Happiness is...

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"My heart is, and always will be, yours."

~Jane Austen

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11 Weeks	22 Weeks	33 Weeks
12 Weeks	23 Weeks	34 Weeks
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Queen of the Yard

Shortly after moving into our new house, I installed a doggie door for Dulce.  Unfortunately, she still had to stay on a tie-out cable because our yard was unfenced.  When Johnnie got home from his last trip, we bought a sectional, no-dig fence and we Johnnie spent the weekend installing it.  It was a lot of work due to the hard, rocky ground but he did an amazing job!

Dulce once again has a freedom that she hasn't had for over a year.  She is the queen of the backyard and goes in and out of the doggie door all day long, ruling her kingdom.  She keeps an eye out for neighbors and their dogs, she keep the yard free of birds, and she is working on eradicating our yard's cricket population.

Dulce loves the weather here in Hawaii and often takes long naps out in the green grass and sunshine.

This is a short video of Dulce's first taste of off-leash freedom once we finished the fence.  She is one happy puppy :)

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"This part of my life... this part right here?  This is called "happiness."

~The Pursuit of Happyness

Happiness is a Doggie Door

I feel bad that I haven't been blogging as often as I used to.  It's not because I'm slacking off, it's just that we've been busy!  Johnnie is gone on a work trip so Dulce and I have been busy organizing and setting up our new house.

We'll be here for three years but this is still just a rental.  I will be hanging up photos and art on the walls and maybe even painting, but I don't want to put up any permanent things that would later damage surfaces or that we couldn't take with us when we move.

I've been scouting all the stores in the area looking for things to make the house organized and comfortable.  I bought things like over-the-door hooks and towel bars, hanging shelves for the closets, and containers for organization.  I'm not sure if it's just having a new house or possibly pregnancy-induced OCD, but I feel like everything needs to be organized and in it's place.  I've seen some great ideas on Pinterest that I've been trying to emulate.

One of the best things (especially in Dulce's opinion) that I got for the house is a doggie door!  We have a sliding door that leads to the back porch and yard.  There are doggie doors that fit in the door tracks and are held in place by tension springs.  I installed the door panel on the screen door track so that we can still close and lock the glass door.  It's been over a year since Dulce used a doggie door but it didn't take her long to remember... although she did slam her face against the screen door a few times at first :)

All we need now is a fence around our yard and Dulce will have her freedom back!

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"In seeking happiness for others, you find it for yourself."

~Anonymous

Happiness is New Running Shoes

I got new running shoes!  I put about 400 miles on the ASICS Gel-Nimbus 12 pair that I bought last summer so I upgraded to the Gel-Nimbus 13 this year.

Last year I got my running gait electronically analyzed at Road Runner Sports in Seattle and they recommended Superfeet Insoles in berry.  I was skeptical but decided to try them.  Turns out, they make a big difference in how my feet/legs/hips feel while running... enough to make me purchase a new pair this year.  There is a hard plastic form under the heel and arch providing light support and shock absorbing foam under the toes.  Just take out the insoles that came in the shoes (blue insole shown below) and slip the new ones in!  I love that the pink matches my shoes this year :)

I was never the athletic type growing up.  I wouldn't say I was really "a runner" until 2009 but there was a long road leading up to it.  Back in 2003 I ran my first half marathon.  In fact, it was my first road race ever.  The farthest I'd ever run before that point was 6 (grueling, huffing and puffing) miles.  I was not in shape and not prepared.  I wore the wrong shoes, the wrong clothes, and I knew nothing about hydration, energy or pacing while running.  Needless to say, the race was miserable.  I started out running as fast as I could, burnt out soon after that, and thought I was going to die by mile 3.  After a lot of run/walking, I did actually finish the race but I could barely walk for a week afterwards and I lost four toenails.  I stopped running after that.

Fast forward to 2007.  I decided to try running again but I did too much too quickly and got an injury that took months to heal.  Fast forward to 2009.  I finally started learning about fitness and nutrition, joined a gym, and started running again.  This time, armed with knowledge.  Luckily the climate I lived in was great for running almost year round and there were often local races to run in.  In 2010 I ran 16 races, including the Muddy Buddy and 2 half marathons.  I turned a friend onto running in February 2010 and we ran most of the races together, including a half marathon in September that same year.  I'm so proud of her for coming that far in about six months time and I love having a running buddy who runs at my pace!  Now that we live apart, we've decided to get together every year and run a half marathon in a different state.  This year will be Texas and we've got other friends joining us!

2010 Road Races (Dulce ran 3 of them!)

The Muddy Buddy in Atlanta, June 2010.  This was a 5 mile running/biking partner race that included obstacles to climb on/under/over along the way and ending with a crawl through a mud pit.  It was the coolest race I've ever done yet!  We were team "Short and Sweet" - I was Short :)

The Virginia Beach Rock N Roll Half Marathon, September 2010.  I ran this with my running buddy and we did great!  The course is flat and the last couple miles are along the boardwalk.  The Rock N Roll Marathon Series races are a blast to run because there are bands and cheerleaders along the entire race course and a large concert the night of the race.

The Las Vegas Rock N Roll Half Marathon, December 2010.  Johnnie and I were in Vegas for a conference so we decided to run this together.  It was an awesome race running up and down the Vegas strip complete with many "Elvis" runners and a "run-through wedding" station!

I'm hooked.  I'm a runner for life.  I'm not a fast runner but I'm a strong runner.  It's great for getting and staying in shape but it also has a strong positive effect on my mental well-being.  I actually enjoy running  (now that I know what I'm doing) and finally get that "runner's high" which really is an addictive feeling!  My goal is to one day be winning first place in my age group at races simply because I'm the oldest one there still running :)

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"In running, it doesn't matter if you come in first, middle, or last. 

The satisfaction comes from saying 'I finished the race'."

~Fred Lebow

Happiness is Flowers and a New Bone

Cue the sad puppy dog eyes...

Johnnie is off traveling the world for a while, leaving Dulce and I to keep each other company until he returns.  Things here just aren't the same without him.  Being the amazing husband that he is, he calls me at least once a day to let me know he's okay and to chat a while about how our day went.  Those phone calls are the best part of my days :)  As a military wife, I'm used to him being away but it certainly never gets any easier.  I will miss him every minute until he comes home!

Dulce knows that Johnnie is gone and she misses him too.  Every night when it's time for bed she sits by the bedroom door looking at me as if saying "Where's daddy? Isn't he coming to bed too?"  Every few minutes she paws at his side of the bed looking for him and then returns to her post by the door until I turn off the lights.

On the day he left, Johnnie sent me flowers.  Gerbera Daisies are my favorite (they were the flowers at our wedding) and they make me smile and think of him every time I see them :)

Dulce got a big new rawhide bone to keep her occupied while Johnnie is gone but at the rate she chews, it's highly unlikely to last the whole time!

*******

"Distance between two hearts is not an obstacle, but

rather a beautiful reminder of just how strong true love can be."

~Author Unknown

Happiness is Snow and Household Goods

It snowed last night!  I'm actually not a fan but freshly fallen snow does look pretty.  Dulce hasn't seen snow since she was about 4 months old.  When we went out this morning, she ran around biting at it until she realized it wasn't a solid thing she could grab with her mouth.

The big news today is that our household goods that we shipped from Georgia back in December are finally here!!!  Everything was packed into 3 wooden crates on a truck.  The entire side of the truck opened, our boxes were taken out of the crates, and three men zipped around getting everything unloaded as quickly as they could.  I was handed a clipboard, a pen, and a list of what we packed.  All I had to do was check off the box numbers as the guys brought them in and direct where everything was placed.  They unwrapped everything that was wrapped in packing paper and left the boxes for me to do later.  I am so excited to put things away and turn our stark apartment into an actual home!  Dulce seems most excited that our living room area rug is here.  As soon as I rolled it some of it open, she started rubbing her face on it.  She's been chilling on it with her chew bone ever since :)

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"May your troubles be less

And your blessings be more

And nothing but happiness

Come through your door."

-an Irish blessing