Extreme Enough Makeover

When I began my foray into the world of freelance writing I knew a few things: it would be difficult, I wouldn't get rich (darn it!), writers block is not a myth and I would face distractions.

I try many remedies for the above thorns in my side and not surprisingly the biggest one is distractions. A husband, two kids and a Great Dane share my house with me and do not respect my ''cone of silence''. That is what I call it when I am on my laptop. Bribery, begging and threats did not make a difference.

Drastic times call for drastic measures right?

That is what I convinced my husband of. I am taking over his weight room. Gasp! I never thought I would see this day but I am thankful that he is willing to give it up to support my writing efforts.

I bought the paint and brushes. Deep red and mustard seed. I am going for a Moroccan/Indian feel. I hope it turns out how I am envisioning but even if it doesn't at least it will be quiet!

The Newest Member of Our Family

Meet Caden! We adopted him through the Rocky Mountain Great Dane Rescue this summer.

I was never a dog person. My kids wanted a dog for years but I was totally against it. The smell of wet dogs, dog food, animals in general made me gag!

My daughter and I were enjoying the Papillion Days parade and a few of the volunteers from the rescue were walking Danes in the parade. Curious about these huge dogs I took my children to a meet and greet at an Omaha bookstore, then the dog show, then the book store again the next month. Soon we were filling out the paperwork and on our way to adopting a gentle giant of our own.

Part of the adoption process includes a home check. We already had the dog picked out on the website that we wanted to adopt but when the volunteers came with their foster dog Caden to do our home check all thoughts about another dog disappeared.

After the home check and the foster parents took Caden back home with them it was an agonizing two weeks before the process was finalized and he came to live with us permanently.

**Check back soon to read how Caden adapted to our home and how we made room in our house and hearts for a 130 lb Great Dane!

Badge of Honor

I put a new badge on my blog today. Blog With Integrity is a movement of the ''mommy bloggers'' (sounds better than ''soccer mom'' doesn't it?) to declare when they are giving positive spin to products they received for free. Gasp! Isn't that the way it is supposed to work? It is but apparently many bloggers weren't disclosing the fact that they were paid or received something for their blog post.Ahhh, there is the difference.

I haven't received free stuff because of my blog but I have received freebies from websites. My favorite is House Party! This is not a sponsored review and I can tell you they give great free stuff.

If I ever do get something for free because of my blog then I am certainly not going to be shy about it. Woo Hoo! I will shout at the notion of people liking this enough to send me freebies!

I like the idea of Blog With Integrity. When I am looking for product reviews I always assumed they were honest reviews but now I know that ''sponsored reviews'' are common place and not a clear,unbiased picture of a product. That is like if I ask my husband if my jeans make my butt look fat. If he knows what is good for him he won't tell the truth. Bloggers don't want to bite the hand that feeds them so they only give a thumbs up to a product. Even with the new ''Integrity'' movement it still remains a case of buyer beware.

Not Everyone Is A Winner

Today I was trying to rush my six year old out the door. For anyone with any experience with a six year old knows this is like trying to rush a turtle. She can't decide what to take with her, dog or doll? Where are her sandals? No, she wants the pink ones not these purple ones. Finally I say loudly and emphatically ''LETS GO'' to which she responds not with speed of course but puts her things down and starts cheering. Oh for heaven's sake I say to myself!

'' LET'S GO! LET'S GO! LET'S GO TEAM! GO!

LET'S FIGHT! LET'S FIGHT! LET'S FIGHT TEAM FIGHT!

GO! FIGHT! LOSE!''

Chuckling I tell her it is ''go fight win''. She looks at me like only Laramie can and says

''But Mommy, someone has to lose so I am cheering them on."

This makes me grind to a halt. I don't want to rush her anymore. I want her to stay this little and this sweet for as long as I can.

38:49

On a typical day for me in 38 minutes I can vacuum the house or do dishes and clean up the kitchen but this past Saturday I ran 3.1 miles.

(OK jogged interspersed with walking/sweating/praying)

I crossed the finish line in thirty eight minutes forty nine seconds. Shaving my time down from the 5k I did last Summer by nearly SIX minutes. Not to bad for a chunky gal. I need to lose forty pounds, I would be thrilled to lose twenty to tell you the truth.

(sigh)

The next 5k I am considering doing is August 9Th. My goal is to finish that in as close to 38 flat as I can. I am hoping these races help me lose weight but if not at least I will be more fit than if I just sat around moping about my XL butt. Being in a race with people all around makes me push myself a little harder and makes quitting not an option.

Doggone It

Today an older neighbor lady came over and introduced herself. She found a tiny stray dog and wondered if he was ours. My son fell in love with this dog as soon as he laid eyes on her. I told my new neighbor lady we would take care of the dog until we found its owner. Being unfamiliar with our neighborhood still I can remember seeing many people out walking their dogs but haven't figured out which dogs live it which houses.

We don't own a dog. Never have.(We will soon though and are adopting a Dane through the rescue) I didn't know where to start. Maybe she was thirsty? I gave her some water but she didn't seem too interested in it. My son and I took the dog into the backyard and luckily my next door neighbors were out on their patio. Bev saved the day. She whipped out a portable kennel, dog biscuit and some kibble type food. The little puppy liked that. I put out a sign in the front yard that said we have a found dog and then went inside called the Humane Society and then posted a pic of the found pup on Facebook and Craigslist. Bev is a dog person though. She has a shitzu and used to show dogs. She knew the right thing to do. She rode around the neighborhood looking for people who looked like they were looking for someone. She found Gracie's mom. Way to go Bev.

The mom was glad to have her puppy back but I think my son would have been thrilled to keep her.

Walnut Creek Park

Inspired by a new friend who has been doing the three mile loop at Walnut Creek I decided to give it a go. Three miles is not daunting to me since I semi-regularly force myself to do it on the treadmill at the gym. This distance is very different outside. Without my Ipod I have difficulty keeping a steady pace. The trade off though is hearing the birds, ducks and geese as I enjoy the wonderful weather.

I hadn't walked this trail before and was confused by the forks I encountered on the path. I arbitrarily decided to always keep to the right. I walked from 4:22pm to 5:14pm. It sure felt like three miles. It felt like three miles after just thirty minutes! I was confused by the people ''lapping'' me though so I stopped and asked a safe enough looking Dad with his kid. He looked at me with pity (I must have looked worse than I felt!) and he cheerfully told me I was on the right path and I was halfway there! The first person who ''lapped'' me was a shirtless guy on inline skates with a mullet and goofy grin. At first I thought he might have been one of the Bay City Rollers but as he whizzed closer by I decided he was much too young. The second person who ''lapped'' me seemed rather pleased about it. Miss Spandex seemed kind of smug as went by but considering she wasn't breaking a sweat or jogging I was guessing either she was on a different path or employing a Lycra covered time travel device.

I usually prefer airports and post offices for people watching but there was quite a number of people enjoying the path as well. I encountered a jovial, shirtless, sunburned , septuagenarian gentleman as well as several joggers, bicyclers, stroller pushers and dog walkers. One lady I passed was so thin I was surprised her skeletal legs held her up. She seemed to be in her forties and when I said hello she balked and looked at me like I was her worst nightmare coming towards her. Given her anorexic appearance that very well may have been the case. The bicyclists were the friendliest, followed by the dog walkers then the stroller pushers. The joggers seemed to intent on not dying to be very social.

I haven't been to the gym much in the past couple weeks so I was not ready I guess for packing and cleaning all day in anticipation of our move in four days to end the day with a three mile walk in the heat. I had my cell phone in my hand and was ready to call for pick up if I didn't figure out my way off this trail soon. My feet hurt and I was wishing that I was in a pedicure chair getting my toes pampered. Then I was wishing I had water with me. My mind wandered while I finished my walk unsure if I was headed in the right direction. Then I wished I had been looking where I was walking as I stepped in goose poop. Icky.

As I crossed the damn I spotted the parking lot and my car in the distance. I was so happy! So relieved! I wasn't lost after all! The last half mile felt like nothing since I knew I wasn't lost after all.

I enjoyed the walk along the path. The scenery, fresh air and being out in nature was refreshing but there is something to be said for the gym and the trusty treadmill that has a cup holder and no goose poop.