A new year = a new me

I know that everyone says this but this year I’m going to be making a lot of changes. Here is a list of some of my New Year’s Resolutions. I will be adding to this list as I think of more. I will also be explaining some of these as I go along. This post is just to put it down in writing.

1. Eat better

2. Learn to be more sustainable

3. Get into better shape (I know round is a shape but not the one I’m looking for)

4. Read more book (this includes listening to audio books)

5. Surround myself with positive, helpful people

6. Review the people I call friends

7. Get more organized

8. Budget my money

9. Change my overall look

10. Learn to hunt

11. Keep up with this blog better

I will be adding to this list as I think of more. After making all these changes this year I will be a completely different person. It will be a rough ride but I can’t wait to make these changes.

Last day of 2011.....

The last day of 2011 started off with me waking up at 5am, after going to bed after midnight, to get ready for work. I was only planning on working for about 3 hours but ended up staying there for 4.5 hours. After work I stopped by one of my favorite places to go on Saturdays, the farmers market. Normally I take Diggs with me but because I had to work he stayed home. I got to see many of my favorite farmers and even talked to a few new ones. The first place I headed was over to South Texas Heritage Pork where I was greeted by my friend Kelley. After telling her once again how much my father and I enjoyed the holiday party that they had at the farm and how both of us can’t stop talking about it I started asking her what she had in the cooler. She started listing off a few things then she said my favorite product to get from them…… polish sausage. I immediately said I want one of those, Kelley smiled as she reached into the white cooler. After a little shuffling of frozen pieces of pork her hand emerged with my sausage. We talked a little bit more and I remembered that I had some beans that I wanted to cook up, so I asked Kelley what she would recommend. We talked a little about it and she told me that her favorite thing for beans would be ham hocks. I told her I would take one of those, well this one took a little longer to find. Kelley had to dig to the bottom of the cooler and all over, she had sold a lot of hocks that day. She finally found the last one and I immediately paid for it and placed it into my reusable bag.

After a little bit more talking I knew that I need to get on with my shopping trip. I walked to the next booth and saw “Fresh farm eggs” on a sign out front. I first thought to myself that I already had some eggs at home but then I realized that I would have to go to HEB in a few days to get more. I walked up to the lady behind the table and handed her a $5 bill for the dozen eggs, slightly more than the free range organic brown eggs that I normally get from HEB. She handed me the eggs and I noticed that they were all different colors; some were brown, some were white, some were even a grayish blue. I thought to myself that these eggs looked familiar; it took talking to my step mother later that I knew why. When my family moved out to the property that my dad and step mother live on now we found a small chicken coop, so naturally we got some chickens. I can’t remember the type of chickens that they were but these were those eggs. After leaving that booth I headed over to buy a few other goodies. I got baby spinach and purple broccoli from Oak Hills Farms, 2 cups of fresh lemonade, and got an Olive Loaf from Soy Luna Bakery (they were out of my favorite: Rosemary Ciabatta Bread). While drinking my lemonade I noticed an older couple with an Australian Sheppard. I just had to go over and talk to them. While talking to them and petting their supper sweet dog I started talking about Diggs and what breads that he is. It turns out that the couple had a husky before this one. We started talking about some of the training and behaviors of each breed and I told them about Diggs being a therapy dog. Once again it turns out that they wanted to get their Aussie into therapy work. We talked a little more about it and we both had to get on with our days.

After returning home from the market and putting up my new goodies I loaded up Diggs to head out to my dad and step mother’s house. After doing a little work on both of the computers at the house it was play time for us. One thing that I am wanting to work on in 2012 is my aim while shooting a gun. I usually just point the gun at something (a log or can on the ground) and just hope that I hit it, but now I want to get better. My dad has a 22 rifle that was given to him by his dad and I picked up 150 rounds for it (I was planning on only shooting 1 box) and some targets so that I could learn. I had asked my dad to join me to show me a little about how the gun worked and it ended up being some quality father son time shooting a the target and eventually boards and sticks in the pond. I will have to say that shooting at the boards in the pond was better that shooting at the target. After empting 2 boxes we decided to call it quits and my dad taught me how to clean the gun. I spent a little more time at the house talking and before I left my step mother gave me some Hoppin John to eat on New Year ’s Day. Before Diggs and I headed out I wanted to take Digs on a walk around the property. Diggs had a blast walking around and smelling all the new things. Diggs would walk around for a little while with his tail wagging then look back at me as if to say, “Look at how much fun I’m having dad!”

Once Diggs and I got back to the house, after taking a longer more scenic route, I thought our night was over……. Boy was I wrong. Diggs and I got to spend some time relaxing. We were hearing a few fireworks going off and I did not think anything about it. Next thing I knew it was almost midnight and the fireworks were going off more frequently and closer. Then it was midnight and there were fireworks going off all around the house. I decided to look out the window to see if I could see anything going off. Well it was a clear night and with me being on the second floor I could see fireworks that were going off in the neighborhood and ones miles away. It was one of the coolest fireworks shows that I have seen, and here I was talking about how I did not want to shoot off fireworks or go see any. I noticed that Diggs had climbed into the bath tub, one of his least favorite places to be, and was laying there. I was not sure if he was frightened by the loud booms and bangs from the fireworks or just wanted to sleep there. I called him out of the tub and into the my room. I laid down and he jumped into the bed and laid next to me and place his head on my shoulder. Diggs normally does not stay next to someone if they are not petting him. Diggs stayed there until the fireworks had mostly stopped, almost an hour. After he felt that it was safe for him to leave my side he jumped off the bed and we both headed off to sleep.

So much for taking it easy on the last day of the year……..

Therapy dog update....

Diggs got his AKC CGC certifacte and his Therapy Dog Inc. certificate in the mail today!! We are officially a therapy team!! A soon as we get his vest we get to to go bring smiles to people's faces!

What goes up must come down……

When you hear that phrase you think of singing the song “Spinning Wheels” by Blood, Sweat, and Tears, but I’m talking about my mountain bike ride that I had on Galbraith Mountain in Bellingham, Washington. As my brother Nick said as we were riding up the mountain, “You earn the pleasure of riding down the mountain by experiencing the pain going up the mountain.”

The ride started bright and early in the morning with Nick, Andi (Nick’s wife), and I getting the bikes on the car, loading up all the gear, and getting Charlotte (Nick and Andi’s Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier ) in the car. It was a cool Washington morning with the temperature in the mid-40s; Nick and Andi were in short sleeves and shorts with me, being from Texas, in long sleeve undershirt, cycling jersey, bike shorts, regular shorts, and leg warmers. I knew from the last time I was in Washington and on this mountain that I would get warm, but I was not sure how warm I would get. On the short car ride to the trail head, Nick and Andi’s house has a perfect view of Galbraith while sitting on their couch; we talked about the ride and the plans for the rest of the day. Shortly after starting the car trip Nick pointed out the passenger window, Andi and I both looked. On the calm blue lake surrounded by tall trees was a fog floating just inches off the surface of the water. The song “Smoke on the Water” instantly came to mind. We pulled into the makeshift parking lot and I saw just a handful of other cars. Nick pulled into the only spot that had the sun beaming down on it. I was happy for that because it felt like there was at least a 5 degree temperature difference between the sun and the shade. We unloaded the bike from the roof top rack, let Charlotte go potty, and started “gearing up” for the ride. Now “gearing up” for the ride involves getting your helmet on, strapping your leg armor to you water pack, putting your full fingered gloves on, and stiffing up the shocks on the bike. Once everyone was all set we headed out, across the main road, up a small road and to a gated coarse gravel road. We stopped there shortly to take Charlotte’s leash off and that’s where it all started……

We all jumped back onto our bikes and started the long assent up the mountain. We had only gone about 50 feet when the memory of the last time I was on that very road came back to me. I had been doing the same thing about 3 years ago. But unlike before, the road was being used for logging and was packed down more. So up we went, and up we went, and up we went….. The longer that we were on this climb the more my legs started to scream back at me. I kept pedaling and slowly making my way up. I think the slugs that I saw on the ground were moving faster than I was, but I was still on the bike. Nick and Andi were just pedaling along like they were out for a Sunday ride around town, Charlotte was running up the trail, back down to us, back up the trail, and occasionally falling back to see if I was dead yet. I would try to talk with them. At one time Nick told me that I should save my energy of my labored breathing by concentrating on breathing than talking and breathing. I responded, “That’s the good thing about being a RPM instructor, I can be breathless and still be able to talk.” while gasping for air with every other word. Finally I had to do it; my legs had talked me into it….. I got off the bike and started walking the bike up. I knew that I had gotten farther this time than I had gotten 3 years ago. I did not mind walking; it gave my legs a break. We got to the start of a trail named Mullet and Nick said that we were almost at the top. The question that he had for me was, start with this trail or go up to the top and see the view. By this time I was burning up and sweat was pouring from my body. How could I resist the option of the view? On we went, Nick and Andi riding, me walking. We finally got to the top and I knew that I had made the right choice, the view was indescribable. I could see the lake, the city, the bay, and thousands of pine tree tops. I asked Nick if he knew the elevation and he said we were at about 1,400 feet, I just rode/walked up from sea level to 1,400 feet. As I was taking in the view Nick started getting the bike ready for the descendent. This involved lowering the air pressure in the tires, lowering the seat, and setting up the shocks on the bike. I had to get out of these warm clothes that I was wearing so off came the undershirt and the leg warmers. Before my legs had time to cool off in the cool air I was strapping my leg armor on. Charlotte was ready to get going down the trail and kept looking at us as if to say, “What is taking you all so long?”

We were off, Charlotte in the lead followed closely by Nick, Andi a short distance behind him. It was my turn to start the trail. One pedal stroke, two pedal strokes, on the third one I looked at the trail and my heart raced…. “What I get myself into?” I thought and ended up not feeling comfortable with the first part and walked the bike a short distance. I knew I needed a little time to get comfortable with what I was doing. Back on the bike my confidence level was rising each second that I was whisking in and out of the trees. I nailed a tree with my shoulder but did not have time to see if I was hurt because a big turn was just up a head. Before I knew it, I was back on the gravel road. First short trail done. We had to ride a little uphill to get to the start of Mullet again. We got to the start and Charlotte took the lead once again. This trail had more obstacles than the last. I knew that if I kept watching Andi I knew what was coming. We had bridges, turns, drops, and jumps. I even did a few things that I did not want to do because I was following Andi and did not have time to take the alternate route. That trail once again spit us out onto the gravel road. A short trip down that gravel road and we were at the start of the last trail. Off we go again weaving in and out of trees, making turns, and trying not to hit any more trees. Once again I was doing obstacles that on my own I would just pass on by. At the end of this trail there was a 2x4 that made a small bridge and I accomplished that like I had done it a thousand times before. We were now in a clearing with a small dirt trail and we started heading back to the car. Nick and Andi were singing my praises and telling me how great of a job that I had done. As we were riding past lush green brush and over muddy puddles I looked over to see steam coming off the plants. The morning sun was heating up the water and the air was cold enough to see the evaporation of the dew. It was a fitting end to a great ride in the woods. Just like the drive started with the smoke on the water the ride ended with smoke on the plants.

Photos from the ride.....

View of the trees

A little trail off the road

Looking out over the edge

View of the lake

Charlotte, Myself, and Nick at the top

Just look at the view.......

Thanksgiving wrap up……

So Thanksgiving this year was a unique one. My thanksgiving started on Wednesday with my grandmother’s funeral. The funeral was a nice small one. The family got together for what would be my first of 3 Thanksgivings for this year. It was nice to see the family together again.

I did get to do a little shopping after the family time. I like to go to those military surplus stores and see what I can find. Well I found 2 matching bags that would work great for my bike. I am slowly working on turning my new mountain bike into a commuter/mountain bike. I plan on making this bike look like a WWII military jeep. I have this idea in my head about how I want to do it. The bags that I got are going to be the rear panniers, but one problem…….. the clips on the bag do not fit on the rear rack. I’m going to find a way to make it work. I will eventually repaint the bike the flat green.

So Thursday started of on a good foot. I had a full class and burned over 1,000 calories. After coming home and cleaning up I headed to turkey eating #2. I once again ate too much and did what I told my fellow “Turkey burners” I would do, eat 3 pieces of desert. After everyone finished eating the cold front came in. It dropped from around 80 to 60 in about an hour. Here I was in shorts and a t-shirt. I decided that I needed to head home to get some warmer cloths on and so I could go spend Thanksgiving #3 with my friends. I was still full from lunch but I still ate a little, how could I resist pot roast?? My friends asked me if I wanted to join them for Black Friday shopping but I thought I would be better off sleeping in.

From bad to good……

Well yesterday I had plans to get up early and head out to do a bunch different things with Diggs. Well right before I stated getting ready I got a call from my mom. My grandmother passed away at 2am. I spent the next few hours making calls to other members of the family and to friends. After all that I decided that the best thing for me to do was to go on with some of what I had planned to do. So I got dressed and Diggs and I headed to the farmers market for our weekly walk. The adoption organization that I got Diggs from was there trying to find new homes for other dogs. Their goal was to find new homes for at least 10 dogs, they found homes for 11. Well Diggs and I walked over to where the tent was set up. As we were walking around a lady walked up and asked, “Is that Diggs.” I told her it was and she told me about the last time she had seen Diggs witch was right after they had found him on the streets. She said that he was very skinny and so happy that he has put weight on. She then wanted me to talk to the lady that was in charge. I had e-mailed them a few days before this event to let them know how digs was doing and told them the story about Diggs and the girl from the week before. She was so happy to see that Diggs was doing so great. It made me feel so good to know that I have such a great dog. I even got to see Ruffles, she is a Shar Pei mix and if Diggs had not worked out I would have adopted her. I was so shocked to see that no one had adopted her yet. She is such a sweet girl. Well after we spent some time with the other dogs we headed to go shop for some food. I could not get much because we were not going to be home till late. I did get some tangerines. As I walked away from the table I decided to get a bag for the volunteers that were at the tent with the dogs. I handed the delicious tangerines to the lady in charge and told her that I wanted to give back a little for the good work that they do. Oh about the tangerines, they are some of the best I have ever had. The couple who sells them are some of my farmer friends that I have met through going to the market. They are organic growers and have the best watermelons when they are in season.

After the farmers market digs and I headed to a new park that I had never been to. This park is where a lot of the mountain bikers go and I wanted to go take a look before I loaded up the bike and headed out there. The park is on the other side of town so it takes a little while to get there. The park was good except that they restricted the number of trails that dogs can go on. There was a 1.5 mile loop or a 4 mile loop that dogs were allowed on. Diggs and I headed off on the long one. We saw a few people out on the trails witch surprised me seeing as it was not very hot out and an overall great day. When we finished with the walk I wanted to spend a little more time alone so I grabbed the book that I am reading, Rescuing Sprite by Mark R. Levin, and headed to one of the picnic tables and read a little. I have not gotten very far in the book but I really like it. I left my camera at home so I don’t have any pictures for you right now. I did take a few pictures with my phone and I will post those later.

On the drive home I came up with an idea on how I could honor my grandmothers life, to cook one of my favorite things that she use to make for us. So when I got home I started making her peach cobbler. It did not come out as good as hers was but I baked it out of love. So my day started out bad but ended on a high note.

So when I woke up today I thought about heading out to another park with Diggs. I looked outside and the sky looked like it was going to rain at any moment. I decided to stay home and get a few things done. In the middle of the day got a call from a friend saying that they were going to take me out to lunch. It was great to spend time with my friend and had a great meal. Tonight I spent most of the night looking online for bowls for Diggs’ crate and some travel water bowls. The one that I had gotten before was not working out like I had hoped it would. The bowl I had was too flimsy for water. It would make a great food bowl for when we are out and about. Now that I have finished writing this post I’m going to pick up the book and read a little before I head off to sleep. Diggs has been fast asleep for some time now; guess he is still tired from yesterday’s day out.