven't been following the news much lately, so I asked her to explain. Apparently, President Obama gave a televised speech to children across the nation yesterday. The speech was focused on the importance of education and hard work. It was a cry to the children of today to work harder for tomorrow's future. Somewhere along the way, however, the purpose of the speech was misconstrued.

Florida Republican Party Chairman, Jim Greer, apparently started the rumor that the speech was only going to push socialism and "liberal ways" onto our school children. Just like any rumor, it spread like wild fire. So many parents raised their voices that many schools and school districts opted not to air the speech. After having watched the speech myself, I'm quite disappointed in these schools. While it may have been over many children's heads, it was, none-the-less, a very moving speech. It encouraged students to work through their family traumas, to use those life difficulties to make them stronger, and to become the next Bill Gates, the next Condoleeza Rice, or even the next Barack Obama. The only thing that could have even been construed as "health care reform" was when he told students to wash their hands to protect against illness.

I have to say I'm quite angry over the whole situation. I understand that people are scared of change, and that each person is entitled to his/her opinion, but do they have to be so cruel? I feel like we're back in middle school and there are rumors flying over who kissed whom. "Well, so and so heard from so and so, who heard from Jim Geer, who's a reliable source that Obama was spouting radical politics, and I don't want to be involved in that!" I want to encourage people to really do their homework.

Take the time to find out what the message really is before believing the rumors. If you disagree with the message, that's fine. That's what makes America great. You're allowed to disagree. Do not, however, disagree just because you heard it from a "reliable source." Then, if you don't support our president or the party, figure out why. Is it because you don't agree with the tax policies and the health-care reform or is it because your parents don't like them? Oh, and check your facts on those items too.

So, here's your homework (just like in high school): Decide whether or not you like our current administration. No matter what your position, decide if there are certain things you would change. Ask yourself why and how. Oh, and, as always, check your sources. Wikipedia and emails from your friends are NOT reliable.