Friday 5 - Why I Run Edition

I used to do a fun thing here where every Friday I would pick a new topic and post 5 things that relate to it. It was always one of my favorite posts to do and I had a lot of fun doing it so I'm bringing it back.

5 Reasons That I Run:

1. - Something is chasing me. Zombies are scary, if you can outrun them, do it. Do NOT try to be a
hero.

2. - I did something or broke something I shouldn't have. I am basically a 5 year old trapped in a 31 year old's body. If I think I'm going to get yelled at, I will likely run far far away.

3. - I'm playing with Jazzy. We have a fun game where I hide behind something and she comes looking for me and when she finds me I chase her around the apartment. She loves it. I usually laugh hysterically the whole time. This is us after I caught her while playing a round, she's a little out of breathe.

4. - I'm trying to prove to everyone, but mostly myself, that I CAN run. I want to prove that no matter what others may think about my strength or endurance, that if I believe I can do it, I will do it.

5. - The Glory. The Bling. The Bragging Rights. I run for medals, I run to show off something that other people don't have because they were not as determined, or crazy as I was. I mean, seriously, check out this bling, don't you wish you had gotten off your couch that day and ran that race and earned this medal?

So tell me, why do YOU run?

Are you my mother?

As my loyal readers can tell you, my baby girl Jasmine has had a bit of an identity crisis since she was a puppy. People have always compared her to a deer, and well, sometimes she gets confused. Last year we sent out a Christmas card with her next to her favorite thing in the apartment. A stuffed deer that she would lay next to, cuddle with, and drag around the apartment. (being an antique collectible deer we put a stop to the dragging right away.) I added antlers to her in this photo but even without them, the likeness is undeniable.

 

This year, Jasmine is a little bit older, and I thought maybe just maybe this would be the right time to introduce her to some of her "family" members. She was very excited and super well behaved and while I didn't get any amazing photos, I did capture a couple of cute moments. 

Jasmine meeting Comet and Prancer:

Have your children ever met a real life reindeer?

Midnight Ramblings

Between the new kittens, and working over 92 hours this pay period, I am beyond exhausted and haven't been able to find much time to blog.

As it is, I am posting this on my iPad from my bed.

I miss my blog. I miss my followers. I miss reading the blogs I follow. I miss doing product and book reviews. I miss having the time to do any of this.

Starting a second blog was probably a little silly given the circumstances. I just didn't want to bombard people who don't like Disney with a lot of stuff they didn't care about.
I also didn't want to stray away from the general vibe of this blog.

I have been trying to keep up with Facebook and twitter. I am tweeting as @fromlazytolady as well as @ladynwonderland . Please be sure to follow both because my phone has me posting on one while my iPad has be posting on the other.
Facebook is http://Facebook.com/fromlazytolady and http://tinyurl.com/LadyInWonderlandFB ( I don't have enough likes on the second one to customize my URL yet.
I will be doing a Disney or Alice in Wonderland themed giveaway on my new blog http://ladyinwonderland.blogspot.com once the blog, twitter, and Facebook pages all have 100 followers. Please be sure to follow for your chance to win!

Speaking of Alice in Wonderland, the kittens are getting so big! Alice and Dinah have both figured out how to climb the baby gate and I am constantly finding them in the kitchen. This would be fine, except they cannot get back over the gate to get out of the kitchen. Silly kittens. Jasmine seems to be adjusting well, especially now that it seems her first heat is over. Jasmine and Dinah are the best of friends... Or each other's arch nemesis, I haven't figured it out yet.

I chopped my hair off again! I also bought two new shampoos that I cant wait to tell you about so be sure to stay tuned for pictures and product reviews!

TWINS!! - (The surprise from last week!)

I'm sure that some of you are anxiously awaiting to see just what I was so excited about in this post from Friday.
I would like to introduce you all to the two newest members of our family!

Alice and Dinah are 6 weeks old and I am smitten with my new kittens. I bet you will be too.  Alice is the  orange/tortoise short hair(the one in the back) and Dinah is the gray long hair (the one in the front).

This is the day we decided to let the little love smooshies join our family. Can you tell that I am quite happy with this decision?

Princess Jasmine met her new sisters and is quite happy. Although, she is a bit too excited and doesn't realize how much bigger she is than them. We are trying to teach her that kittens, are not toys, no matter how small and squeaky they are. This lesson is proving to be difficult considering the fact that Alice's favorite spot to sleep is Jasmine's toy box.

 

Well, that's all for now. We're all a bit exhausted from our long weekend of getting adjusted. Sleep tight my pets!

 

Do you have any pets? If you'd like to show them off, email photos of your furbabies to me at fromlazytolady(at)gmail(dot)com and they will appear in future blog posts!

Blessed

It's so easy to sit around and feel sorry for yourself. To sit and say "oh my, I'm so tired, work is kicking my butt, I have no time for my friends, I have no time to cook, I have no time to go see my mom. Wah, whoa is me"

I would like to take a minute and say that I am truly blessed.
2010 was a really hard year for me. My mom's cancer, losing my job, losing Tango, family drama, dealing with fibromyalgia... you name it, it sucked.
I really let it get to me. I got to the point where I just couldn't take any more, had a major panic attack and almost ended up back in the hospital because of it.

2011 is going to be different. My mom still has cancer, I still miss Tango, and I'm still bitter about what happened at my last job. The difference will be with me, and how I respond and react to my life. 2011 is going to be about positive attitudes.

Thank God, I have a job.
Thank God, I have friends. Great friends. This might be the first time in my life when I can actually say that and mean it.
Thank God, I have food in my fridge and do not need to go hungry.
Thank God, my mom is still here. I am so grateful for every minute that God gives me with her.
Thank God, I have family that loves me. Drama or not, I never have to question whether I am loved.
Thank God for my daddy. He is my rock. 
Thank God for giving me the years I had with Tango. For letting me help him know what it felt like to be loved. For giving me a little ball of unconditional love in return. For teaching me patience. For bringing me to a point in my life where I would get Jasmine.
Thank God for Jasmine. Without her, I may never have gotten out of my funk last year. She has given me a reason to get out of bed every morning.
Thank God for Petey and Bella and McDuff. My children.  Fur, or feathers, paws, or claws, my loves.
Thank God, for Disney World. For at least 8 days a year I get to just be. I get to live in my fantasy land, and be the Princess I know I am, see the world, and be a kid again.

Thank God for my amazing husband, who can always make me laugh, and makes me feel like a princess every single day.

What are you thankful for? Do you think your attitude can impact your future?

Trendy Treehouse Shutter Love Tuesday - Christmas Present or Past

Oh how I have missed participating in Shutter Love Tuesday. I have just been way too busy and have been neglecting my blog and my photography. Enough is enough! I was excited when I realized this was a theme I could participate in, without having to go out of my way to do so.

The theme is Christmas Present or Past. Well, this is the photo we used for our Christmas card this year which makes it present, plus there are gifts in the photo so they also apply to the Christmas present theme.

Everyone always says that my puppy Jasmine looks like a baby deer. I couldn't resist the urge to give everyone a side by side comparison. I hope you enjoy the photo as much as our friends and family did.

Please stop by the Trendy Treehouse and vote for my photo!

Getting Back Into the Swing of Things

I know that I've been MIA lately. I promise it's for good reason. As much as my blogging has suffered, my routines have suffered more. That ends tonight. 

My sink is shined. 

My lunch is packed.

My clothes are picked out.

My purse and work stuff is at my launching pad.

I am now drinking a cup of sleepy time tea and will hopefully be drifting off to sleep soon.

I have a few giveaways coming up. One of which isn't what some would call exciting, but it's health related and I think it's super helpful.  The other is for a company I have worked with in the past and am very excited about working with again.

I'd also really like to get some book reviews posted but I have the memory of a goldfish and if I don't write down the points I want to cover while reading the book, they rarely get written at all. I was thinking maybe I'll just post a quick personal review of why I did or didn't like a book and a really brief synopsis maybe even stolen from the publisher so at least you have some information about it. What do you think?

Lord Hill and I just got back from Walt Disney World. It's my home away from home. I always hate having to leave there and find myself feeling homesick when we return. Jasmine spent the week at my parents' house with my dad babysitting her. She LOVES him. He didn't think she'd want to come back to us! But she did. She is the cutest. Here's the most recent photo I have of her:

I want to start a Disney related blog but I'm worried I would spend all of my time writing about and researching Disney and then never get anything else accomplished b/c I'm THAT obsessed with it as it is. I can see it in my future... would you like to see my future?

 

Oh Spaceship Earth how I miss you....

Okay folks. That's all I've got for now. I'll be sure to make some posts this weekend and maybe even write a few in advance. I miss all of you and I'm trying to keep up with everyone's blog. If you have a post you think I must see or you want my readers to see please leave a link in the comments section!

Sunday - Renew Your Spirit Day

As I've mentioned in the past I am using the Flylady method of getting my home and myself out of a state of CHAOS and getting into a routine.

Sunday is the official "Renew Your Spirit" day where you are supposed to do things that make you happy and it's the day off from chores. Since I'm not really good at following the schedule and routines yet, it's not a day off for me but I decided it needs to be a day where I can relax, unwind, and do something I enjoy.

Since starting my new job I realize how spoiled I had been working from home. If business was slow I could do a quick 15 minute clean up in the middle of the day and not have to worry about the mess on my coffee table at 6:00. Well now that I am not home from 10-6 every day and have a job where I am busy 95% of the time I have no interest in cleaning anything up when I get home.
I am stressed out and overwhelmed with everything that needs to get done.

So I decided that today I would tackle some of the things on my list but before I did it, I had to get motivated.

This meant getting out of my oh so comfy pj's, putting down the magazine I was reading, and DOING something. Bah. Then I looked down at my cute little Jazzy (who will be 5 months old this Friday!) and realized, "Oh my! She's gotten chubby!" It was time to try taking her for a walk.

We've tried before but she is not a fan of the leash and she is not a fan of the cars and gets very excited about the smells and tries to jump into my arms to escape.
So, I grabbed a favorite toy, a handful of treats, and out we went. To my surprise she did great!

She walked on a loose leash after just a few feet of struggling. She kept up with me and when she'd stop to investigate she'd immediately start walking again when I said "come". I was so proud of her that by the time we got home I had to call people to brag and immediately put it up on facebook.

Now I'm in an awesome mood, and the walk was good for me too and gave me some much needed energy. I will now go tackle the living room and then make a list of everything we need to pack for vacation.

Enjoy your Sunday!  What will you do today to renew your spirit?

Oh, I'm also doing a hop today...

To Do Tuesday 9-7-10

Lots to do this week...

• Go shopping for work clothes. YAY! New job means new wardrobe. Hopefully some friends will be helping me out with this because I have not worked in an office in about 4 years and have no idea what to wear. 
• Get Jazzy comfortable being in her crate for a few hours at a time because Lord Hill and I go back to work on the same day. This will be tough. 
• Clean a section of the apartment perfectly so that if the crate training doesn't work out we can leave her gated in a section so she can be safe and not find weird things to eat. 
• Teach Jazzy to walk comfortably on a loose leash. 
• Clean the outside of the kitchen cabinets.
• Clean the ceiling fan in the kitchen.
• Clean out the fridge/freezer.
• Scrub the kitchen counter tops
• Sweep and mop the kitchen.

What's on your to do list this week? 

Puppy Has A Name!

Her name is Jasmine. We've been calling her Jazzy. She's so cute I can't handle it.

Chachacha Changes.....

First, seeing as though my follower count has gone down here as well as on twitter, I once again want to thank those of you who have stood by me in these trying times.

Now, let's move forward and see what happens, enjoy the rest of the ride folks...

My life seems to be changing very quickly. My head is spinning, it's all a little overwhelming, okay, a LOT overwhelming for for a change, some of it is actually good.

As you know I was told a few weeks ago that I would be out of a job come September. 2 weeks ago I had an interview at a local upscale bridal salon, a week later I was offered the job. It's official, and I start September 13th. This is awesome. The wedding industry is something I have always had an interest in but had no idea how to really break in. I began to start my own wedding planning business with my cousin and we'll continue to work on that in the future, but for now this is a great step. It's not glamorous, it's emails and behind the scenes kind of things, but every day I'll get to look at gorgeous gowns and know that somehow I'm helping someone feel like a princess. I'm very excited about this.

Tango... my heart and soul aches for him all day, every day. I can't believe he's been gone for a week already. The only time I found the air to fill my lungs and the ability to stop crying was when a man handed me a tiny puppy and told me to just play with her, to find a release, to cry, to laugh, to heal. The next night, Lord Hill surprised me with her with a little red bow tied around her neck. I did not expect to be one of those people who got another pet right away. In fact, over the years I always silently judged the people who did. It wasn't until I felt a darkness, a pain, so intense, a hole that needed to be filled that I understood why/how they did what they did.
She will never take the place of my Tango. He was the light, my baby, my world. She is not here to fill his place, to replace him or even completely seal the whole that he left in my heart the night he was taken from me. She is simply here to love me, and to give me something to love.

This is my new baby girl....

I've been missing for a while...so tell me, what's new in your life?

Friday 5! - Cute Doggy Edition!

5 random photos of Tango:

PS:
It's Friday the 13th. If a man in a hockey mask comes chasing after you, RUN.

Workout Wednesday 7-21-10

There was more fishing this past weekend. No keepers but I did manage to catch one that wasn't too small... My arms are always sore for days after a good fishing trip.

I have been doing major water changes for the Freds all week long so my arms are really feeling the burn today. I've been using a 4gallon bucket and having to fill it several times back and forth. Hopefully it'll start to tone my arms as well.

I must admit though, it's killing my back.

How have you been working out this week?

Fred Update #1 - 14 Days In

These pictures still aren't great and don't do the Freds justice but I just couldn't wait any longer to show them off.

They are so cute!

They have gotten even bigger since these photos were taken, they still aren't big at all, but I'm so surprised at how much they grow over night!

This is "Big Fred" he's my favorite but don't tell the others. He has been the biggest since the day I got them. He does not have a 10x on him, it's a reflection of my camera lol.

This is Big Fred with everyone else in the corner. Baby Fred is the orange and white one in the background. He is my second favorite. Again, don't tell the rest of the Freds.

This is Baby Fred (bottom right) and Big White Fred (top left)

This is Big Fred and his buddy Fred. They hang out a lot.

Big White Fred

Big Fred, Big White Fred, Fred (might actually be little Orange Fred), Little White Fred

The three big guys like to hang out together..

Big White Fred is obsessed with the bubbles.

Doesn't Baby Fred have gorgeous coloring??

The gang..

and pics of Tango b/c otherwise he'd get jealous...

Big White Fred came over to say hi after Tango pushed his nose on the glass. This surprised Tango.

But it encouraged everyone else to come say Hi too..