Not really a full week

I swear I started this yesterday but things came up and I didn’t get it all done.






I did the bare minimum this week. I kind of checked out this week. I wasn't done mourning Sissy. I'm not going to apologize for that, I continued to for awhile there. But I wasn't really admitting to people how much it was hurting. My first real death of someone I loved so much. I went through the gamete of feeling like I killed her to feeling like I was not paying attention enough because I could have caught it sooner. All unrealistic expectations. So I just cried and slept. I woke up Thursday afternoon and just decided it was over; I could still be sad and miss her but I was done letting it run me. So Friday, I went to work. And I actually worked. Wasn't really as productive as I'd like but better then the day before. But I felt better. I feel better.



So, that's my excuse for the start of my first week challenge.



1. Walking

I walked 5 miles between Tuesday and today. I walked 2 of those Sunday alone. I had to have a tire replaced so I drove it there, walked home and then walked back to pick it up. And when it was nice out, I walked the whole complex, which is 1.3 miles. The last couple of days, being cold, I did the least amount of walk I could get away with. I didn’t go to the gym. I wasn’t showering on a regular basis last week so going to the gym wasn’t even something that was possible. It’s going to start getting warmer and I know that Milo loves to walk. So I’m sure I’m going to be putting in the 7 miles I’d like.



2. Goals

o My goals for this week are simple.

•  I want to get my emails at work down to a reasonable level.

I keep all my emails and my inbox at work is for all my action items. Things I need to work on. And then I file all others into other folders for reference later. I had my inbox filled up with about 1,500 emails at one time. Obviously this is not a representation of what I was REALLY working on but it was overwhelming every time I looked for something. So, around New Years, I went through my inbox and got it down to 300. That was amazing to me. But my goal was to never go over 500. I am at 942 today. I need to get below 500 again. This also means I have to do a lot of things in order to get the emails down. I’m thinking some late night working! So my goal is to get my emails down to 500.

• I want to get my laundry off my chair and put away

I’ve got a LARGE pile of laundry that I have. It’s all clean but never put away. Over probably the last couple of months. I am constantly having to dig through this pile to find something to wear. Instead of putting it away as soon as it comes out of the dryer, I throw it on the pile, assuming I’ll get back to it. I need to get back to it badly. I’m starting to lose track of my wardrobe and when I find something I haven’t seen for awhile it’s like a I bought a new outfit.



3. Savings

• My goal was to put ANYTHING I could into savings.

I managed to actually take money from my savings account due to a tire issue with the Cube. Fantastic way to end a week that was kind of draining and frustrating. So instead of saving, I spent. I’ll fix that this coming week…I hope.



4. Lost Weight

o My goal was to lose a few pounds each week.

Unknown if lost or gained.

 I didn’t bother getting on the scale this morning. Mostly because I was running late but also because I wasn’t sure I wanted to see that number. Not only did I not lose, I’m assuming, but I’ll bet that I gained. I went through my budget this morning for the previous several days and then looked further back to each purchase. I keep track of what I bought, where I bought it, how much it was and what kind of Category it fell into. Food, entertainment, utilities, etc…I buy A LOT of food. And I know that but I also know that I don’t tend to eat all of it. It’s a huge waste of my money. So I’m going to try to keep track of exactly what I spend (as I spend it) so I can see right away how much money is going to waste. And the bonus of that is that I’ll see what I’m eating because it’s not just a random run into QuikTrip and grabbing a Mango Smoothie (which I LOVE).



5. Activities done

o I visited the Diana exhibit at Union Station

My two girlfriends and I met at Crowne Center for dinner and then to look through the exhibit. (I think I need to add a mile or two to my miles…) We didn’t get to go in because it was closed…my girlfriend that did the organizing of the get together didn’t check. We walked all over the place to find somewhere to sit and talk. So it was a short get together but I walked all over and in heels…

o I knitted

I am about 2 inches away from finishing a scarf for my Aunt. Her birthday is the 15thand I’d like to get it finished soon. I am going to be “embroidering” something on it but that takes next to no time. I’m making the same thing for my Mom and I finished her’s a week ago. I am also working on putting together an afghan out of this gorgeous bluish green yarn. I’m looking forward to getting that done. And of course I have a lot of other projects I want to do. I’m only knit stitching and so I need to learn how to purl. That’s my next goal. Start the next “scarf test” with the new stitch. I think I want to do a scarf for my Dad for Christmas but need to learn how to cable knit.

6. Chores

o I cleaned the kitchen and cleaned out the fridge. I need to do a bit more but the basic cleaning is done.



This last week was a rough one. I’m not going to lie, I spent a lot of time in bed and watching TV. I just didn’t want to do anything. But it’s getting better. This weekend was full of stuff to do and I didn’t freak out about being away from Milo. A big step.

So my goals being email and laundry seem like a small thing but I assure you it’s not. Especially the emails. I’d like to get that done by Wednesday night. I have very little to do tonight and Wednesday so I think it’s doable.


I’d like to think that I’ll be able to make this much more interesting. I’d really like that to happen so you’re not completely bored to tears with my pathetic life. Maybe I’ll start thinking funny again.

My Kids

So I talked about my inability to have children and how I don’t cope well with other people’s kids but I didn’t actually discuss my real kids. I have 2.

Milo is about 15 years old and I have had him about 13 of those 15. He is the absolute love of my life. I went to PetsMart in 1997 with my sister-in-law to get something for their dog and the Wayside Waifs was having an adoption fair that day. Now, I had no animals or a desire to have one. I lived in Missouri and with a girl that I barely knew. And we had a no pet policy. So I was just going to love on some dogs and go home. And I really did not have any intention of getting a dog. But I was sitting in the middle of this group of dogs that were all trying to get some attention. I loved on as many of them as I could. Then this little stick of a dog pushed his way between a couple of the dogs and put his head in my lap and then kind of curled up in my lap. It was true love. Absolutely true love. I immediately started the adoption process and he came home with me that day. He was about a year or 2 old. He was rail thin and very light brown. I honestly had never loved anything like the way I love my Milo. He went through a rough patch with me. He was the rock I needed to get through that dark time in my life. I was saved by that dog so many times that there is little chance I will ever be able to express to him how much I absolutely adore him.



And now he’s getting old. 15 years old is pretty good for a dog. He’s never acted his age. He loves to play with Sammie and he is just so excited to see me that I get so much joy from him. But he’s pretty much deaf. I think he’s starting to lose his sight. Our walks need to be during daylight now because he gets hesitant when we’re in the dark. He’s walked into a couple of walls in the apartment when the lights are off. The deaf thing is kind of funny but not really. I have had to literally pick him up while he was sleeping because I could not get him to wake up by calling his name. It’s pretty funny to hear him snoring away and I’m poking him and saying his name, over and over again. He is then surprised and takes a bit to get orientated.

Then there is my Sissy girl. Her name is Sammie but I have always called her Sissy. She is 12 years old and is a handful. My ex and I adopted her when she was around 3 months old and have kind of wondered how we got such a weird dog when we pretty much had her from birth. She whines…all the time. I believe she doesn’t even know she’s doing it. It’s not like she’s in pain (at least I don’t think so) or needs to go outside. She whines because she’s bored and wants attention. She’ll be standing in front of the food dish and staring at it and start whining. It’s just like breathing to her I think.

But one great thing about Sissy is that she talks. When I get home and let them out, she will talk to me for the first few minutes of being home. She’ll crow like a rooster. She’ll grumble in her throat. She will practically purr when you pet her. She is so vocal. And she’s taught Milo how to do it too. He’ll try to make noises too. Not as good at it as Sissy but he still tries. And she is a belly slut. She will plop down right in front of you and offer her belly up at the drop of a hat. She loves people and will get in their face. Literally. She has no concept of personal space and will make sure you get a chance to pay attention to her. And she’ll use that against me because I tell her to go sit down when I have company and gets this sad look on her face and the person who is over will say it’s OK, they would love to pet her more. She’s manipulative that way…maybe she learned that from me.

I will always have dogs but I’d really like to always have these dogs. But I’m realistic and know that I’ll lose them eventually. I’m preparing myself for Milo. That one is going to hurt a lot. Not that Sissy won’t but Milo and I have been through so much that I bonded with him more than Sissy. But I am preparing myself. Both of my kids are extremely healthy. Milo had to have some teeth removed once and Sissy had a virus about a year ago but neither have had anything else wrong with them (knock on wood). They get their yearly shots and then that's it. We walk a couple of miles a day to keep them in shape, which is why I think I have dogs that don't act their age.

But I'm probably abusive in some ways. They do not get human food; it is human food, not dog food. They do not bark, jump up on people, get aggressive with other dogs (or each other), they do not get on the furniture and they are responsible for letting me know when they need to go outside. They are not to get in other people's face, although Sammie does not follow that edict. I don't take them for rides in the car regularly. With a new car, I have been reluctant to take them anywhere but I have taken them twice for rides. They very rarely get treats. Not because they don't deserve them but typically dog treats are so full of crap that it messes with their digestive systems. And they get the same food, regardless of what's on sale. I have had to change recently because Pedigree discontinued the food I had been feeding them for the last couple of years. So I have a new food and that has taken them a little time to adjust to. None of this is because they don't deserve to have or do these things but it's because I need to be consistent with what I do with them. Dogs are creatures of habit and I make sure that that habit is appropriate.


But with all that structure and consistent actions, my dogs are spoiled rotten. I absolutely adore my dogs and I cannot imagine my life with any other dogs. There is no way that my dogs are unhappy because they will run laps in the house, throw stuffed animals up into the air and try to catch them and roll around on their back making god awful noises but that is pure joy...how can you be sad when you see your dog rolling around, just because he's happy to be alive.  I want that...I'm sure you've all heard it but I love the saying "greet everyone like the way your dog greets you"...I know I would walk around ecstatic and loving, wanting only to be given a little bit of attention and then sleep for the next 4 hours.