The truth is...

The truth is, I love to write.  I look forward to it all the time. 

The truth is, it still amazes me anytime someone wants to read what I write.  And they like it.

The truth is, I want to get paid to write.

The truth is, sometimes I write from a brutally honest perspective.  And people may not like it. 

The truth is, I want to get paid for some sort of fitness industry related "thing."  

The truth is, as much as I work out I am still really self-conscious. 

The truth is, sometimes it is hard for me to focus on the amazing things I have achieved and not be hard on myself for other things. 

The truth is, my elderly dog is a lot of work but he is worth it. 

The truth is, I don't know how I will handle it when he goes. 

The truth is, things on the outside aren't always as they appear.  For example, the guy who mows my lawn thinks I am rich.  Ha...do I have him fooled. 

The truth is, sometimes I get down and have to figure out what the true source is. 

The truth is, sometimes I look at my life and think "wow I did good for a teen mom." 

The truth is, my kids friends think I am pretty cool.

The truth is, as much as my kid can drive me nuts I will probably hate it when she moves out. 

The truth is, if I could go back and be as honest with people years ago as I have the nerve to be now I wonder how life would be different. 

The truth is, I absolutely hate to cry in front of my mom.  I have done it very rarely. 

The truth is, now that I think about it I mostly have just cried in front of my dogs. 

The truth is, I hate the holiday season. November and December I can totally skip.

The truth is, I have some weird issue where my arms can make awesome farting noises on their own. And heaven forbid it happen at the gym in front of a cute guy.  

The truth is, Hawaii in 21 days doesn't even seem real. 

The truth is, there are a lot of truths about me I won't share.  But those are a few.

Speaking of Hawaii...here is my new book stash for the trip.  I am excited to read these.  I will have plenty of airport and airplane time so taking four is not unreasonable.  At least, I think that's a true statement.

Learn to Love the Process

Day 9-Can't explain this complete funk I'm in.  I'm sick of it though.  My funk did motivate me to power through 2 miles before my leg day workout tonight.  I'm just feeling blah.  But tomorrow is the last day of the fiber drink. Woohoo! 

I have all these exciting things coming up and exciting ideas in my head.  Without something in mind to achieve I wander aimlessly.  I need to be working on achieving something.  I have some things I'm already working on and some things in my mind I'd like to make happen.  Part of what I like about achieving something is the planning process, thinking about what I need to do, how to get there, and then making it all happen.  Really goes hand in hand with a workout.  Learn to love the process and it's never a chore.  Today it was no doubt the best part of my day. 

24 day update

Day 3-really confused by this new confidence at the gym...walking around doing moves I normally shy away from doing in front of people. 

Day 4-Dry heaved twice after chugging my fiber drink but keep it down #winning

Day 5-Feeling good, can't get enough water.  May have taken a small bite of the kids ice cream.

Day 6-Suffering memory lapse while at the gym and load up my Body Pump Bar warm up weight with more weight than I do with any other move except squats.  For my warm up!  Bad choice.  Half way through my warm up think to myself "What the hell were you doing?" 

Day 7-Want Chinese food something fierce.  And maybe some root beer. 

Day 8-Rockin out some hanging leg raises at the gym when a girl walks by and looks at me and says "whoa" and gives me a thumbs up.  #feelinggood   

Women Rock Weekend

Last weekend was the Women Rock Starlett Challenge in Chicago.  It was supposed to be a 3 races, 1 day event where I run a 10k, 5k, and 2.5k.  We received an email 2 days prior to the run saying the race course had to be closed by 9am.  Next, I sat back and watched as all hell broke loose on the FB page.  This time change meant anyone signed up to run the half marathon had to run it in 2.5 hours max.  A lot of people hadn't trained for those times.  So, unfortunately, the disorganization and last minute chaos resulted in a lot of unhappy runners.  I was kind of "meh" about the changes.  I figured I could run at least two of the three races and I would make the best of it. 

At packet pick up they explained that the runners doing the Starlet Challenge would still receive all 4 medals (1 per race plus 1 for competing the challenge) after running the 10k and expected to run the other 2 races virtually.  Ok by me.  I wanted to just get everything my very expensive entry fee had bought me.  I still wanted to earn it of course.  At packet pick up they also handed over a $20 gift certificate for the trouble.  They were apologetic about the mess at least.  They were also giving refunds to anyone who preferred a refund.  It was obvious on race day that there was a lot less of a crowd there than were signed up.

The morning of the race was cold and windy...18mph winds.  The course was still beautiful though.  Running along the lake is always a good run.  This was my first 10k run.  I've done 5ks or half marathons but never a 10k.  It just has never seemed like an appealing distance.  For some reason it's appealing to run further than that but 6.2 miles just always sounded like...well, two 5ks.  I figure I can train for speed for a 5k or endurance for a half marathon but 6.2 miles is somewhere in between those two lines so I've just skipped over those races.  I was running into the wind for a good half of the race or more and I know it really impacted my time.  I was looking forward to turning the corner and having the wind at my back.  Amazingly enough the moment I did it was like the wind completely stopped.  Why wouldn't it die down now that I'm not running into it. 


My knees always ache after doing a half marathon.  Mostly just my right knee.  During this run my knee started to ache at mile 2.  It was then that I decided I was very glad the races worked out like they did because I knew it would be tough to make it 10.85 miles when I was hurting during the second mile.  I think it was from running on grass to pass people at the beginning.  I was frustrated with my knee because I felt awesome otherwise.  My breathing was on point and the rest of my body was cooperating just fine.  It didn't really kick into full pain mode complete with the "pain face" until mile 4-5ish.  (pain face-when you look at someone and say wow they look like they are in pain) But I kept on running.  I know from past experience stopping would make it impossible to start up again once my leg started to stiffen up.  So I kept running and was sort of glad there were 3 different signs up for mileage (for the half marathon, 10k and 5k) so I couldn't ever REALLY tell how many miles in I was.  I had a good idea from crossing the 5k timing mat on the way but the signs were pretty confusing. 

The finish line was a cluster as there were 5k runners coming around a corner and the 10k runners needed to cross in front of them to turn into the finish area.  It was here I got smacked in the face.  Yes.  Smacked in the face by the two girls that decided to high five each other across the sidewalk. One of which was obviously facing me but didn't seem to notice the person running straight into her hand.  If it hadn't been me it would've been one of the other hundred or so people behind me so maybe high fiving across a crowded sidewalk was a bad idea.  6.1 miles into this run with a throbbing knee and now a smack in the face and I was not real pleased and their giggling "oops sorry" did nothing for me except maybe gave me a little boost to sprint to the finish line in annoyance as I wanted to get out of the crowded cluster of runners.   

The wind is back after the race and in this photo I'm actually trying to hold the sign in place so it a. doesn't fall over or b. doesn't smack me in the face since I've already checked that off my list for the day.

When I did the Women Rock half marathon in 2013 there were several handsome, shirtless men at the finish line.  This time there were three.  Shirtless at least.  I didn't really see their face because I was just happy to be done and looking for some water.  There were definitely no handsome, shirtless men at the post-race party like there was in 2013.  So that part was a bit of  let down but in the cold wind with a sore knee and hungry stomach I got over it fast. 

I have to give them some credit on the race swag...it was a hefty entry fee but I walked away with a Vera Bradley weekender bag, a t-shirt, a tank top (courtesy of the gift certificate), a necklace, a champagne flute, and my four medals.  Plus several bags of chips because that was the post-race snack.  That was a first to see.  I'm used to seeing bananas and granola bars but this time was Cheetos and Doritos.  I brought them all home for the kid.  I was about to eat plenty in Chicago...

Starting with beignets at Grand Lux.  So.  Good.  I tried to eat some blueberry pancakes as well but the beignets were the star of the show.  We proceeded to walk and shop and along the way hit up Garret's for some popcorn as well as Magnolia Bakery for Banana Pudding to take back to the room for after dinner.  Dinner was at Bub City BBQ.  No doubt I made up for any calories burned running. 

In all my trips to Chicago I've never seen the bridge raised.  We were walking along and heard a warning bell going off and stopped to the side to watch it.  We proceeded to watch as pedestrians took their time walking along the bridge.  If I was on a bridge that had warning bells going off....my butt would be race walking that sucker at the least.  Sore knee or not. 

One sailboat crossed under the bridge.  Can you imagine "We're going to need you to stop traffic and raise the bridge for our boat to come through.  Thanks."  No biggie, just sailing my boat. 

My fitbit had registered over 12 miles by about 8pm and then it reset itself because it was set to the wrong time.  So technically I guess I earned all my medals that day.  I completed more than the 10.85 miles.  And while anything after the 6.2 was walking around the city, I am certain I would've been walking most of the 5k and 2.5k with my knee acting up.  It didn't go quite as planned, but that's life for ya.  It all worked out in the end. 

24 Days

Yesterday I started the Advocare 24 day challenge.  I've done it before back in 2013, but I am 30 days out from Hawaii so I figured this was perfect timing to do again.

The day starts off with probiotics and a fiber drink.  I mix the fiber drink in with Spark and chug it.  I learned that from past experience...chug or regret. 

It's basically supplements and a clean, healthy diet.  I'm working in the Catalyst this time which is a blend of branch chain amino acids and helps maintain muscle mass during exercise. 

My twice a day Spark and pre-workout L Arginine Extreme isn't anything new.  There's a bit more to my routine overall.  Here is how Day 1 and Day 2 have felt:

Day 1:  Chug the hell out of the fiber drink...extremely difficult to get all the food in for the day.  Biggest thing I noticed was I am depressed in a weird, hard to explain why, way. 

Day 2:  Feeling good...again extremely difficult to get in all the food I need and really have to force myself to eat.  I have no problem getting all my water in. Can't seem to get enough water.  Had a very good leg workout at the gym...much more energy than normal.  Sometimes I try to get the moves I don't like doing in front of other people done before the after work crowd shows up but today I gave no effs and walked around the gym like I owned it.  Maybe it was just all my energy needing to be expended. Definitely no cravings.  Depression/mood swings/anxiety in full swing...like ridiculous.  Not sure if this is due to something I added to the mix or because I ran out of Clear mood last week...I usually take that daily.  Or it could just be because people are jerks.   

I'll keep an update on how the next 22 days go. 

Protein lowdown

First to start...I received my new phone.  After all that I finally realized the problem was my SIM card.  Second, vanity won and I went back to the dermatologist to have my blood vessel cherry thingie removed.  I wanted it gone and healed before Hawaii.  The nurse asked if it was hurting or bleeding and I said no. She then informed me that it would have to be considered cosmetic and not submitted to insurance. "In that case it hurts like a mother."  She didn't buy it.  Still was a small price to pay to help the ugly thing along.  The worst part was the numbing but I did inform the Dr. I heard the electric needle sizzling against my skin. He said I had a good imagination. I said he had bad lying skills.  It was over in 30 seconds.  

I tried out a new protein bar and didn't notice until I went to eat it that it not only said Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip but also said (tastes like cookie dough).  So maybe just call it cookie dough?  Or PB Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough?  It actually would be great if more protein bars did that...only if they were honest.  Like lemon Quest Bars would say "Lemon Pie (tastes like Pledge).  Or Cookie Dough Quest bars "Cookie Dough (tastes like protein but if you try real hard maybe it'll taste decent but not really like cookie dough) S'mores quest bars could say (trust us the chocolate chunks alone are worth it)

Speaking of protein I thought I would compare a few for any of my other protein junkies out there.  First, Advocare meal replacement shakes in Berry.  Essentially a protein shake.  

Protein: 24 grams

Calories: 220

Fat: 3 grams

Carbs: 24 grams

Fiber: 5 grams

Taste: mixed with water this is decent...somewhat like strawberry milk, better very cold. 7/10

Price: 44.95 for 14 servings (retail) 

Next up Advocare meal replacement shake in Chocolate Peanut Butter. Again, essentially a protein shake. 

 Protein: 24 grams

Calories: 220

Fat: 3 grams

Carbs: 24 grams

Fiber: 6 grams 

Taste: mixed with water it tastes like chocolate and...something else.  Not sure that something is peanut butter but I can't put my finger on what exactly it does taste like. 6/10

Price: 44.95 for 14 servings (retail) 

Arbonne Essentials Vanilla Protein 

Protein: 20 grams

Calories: 160

Fat: 3 grams

Carbs: 14 grams

Fiber: 1 gram

Taste: I almost always add fruit and mix this with almond milk.  It tastes amazing with bananas.  8/10

Price: 69.00 (retail) for 30 servings 

Cellular Whey Cor-fetti Cake Batter

Protein: 25 grams

Calories: 130

Fat: 1 gram

Carbs: 3 grams

Fiber: 1 gram

Taste:  if you need something sweet this fits the bill.  It does taste just like cake batter but the best part is it even has sprinkles in it!  I give it a 6/10 only because there is a bit of an aftertaste that I don't love. 

Price: 29.99 for 26 servings and you can usually find coupons or free shipping on many sites. 

PEScience Select Protein in Cookies N Cream blend of Whey and Casein protein

Protein: 24 grams

Calories: 110

Fat: 1.5 grams

Carbs: 1 gram

Fiber: less than 1 gram

Taste: 9/10. This stuff is amazing.  My favorite.  I mix with water and it tastes like what the flavor says it is.  The only way I would give something a 10 is if it tastes like a doughnut so a 9 is great. 

Price 26.99 for 27 servings 

PEScience Snickerdoodle blend of whey and casein protein

Protein: 24 grams

Calories: 110

Fat: 1.5 grams

Carbs: less than 1 gram

Fiber: less than 1 gram

Taste: mixed with water it is quite tasty.  Pretty sweet. 8/10

Price 26.99 for 27 servings

Winńer: PEScience Cookies N Cream.  The benefit of combining whey and casein into one protein shake is the whey is quicker absorbing and casein is slow absorbing.  Casein is a great protein to have at night before bed so your muscles get the benefits of the slow releasing protein while you sleep. This is when your body is recovering and repairing. 

The Advocare shakes are a bit higher in nutritionals since they are marketed as meal replacements.  A lot of times I use protein shakes as meal replacements.  If you watch macro intake (maybe another post topic) the PEScience shakes are fantastic macros. There are other flavors and brands I would like to test but I need to get thru my stash first!  

I never pay full retail for any of my protein.  I get discounts in one way or another.  Protein and supplements can add up quickly so look into coupons and discounts if you are in the market. 

Sunday no fun sick day

I had a post with pictures planned out...but....technology.

If I didn't have to return my phone to T-Mobile after I get the new one in the mail, I would be calmly walking to the nearest concrete wall and not so calmly throwing the damn thing at said wall. Repeatedly.

I would also take along the frisbee and throw it with the wall as the receiver.  In this case by frisbee I mean laptop.

I have been lucky enough not to get sick in a really long time.  Until yesterday.  Sinus infections are no fun.

Thank goodness for Longmire on Netflix.  Oh and Xanax....because....technology.

The art of growing up

Recognizing a behavior in someone else that reminds you of how you used to handle things and thinking "I owe somebody an apology for the way I handled that situation badly way back when" and then promptly delivering the apology because now you've seen things from the other side.  Besides the dentist, cell phone stores, and your random adult stuff that is necessary but inconvenient....lessons like that are one part of being an adult I will gladly welcome.  Maturing in all the right ways. Always welcome the opportunity to grow when it presents itself...even if it takes a while.  And always remember it's a waste of time to take things so personally and as an article I read that a good friend (shout out to Missy) posted recently pointed out...life gets a lot better and happier when you stop taking things personally.  Most people are too focused on themselves to be that focused on you.  Had I only realized all these things back in high school...better late than never.

The smart formula for success

You guys, this is the second time this week I have actually cooked food.  Two times!  Making anything other than eggs and turkey bacon or picking up Hyvee Chinese is very rare for me.  Not only that, but both things I made were good!

Tonight I made turkey sloppy joe's...as you can see from the dent I made I enjoyed it.  A whopping 48 grams of protein which is awesome for my daily goals.  

I finally get a chance to sit down tonight and my iPad tells me this message above.  I'm over technology today.  So over it.  And what the heck I thought Apple never crashed?  Prior to this crash error popping up on my iPad tonight I had already had a visit to the T-Mobile store, a visit to the cell phone repair store, and 2 phone calls to T-Mobile all regarding my cell phone.   After all this I am now expecting a new cell phone in my mailbox next week to replace my current one which happens to be driving me insane.  It was still under warranty so that was good.  After all the visits and phone calls about my cell I  then rushed back home to meet the plumber who proceeded to fix my two toilets.  He was nice and the price was reasonable. And when he went out to the garage to shut off the main water he came back in complimenting my car.  Yes, I like you even more now Mr. Plumber. I do always feel awkward with people in your home working.  Like what do I do, what do I say, where do I stand.  Sorry you have to fix my toilet, I'll just be over here on my laptop IM'ing people about how awkward it is not knowing what to do, what to say or where to stand.  Oh and can you hurry up and finish because I have to pee? 

Magnus once again demonstrated his hearing ability by ignoring Jasmine's howls when the plumber arrived.  I warned the guy that when he walked to my bathroom through my bedroom he'd see a rather large dog on a pillow but that dog just didn't realize he was in the house yet.  Sure enough when the guy walked into the room Magnus found his way off his pillow and gave a few good barks.  Too little too late Mags.  No fooling the man now.  Ironically enough, as far as acting all guard dog like, earlier in the day he scared the daylights out of the FedEx man.  I had set up my laptop in my scrapbook room and moved the gate so the dogs could join me.  I found myself with a little dog in my lap and Magnus checking out what was happening in the neighborhood through the windows by the door.  Then I saw the truck pull up.  Magnus may not be able to hear but he can still see and he spotted the guy walking up right away.  He started the "if you get any closer to this house I will eat your face off" barks and I saw through the window the FedEx man place the package on the ground and slide it towards the door with his foot then with a long reach of an arm rang the doorbell.  No need to ring the doorbell...a dog kind of gave you away.  Also, there is still a door between you and the barking dog so you are probably safe to approach.  With as much of a big baby the dog is, a 12 year old one with arthritis at that, many people that are even aware of those facts are still scared of him.  I like to think he sticks around to help protect the house with his barking.  The little dog's howls just aren't quite as ferocious. 

I also managed to run to the dermatologist today to have a mole checked out.  It had suddenly turned a lot darker over the weekend.  So much so that I removed a shirt and freaked out thinking I had a tick.  For real this time.  (remember my fear of ticks?)  This thing was dark and was never there before and HAD to be a tick . So when I finally realized it was a mole that was concerning.  But no worries, the dermatologist gave me some explanation about how it was some broken blood vessels or something and may turn darker and fall off.  That sounds good to me.  Then he offered to speed up the process...which I thought about taking him up on...until he finished that sentence with "with an electric needle."  Huh?  Can't you just scrape it off like you have done with other moles?  I told him I'd think about it but not today.  I may have it removed pre-Hawaii but I think I'll try to sweet talk him out of the electric needle.  Unless I'm ever getting another tattoo, which I am 99.9% sure won't happen, there should be no electric needles anywhere near me.  Pssh, electric needle.  Terrible idea. 

I was running behind and was late getting around to the gym tonight.  I thought about not going but went anyway.  I went about an hour later than normal and actually enjoyed that it seemed quieter.  I was glad I made time to go even though I wanted to let myself talk myself out of it.  Staying on my routine is important to me and makes me feel good. 

Between all this playing adult stuff, getting some work done, and heading to the gym tonight I'm exhausted.  So when I sit down with my iPad and get a crash message...well it's just a good thing I'm too tired to throw it out the window and go run over it like I was tempted to do with my phone earlier. 

Oh and I almost forgot another part of the day today!  It is a good thing that I almost forgot because if I remembered that would mean I still have a headache.  My insurance recently denied me my usual migraine meds.  So my dr. gave me Imitrex instead.  I wasn't thrilled, but to be honest my typical medication hadn't been doing the usual good job for me lately.  I had tried Imitrex in the past and just remember it making me feel awful.  Today, since I had so much to accomplish, there was zero time for a headache.  During my trip to the dermatologist I grabbed a drink and went to take an Imitrex and struggled so much to get the damn thing out of the package that I broke it in half.  I gave up until I got home and could open it with scissors.  It felt like it was the brightest day of the year outside.  So by the time I got home I was ready to just hit the bed.  But no time for that.  I took a pill and did some work and waited for the plumber.  About 15 minutes later it hit me that my headache was gone.  And I didn't feel crappy from the pills!  Imitrex may be just what I needed after all.     

It hit me last night that some of my best ideas come to me right as I'm falling asleep.  Some of them are lost by the morning.  I'm finding you really have to make time to make the dreams happen.  Days like today that is hard to do.  I am excited though about some things I'm working on and the possibilities that lie in the unknowns of the future.  I saw a quote on Twitter the other night from Matt Hussey, one of my fave guys, that said "Forget 'right place, right time.'  Smart formula for success=doing the right things, the right number of times."  I love that...and when I do start to get tired after days like today, I remember success is all about consistency.

Monday Musings

For a brief moment today I thought Magnus turned into the next honey badger.  He has never liked the vacuum but today he didn't care.  Until I got on the other side of him where he could actually see it...then he ran into my closet like a baby.  So, he obviously is hard of hearing.  In the 12 years of his life the vacuum has gotten him a total of zero times.  But he was nice and safe in the closet. 

I was quite impressed with my teriyaki chicken stir fry creation yesterday.  My attempt at protein pancakes this morning however, was a huge fail. 

This cute little guy was hanging in the backyard.  The dogs were completely oblivious. 

A new HIIT workout kicked my butt earlier today so now I'm being lazy and catching up on some Real Housewives of the OC.  Binge watching is the best. 

August Faves

This month's list is short...just a few standouts...

First up...the Hydroflask.  This thing is amazing.  Put water and ice cubes in it at 7am and at 5pm there was still ice cubes in it.  Not even joking.  It's heavy...I don't want to tote it around all day.  But if you want to keep something hot or cold this will do it.

I have a crazy obsession with caramel rice cakes lately. I don't know when rice cakes started tasting so good but I love these.  Sometimes with peanut butter, sometimes plain.  At least 2 a day. 

I also discovered PowerAde Zero in Grape and Mixed Berry.  Yum and yum. 

Since I was in Ohio half the month of August I really didn't try much new.  But I did discover Muscle Monster.  25grams of protein in those and they tasted really good!  I tried the vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry and they made a convenient breakfast on my drive to work.  Other than that I stocked my room with rice cakes, oatmeal, and Lean Cuisines.  I'm happy to be back to a routine now that I'm home again.  It blows me away that we are already six days into September.  Traveling for 2 1/2 weeks out of the month kind of makes it fly by.  The Women Rock Starlet Challenge is less than 2 weeks away (time to cram some last minute training in) and Hawaii is 45 days away.  I kind of don't want it to get here and then be over! 

So far during this long weekend I've managed to be a good combination of productive and lazy as well as enjoyed catching up with good friends over breakfast today.  If I can continue my mix of productive/lazy then it'll be a successful weekend! 

The story of Sprite

I hate going to the Humane Society.  I hate the feeling of walking away from all the animals needing a home.  So when I found a 5k in Ohio that was through the local animal shelter where they were bringing along dogs up for adoption...my first thought should have been "very, very bad idea for you."  But instead I thought "great idea sign up right now!"  So I signed up for the Dog Jog 5k in Columbus and looked forward to doing an out of town run...with dogs involved. 

I showed up to the run and found the scenery really pretty and all was going smooth.  I picked up my bib and packet and wandered around...admiring the dogs that people brought along (that they actually owned) and wondered if the information on the website was incorrect when it said there would be dogs there that were up for adoption as there were none in sight.  Until the van pulled up.  And it was like a scene from 101 Dalmatians.  Dogs start jumping out left and right.  But one caught my eye right away.  I went up to her and knew she was the one I wanted to run with.  The lady there told me she was a puppy so would need to walk.  I was willing to sacrifice the running part to hang out with her.  Her name was Sprite and she was adorable and super excited. 

She seemed to click with me right away.  I hurried up and made my donation and filled out the form so I could make it official that I was walking Sprite.  She was VERY popular and several people came up to me and had hoped for the chance to walk her.  She was like a little celebrity.  Everyone wanted photos with her.  I let them have their photo op but then started feeling a little possessive like "ok, ok give her some room here people." 

I don't blame them though.  I took dozens of pictures too. 

We loved our walk.  Although 3.1 miles on a hot day was rough for her.  We took several breaks.  At one point I thought I may end up carrying her a bit but she toughed it out. 

We made a lot of friends along the way.  The dog behind us here in this photo is Lucky.  The owner named her Lucky because they were lucky to find her.  How sweet is that?  I've ran in a lot of 5ks but this was the first one where so many strangers talked to me.  They wanted to tell me all about their dogs and talk about how cute Sprite was and would ask me if I was adopting her.  I would go into my story about being out of town and here for work but would love to take her home.  One woman started calling me Missouri and the last thing she said to me towards the end was "I hope you get her Missouri." 

Sprite was flat worn out after crossing the finish line.  I was trying to get her to pose for our finish line photo when all she wanted to do was crash on my lap. 

But I finally got the medal on her...she does take good pictures!

She's going to be a big girl.  Her paws were huge. 

I mean stop it.  The dog takes awesome selfies. 

We sat at the finish line after we were done and watched the rest of the walkers and dogs finish.  We were both content to sit and hang out in the shade.  After spending a good couple hours with Sprite it was time for her to go back to the shelter.  I hated saying goodbye! 

The volunteer told me they were open on Sunday until 4.  I went back to my hotel and took a shower and couldn't stop thinking about that dog.  So...off I went to find the shelter.  With as popular as she was I didn't think she'd even still be there.  There seemed to be several people who were interested in her. 

After we played for a bit she curled up on my lap and went right to sleep, snoring and all.  She straight up crashed really.  In order to get her back to her area I had to stand up with her, curled up and sleeping, and carry her back there.  It was not easy but she was OUT.  I wasn't sure of all the logistics but I filled out the application to adopt her.  My hotel was pet friendly.  I had a rental car that I figured I could drive her home in.  I thought I could figure the rest out later.  So that was Sunday.  All day Monday I didn't hear anything.  I called Monday night and was told my application was approved...but someone else was there looking at adopting her.  Honestly, I was shocked I was approved given I was from out of state and had 2 dogs at home that wouldn't be able to do a meet and greet.  So the verdict was if she was still there on Tuesday I was approved to take her.  I called Tuesday and she was still there.  I found a doggy day care place that was willing to take her in right away that was super close to work.  After work that day I ran to Wal-Mart and bought everything I would need.  I drove to the shelter hell bent on adopting Sprite.  I got to the shelter right when they opened up at 6:30.  The volunteer went over my application with me and let me play with Sprite a bit before making things final.  This was the first time her muzzle had been completely removed.  This was the first time I experienced her true energy!  She was just doing puppy stuff but was super energetic and biting a lot.  I started to worry how Magnus would handle her.  She would jump and knock him over pretty easily.  But I wasn't willing to just walk away from her.  It was then I was sitting there and heard a couple come in and say they were there for Sprite.  I heard another volunteer say she was taken and they both let out a disappointed sigh.  Then I saw the wife peek in the window.  They went to look at the other dogs and it hit me that this seemed to be some sort of perfect timing.  I took Sprite out to the couple and said "you were here for Sprite?"  The wife said they were and were super disappointed I beat them by 15 minutes.  I explained Sprite would need a lot of attention and training and I just didn't think she would mesh with my older dog...BUT I wouldn't hand over that leash unless I knew she was going to a good home.  They were so excited and basically went into why they would be a good home for her.  I had a good feeling about them.  I was sad to leave her but I felt confident she was going to a good home and was happy to have met her new family.  As I left I gave Sprite a kiss and left the treats and toys I had in the car at the front desk and asked the volunteer to send them home with Sprite when they adopted her. 

Here she is with her new family.  They all look pretty happy to me!  A few days later I received this email: 
Hi Shyla-
The couple that adopted Sprite (now Rudy) wanted us to pass along their appreciation for your kindness and generosity last week. They did take her home that night and we gave them the toy and treats you brought for her. They said she is doing great so far. Just wanted to pass that along. Thanks so much for supporting the dog jog while you were in town! I hope you had a safe trip home.
My first thought was if the couple was willing to let me know how she is doing it confirms for me that they were a good choice.  My second thought was it is funny they named her Rudy because I had decided on Ruby as her name.  So it just all seemed to work out like it was supposed to.  Sprite/Rudy went to a home that is happy to have her...I am happy to know she is in good hands and my dogs are content that I came home to them....with no new brothers or sisters.

Back from the East...in theory

I was so ready to be back from Ohio.  It was great and all (that may be an overstatement...it was actually crazy and intense) but I was over it.  My body, however, is still is on Eastern time.  Pretty much crashing by 9pm and up at 4:30am.  It'll be really interesting to see how much Hawaii jacks up my schedule.  Anyways, below is a picture of my view every morning during my commute.  It was a really pretty drive. 

During my last weekend I ventured out to the Ohio State Reformatory...also known as Mansfield Reformatory...also known as the prison from The Shawshank Redemption. 

The building was really impressive  Very pretty.  Very creepy. 

Photo op with Red

The prison held over 3,000 prisoners.  In the West Cell Block the prisoners were able to have 4 to a cell and it was where the more well behaved prisoners were housed.  They actually were able to vote a cell mate out of their cell if they chose.  It's like a messed up version of Survivor.  6 stories of cells. 

After taking this photo I was browsing Instagram later that evening and saw the exact photo on there...same angle, same cell number.  Not sure what the appeal was of that particular cell for multiple people to be drawn to photograph that one...when there were plenty to choose from...but it was a bit creepy. 

I found multiple books throughout the tour but this one caught my eye, of course.  Insurance Ed...even in prison.  Ironic. 

This prison is a popular one for music videos.  Godsmack shot a video here and Lil Wayne shot his Go DJ video here and featured the above gold cell.  I watched the video after the tour and still couldn't see the gold cell.  So if it was in there it was probably like a 10 second shot of it. 

I did the self-guided tour with audio and that was creepy enough just hearing about the various ghost reportings.  I would imagine the overnight haunted tours would make me pee my pants. 

The new prison is situated directly behind this one.  There were several windows where photographs were prohibited since that would mean taking photos of the new prison.  The new prison is max security.  I glimpsed out the window when it was yard time I guess.  Makes you wonder all the stories of everyone filing out of the building one by one. 

In other news, I acted like an adult today and went to the dentist to get my filling replaced.  Only after attempting to get out of it like a child.  When I got there they couldn't find my chart.  I told them it was all good I could just leave.  They weren't playing along.  Turns out my chart was already in the back room.  After two people then asked me what tooth it was they would be working on I again wanted to get up and run.  I thought "well I KNOW you have my chart now...maybe you should be the one telling me what tooth it is?"  I asked for Nitrous, which is something I've done for any filling I've ever gotten, and the nice lady agreed.  But 2 seconds later another lady came in and asked if my tooth was sensitive at all.  I said no then said "um why does that matter for me to have the Nitrous?"  The first nice lady said it didn't and she really didn't know why the other lady asked.  It was then that I said "Ok it IS going to be the dentist giving me the shot right?"  In other words I didn't want any of these ladies who really seemed a bit lost doing anything other than putting a nose mask on me pumping feel good drugs out.  So I get the nose mask on and have a momentary thought of "wonder if I should've mentioned I took 2 Xanax before I got here...nah."  So by the time the dentist comes in I'm feeling allllll gooood.  I managed to tell him "listen your job is to do this with zero pain got it?"  He laughed and said he would do his best.  Ok not the answer I was looking for.  I want guaranteed no pain buddy.  (A co-worker once told me I'm pretty introverted and just roll with things for the most part but when it comes to the dentist I don't even hesitate to say whatever comes to mind...he nailed it) I did my typical questioning of if I'm really numb even though I can't feel half my face....just to be sure...and before I knew it the whole thing was over.  It was actually one of the smoothest ones I've ever had done.  I told the dentist I was impressed when it was all over.  A plus from me doc.  I went out and announced to the front desk lady that I survived and half expected her to offer me up a sticker.  Instead she asked me for my credit card.  Because, oh yeah, I'm an adult.