See ya, San Antonio! And so long, September!

Well, I had quite a crazy week.

Since my race one week ago, things have been nonstop for me, mainly because of work. When your shift starts at 8:00 am and does not end until 7:00 pm and your job is about thirty minutes away from home... Work takes up a lot of your time.

It helps that I get a break in my work week by having Wednesdays off. I cannot begin to explain how great this is! Unfortunately, I did not get such a break last week because I had to switch days with a coworker in order to have Friday off.

I needed Friday off in order to go to a conference in San Antonio. Jocelyn and I hit the road on Thursday night after we got off work. We didn't get to our hotel until 1:00 am and had to be up at about six in order to be ready and at the Convention Center by 7:30 am (for check-in, breakfast, and to find our way around). We are such girls. The only reason we woke up super-early was so that we could each shower, do our hair, and do our makeup!

We ended up walking to the Convention Center. Downtown San Antonio is a bit creepy in the morning before the sun rises. Fortunately, it was a short 15-minute walk. When we arrived at the Convention Center, we both checked in and quickly bought breakfast items to take into our lecture. We sat through four hours of lectures about our specialty, Neurology. My butt was hurting towards the end and those rooms were freezing. I was wearing a skirt and ballet flats, which made matters worse.

Finally, we had our lunch break. We each received lunch tickets with our registration and headed to the exhibit hall to eat. Of course, NOTHING on the menu was vegan. Even the vegetables appeared to be cooked in butter. So Jocelyn and I left and strolled down the River Walk to a nice little Mexican restaurant. I ordered vegetable enchiladas without cheese and made sure that my beans were not cooked with meat or lard. We sat at a table on the edge of the water and had little ducks come up to us the entire time we ate. They were precious!

After lunch, we returned to the Convention Center for more lectures before heading back to the hotel to change and get ready for dinner. We ate dinner at an Italian restaurant. I, of course, didn't eat any of the bread. My pasta was delicious, though! The sauce was made of tomatoes and there was basil, onions, and mushrooms. Delicious!

We spent the evening strolling around downtown and along the River Walk, being total tourists. We walked right by the Alamo, which was really small. I was a bit disappointed by it. After all the walking and the lack of sleep, we were both in bed by 10 pm. Old ladies. Hahaha

Saturday morning was brutal. I woke up late and missed my first lecture. I raced to get ready to make it to the second one. I decided that the best and easiest way to get there was to just walk along the River Walk so that's what I did. It was so hot and humid! Yikes! Thankfully, though, I made it to my lecture with time to spare so I went to buy fruit for breakfast.

When it was lunchtime, Jocelyn and I met up and walked to the mall. We ate Chinese from the food court. Once again, nobody minded me asking how the food was prepared and I was able to enjoy yet another vegan meal! I decided to go shopping because I realized that I did not pack any shorts and as hot and humid as it was in San Antonio (it felt like a swampy jungle out there!), all I wanted was to wear shorts.

That mall is rather small and limited. Only one department store and no Forever 21. What the crap? I ended up finding shorts at Macy's, along with a cute Star Wars t-shirt and a crystal ring. After all the walking along the river, through the mall, and back to the hotel, I took a nap in my big comfy bed with all six pillows. I woke up just in time to catch the end of the LSU/Georgia game.

The plan for the evening was for us to find a bar to watch the Aggie game, which started at six. It was raining, though, so we watched the first half in our room before finally heading back out to the River Walk. We found a sports bar and lucky for me, they served a vegetarian pita. All I had to do was ask for them to hold the cheese and it was vegan. Success once again! And my Aggies won!

Jocelyn and I did some more strolling around and stopped to have some drinks at one of the restaurants. Throughout the night, I had six different people tell me that they liked my Star Wars shirt! It was a fun night. Jocelyn and I just chit chatted, sang as we walked, and laughed at all the ridiculous things that we each said. We eventually headed back to the hotel. The humidity and the crowds were almost unbearable, but we had fun regardless.

This morning, we slept in, packed our things, got ready, and left our hotel. We had to go back to the Convention Center to pick up our certificates and then it was back on the road to Dallas! The morning in San Antonio was actually nice. It wasn't as humid and the temperature had dropped. It was crazy cloudy, though. Grey skies style.

It remained cloudy all the way to Waxahachie. By then, the clouds started clearing and once we got to Dallas, it was gloriously sunny! It was the perfect weather to welcome us home!

I had a great time in San Antonio. I wish the weather was nicer and that I had packed more comfortable clothes and shoes. I also wish it wasn't so dang crowded! But overall, it was a fun and most importantly, I learned a lot at the conference. Also, it was nice to get away, although I did miss my babies!

So that marks the end of my very busy September! I made it. October promises to be quite busy as well, with more football, work, volunteering, the State Fair, haunted houses (I hope), back to running, my second photography class, live music shows, and Halloween celebrations (I hope).

Is this really my life? I love it.

My first half-marathon

One month after my original goal date, but well ahead of my 30th birthday, I ran my first half-marathon. I had been training since late May, I trained all through the brutal summer, having to wake up super-early on run days in order to avoid running in unbearable heat. In the final month, I finally stuck to the strict training diet and went full vegan at last.

My race was scheduled to begin at 7:30 am. As was suggested by my training manual (written by the wonderful No Meat Athlete), I woke up at 5:00 am to prepare and drink a smoothie (made with pineapple, banana, ground flaxseed, spinach, and coconut oil). I took some spirulina and changed into my running clothes. It took Dustin a bit longer to wake up, but he finally did. Off we went.

It was actually pretty cool when we left his place so I had to borrow a hoodie because I'm a weenie about being cold. It only took about twenty minutes to get to the park. The race was starting at the Plano Balloon Festival. Dustin and I made our way around the grounds not knowing where to go exactly, but finally found the runner's village. As a runner, I was treated to free coffee, which of course, I do not drink. Dustin gladly drank it for me, though. Haha Free coffee for my sleepy fella!

We made our way to the starting line. Music was blasting so we started dancing together. I needed that. It was my warm up. As the countdown to the start ended, I kissed Dustin, told him my estimated finish time (based on my pace during my training runs), handed him my bag, and off I went.

It was so exhilarating to be out there with fellow runners, especially fellow first-timers. There was so much excitement and positivism. During the second mile, we made our way up a hill and were able to see the hot air balloons that had been launched. Unfortunately for those of us at the head of the pack, not all the balloons had been launched when we passed this area and it ended up being the only place along the course with a view of them. Ah, well. On we continued.

I felt pretty good throughout the race up until mile seven or so. At that point, I had to take a break and walk. I also ate a few of my fruit chews and drank up some sports drink that I had in my water bottle. It seemed as though it took forever for me to reach mile eight. By mile nine, I finally felt that I had it in the bag even though fatigue was really starting to hit. After that point, I started stopping at each drink station and downing cups of Powerade. I know my body needed the carbs and I was happy to drink them!

I took a look at my watch once I reached mile ten and it hit me that I could make it to the finish before the time that I had told Dustin. This thrilled me, since he was spending all this time alone at the festival with not much to do other than look at balloons. The run had pretty much become a mind game at this point. I walked every five minutes or so until I reached the last mile. The sun was hitting us hard and I was feeling it. My legs were feeling okay, no worse than they felt during my long training runs. It was my feet and my stomach that were giving me trouble. I started to regret drinking all the Powerade!

I finally reached the last drink station at the 12-mile marker. I drank a cup of water, took a huge breath, and ran, ran, ran! The crowds cheering us on at the sidelines were becoming bigger! That was actually pretty amazing... All along the course, there were people cheering us on, telling us we were amazing, encouraging us to keep going, and even high-fiving us.

My Dad attended the White Rock Marathon every year when I was a kid and it makes me SO damn happy to finally realize that he was one of those guys waking up early to cheer others on. What an awesome guy. As if I didn't already love him enough!

So, yes, I reached the 12-mile marker and knew that I was almost done. I imagined putting that finishing medal around my neck and finally seeing Dustin and just ran as fast as I could on my tired feet. The large inflated arch that marked the finish line came into view and I got the craziest chills. The crowd was really big at this point! I started smiling like crazy!

With about 10 yards left, I spotted Dustin on the sideline! He was wearing a crazy, pink cowboy hat that I knew he must have bought while wandering around the festival! He looked hilarious in it and I started laughing. As I passed him, he took the hat off and started fanning my feet with it. I laughed even more, but I kept running.

As I was nearing the finish line, I heard someone yell, "Yeah! Go pink hat!" I turned my head, still running, and realized that Dustin was running right behind me! He was running and fanning my feet with the hat again. He was yelling encouraging words and I just started cracking up!

I finally crossed the finish line, with Dustin by my side, and we gave each other the hugest kiss with so many spectators watching us! I think our picture was taken too! It was the perfect finish. So much better than I could have imagined. That moment just reminded me how loved I am and how special Dustin is. I honestly expected him to be bored and sleepy when I finished the race. I expected having to call him to find him. He truly exceeded my expectations and made me such a ridiculously happy gal.

Dustin had told me the day before that he during a meeting at work, he told his co-workers about my race. I feel like he kinda bragged about me and that makes me happy. :)

Here's my picture after the race. I'm showing off my huge medal and wearing the crazy pink hat!

Plant strong! Woot woot!

Now, I look forward to continue to run this distance, improve my pace, and run a full marathon in six months to a year. There is no stopping me now! I am addicted to running and cannot wait to run another race!

Pre-work

I'm sitting in the break room at work, waiting to clock in, and it's hitting me how much I don't want to be here. I'd rather be outside in my neighborhood enjoying the weather. Unfortunately, it will be nine days before I get to do such a thing. As excited as I am about my trip to San Antonio this weekend, I will have no daytime spare time until next Wednesday. It will be October by then. Whoa.

So much love

Key to happiness: surround yourself with people who make you happy.

Measurement of wealth and success: the ability to form and maintain happy relationships.

Lovebirds.

This man I developed a crush on four years ago and started dating shortly thereafter. We have ups and downs in our relationship as does any couple, but the happy times far outnumber the bad. He makes me feel beautiful and special and loved. I still get giddy about seeing him. Four years later and he still fascinates me and inspires me to be a better person. All I want is to make him happy and to make him feel as wonderful as he makes me feel.

This still happens every night.

He has been wishing me sweet dreams for almost four years. He tells me that he loves me multiple times each and every day. I do not take it for granted. I know just how lucky I am to have him.

Dustin and Smartie

He not only loves and cares about me, he also loves and cares about my babies. That alone is enough for me to love him to death.

Yes, I love my Dustin. He is my family now and he is my family's family now. Every time my Mom tells me that she loves both of us, my heart melts. She loves me and she loves him because he loves me. 

She had already told me that she loved me. Then she said "yall" to include Dustin.

I have the sweetest mom. She loves everyone and helps everyone. She helps me, my brother, my nephew, my cousins. She will help Dustin and she will help my friends. Her love and kindness know no limits.

I also have the greatest Dad on the planet.

Little Daisy and Dad

He spoiled me as much as he could. He actually still does. He always comes to my rescue when I need him. He built a cat tree for my cats. He drove miles and miles to College Station just to fix my bicycle for me. He cracks me up with his goofy jokes. He will drop whatever he is doing if I ask him to when I need him.

Birthday text from my Dad

People may say they have a great mother. Some may say they have a great father. Who can say that they have both? This girl can.

Of course, my family is so much more than just my parents. My goodness... my cousins!

So many cousins! Friends forever!

The young ones...

Me and Delilah

The ones closer to my age...

The Trio

The ones in between...

Me and Clarissa are such fly girls!

I love them all and will forever be bonded to them through blood and through a never-ending friendship!

Silly faces!

There are also the friends that we actually choose. Damn, I have done an awesome job choosing them!

We're the four best friends that anyone could ever have!

Best friends since middle school! The miles and the years will never ruin our friendship!

New friendships that make me think, "Why didn't we meet YEARS ago?!"

If there is one thing I am doing right it's choosing the players in my life well. They are all constant sources of smiles and laughter. Hugs and fun. Happiness surrounds me and I am absolutely floored by it.

I am such a happy and wealthy daisy.

Healing

Today, I got Cholula's ashes back. Her remains now rest on my shelf along with those of her brother Ferecito, whom she only met briefly back in 2008.

I wish the life span of ferrets was longer. Five to seven years is not enough time to spend with them! I say that, but then recall the massive amount of memories I made with my princess. Enough to fill my heart and keep it warm for a lifetime.

I am doing better. I still have not gone a day without crying, but that's okay. I cry because I love her. I cry because I miss her and when the thought of never seeing her again hits me, it hits me pretty damn hard. But then, I let all the memories-the happy happy memories-resurface. And I smile again.

Again, I am thankful that overall, I am a positive person. It helps me overcome the negative stages of the grieving process, so that I can still be a functional and happy person.

I am also thankful for everyone that surrounds me. My friends, my family, my coworkers, my surviving critters, and my boyfriend. My friends who have taken me out and kept me company. My family who has made life at home as comfortable as can be. My coworkers for their thoughtful words and their understanding. My critters for reminding me that I'm still a momma with plenty of loving and caring left to do. My amazing boyfriend for his sympathy and compassion and patience.

How lucky am I?

Cholula Belle, my sweet, adorable, lovable, wonderful, precious little princess. I miss you so much. I will never forget you, pretty girl, and will always be thankful for all the joy you brought into my life during your much too short life with me. I hope I can honor you well by continuing to help animals in need and by sharing stories about you as long as I live. I hope you know how much you meant to me and will continue to mean to me. I hope you know that you will forever be remembered and irreplaceable. Precious princess. Kisses, my baby!

Cholula

Warning: this is a very raw post, almost immediately following the death of one of my beloved babies, no time for me to process or make sense out of things.

I've been through it before. Losing a pet. It never gets easy, though. No matter how many times you've been through it. Each critter is so unique and special, that you grieve one just as immensely no matter how many times you have grieved before.

I deal with loss of pets on an almost daily basis at my work. There have been times when I am stressed to the max at work and then find myself passing a distraught pet owner. I almost always think, "My goodness, I need to suck it up. Things could be worse. I at least have healthy pets."

Now I'm the distraught owner. The heartbroken momma. It's me. It's my turn. And I am hurting. Bad.

When I got my first dog (Shiba) as a child, I remember rushing to the library to find a book about dogs. I wanted to know how long they lived. No internet in those days for a quick search. The answer back then (almost twenty years ago) was approximately ten years. When I read this, I thought, "Oh, okay. When the time comes, I'll be an adult and I will be able to handle death well and accept it."

Silly little Daisy. It was okay to be naive. You were only an eight-year-old.

When Shiba finally passed (she made it to thirteen, ya stupid book!), I was on the verge of turning 21. Of course, I cried for days. I was just as miserable as I would have been as an eight-year-old. I just turned 29 last week and once again, I will be bawling my eyes over next few days.

I will think about Cholula constantly. I will feel sorry for myself. I will feel an immense emptiness. I will voluntarily become a recluse. My eyes and my heart will be heavy. I will more than likely smile and laugh at things that make me do so, but deep down, I will be mourning.

I already miss her so much! Her kisses, her bouncy gait, the way she begged for treats at my leg, her fearlessness when climbing my bed and couch, her constant attempts to escape, the sound of her little feet running across my wood floor, her little round ears, her cute little paws.

Oh, tiny little furry princess. Cute, lovable little thing. Mommy loves you so much!

I can't.

Thoughts as the night winds down

There are a few things that I admire about myself. I do not mention them with a conceited, arrogant mentality. It's more about giving myself credit and acknowledging that I'm not a completely hopeless person.

I admire that I can always dig deep and be happy. I believe that at my core, I am a naturally happy person. Sometimes, it's just a matter of letting that person surface past whatever negatives things are surrounding my life. I also admire that I can make others smile or laugh. I have been told that I brighten days -- HUGE compliment. I admire that even though family and friends thought I was crazy for giving animals so much significance, I held on strongly to my feelings for them. Now I work in the veterinary field and have been a successful vegetarian for over five years.

Finally, I admire that I am able to forgive. For the most part. I could never forgive somebody hurting my critters, I don't think. Honestly, that is the only unforgivable offense that I can come up with without thinking too hard about it...

Is it possible that I am too forgiving, though? How many times do I have to accept apologies from one person? How many times do I have to make excuses for the same person? How many times do I have to remind myself that I love this person enough to forgive time and time again?

If I am, in fact, too forgiving towards this person, is that really something to admire about myself? Is that something to be proud of? Or should I be ashamed? Am I really just being a complete fool for practically shrugging my shoulders about things and moving on? Am I letting this person walk all over me?

These aren't fun questions to ponder.

Can I just go back to being a happy daisy?

That sounds like a plan...

Not just dogs

Today, we Aggies were given the unfortunate news the Reveille VII, Texas A&M's First Lady and mascot from 2001 to 2008, passed away.

Our Reveilles are no ordinary mascots...

Texas A&M was founded as a school that required all students to enroll in the Corps of Cadets and receive military training. While no longer a requirement (ahem... I would NOT have enrolled there if it was), the Corps is still huge at A&M. Do you know who the highest ranking member of the Corps is? It's Reveille. In fact, all other members of the Corps have to address her as "Miss Reveille, ma'am."

Reveille also attends class with her student handler. However, if she barks while a professor is teaching, the class must be immediately dismissed. It's tradition.

Like other Reveilles before her, Reveille will receive a formal military funeral and be buried at Kyle Field in front of a scoreboard so she can keep track of the football games. Thousands of people attended the funeral of Reveille VI... I am certain that thousands more will attend Reveille VII's funeral as well.

Reveille VII

She was a special dog indeed. She served as mascot all three years that I was at A&M... That's why she's even more special to me.

Reveille VII also would have had her thirteenth birthday in October. My own beloved boy, Canelo Dog, turns thirteen in October. Reveille VII was the same age as my boy... And now she has passed.

I can not put into words how anxious I am becoming about the fact that my boy is aging and that his last months, weeks, days are fast approaching. I am so incredibly grateful for the time that I have with him (whatever may be left) and try my absolute best to care for him diligently and make him as happy as possible.

Canelo Dog and mommy, April 2013

I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful boy. I bet he has no idea how happy he has made me these past 12.5 years and what an important role he has had in my life. I owe him so much.

Take care of yourself and your critters, y'all.

Daisy

I ran for my life.

I am now training for a half-marathon! I will be running The Hottest Half on August 25th. I may be crazy for running this in the middle of a Texas summer, but...

1. I will be training in the summer anyway
2. It'll be early in the morning before it gets too hot
3. The course is around White Rock Lake, which is where I am training

Once I accomplish this, I will gladly say to you: If I can do it, you can do it. 

You see, I was never an athlete. Not even as a child when the playing field was pretty even and except for a few stellar standouts, all kids pretty much sucked. I didn't do sports in high school because again, I didn't feel talented enough and felt that I would just let whatever team I joined down. In college, when we were required to take kinesiology/fitness classes, I chose Aerobic Walking because I figured it was the only thing I had any chance at passing. This when they offered classes such as skating, rock climbing, swimming, volleyball, skiing, etc. You name it, they offered it (Texas A&M is awesome like that). Nope, I stuck to walking.

So at almost-30, I'm ready to be an athlete. I have found a sport that I truly enjoy and that pushes me. It's also therapeutic. I may not be the fastest, but I'm building my endurance and giving my heart a workout as well. I feel so good about this decision, I wish I had started sooner.

There are plenty of apps on smart phones to help with the process. I also chose to purchase a guide/training plan from No Meat Athlete. Yes, I am doing this as a vegetarian, of course. That will only add to my sense of accomplishment.

I hope to update you on my progress and on other little facts of my life. I seriously suck at blogging now. Gone are the days when I had to resist posting more than twice a day. Overshare. 

Have an excellent week, y'all!

Hello, good friend

I'm not going to lie to you, dear blog. I did forget about you these past few weeks. So how about as lengthy an update as I can muster?

Spring is here, I suppose. Honestly, in North Texas, it arrives and disappears, and returns, and just when you've put all your winter clothes away into storage, a cold front comes through. I find it all too annoying, constantly checking my weather app to make sure no drastic changes are coming or if the forecast has been altered in any way since the last time I checked. I prefer constant days of 100 degrees, as torturous as they may become, over this bipolar weather. For serious.

So although spring isn't delivering the warm weather I had hoped for, it has delivered longer days. The sun rises earlier and sets later, giving me the sense that I have time to accomplish all that needs to be accomplished. I have added some things to my plate recently. I'll go into that now...

In the future, when I return to this blog to read old entries, this particular one will be the one closest to the date of those awful Boston bombings and the explosion in West. The older I get, the more I sometimes feel that I am becoming desensitized to all the madness that happens in the world. The stories themselves are sad, but I become even sadder to realize that they are a norm. My attention was captured regardless, though, because I am a runner and because I have been a frequent visitor of that small town. What a rough week.

What a cause for reflection. I want to continue to run. I want to run a half-marathon by the end of the year. Maybe one day, I can even travel to run marathons in the great cities of the world. I want to continue working with animals and being an advocate for them. I want to use the voice that social media gives me to help those displaced by accidents and natural disasters. I want to continue to pursue my post-graduate degree in health care to help people as well, when they need it the most.

My mind will run away if I don't stop this soon.

News from my tiny corner of the world: I am now the social media coordinator for my company and will be working closely with our CEO/Medical Director to better promote and market our practice. It's an exciting opportunity and I am extremely grateful for it.

More news from me: My relationship is going through a serious funk. It's not anything that either of us has done, I am not angry with him, I don't wish ill will upon him. Feelings simply change. I still care about him deeply, and I know he does the same for me, but that old vibe is now lacking and I am afraid that we are just too different from one another. At any rate, we've been together for over three years and I think that we do owe it to ourselves to try to make each other happy again. It's been a rough year-and-a-half for us... We just have to beat the cards that we were dealt.

I think that's plenty for now, dear friend. I hope I don't forget about you for too long again.