Vacation Planned!

Update: our vacation is planned! Plane tickets are bought, hotels are paid for, and transportation is taking care of. The official days are August 26 - September 2. In 3 short months we will be somewhere beyond exciting!

Stay tuned to find out where we are going!

Here's to hoping I can keep a secret for 3 months.

Vacation Planning

Not a lot is going on here in the Paddock household, thus my recent lack of posts. We are in the same old routine (not that it is a bad thing...) and patiently waiting for fall to come around when we will hopefully start hearing from PA schools aaaand if all goes well moving potentially clear across the country for the beginning of a whole new adventure.

In the mean time, I am trying to plan our last big hurrah of a vacation (until after PA school of course). We decided last year that it would be a lot of fun to have one of us plan a big vacation one year without telling the other anything except what days they needed off work and what to pack, then switching it up the next year. Sounds like a fun idea, right?

Well, it definitely is. I am the lucky one planning the vacation this year. The one thing I failed to foresee when we were making these elaborate plans was how hard it would be to not talk to Hunter about it! I just want to tell him all of the exciting things that I keep planning or seeing the potential to plan. Instead, everyone at work knows all about where we might be going and what we might be doing while there. I had to let it out somewhere that it wouldn't get back to him...haha.

I don't have a plan set in stone just yet, but I do have a pretty good idea of where we will be going. It is still up for debate though. I also have a pretty good idea of the days so at least we have an idea of what days we will need to get off - late August, early September.

The only thing I can say for certain is this: I had no idea how hard it would be to plan something this exciting with only minimal, vague input from Hunter. But, I'm definitely excited about it :)

Here are some of the possibilities, in no particular order, giving nothing away:

New Zealand (very small chance, as awesome as it would be, and Hunter is aware of that fact)

Oahu, Hawaii

Italy (Venice and Rome)

England

Thailand

Does anybody have a favorite among those options? I am certainly open to suggestions, although you should be aware that this will still remain my little secret until we board the plane :) Let me know what you think!

Lessons From a Dog

More often than not, we wonder just what our dog is thinking and wish that she could speak English. We can get a pretty good idea of how she feels by her body language - tail wagging or tucked under as far as it will go, happy shiba screaming vs. growling, ears up or pressed against her head, etc, etc.

A couple days ago, I came across a blog post on pinterest (I know...I am becoming one of those people that refers everything back to pinterest and I'm not exactly sure how I feel about that). I loved it. And, while I didn't repin it (I don't have any interest in pinning quotes or stories - although, obviously, I don't mind when others do), but I did email a copy of the link to Hunter because I just loved it.

In quick summation, the post was written by a vet who was attending to a sick dog who needed to be euthenized and it's owners - mom, dad, and a 6 year old son. The son made the profound statement of, "People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life — like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right? Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long." Well put. The author then goes on to give a list of things that we could learn if dogs were our teachers. Here it is:

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.

Take naps.

Stretch before rising.

Run, romp, and play daily.

Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.

On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.

When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Be loyal.

Never pretend to be something you’re not.

If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.

I literally was laughing out loud as I was reading the list because it is so true! Our dog regularly takes part in all of the above. How much more simple and happy would life be if we took some of that advice? Obviously, some of that is for humor's sake and only applies to a dog, but if we were to apply the gist of it to our own lives I think it would make us in general, happier people.

Here's to not letting the little things get you down and trying to live life to it's fullest - and happiest - potential.

Success!

I bit the bullet and did it. I bought a pair of Vibrim five finger shoes. 

Yes, I know they look ridiculous. Yes, I know that any pants/capris/shorts that I will ever want to wear with them will look ridiculous. Yes, I secretly make fun of myself when I wear them - so please feel free to do the same. 

Buuuut, then, when I am wearing them, they are great! I have never been a big fan of shoes, so these are exactly what I need. It seriously feels like I am barefoot but I don't have to worry about stepping on something my barefoot wouldn't like. See, it's the best of both worlds. All it took was getting over a little bit of pride and sense of fashion (wait...do I even have one of those?). They are totally worth it. 

Today I went for my first run in them. I successfully completed just over 2.5 miles in about 25 minutes...which is great time for my first real run* in probably over two years. Everything about today's run felt great. My calves feel like jello at the moment though so we'll see how it really went come tomorrow. Apparently it takes very different muscles to run barefoot. I do think I am in a lot better shape than I expected though. 

*Real Run: running consistently without stopping to walk or running out of motivation part way through. Or just plain justifying walking because if I don't have to expend the energy, then why do it? Right?

So, you may be asking now why did I buy new running shoes if I haven't completed a real run in a real long time. Well here it is: I have been wanting to start running again for a while now. My old shoes (the ones I got just post half marathon - Fall 2009) were done for. I couldn't even complete a shift at work without them hurting me. A couple weeks ago, I decided I was going to do it and bought the shoes. Today, I bought new running clothes. Now I have no excuses - these purchases need to be justified. I even have a goal to work towards: The Dirty Dash on June 2nd. After today I feel like it is sooo doable! And who knows - maybe we'll even works towards a Tough Mudder. 

Happenings

Our last month or so without word clutter.

People Watchers Unite

I've always enjoyed watching the funny things people do and as it turns out, Hunter enjoys that too. Depending on where you are, you can be occupied for significant amounts of time. I'm sure many of you can relate. 

Turns out our little dog enjoys this past time more than anyone else I have ever met. 

Every single day she spends lots of time standing on the couch and looking out the window. Sometimes she will spend upwards of an hour in that position - barely moving. 

Maybe she's really looking out the window and dreaming of endless fields full of wonderful smelling grass and various chase-able items?

Seriously, this happens every day. Multiple times. 

She's such a funny little dog. I do wish very much that she could speak english. Perhaps then we could understand this little obsession of hers a little better. 

March is a Good Month

March is a good month. Want to know why? It is when all our birthdays occur - mine on the 7th, Hunter's on the 27th and our little dog was born on the 8th. My mom's birthday is also in March, on the 4th. This year, all of us kids were able to go home and celebrate. 

Kenny flew in from Canada and told my mom the plan was for him to ride to Parowan with a friend, when in reality he was going to come with my and my appearance would be a surprise. Despite a few bumps in the road - my almost blowing the surprise the Sunday before, my car dying in the middle of an intersection on Tuesday and refusing to start again - we made it with all things according to plan! Britt was able to join us a few hours later, and of course Kurtis who still lives at home was already there.

We had a super fun and relaxing weekend. We all just kinda hung out and caught up on each others lives. 

For my mom's birthday, we all gave her presents (which she declared are pretty awesome when you have grown kids) and had cake to close out the day. It was a yummy chocolate raspberry cake. Mmm, mmm, good!

And of course, this little dog joined in on all the fun. Everyone loves her and she loves all the attention she can get. 

Side note: I downloaded a new app that allows me to group pictures together nicely. Kinda cool. 

When we got back home, Hunter and I decided it was time to try out the dog park with Ameya again. Our last attempt wasn't so successful because she is protective and overwhelmed by all the other dogs. This time though was far more successful. She played with the other dogs, chased them around, and even wanted them to chase her too. It was great and we will definitely be going back soon. 

Isn't she cute?

For my birthday I had the day off, but Hunter had to work. We were able to enjoy a yummy breakfast and have a wonderful morning before he had to take off. Among other things, I got a food processor! I have wanted one for so long. haha. I'm sure many great things will come of this gift. 

That's all for now!