Over the Past Few Months...

This is the first time that I will not apologize for not blogging so much, why? Because it has been a great couple of months. 


Over the last couple of months, I have...

1. Been incredibly blessed in my career to have the ability to travel. I have had so many great experiences and just cannot wait to continue with this path. Unfortunately, when I am out I forget to take pictures. On one recent adventure, in the beautiful state of Colorado, I was able to snap a picture of my landscape while driving. Colorado is by far the most beautiful state, I think I have seen thus far. I don't know about you, but I could get used to seeing this view everyday. 

2. Spent good quality time with my gorgeous puppy Millie. Since her unfortunate attack, Millie has made a tremendous recovery and her personality has remained unchanged. She is still the most sassy, sweet, pup in the whole world. 

3. Spent time with my amazing best friends. They make everything, worth it. 

4. Caught my brother being a good "Uncle John" to miss Millie. She just adores him and aren't they cute together. 


5. and finally...I am currently on vacation! 

2012 has already been the most challenging and rewarding year of my life, thus far. I have had the opportunity to experience so many new things (the bad, the good, & the new). Traveling, spending time with friends, loving on Millie, people falling out of my life, and wonderful new people coming into it..and it has all been worth it. 

Millie's Update

Good evening everyone. I apologize, for the time lapse between posts and for not posting this sooner. 


Monday evening, my 2 year old, precious puppy was attacked out of the blue by another dog. I went to take Millie outside to try to go "#2" out the back door of our apartment, when I saw a man down balancing on his knees with a leash in his hand. When I went outside, all of a sudden I saw a big white dog who was off leash out of the corner of my eye come running over. The man said commands to the dog and said, "she needs to learn" to me. Then the dog proceeded to come over like other dogs and sniff Millie. Millie sat there, and did not aggravate the dog, but the dog immediately attacked Millie, bit her around her shoulder blades and thrashed her around. 


Obviously, in the heat of the moment I freaked out and tried to get her out of the situation as best as I could. The other dog owner in the moment said "it's OK, they are just playing". 


Millie was bleeding severely and I needed to get her to the hospital to make sure she was Ok. At the hospital they took great care of Millie and were able to get her all stitched up. Since the other dog's mouth was so big, she has a really bad haircut, 10 stitches, and has a two drain tubes on both sides of her so that her wounds can drain properly. Without these drains, there could be a possibility for infection and a build-up of fluids and thus, it would cause for another surgery. 


Millie made it through surgery great, and is getting stronger each and every day. I am so proud, and impressed by her bravery and her attempting to "re-learn" everything. 


I did file a police report on Monday night (Tuesday morning) and I am working with the police closely in this situation. This man and his dog are residents of another building in my apartment complex and the police did take a statement from him. 


I just wanted to put an update out here, because moments like this you cannot get back. Split seconds, and "choices" are what stands between us and circumstances. I cannot take back what happened to Millie and myself on Monday night, but I can stand up for what is right and make sure that prevention, and laws are in place that protect humans and other animals from attacks. It is Roseville law, and my apartment complex's rule that all dogs must be on a leash, for good reason. Maybe, if this dog had been on a leash, then the owner would have been able to pull their dog back. 


Like I said, I can only look back at the situation and reflect on it. I have played the "what if's" too much in my brain this week, and it is time for me to look towards the future and to protect Millie from this ever happening again. 


Millie is going to her vet tomorrow to get the drain tubes taken out, and then hopefully the cone of shame can come off so she can be more comfortable. Millie will have to go back to the vet next week to get her stitches out. 


Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers during this time. It has been hard, but mostly I am just thankful to have my little girl still around and in my life. I appreciate everyone's generosity and help during this time. 

Happy 21st Birthday to my Little Brother, John!

I am coming out of my blog hiatus, for one amazing reason. (I will try to write more later about my life these past couple of months) My little brother turns 21 years old today. This is such a special moment in our family, read below.

Dear little Big John,

When Mom and Dad first told me they were going to have another baby and it was a boy, I cried. I cried because I “thought” I wanted a sister, but it turns out you were exactly the special gift in life that I had always wanted. You see, I already had the best big brother a girl could ask for, (even if I didn’t realize this until I was older and more “wise”, but thus, Mom is always right.) When you came along, I was surrounded with love, and now had the best little brother a girl could ask for. Even though you were a huge pain in the ass, and still are sometimes, I wouldn’t trade any of the memories.

You used to torment me. The bite marks that existed on my back when I was younger are proof. Your energy was impeccable, but Mom learned how to house it so that my meltdowns were kept at a minimum. She used to make you run around the house as she timed you, and silly us, thought this was the best game ever. Little did we know, that this was her natural way of giving you a prescription relaxant.

You will never ever live down the time that dad told you we were going to have fish for dinner, and mom caught you with a chair slid up to our fish tank downstairs and saw that you had “fileted” our Beta Fish. You were as always just trying to help out the family. 

Or how about the time you pushed a swimming pool up to the jungle gym, grabbed the rope, and swung over the pool, let go and slashed around. After each swim you would run up to the deck and exclaim "Mommy, Mommy, watch me!"

Over time, I always knew that you would turn into being a super athlete. Little did I know that it would be golf. You purchased your first golf set at the Elim Church Rummage sales, and from then on you would start driving golf balls from up by the house. (near the porch that has a lot of expensive windows, mind you..I can still count all of those grey hairs that you gave Mom) After you hit each ball you would pick up the bag, and walk down to the end of our lot. Since then, you have turned into one of the best golfers that I know. I know this is a little biased, and a relative term, but considering everything that you hear about pro-golfers today, you never cease to amaze me. Even though you know how to play golf better than anyone that we know, you are always available to help others when they ask for it. This is why I choose to golf with you when I golf once a year. Because, you make it fun. You remember that this is just a game, and you try to play the best that you can. 

Now, the time has come where Mom and Dad are feeling really old. You are officially 21 years old today. I know you have been waiting for this for awhile. You have been the "last" to do everything, out of all of us siblings, but don't worry this only makes you the wiser one. And at some point in your life, you being the baby is going to be a good thing. 

You never cease to amaze me. You have so much kindness in your heart and you hold our family together. You are sensitive, caring, compassionate, and always want to help people. But you live life based off of what makes you the most passionate and makes you happy, and this rubs off on everyone around you. 

To one of my best friends, I love you. You have been the best little brother a girl could ask for. I cannot wait to go to the VIP movie theater now with you and be able to order a drink, or have you come down to La Crosse for Oktoberfest, or just be able to do everything with you. You no longer "have" to be DD, and always take care of others. 

I cannot wait to celebrate your birthday with you tonight and this weekend. Happy Birthday, John!

Weekend & Life Updates

This past weekend Adam and Shannon were home so it was a great weekend filled with family fun. 

Saturday

The whole family along with some of my cousins went Moonlight Bowling. My family has never gone bowling all together, so it was a very fun experience. I am not a bowler. I have bowled maybe 3 times in the past 5 years. But, with help from my Dad to "aim for the arrows" I definitely got at least 5 strikes that night and bowled my best game in history 113 points. 

My wonderful and loving parents!

Me, Ashley, Mom, Shannon, and Dad in the background

Dad and John getting ready to bowl

Sunday

We vegged around in the morning and Dad made a delicious eggs Benedict breakfast for us. Afterwards we saw that the Little Giants movie was on TV so we all watched together, well most of us. Millie did not make it through the whole movie. 

Then I had a hair appointment and wanted to go back to brown. My hair stylist here in the cities is great and she always gives me what I want. What do you think?

And then the most exciting news. 

Sadly, My Impala (Pauly) that I have driven since I was 16 has been laid to rest this week. She had a long run, kept me safe, and was a great car. With that said, I needed a vehicle. My Dad and I went car shopping on Saturday at Buerkle Honda and found the best car. 

2009 Honda Civic

Folks, I will be the first one to say that I was skeptical of this car. When they asked if I wanted to drive it, I immediately said no. But my Dad persuaded me. Once I was in the seat, and driving it around I knew it was mine. It handles awesome, and is just so "me" I picked it up last night, and I could not be happier. 

Now this week I am back to a week full of boot camp (butt kicking boot camp) and being busy with work/life. I love it. I love being busy, and I love that even though that I am incredibly busy that I still have time to incorporate being healthy. People always ask me if I "like" going to Boot camp. My answer is always very honest. I love boot camp...after boot camp s done each day. During boot camp, no one likes it. Muscles groaning, and pushing yourself to the brim, doesn't feel good. But what does feel good is the after effect. After boot camp, I feel amazing, and the results show. Last night we did Upper Body, and I am starting to see definition in my arms. I have more energy, I am healthier, and I am on my way to a healthier lifestyle. What more could you ask for?

Hiatus much?

This week was definitely a much needed blog hiatus. 

What did I do this week?

-Worked my butt off (literally) at boot camp. Exciting news is coming from boot camp soon!

-Got a couple of packages in from some Blog Swaps that I cannot wait to share

-I still have not tried out the miracle noodles that I told you all about last week, but I promise to try them next week. 

-Cleaned. I like to keep the apartment clean so that I do not need to spend time during the week focusing on cleaning up, so it this week was the week to get organized and to get everything put away. 

And it all ended in the best way. I went out to dinner with my best friend Maggie at a great new restaurant Thom Pham's in dt MPLS and had much needed girl time after a long week, and then headed out to see my family. Driving up the driveway to seeing all of my family home was absolutely perfect. I cannot wait to spend some great quality time this weekend, and to NOT watch the Superbowl. 

Have a great weekend :)

My Week Thus Far

My week has been busy, and incredibly great so far. Before I go into my babble about what I have been doing, I purchased some new products that I am going to try out soon, and wanted you to know about them. 


PB2: Powdered Peanut Butter

This is, amazing. I love peanut butter. But almost 200 calories for 2 tbsp..heck no. Until, I stumbled across PB2 and it changed my world. It's dry roasted peanuts and it's a powdery mixture that you add a little water to, it and devour. I swear, it's delicious. 


Miracle Noodles

I have not tried these yet, but I have heard they are great. No calories, no fat, no carbs? WHAT? They are not supposed to taste good alone, but it is supposed to be a place holder for your meal, and your meal is supposed to be about the sauce and the protein instead. I am going to give these a try tomorrow night, and I will let you know how it goes!


Monday, I had a great night at boot camp and then attempted to clean my apartment. Attempted. It didn't really happen, as I was still sore from boot camp and just wanted to sit on my tush and play with Millie. 


Tuesday, I went to boot camp in the morning, instead of the evening because I had an amazing thing to do on Tuesday night. I got to see some of my best friends, Maggie & Renee for tons of girl talk, laughter, and making fun of each other. It was something I definitely needed this week. 


Wednesday, I went for a great night of boot camp focusing on the lower body. It feels like hell during it, but after, I feel great. And then, I did what I set out to do on Monday. I cleaned. My apartment looks squeaky clean now. 


I'm looking forward to a fun weekend of family, friends, and great times. 

Versatile Blogger Award & Seven Fun Facts

Today is a great day, why? Because I was nominated for a Blogger award, and I have posted two times in 1 day! Thank you Shannon, from Page Twenty-Two so much for the award. 

So, with this award I have to share 7 fun facts about me. 


1. I have a large birthmark on my right calf. It looks like a dark band aid. 


2. This is the second blog I have had. My first one, I created I think my Sophomore year of college, and it was on Wordpress. This one, is definitely better. 


3. The places that I have been to outside of the U.S. are Norway, Sweden, Iceland, and Mexico. 


4. I someday really want to go skydiving. Someday!


5. The natural color of my hair is....a blonde/brown/rusty color. 

6. My favorite place to visit would be Chicago. It has a great vibe in the city, and you never run out of fun things to do. 


7. When I text, I use a lot of :) because you never know the tone of a person's text or email, so I through a little smiley face in there to let people know that I am happy :)

Now is the fun part, I get to nominate a few lucky readers. Here is who I nominate for the award:

Valerie from Along the Way with V & J

Cara from Love, Life & Margaritas 

Thanks again, Shannon!