Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Things to do for 2012 - August update
So, what have I done this month? Chipped away at a few things.
Currently at 70% complete.
1. Take a trip to Germany - Mike and I went and we had the best time! You can see all the posts here: Germany posts.
2. Learn German - started my Rosetta Stone classes. I am now on Unit 2, with about 6 more units that I want to complete before we go to Germany. - I really fell off of the classes in general. I want to start them up again in the Fall/Winter and complete all the classes.
3. Attempt a conversation, while speaking only German, with someone in Germany. - While this didn't totally happen, I was able to order tea & coffee at breakfast, hot chocolate while we were on the ferry and milk for our tea. I was quite happy that I could pull off even this little bit of German and so I'm going to continue learning in the Fall.
4. Continue to read, 10 books to start - I've finished 8 books so far. I will surpass my goal of 10 books and so I'll increase it once I've hit 10. I've been reading the Game of Thrones series, trying to fit it in just before I go to sleep. I'm on book 3 now. I did finish a book while on vacation, so I'm up to 9 complete.
5. Maintain the blog with regular posts - Trying. I find if I can schedule certain posts, then it makes things much easier to manage. I fell off on this one too, argh.
6. Deal with the symptoms of stopping the medication. Note, it’s nothing life threatening or anything like that, so don't worry :). Booked an appointment but because of my 2nd ailment, cannot start this task yet. Later in the year though, I'll be able to start.
7. Continue to brush Gimli and keep up his teeth brushing - regular brushing, yes. Teeth brushing is slowly getting better.
8. Continue to photograph Gimli and all of his antics. - Working on it.
9. Come up with a proper backup system for all my pictures. - Working on it.
10. Incorporate more fruits & veggies to our diet. - Trying, I'm finding this is going to take multiple trips to the supermarket each week to replenish our fruit supply. I've also switched up my eating habits, I only eat bread once a day at breakfast. For lunch, I usually eat a combination of fruits - whatever we have on hand at the time.
11. Lose 10 lbs. - I have lost 3 lbs so far and gained more muscle. I don't know if I will end up losing 10 lbs mainly because I've been at the same weight for a while, but I'm now able to fit into pants that I stopped wearing in October. (SCORE!) I am switching focus to toning my arms, back and muffin top and decreasing work on the Treadclimber to 3 days a week. I'm continuing to work out, I have started on the muffin top, doing various core exercises - about 100 reps a day and am starting to see some results.
12. Evaluate and decide if I need to lose an additional 5 lbs. - We will see, I'm not married to that figure on the scale and because muscle is heavier than fat, so long as I can get back to wearing my clothes, I'm good.
13. Maintain my exercise regimen - so far, so good.
14. Paint our house - We have finally picked out our downstairs colors and are looking for a painter. We painted our bathroom a few weeks ago. I don't have any after pictures yet because I'm waiting to get and our mirrors framed, then it will be complete. Downstairs painting starts next week!
15. Frame and put up our pictures. -This will happen once we have painted.
16. Go to The Arboretum at least once a month - weather permitting - this did not happen in January, February due to the strange weather. Gimli and I went to the Arboretum this past weekend for the Dog Jog. The three of us went over the May long weekend and had a good time. Later in the summer we'll go back for a picnic.
17. Discover local restaurants/bistros etc in my city or in the surrounding areas.
18. Go to Winterlicious or Summerlicious. - We went to Summerlicious and had a lovely time. It's a shame though, the restaurant is about an hour and a half away and due to the distance we won't be going back.
19. Make a snow animal of some kind - Tried, but then Gimli destroyed it. It's looking like it will have to be done next winter.
20. Get a massage(s) at the spa. - Done!
21. Take more pictures of Mike and me.
22. Return to the Church. Something is missing in my life and that might be it.
23. Enjoy our backyard.
24. Decide on the color scheme, proper design for the blog. I've been indecisive and I just want something that's me and something where I won't want to change it in another few months - Changed the color scheme and I really like that picture of Gimli. I think this is it!
25. Surprise someone. - Surprised Mike with his Valentine's Day present, read about it here: Guest Post by Mike.
26. Make a pie.
27.Reach out to the Rescue organization to see if there are any corgis, with a spot on its head, that need a good home with a corgi obsessed woman - E-mail sent, but nothing yet. Would have been nice to receive some sort of response saying, "I got your email, no corgis yet", sort of thing.
New 27. Reach out to Gimli's breeder to put ourselves on the list for corgi #2. - She responded and we are on the list. She wants to breed one of Gimli's cousins later this year. I am very hopeful for the Fall!
28. Get some professional pictures done of Mike, Gimli and I. - We had pictures taken of us a few weeks ago. They came out great, am looking for a scanner so I can show them here.
29. On that note, Boudoir Photography! - I had the pictures done a couple weeks ago. It was great fun and we're going to see the pictures this week.
30. Plant some flowers in the front and back yards to bring in some color. - Planted some flowers in the front, they seem to be doing well :).
31. Zombie walk.
32. The B&B in Niagara Falls, this one is also for you Mike. - This is not happening. Am very sad and disappointed and quite frankly, pissed off, that we lost this free(!!) opportunity.
33. Photography course.
34. Kick Mike in the butt when he starts to waver on certain things.
35. Move off of "Medium" on the drums in Rock Band and to "Hard".
36. Start cooking more Trinidad type food.
37. Spend less time on the computer in my non-working hours. I'd rather fall asleep with a book in my hand than be sleepy sitting at the computer and unable/unwilling to leave it. - I'm getting better at this, but not as fast as I'd like.
38. Go to bed earlier.
39. Do the Dog Jog again with Gimli - It was this past March, check it out here: 2nd Annual Dog Jog.
40. Work on Gimli's recall at the Dog Park - We were able to take him out last week to work on his recall and he did quite well. He followed me all around the park and was very quick to run back especially because I had cookies. We have more practice to put in, but he's a smart doggie and will pick it up quickly.
41. Take Gimli to the play class at Bold Canine - looking like Fall.
42. Work on Gimli's possessiveness. - We started this a week ago and I'm already seeing results. He still has moments where he becomes "stupid" and obsesses over a particular item, but he's starting to realize that he cannot go after items the way he used to, that everything belongs to us. I can see the wheels spinning in his head as he chooses to behave and it makes me incredibly happy that we're finally making strides in this area! We are not out of the woods yet, but Gimli has shown little regressing and I can see him thinking about what to do much faster than before.
43. Work on Gimli's listening skills when guests arrive. - We've started putting him in his crate and then letting him out when guests arrive. We find he's much more subdued and he quiets down much faster.
44. Take Gimli for a herding instinct test?
45. Complete the Minas Tirith 3D puzzle - Started the puzzle.
46. A Mini Cooper?
47. Head back to Las Vegas - going in September
48. Go to Disneyland and California Adventure - going in September
49. Go to Woofstock's High Tea event - The three of us went, you can read about it here: High Tea
50. Did my first ever interview about Gimli. - You can read about it here: High Tea.
51. Go to Woofstock - We didn't go this year. I had the flu and on account of the heat and so on we decided not to go. Perhaps next year.
52. Scan in Mike's baby pictures.
53. Start putting together our Disney album.
54. Take Gimli for ice cream. Well, Mike and I go out for ice cream and take Gimli with us so we can sit outside with him. - We took Gimli just recently for his birthday. He got some melted ice cream and of course wanted more.
Currently at 70% complete.
1. Take a trip to Germany - Mike and I went and we had the best time! You can see all the posts here: Germany posts.
2. Learn German - started my Rosetta Stone classes. I am now on Unit 2, with about 6 more units that I want to complete before we go to Germany. - I really fell off of the classes in general. I want to start them up again in the Fall/Winter and complete all the classes.
3. Attempt a conversation, while speaking only German, with someone in Germany. - While this didn't totally happen, I was able to order tea & coffee at breakfast, hot chocolate while we were on the ferry and milk for our tea. I was quite happy that I could pull off even this little bit of German and so I'm going to continue learning in the Fall.
4. Continue to read, 10 books to start - I've finished 8 books so far. I will surpass my goal of 10 books and so I'll increase it once I've hit 10. I've been reading the Game of Thrones series, trying to fit it in just before I go to sleep. I'm on book 3 now. I did finish a book while on vacation, so I'm up to 9 complete.
5. Maintain the blog with regular posts - Trying. I find if I can schedule certain posts, then it makes things much easier to manage. I fell off on this one too, argh.
6. Deal with the symptoms of stopping the medication. Note, it’s nothing life threatening or anything like that, so don't worry :). Booked an appointment but because of my 2nd ailment, cannot start this task yet. Later in the year though, I'll be able to start.
7. Continue to brush Gimli and keep up his teeth brushing - regular brushing, yes. Teeth brushing is slowly getting better.
8. Continue to photograph Gimli and all of his antics. - Working on it.
9. Come up with a proper backup system for all my pictures. - Working on it.
10. Incorporate more fruits & veggies to our diet. - Trying, I'm finding this is going to take multiple trips to the supermarket each week to replenish our fruit supply. I've also switched up my eating habits, I only eat bread once a day at breakfast. For lunch, I usually eat a combination of fruits - whatever we have on hand at the time.
11. Lose 10 lbs. - I have lost 3 lbs so far and gained more muscle. I don't know if I will end up losing 10 lbs mainly because I've been at the same weight for a while, but I'm now able to fit into pants that I stopped wearing in October. (SCORE!) I am switching focus to toning my arms, back and muffin top and decreasing work on the Treadclimber to 3 days a week. I'm continuing to work out, I have started on the muffin top, doing various core exercises - about 100 reps a day and am starting to see some results.
12. Evaluate and decide if I need to lose an additional 5 lbs. - We will see, I'm not married to that figure on the scale and because muscle is heavier than fat, so long as I can get back to wearing my clothes, I'm good.
13. Maintain my exercise regimen - so far, so good.
14. Paint our house - We have finally picked out our downstairs colors and are looking for a painter. We painted our bathroom a few weeks ago. I don't have any after pictures yet because I'm waiting to get and our mirrors framed, then it will be complete. Downstairs painting starts next week!
15. Frame and put up our pictures. -This will happen once we have painted.
16. Go to The Arboretum at least once a month - weather permitting - this did not happen in January, February due to the strange weather. Gimli and I went to the Arboretum this past weekend for the Dog Jog. The three of us went over the May long weekend and had a good time. Later in the summer we'll go back for a picnic.
17. Discover local restaurants/bistros etc in my city or in the surrounding areas.
18. Go to Winterlicious or Summerlicious. - We went to Summerlicious and had a lovely time. It's a shame though, the restaurant is about an hour and a half away and due to the distance we won't be going back.
19. Make a snow animal of some kind - Tried, but then Gimli destroyed it. It's looking like it will have to be done next winter.
20. Get a massage(s) at the spa. - Done!
21. Take more pictures of Mike and me.
22. Return to the Church. Something is missing in my life and that might be it.
23. Enjoy our backyard.
24. Decide on the color scheme, proper design for the blog. I've been indecisive and I just want something that's me and something where I won't want to change it in another few months - Changed the color scheme and I really like that picture of Gimli. I think this is it!
25. Surprise someone. - Surprised Mike with his Valentine's Day present, read about it here: Guest Post by Mike.
26. Make a pie.
27.
New 27. Reach out to Gimli's breeder to put ourselves on the list for corgi #2. - She responded and we are on the list. She wants to breed one of Gimli's cousins later this year. I am very hopeful for the Fall!
28. Get some professional pictures done of Mike, Gimli and I. - We had pictures taken of us a few weeks ago. They came out great, am looking for a scanner so I can show them here.
29. On that note, Boudoir Photography! - I had the pictures done a couple weeks ago. It was great fun and we're going to see the pictures this week.
30. Plant some flowers in the front and back yards to bring in some color. - Planted some flowers in the front, they seem to be doing well :).
31. Zombie walk.
32. The B&B in Niagara Falls, this one is also for you Mike. - This is not happening. Am very sad and disappointed and quite frankly, pissed off, that we lost this free(!!) opportunity.
33. Photography course.
34. Kick Mike in the butt when he starts to waver on certain things.
35. Move off of "Medium" on the drums in Rock Band and to "Hard".
36. Start cooking more Trinidad type food.
37. Spend less time on the computer in my non-working hours. I'd rather fall asleep with a book in my hand than be sleepy sitting at the computer and unable/unwilling to leave it. - I'm getting better at this, but not as fast as I'd like.
38. Go to bed earlier.
39. Do the Dog Jog again with Gimli - It was this past March, check it out here: 2nd Annual Dog Jog.
40. Work on Gimli's recall at the Dog Park - We were able to take him out last week to work on his recall and he did quite well. He followed me all around the park and was very quick to run back especially because I had cookies. We have more practice to put in, but he's a smart doggie and will pick it up quickly.
41. Take Gimli to the play class at Bold Canine - looking like Fall.
42. Work on Gimli's possessiveness. - We started this a week ago and I'm already seeing results. He still has moments where he becomes "stupid" and obsesses over a particular item, but he's starting to realize that he cannot go after items the way he used to, that everything belongs to us. I can see the wheels spinning in his head as he chooses to behave and it makes me incredibly happy that we're finally making strides in this area! We are not out of the woods yet, but Gimli has shown little regressing and I can see him thinking about what to do much faster than before.
43. Work on Gimli's listening skills when guests arrive. - We've started putting him in his crate and then letting him out when guests arrive. We find he's much more subdued and he quiets down much faster.
44. Take Gimli for a herding instinct test?
45. Complete the Minas Tirith 3D puzzle - Started the puzzle.
46. A Mini Cooper?
47. Head back to Las Vegas - going in September
48. Go to Disneyland and California Adventure - going in September
49. Go to Woofstock's High Tea event - The three of us went, you can read about it here: High Tea
50. Did my first ever interview about Gimli. - You can read about it here: High Tea.
51. Go to Woofstock - We didn't go this year. I had the flu and on account of the heat and so on we decided not to go. Perhaps next year.
52. Scan in Mike's baby pictures.
53. Start putting together our Disney album.
54. Take Gimli for ice cream. Well, Mike and I go out for ice cream and take Gimli with us so we can sit outside with him. - We took Gimli just recently for his birthday. He got some melted ice cream and of course wanted more.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Operation Zwei - Check in #3
It's been another week of exercising and am happy to report these numbers.
Measurements as of August 27th:
Weight: 133 lbs
Circumference under ribs: 28 in
Circumference at belly button: 33 in
Circumference at hips: 36 in
I realized I was eating about twice as much cereal as I should so I've reduced that serving. I've also started eating fruits and vegetables for lunch instead of heavy leftovers and bread.
I tried on the dress and it was easier to zip up, but not yet ready to wear comfortably. I have a month to go before I have to wear it, so I'm hopeful I'll be able to.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Gimli's afternoon escapade
hewo, is gimli hier.
been a long time since i rote sumting hier, but i hav to tel yu bout my walk today.
dis afternoon, mike let me outside und when i sniffed round my yard i see da gate wuz open. i wiggled to da gate, then wiggled through it und walked allllll da way to da front yard.
i sniffed round da rox, den remembered bout da cat dat lives next door so i went to da neighbur to see if da cat was dere.
i didn't see da cat, but i saw da oder neighbur's dog, so i went to say hi!
dat dog wuz with his owner, who i know so i followed da owner und da doggie bak to my house.
mike opened da door und i gave him da bigest grin und wiggled bak inside. candy says i like to raise her blood pressure, but i don't know how to raise anything, i iz too short.
Somehow the gate was unlatched and Gimli slipped out from our yard. He wasn't gone for more than 10 minutes, but we assumed he was sniffing around the backyard. In that time, he made it 3 houses down from ours. We are grateful the neighbor knew us and where he lived and that Gimli loves everyone, so he gladly followed the neighbor back to our house.
We've looked at the latch and it is a little stiff, so we're going to put WD 40 on it tomorrow. The gate is designed to swing back into place, but because it's stiff, that's probably why it didn't take hold.
I don't know what I'd do if he got out and disappeared.
been a long time since i rote sumting hier, but i hav to tel yu bout my walk today.
dis afternoon, mike let me outside und when i sniffed round my yard i see da gate wuz open. i wiggled to da gate, then wiggled through it und walked allllll da way to da front yard.
i sniffed round da rox, den remembered bout da cat dat lives next door so i went to da neighbur to see if da cat was dere.
i didn't see da cat, but i saw da oder neighbur's dog, so i went to say hi!
dat dog wuz with his owner, who i know so i followed da owner und da doggie bak to my house.
mike opened da door und i gave him da bigest grin und wiggled bak inside. candy says i like to raise her blood pressure, but i don't know how to raise anything, i iz too short.
Somehow the gate was unlatched and Gimli slipped out from our yard. He wasn't gone for more than 10 minutes, but we assumed he was sniffing around the backyard. In that time, he made it 3 houses down from ours. We are grateful the neighbor knew us and where he lived and that Gimli loves everyone, so he gladly followed the neighbor back to our house.
We've looked at the latch and it is a little stiff, so we're going to put WD 40 on it tomorrow. The gate is designed to swing back into place, but because it's stiff, that's probably why it didn't take hold.
I don't know what I'd do if he got out and disappeared.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Monday, August 20, 2012
5 things going on in our house - August
I didn't do one for July, but I still have some time for August.
- Back on the exercising train. I have a dress to fit into and I'm not going to purchase another one for the wedding in September if I can help it.
- The blog posts have dwindled and I'm so very behind. I have so much info in my head, it's ridiculous. Booooo.
- Starting this past weekend, we are booked for every weekend til mid-October. It's crazy.
- I've been looking at Pinterest and finding all sorts of crafty things to do to decorate our house for Halloween and eventually Christmas. The fact that there's a Michael's in our city isn't helping.
- Puppy fever is pretty high around here. We're waiting for word from Gimli's breeder and I'm slowly going crazy in the meantime.
Operation Zwei - Check in #2
It's check in time once again and the figures have changed a little. The area under my ribs has decreased, but everywhere else hasn't.
Measurements as of August 20th:
Weight: 133 lbs
Circumference under ribs: 28.5 in <---- YAY, lost an inch here!
Circumference at belly button: 34 in
Circumference at hips:36.5 in
I came across a site that has about 10 or 11 different exercises that can be done to help shrink those pesky stomach muscles. I can do most of the exercises - you have to do 25 of each - I'm only doing 10 of each, but it's much more than I was doing before.
I've done about 4 days of this exercise regimen and then had a food packed weekend, so the fact that I did lose an inch makes me glad. Hopefully I can continue this over the next few weeks and give myself some wiggle room in that dress!
Measurements as of August 20th:
Weight: 133 lbs
Circumference under ribs: 28.5 in <---- YAY, lost an inch here!
Circumference at belly button: 34 in
Circumference at hips:36.5 in
I came across a site that has about 10 or 11 different exercises that can be done to help shrink those pesky stomach muscles. I can do most of the exercises - you have to do 25 of each - I'm only doing 10 of each, but it's much more than I was doing before.
I've done about 4 days of this exercise regimen and then had a food packed weekend, so the fact that I did lose an inch makes me glad. Hopefully I can continue this over the next few weeks and give myself some wiggle room in that dress!
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
From Gimli's 4th birthday
Because there hasn't been a Gimli post in a long time, here are some pictures of him from his birthday celebrations:
At the ice cream shop
With his Union Jack hat and his presents
Evil look as he eats his frozen raw turkey neck.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Operation Zwei
Earlier this year, I started "Operation schrumpfen", which I used to track my weight loss. It went well, I lost 3 lbs and 3 inches total. I was starting to feel better and starting to look better too.
Since we've been back from Germany, I've not been keeping up with my exercises and it's starting to annoy me, as silly as that sounds. We have a wedding to attend at the end of September, and while I can fit into the dress, it is a little on the tight side. If I'm going to be able to eat or drink or sit down at the wedding, I need to start shrinking a bit more.
Not a whole lot more mind you, just to continue shrinking my muffin top a bit more. In the grand scheme of things, that's the last part to get under control and of course, it's my biggest problem area.
Hence, I have dubbed the second phase as "Operation Zwei", which means "Operation 2" in English.
When I last listed my measurements, it was April... 4 months ago.
Measurements as of April 4th:
Weight: 131 lbs
Circumference under ribs: 28
Circumference at belly button: 31.5
Circumference at hips: 34.5
Circumference of thigh: 21
Measurements as of August 13th:
Weight: 133 lbs
Circumference under ribs: 29.5
Circumference at belly button: 32.5
Circumference at hips: 35.5
Circumference of thigh - taking this out from now on as I don't have a problem with my thighs that needs to be tracked.
Not as bad as I thought, but I do have my work cut out for me.
Since we've been back from Germany, I've not been keeping up with my exercises and it's starting to annoy me, as silly as that sounds. We have a wedding to attend at the end of September, and while I can fit into the dress, it is a little on the tight side. If I'm going to be able to eat or drink or sit down at the wedding, I need to start shrinking a bit more.
Not a whole lot more mind you, just to continue shrinking my muffin top a bit more. In the grand scheme of things, that's the last part to get under control and of course, it's my biggest problem area.
Hence, I have dubbed the second phase as "Operation Zwei", which means "Operation 2" in English.
When I last listed my measurements, it was April... 4 months ago.
Measurements as of April 4th:
Weight: 131 lbs
Circumference under ribs: 28
Circumference at belly button: 31.5
Circumference at hips: 34.5
Circumference of thigh: 21
Measurements as of August 13th:
Weight: 133 lbs
Circumference under ribs: 29.5
Circumference at belly button: 32.5
Circumference at hips: 35.5
Circumference of thigh - taking this out from now on as I don't have a problem with my thighs that needs to be tracked.
Not as bad as I thought, but I do have my work cut out for me.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
4
Gimli is 4 years old today. It's hard to imagine he used to look like this:
When he looks like this now:
He's my constant companion at home. He has the magical power of disappearing when there's teeth to be brushed, but somehow manages to appear when that drawer in the fridge opens and the cheese paper crinkles.
He's soft and squishy and the top of his head has a supernatural power of being the softest, silkiest part of his body. It's always ready for kisses.
His eyes are full of life, so much so I find myself looking into them often. His feet still have the pinky puppy spots and I doubt they'll ever turn fully black.
We have our language, him and I. He wuffs and grumbles and I answer him. I carry on mini-conversations and he looks at me with those eyes again as if he understands.
Oh, he loves Mike and all. They have their bonding ways and they wrestle and play fetch.
At the end of the day though, he's mine.
When he looks like this now:
He's my constant companion at home. He has the magical power of disappearing when there's teeth to be brushed, but somehow manages to appear when that drawer in the fridge opens and the cheese paper crinkles.
He's soft and squishy and the top of his head has a supernatural power of being the softest, silkiest part of his body. It's always ready for kisses.
His eyes are full of life, so much so I find myself looking into them often. His feet still have the pinky puppy spots and I doubt they'll ever turn fully black.
We have our language, him and I. He wuffs and grumbles and I answer him. I carry on mini-conversations and he looks at me with those eyes again as if he understands.
Oh, he loves Mike and all. They have their bonding ways and they wrestle and play fetch.
At the end of the day though, he's mine.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
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