Two Tough Days!

The last two days have been emotionally challenging for me. Yesterday marked one year that I had to say goodbye to Baby, my little Pomeranian.  I knew it was going to be a tough day because all of the thoughts of that horrible day would become fresh in my mind. The only negative thing about having pets is having to say goodbye.

Today was also a sad day for me because it was my Dad's birthday and he spent the majority of his day getting his chemo treatment. This is probably not the ideal way to spend a birthday but he had no choice and it just sucks that he has to go through this. I feel so bad for him and wish there was something that I could do to take it all away.

It was also a very sad, yet happy, night because two of our puppies found a home..a good home. One of the technicians at our vet's office called and said that she was interested in adopting Brownie and came to see him after I got home from work. She brought her brother along and they fell in love with the two males and decided to take both Brownie and Spot. I was not prepared to let two of them go but I know that they are going to a good home so I was comfortable with these people. Sugar was not excited either and tried to bite the man when he attempted to pet her.  They were considering taking one of the pups and Sugar but I think she blew her chances when she decided that she needed to bite him for taking her babies away.

As much as I know that I cannot keep the puppies, I was heartbroken. My whole routine has been centered around these puppies for the last three months and I am going to miss Brownie and Spot.  The males were the wild ones of the litter but oh so lovable and sweet. I hope their new owners love them and care for them like we did. We reminded the new owners that Brownie and Spot can be returned at any time because we would never want to see these little guys at the shelter if things did not work out.

My son was devastated and it was a rough night for him to say the very least. He ran upstairs and cried for 30 minutes straight and it was not pretty. Sugar also cried and waited by the front door shaking and continuing to cry for a long time. The two female puppies were also very sad and they just went to their bed and looked at us as if to say "Are you getting rid of us next?"

We are going to miss Brownie and Spot dearly. I don't think we will be able do this again. It is so hard to let them go and my son is a mess! A huge, horrible mess! The puppies left four hours ago and he has been crying off and on asking me why I got rid of them. He is not happy with me at all! I guess he does not fully understand why we cannot keep 7 dogs... 

Do you ever have days like this when everything seems to be happening at once and you feel kind of overwhelmed?  

HOT HOT HOT!

If the weather is anything like it was this Sunday, I am in big trouble for my half marathon this coming Sunday! I do not do well at anything in the heat and there's just no way around it!  This is what http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/USCA1306is predicting for this coming Sunday:

I have seen so many posts lately about Hurricane Irene and how it is affecting the lives of so many people.  I feel for everyone who has been affected by it and wish them well.  I was hesitant to even post my complaints about the weather that we have been having in California but I needed to vent because my running is greatly affected by the extreme heat so please hear me out!  Can you believe that it was 74 degrees at 6:00am?? Having said that, you can just imagine how my long run went on Sunday! This is coming from a girl who is used to and prefers to run in 50-60 degree weather in order to function!

When I set out at 6:00am, the sun was not beaming down on me just yet so it wasn't that bad at first. I think things were pretty tolerable the first four miles and then it started to get ugly by the mile for the remaining 10 miles. I mapped my run out so that I passed the same spot three times so that I did not have to drop water at multiple locations.  I drank all of the water that I dropped and barely made it home before I died of dehydration. There were multiple instances during my Sunday run that I honestly thought that I wasn't going to make it. I have never been so happy to see sprinklers in all of my life.  I normally hate getting my shoes wet but on this particular Sunday I didn't care what got wet! By the time I was done, it was 84 degrees and I was beat!

After my very heated run, I went to Huntington Beach with my family and just took it easy.  We had a good time and this seems to be one of our new hang out spots.  It's an inexpensive way to spend time together and keep the kids entertained for hours. HB is also a cool place to run since it is usually 10-15 degrees cooler with a nice ocean breeze.

My husband and I.

My brother in law, me, my husband and my sister.

My son decided to get a beach workout in while we were there!

We tried to keep it somewhat healthy...

I am hoping for better days in September after all of the events that consumed me in August. Friday after work I picked up Baby's ashes and his cute little paw print. It kind of brought the hurt back all over again but I guess it is part of the healing process.  We all miss Baby so much but are at peace knowing that he is no longer suffering.  Dad is gaining his strength back slowly but surely and will be starting his chemotherapy again in September.  I am hoping the best for him because he sure is a fighter.  He inspires me and his will to live reminds me to be thankful for the small things in life on a daily basis. Grandpa also had surgery yesterday and is doing quite well. I just need all of my loved ones to get better so that I can stop being a worry wart and focus on my marathon that is just 39 days away!

My Baby's ashes and his cute little paw print.

It looks like the month of August is going to be a good month as far as miles.  Last month I banked 112 miles and I think I might exceed that by just a pinch this month.  I have also been thinking about buying a bike.  I think it might be fun to add cycling to my cross training but man are those road bikes pricey! I think I need a raise before I can invest in one of those bad boys!

Any suggestions on what type of bike I should buy?  What type/brand of bike do you ride and what would you recommend?

Goodnight my "Baby"

Roxy and Baby: June 2010

For those of you who know me very well, you know that my dogs mean the world to me and I would spend my last penny to save their lives if I could.  I love my two Pomeranians, Baby and Roxy, to death but I think that Baby is my favorite because it's mutual...I am his favorite too!

Baby playing at the park in healthier times.

I found Baby running in the streets near my house on January 1, 2007.  He was clean, sweet as ever, and I just could not figure out why somebody would lose track of such a cute dog.  I put up signs from one end of the county to the other and nobody claimed him.  I decided to keep him in spite of the mixed feelings of the other people in my home and I am glad that I made that decision because he is the most loyal friend that I will ever have. I never knew how old Baby was or when his birthday was so I always celebrated his birthday on January 1, since that was the day that he came into my life.

Sleepy Baby is his bed, which he loved!

It wasn't long before I figured out why nobody ever claimed Baby.  Baby coughed a lot and when I took him to the vet to find out why we discovered that Baby had a heart murmur which shortly turned into Congestive Heart Failure.  The vet put him on some heart medications and he seemed to do just fine for a couple of years.  Baby loved to eat and be with me, so when he failed to do one or the other, I knew that something was wrong with him.  In February of 2010, Baby got really sick and the vets could not figure out what was wrong with him. They knew it was something serious by his blood panel and he needed to be hospitalized.  He wouldn't eat and when he did, he would throw up.  After several tests and many ultrasounds, I found out that Baby's gallbladder was full of bile and was not emptying itself as it normally should. I was referred to a specialist and they put Baby on some medication that shortly brought him back to his normal self.  His blood tests also revealed that his kidney values were extremely elevated and that he was in the early stages of kidney failure. Baby was then started on subcutaneous fluid therapy.

The vet taught us how to give Baby the fluid therapy at home and we faithfully gave him his fluids daily.  The needle was just huge to me and Baby never cried or even flinched. I always wondered how Baby tolerated that kind of pain. He even learned that when his fluid treatment was done that he would get a special treat so eventually he became excited about it.  On top of the fluid therapy, Baby took five different types of medication and he didn't seem to mind it and never gave us a hard time to take his medication.

Since Baby had congestive heart failure he coughed on a regular basis.  About a month ago, I noticed that Baby was coughing more than usual.  It was keeping him and I up at night and I knew that he was not resting like he normally did.  It was time to visit the vet to check if his condition was worsening or if he was having some other kind of problem.  The vet took x-rays and found that Baby's trachea had collapsed which made breathing very difficult for him.  This problem is common in small dogs so there is nothing that actually causes it to happen.  There is medication that helps to open the airway but it causes the heart to speed up and since Baby had heart trouble he couldn't take the medication. The vet gave him a different type of medication but it really affected his appetite and his personality.  He needed to take this medicine to survive so that was just one more pill for him to take.

Baby refused to let his Mommy leave without him!

Baby loved super balls!!

Enjoying a Doggy Donut!

I enjoyed whatever time I had left with Baby and spoiled him rotten with all of the things he loved!! So what did Baby love....super balls, empty toilet paper rolls, Roxy's pink monkey toy, Greenies, table food of any kind, car rides, his bed and most of all me ...his Mommy!  

Both of my babies love to go for car rides!

 Baby and his/Roxy's Pink Monkey

I dreaded the day that I would have to send this "Baby" of mine to doggy heaven because he had become such an everyday part of my life.  That day finally came on Friday, August 18, 2011 at 5:40pm. I knew that he was not feeling well because his appetite was poor, his energy level was way down and he just didn't seem like himself.  I knew that his quality of life was not what it should be so I took him to the vet to see what was going on. His blood tests revealed that he was in the advanced stages of renal failure and there was not much more the vet could do for him.  Fluid therapy was an option but with his heart problems the vet felt that this would have caused him further complications.  

This is the very last picture that I took of Baby at the vet.

The vet looked at me and told me that he was very sick and that it was time for me to let go. I held him in my arms, kissed him and told him how much I loved him in the final minutes of his life.  This is one of the most difficult and heart breaking decisions that I have ever had to make in my whole life.  Baby was like a child to me and I love him to pieces and I always will.  I hope he understands my decision and knows how much I love him and that I did my best to give him a happy life for the short time that we were friends.

Another super ball....

Although this is a very tough time for me, I keep reassuring myself that I did the right thing, the humane thing, and that I did everything that I could do to keep Baby alive for the last couple of years. I have lots of guilt over my decision at times but I have found amazing peace knowing that he is no longer suffering. I could no longer keep him here for me. I loved him too much to be so selfish.

Christmas Day 2010

Rest in Peace my Baby.  I will always love you and I will never ever forget you and the happiness that you brought to my life for the short time that we shared together.  I hope you are having fun in Doggy Heaven :) 

I will miss coming home to this!

RIP Baby: August 19, 2011

Frogs, Snails, Puppy Dog Tails, Armadillos and Alligators!

I didn't get my long run in on Sunday and I only logged 23 miles last week but it was all for a good cause!  My older sister, well if you consider 11 months and 3 weeks to be older, than she is my older sister.  We pretty much grew up together with everyone thinking we were twins! What  were my parents thinking..yuck?? Isn't there some kind of six-week rule you are supposed to follow after you have a baby?  

My Sister and I back in the day!

The reason my mileage sucked for the week was because I flew to Florida to surprise my sister and also to meet my new nephew!  My sister's in-laws were kind enough to send me a ticket to visit her.  They are such kind people! I took a red-eye flight out and landed in Atlanta at 5:00am with a short layover before boarding my flight to Tampa. There were some strange people on both of my flights to say the least! Some people just have no consideration for other people...it's really sad!

Had to brush my teeth during the layover in Atlanta! Ignore my bra strap please!

My new nephew and Me! 

Baby Derek: born June 16, 2011

My nephew is the best baby ever! He hardly ever cries and all he does is sleep!  He is only seven weeks old and he sleeps through the night! They have no idea how lucky they are to have such a good baby!  I know I was never this lucky with either one of my kids!

We were able to keep the secret from my sister!  Her mother-in-law picked me up from the airport and took me over to her house.  My sister thought she was just coming over for a routine visit with the in-laws.  When she saw me she was shocked and she cried. She is such an emotional person! We had a great visit and I enjoyed myself to no end.  The only complaint that I have is the Florida weather!  It is humid and hot to say the very least. It just starts pouring rain out of no where in Florida! It's pretty crazy! The weather did not stop me from getting a couple of good runs in though and luckily I did not get stuck in any downpours!  I will dedicate a post just to recap my runs while I was in Florida.

My Sister, Brother-in-Law and my new nephew Baby Derek!

I am used to the heat but not 80% humidity!

We did a lot of bad eating and they showed me around to their favorite places.  The eateries in Florida are not the same as what I am used to in California so it was a nice change.  I tried to make good eating choices but it was hard to do that in some of the places, plus it was a vacation! One of the places we ate at was called "Smokey Bones Bar and Fire Grill"  Here is what we ordered:

The Crowd Pleaser: Fire Stix, Chicken Fingers, and Southwest Spring Rolls

My Meal: Turkey Burger with Broccoli

My sister knows how I love to shop and I have been dying to check out the lululemon athletica store at the Orlando Premium Outlets. We loaded up, baby and all and headed out to Orlando to shop!  It was pretty hot and humid and my poor nephew was not excited about the visit to the outlet!  One of my favorite things to pass on the way is the Mickey shaped power lines!   

Got Milk?

..the power of Disney!

The Orlando Premium Outlets

My lulu Dressing Room Door!

My new lulu Outfit!

The lululemon outlet prices are not much cheaper than buying from a regular store but I did save something! I still haven't tried out the first pair of lululemon shorts that I blogged about. I better do that soon!

My sister's in-laws (Kelley and Derek, they do have names) made some amazing flank steak and cake and boy was it good!  Derek is known for his great barbecuing abilities and I can see why! Kelley is known for her cakes!

I am a true animal lover and my sister has the cutest little 3-1/2 pound Yorkie in the world. Not only is Jazzy cute but she is pretty vicious! If she doesn't like you, then you are pretty much done!  She will bite your ankles and bark at you every opportunity she gets! She fears nothing when it comes to strangers! I was able to make peace with her this visit and that was quite an accomplishment because she hated me up to this point.
 

My sister's Yorkie, Jazzy!

My sister's in-laws dog, Scarlet!  She is so sweet!

     This is my poor dog Baby, waiting for me to come home from my trip!  He is the sweetest thing in the world!

On the day of my departure we went to one of my favorite restaurants, Carrabba's Italian Grill.  We don't have one in California so I was really looking forward to eating at Carrabba's the whole time I was visiting. The bread at Carrabba’s is fresh from the oven and served with a delicious olive oil and herbs combination for dipping. The bread alone could have been a meal for me because I just love it!

I think I ate two loaves by myself!!

Tag Pic Pac: Tagliarini in Picchi Pacchiu sauce
with crushed tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and basil

We had a great time laughing and just enjoyed our last day together!  We really got out of control with the bread! I mean way out of control and we had no alcohol in our systems either..honest!

My Sister and I!

My niece even got in on the act!

It was really tough going home because I won't see my sister and her family until December!  My niece cried for me after I left which surprised me because she was pushing me to say goodbye and get on my plane once we arrived at the airport! She is too funny! The plane ride back home was much better than the plane ride into Florida. I snapped this photo of the sunset while in the sky and thought it was just beautiful.  Well, back to the grind but I guess I have a lot to be thankful for. My family back at home was missing me too!  It is not too often that I leave them behind!