Life before twelve

Some people think I'm absolutely crazy when I tell them I wake up at 5 a.m. three times a week to run a bootcamp, but despite my weekday madness, I'm actually a sleep lover. I go to bed between 9:30 and 10:30 and wake up either at 5am, 6am or on weekends..... 11:30 a.m.

I love laying in bed on weekends - Derek and I used to get in gear and make breakfast around 1 p.m. on weekends.... which has its downsides as we never really got that much accomplished on the weekends. Everything has changed since Lexi Doodle entered our lives 3 weeks ago.

We go to bed after our 11 p.m. pee and bedtime routine, get up at 3:30 a.m. for another bathroom break, and then again at 6 a.m. - we can usually squeeze another hour of sleep out of her until 7 a.m. when it's time to get up, eat breakfast, go for a pee and take our morning walk.

It's been good parental training for Derek and I, as by noon on a Saturday, we've made a huge breakfast, gone for a walk along the harbour, gone grocery shopping, done housework, watched the Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show (it's true) and are making progress around the house (finally getting my home office set up).

Life before twelve? Who knew.

New Camera

My cup overflows. First Lexi joined our lives.... and now my DSLR - I purchased a Nikon D3000 this weekend and have taken hundreds of photos with anyone or anything willing to pose for me. I can't wait to learn more about this camera and get shooting. I need baby models... may need to convince friends to let me babysit. It's 11:30 so I should go to bed, but I've had so much fun editing and going through all my photos.

Check out some of my efforts from yesterday and today

Loving Little Lexi Doodle

I can't imagine loving something more than Lexi. She's such an amazing puppy. Her potty training is all coming together - she goes to the top of the steps when she wants let out, she's learning all her commands and was the star of her very first puppy class yesterday - she gives the greatest snuggles and just flops into your arms and will lay there forever.

My mom hadn't met her yet, as she and my dad are away for the summer on the boat, but I was anxious for Pooda and Mom to meet her, so my mom took a three and a half hour ferry round trip to come and visit us for 2 hours!

Pooda and Lexi were great together - they had a very special bond, something you don't often see with Pooda, and I can't wait for them to spend more time together. Lexi also gets along with Farley, my brothers Labradoodle, and tomorrow they're attending a 'Doodle Romp' in Vancouver - where 19 other labra and goldendoodles get together.

When opportunity presents itself

So the thing with life is that it twists and turns. You go down one path, and then something comes up and you switch gears.

I tend to always hesitate when it comes to opportunity. Opportunity scares me. Failure scares me. And those two often go hand in hand. However every once in awhile opportunity partners up with success and blessings. Sometime the status quo is the easiest route, and more often than not, I take it. I always read about the amazing things people accomplish and do – the way they put their selves out there, and reap the rewards by utilizing their opportunity, and yet – I still sit back and wait for things to happen.

Anyways – opportunity has allowed me to work from home for the next few months. It’s a big deal and project that I get to do – and it’s setting me up for being able to work from home in the future. I’ve been having great discussions with a few mentors in the past few weeks, and I’ve decided I’m going to begin to work towards my ultimate goal of becoming a photographer, by studying, taking classes and beginning to purchase my equipment. My new/old/same/different job (long story) isn’t in photography – but it’s allowing me the time to begin to pursue over the next few months.

And if I fail… at least I took the opportunity. No regrets.

So in the mean time…. I’d like to announce the arrival of little Lexi Doodle – Derek’s and my new Goldendoodle addition. Why not make working from home a bigger challenge by adding a 12 week old puppy!

She’s adorable… when she’s sleeping. We picked her up 8 (fast and short) days ago and she’s coming along nicely with her training. A bit clingy to me… but we’re working on me become a pack leader and ignoring her fluffy adorableness.

She also needs plenty of socialization, but we start puppy classes next week and then we signed up for a ‘doodle romp’ where other Golden and Labradoodles in Vancouver meet up – plus lots of walks and trips to the dog park.

Note to self: Puppies are a lot of work. I spent so many years begging to get a dog, I never actually thought Derek would cave and think it was a good idea. Ha Ha. I love her so much already though.

Have I ever mentioned I’m REALLY into vacations?

Derek and I took off for Seattle a few weekends ago at the last minute. I got a great deal on the Westin downtown through Priceline and made a Thursday afternoon decision that we would head south Friday afternoon.

We spent the weekend walking around Seattle, shopping, had coffee with a friend then drove back north… stopping at the outlets along the way.

Have I also ever mentioned that I’m REALLY into sunshine and decks? Derek and I bought our patio set on Friday and spent the afternoon putting it together. Unfortunately it’s no longer sunny and it’s too cold to use it… but I foresee many a weekends spent barbequing and relaxing with friends up there.

Motivation

I'm lacking it.

I have several things on my list of things to do, but I'm finding it hard to come up with the motivation to do any. Clean my house, update this blog, take photos, go for a run, get to the gym, the list goes on. Perhaps I'm in a post-olympic funk... a haze of watching curling, skiing and, of course - hockey on t.v, going downtown to mix with the crowds, high fiving strangers just because I can... all of it gone.

Sure the paralympics start today but it's not the same. I miss the Olympics. I also miss my Olympic work schedule, we switched to a 12 hr, 7 day a week schedule at work to cope with the sheer magnitude of work meaning that I had several week-days off throughout the games. I loved heading to the gym at 12pm on a Wednesday only to find it completely empty or actually being able to go to the bank on a weekday! (It's the little things that get me going....)



Anyways, so I'm having a hard time dredging up the motivation to get back to the gym after a 8-4 day of work (although since I coach at 6am still, it's more like an 6-4 day of work) and Mexico is rapidly approaching. The entire family is going mid-April, which I'm completely looking forward to - I'm most excited about doing shots with my parents on the beach at the swing bar (a bar with seats that swing). Don't look horrified mom & dad - just one shot - it'll be fun.

I feel ridiculously out of shape however, I had a few good weeks where my abs were visible again, but I ate a bag of cheesies yesterday.... and two cupcakes.... and some mini eggs.... and I'm thinking the only way to force myself to get back into it... is signing up for a class of some sort. I like the group workout mentality... it pushes me harder, but I'm kind of sick of boxing right now, and hate going to the group classes as they're the same people I coach and people LOVE to make little comments telling me to run faster/punch harder, almost like we're friends.... we're not. I'm your coach... I'm paid to pretend to be nice to you, now leave me alone.

Irrational fears

If I wasn't nervous and jumpy enough, Derek's managed to add a new fear into my life - going to prison and becoming someone’s b**ch. I am now officially terrified of being sent to prison. Sure, I haven't ever committed a major crime worthy of a prison sentence - actually, that's a lie.

I once accidently shoplifted eggs from Safeway 12 years ago... I didn't mean to, I was babysitting and needed to get groceries for the family and placed the eggs into the stroller to carry them because I ran out of room in the basket.... and sure enough, I forgot they were in there.... Out of guilt however, I always donate to those Safeway charities at the checkout and have more than made up for the $4 I owe Safeway... ugh, okay.... now I'm feeling terribly guilty about those eggs again. Hmmm, can you go back and pay for something you accidently took 12 years ago?

Anyways, back to my important irrational fear - Prison. We were at Costco last night, and Derek stumbled upon the DVD's of his past favourite T.V. series - OZ. We watched the first episode and it was enough to scare me straight for the rest of my life.


There are some scary, scary people in prison - and despite my boxing skills, I'm a huge pansy and sissy... I'd be forced to join a gang for protection, and unless there's a Scottish bagpipe pride group - there's no one else for me except the Aryans... I don't want to be an Aryan a) I would like my body to stay swastika free b) my head is too lumpy and misshapen to be bald, and c) I'm 100% against what they philosophically stand for, so we would probably clash there....

Which leads me back to being terrified to commit any sort of crime... Derek was pretty quick to point out that given my moral piety and fear of pointy things, I won't ever be in the situation... but just in case I ever even contemplate it, I now am officially scared straight. Consider myself warned.

Seriously –should I call Safeway? This is now bothering me a lot… what if they read this and send me to prison? Could I buy a dozen eggs (they weren’t free range) from Safeway, and then sneak them back onto the shelf so they can sell them again?