Today I am 31 years old! 30 was an incredible year … between going to visit my brother in Korea, seeing my name in ink in Fitness magazine, speaking at FitBloggin,getting Rocco, watching my husband become a citizen, and discovering I was pregnant …30 was amazing in so many ways.
That said, I’m looking forward to 31 with gusto! 🙂 Continue reading “Happy Birthday to Me!”
First of all, happy birthday to my amazing husband, who is turning 32 today! Happy birthday, L! 🙂 XOXO — may 32 be your best year yet!
So this weekend we had his birthday/citizenship party, which was a blast.
Sure, party-prepping and hostessing are exhausting, but I love to do it and it just makes us so happy to have our friends over — especially since neither of us have family less than a plane ride away.
Truly, our friends here in Michigan have become our family … and we are very blessed.
Then yesterday we went to brunch with friends and took our dogs to the new dog park that recently opened. It never ceases to amaze me what you can learn in the most unexpected of places.
Dogs are like humans in so many ways. Dogs are so easily satisfied with the simple things in life: sun, shade, water, food, treats, and above all … attention/affection. Like us, they ultimately just want to be loved. Continue reading “Learning from the Dogs”
This weekend we had a bit of a … situation with our adorable lil black lab puppy, Rocco.
Saturday, we’d gone to an Amish village in Indiana called Shipshewana for the day with friends. We basically ate our way through the village and literally every penny we spent was on food. It was heavenly.
One of my favorite foods to buy at Amish markets is those sugar-coated pectin fruit slices candies (as seen on the left). I suck all the sugar off them — I just love these little guys even though they are a pure caloric waste.
The other thing I love are these hard sanded black licorice candies. So I was happy to get both (plus some white chocolate baking medallions and these to-die-for mini dark chocolate raspberry cups).
When we got home with our bounty of buffalo burger meat, brats (for the hubs — I’m not a fan), cheeses, breads, sweets and candies … we unloaded everything to the fridge or bread box. I left the fruit slices and licorice candies on the island — tucked far away from the eager pup’s reach.
Now usually when we’re running around the house cleaning or what not, we’ll crate Rocco (or put him “in his house” as we tell him) since, at just over 16 weeks of age, he’s ridiculously curious and gets into anything and everything. Continue reading “Nurse Melissa, At Your Service”
This weekend we took little Rocco (who is 15 weeks old today and getting soooo big!) to South Haven, a beach town along Lake Michigan, for his first sand and surf outing.
He was a little bit hesitant at first to dip a paw in the water … but then he got confident and put a few paws in … and before you know it, he was frolicking and splashing us and trying to eat the waves! It was a hoot and we definitely laughed a lot.
Watching our little puppy play along the shores of Lake Michigan for the first time this weekend, I couldn’t help but think of the lyrics I love so much by Frou Frou, “Let go, let go … jump in … well, whatcha waiting for? It’s alright … cauz there’s beauty in the breakdown …”
Truly, he had to “let go” and “jump in.”
I blogged about my passion for the lyrics here a while ago, but they ring ever true today … Like Rocco on the shoreline, I’m in a period of my life where, literally, I have to jump in and swim.
There’s no standing on the shorelines or being tentative. There’s that vast lake ahead, and swimming is the only way to go.
Oh course, this analogy will all make sense once I can share what’s been going on, but basically, I’m seeing beauty in the breakdown.
And it feels pretty dang good.
How about you? Is there a challenge you’ve been putting off? Do you need an external nudge to get off the shoreline?
So today’s post has nothing to do with disordered eating, exercise or anything else but rather is about my family: that is, my husband and my pooch. Both had VERY big days today!
This morning, my husband was sworn in as an American citizen!!!!
I was so choked up during the ceremony … when I think of the sacrifices that he’s made to come here and spend the rest of his life here with me, instead of in his home country … it just means the world to me. He truly epitomizes the word “selfless.”
For anyone unfamiliar with our tale, we met when he was a senior at the U.S. Naval Academy (’01) and I was a senior at American University, through mutual friends. (Leave it to me to meet one of ten foreign national students at the Academy, but that’s neither here nor there … !)
Anyway, we dated senior year and then he had to move back to his home country (El Salvador) to serve in the military. We did international long-distance, maintaining our relationship the best we could. It wasn’t easy, but he always told me to keep faith in him, that we’d eventually be together forever. I’m sure glad I listened to my heart. 🙂 Continue reading “A Big Day for BOTH My Boys!!”
If I am one thing, it’s predictable.
I wake around the same time each day, eat similar foods, wear similar types of clothes (varying for seasons), do my hair/makeup in the same order, drive the same routes to work, buy the same things at the same stores, etc.
I’m certainly a creature of habit. And Rocco is certainly not. He takes ‘predictable’ and throws it out the window.
While we can let him cry it out if he’s sad in the middle of the night, when he wakes and screams because he needs to go out in the morning we’re at his beck and call, much like parents of a newborn.
For example, Sunday he woke at 6:55. Good boy!
Monday, I woke him at 6:30, knowing it was out first work day leaving him, and he’d need time to unwind. Continue reading “Embracing Unpredictability”
In case you missed my huge, mother-honkin’ photo, Rocco came into our lives this weekend.
(He already has a profile on Dogbook. Am I crazy?! :))
Seriously, we’re smitten by this pup and he’s just such a bundle of joy and a furball who makes us smile.
I didn’t realize just how much I missed having a dog around until we got him and now it feels like our little family is ‘complete’ (well, til we have kids — then it’ll feel more complete!)
Anyway, today’s post is dedicated to pets everywhere.
Aside from the obvious that animals bring such joy to a home and strengthen a couple’s bond, I think having a dog is not only going to be wonderful for me as an average person, but even moreso with respect to my blog and my disordered eating recovery journey.
How? Well … Continue reading “Why I Think Having a Dog Will Be Good for Me”
Meet Rocco, our newest addition!!! I am so elated right now I can hardly contain myself!!!
Rocco was born March 11, 2010 and brought to our home with TLC today, April 24.
I’ll post tomorrow but this pic was taken at his parents’ house before we took him home. You can see all the pics here if you’re interested!
I’m so in love right now, you have NO idea!!!!
Let There Be Light 