My aunt made her way over from Florida and brought with her a bunch of presents, cheery disposition and most of all HELP!
She hung out and adventured with Hendrix all week long, she played the silly games he asked to play and drove him around town. She jumped for 2 hours at a trampoline park and didn’t complain once.
Christmas morning we all got a ton of great gifts. My best gifts? HIKING BOOTS! And a Columbia fleece jacket. I’ve been drooling over both and Aunt Mel got the boots and Jesse got the jacket for me. I also got great warm socks for these cold cold winter nights, fleece lined leggings, extra jackets, a flannel shirt, face masks and chocolate. Jesse got all his tools he wanted, a combo beer cooler and grill for tailgating and candy. Hendrix got a drone, toys, socks, clothes, transformer RC car (Bumblebee), adventure outdoor kit, BB gun rifle, and fishing pole. River got quite a few toys.
The best part about Christmas Day? We went on a hike. Jesse, who normally is not one to hike- as he is a get to the destination and don’t enjoy the journey kinda guy- amused us with his company and we all set out. hendrix had his adventure bag with a compass and binoculars, we all bundled up (it was about 35 out) and set out to hike. We only did a 1.5 miles or so but it was so fun! And we even got to hear a girl playing the trumpet on the bay and listen to the beautiful music.
River has started refusing to go in walks, it’s been cold but I don’t know if it’s that or bored of the route. I think he is just bored, and he is getting into his rebellious age! Peeing and pooping right outside of the box. It is driving me BONKERS! I SWEAR, I am losing it haha.
Tuesday- 2 mile bike ride hills and 1.5 mile run!
Wednesday- SICK- I think the combination of waking up early and just grinding all day took its toll. I was exhausted and have a lil cold. So I called out of work and put H and R in bed with me, a Christmas movie on and I passed out! I slept through the afternoon, waking up for potty and snack breaks
Thursday- recovering- everyone has a lil cold but R is only up 1x a night to pee
Friday-Sunday: CHRISTMAS SHOPPING. We spent no family time together except for dinner. We had to go out separately to get christmas presents. I finally started feeling better, but the holidays are looming ever closer.
Also, I tried to do a virtual game night with my work- and lets just say… I hated it. I am not good at escape rooms.
edit : I just realized I never actually wrote down my goals for next year. Thanks to the craziness of everything going on. guess that is next weeks post.
I’ve always been family oriented… especially during the holidays. It’s not like they are super fun or do anything, but it’s the comfort of my parents and brother, of opening presents at their house. it’s what I’ve always known.
When we moved I knew I would forfeit some of that luxury, but I hoped with all my might that I would see them this season. They were planning to come out for a week and we would be able to show them around. Make them see that our town isn’t the cliche hicks-ville like portrayed in movies. Unfortunately they can’t come. California is on lock down again, my dads work won’t allow people to travel… he is almost about to retire and doesn’t want to mess anything up.. I get it. But dang, it has really hit me this week. Monday I cried for a while just missing my family, our old life, the comforts of knowing where we were. Don’t get me wrong, I love it here, but I miss them. Tuesday morning I cried more. I was just on edge, I didn’t sleep well, H woke up with nightmares a few times, and River had to use the bathroom and I couldn’t go back to sleep after the 4:30am break. Jesse tried to make a little joke and I lost it. Right there, 6am I was bawling and curled up in a ball. I explained how overwhelmed I was with work and teaching and how this is my first holiday ever not seeing my family. It’s his too, but he is handling it better… or quieter than me. I’ve felt off, in a slump. Not wanting to get out of sweats and do anything really.
After talking and crying and big hugs I needed time to myself. Luckily it was so dang early in the morning I didn’t have a nugget knocking on my door, and I could take some time. I wanted to share that with you, because 2020 had handed all of us some cards, but it’s all about how we look at it. We were forced to grow during this time, make life decisions and find ourselves.
A couple years Ago I wouldn’t have been able to easily explain my emotions for fear I was being stupid. Now I really don’t care how silly it sounds, it’s how I feel and it is clearly effecting me. I don’t know why I wanted to share this, but I felt the need to!
Monday- emotional breakdown city
Tuesday- 1.5 mile walk with River (split into three different walks) ! He did awesome!! The plan was to also go to the gym, after my morning break down J told me I should run and get some emotions out, but work had other plans and my phone was whittled down to no battery because I was on hold with government. Running on a treadmill with no distractions is torture for me. I would get more upset than anything so I took River out for another walk. And it helped! Then J made tacos and gave me the night off from cooking.
Wednesday- .68 miles morning walk with River .45 miles in the evening after work ~2 mile run on treadmill after!
Thursday- 1 mile walk (split in 2) today he started to refuse to walk! He just wasn’t having it so the first walk was like 2 minutes or less
Friday- small walks but not much
Saturday- first time leaving river at home for almost 5.5hrs! He did phenomenal too! No accidents and came out and used the potty after greeting us. No barking at all
Sunday- chill day and laundry. A one mile bike ride at the gym and that pretty much summed up my week!
Holidays are tough, and usually I run during tough times but I am finding it so hard to find the time. i know i need to make time for myself but when no one else gets their time to themselves it makes it extra hard for me to justify it!! How do you guys make time for it all?!
I need to follow my blog picture, tattoo it on me! Let the world see.. this is what I need to stay sane and somewhat happy during a time I don’t get to see family and money is so tight.
I have no title. I literally don’t know what to do. While I have no time to train, I also feel completely out of my element. And don’t know what to do. Which then makes me want to start a training cycle all over again so I have something to follow. What do you guys do? How does one just work out with no end goal????
Third week with puppy. First week really doing NO training and it’s weird.
First week we juggled sleepless nights, lots of accidents, dealing with school and puppy and tiredness.
Second week we had a full house and no school so it was easier to juggle. We caved in and let the pup sleep in our bed and got a good nights sleep. And no more accidents!
third week we are back at school and reminded how much we hate this curriculum. It’s tough juggling it all and knowing we aren’t where we want to be. The puppy is playing fetch like all the time and then getting worn out and sleeping for hours and then back at it.
Do you guys have a vision of where you want to be? Do you know how you’re going to get there? All in all, we are so happy and grateful for what we have. We can taste our freedom and the thought of buying a house is so near and dear to us. Are we making less money and working harder than ever to make ends meet here? Yes. The pay is lower. And it’s been difficult. But we are happier. The atmosphere here is different. Better.
I don’t think I got much running in, a mile here or there during the week while H rode his bike. And then a couple miles over the weekend but the heater was on in the gym and I couldn’t hang for long !
I think I broke the bike while on here Bc it wouldn’t register the pedals movi after a couple
River got his first walk in! He did awesome!!
Okay. Also, I need help, maybe someone can help and comment!!!?? Which picture should we get on a canvas to give to my parents?!
I’m officially not training for the halfmarathon anymore. It’s just not in the cards right now, I’ve got more to handle, like making sure the kiddo doesn’t fall behind in school while still enjoying learning, training a pup, keeping myself happy and fulfilled, working on my relationship with the hubs (it’s a never ending process- ya know what I mean?)… while I have some major goals next year, this year I am going to slow it down. Still run, still keep active, but no hardcore training. The last two years I have trained hard during this time for my January races.. and it’s always put strain on the whole family, while everyone fully supports my running and never says anything against it. I know that it creates some issues especially during the holiday season. Plus I don’t have the determination this year to do it. So why punish myself for a tradition? It’s not worth it!
On a totally different note, we do have a potty trained puppy!! We DO NOT have a puppy that is sleeping through the night, though. So let’s say I’m working on about 4 hours of sleep a night. J included because I have to get him up to tell the pup to stop yapping when he won’t listen to me 😂. He still has to pee every few hours, he barks at 4am to take a poop and then at 5am to pee and tries to play and then is up at 6am on the dot. That’s okay though, I’m starting to enjoy our mornings, just me and him… playing to get his energy out, I turn on a sitcom and watch quietly and he gets fed and poops again, all that good stuff. We will work out the sleep schedule soon enough. *edit* we caved and he sleeps in bed with us… perfectly! Looks like he just needed to be with others and hates being alone… I get it! And we’ve actually gotten sleep! I wake up 2x a night to let him pee and then he’s good. No barking, no whining, no anger from us. Much more sleep. We may have created a monster, but we needed sleep!! Don’t judge lol
By next year he will be able to go out on real walks, and I know (sincerely hope!) this guy will be all about the trails and I plan to do some hiking with him! I know not a ton right off the bat, he won’t be able to do long ones at first, but soon… soon! I’m looking into a doggy backpack, so when he gets tired I can throw him in there and keep on going 😂😂. Worth a shot!
For the month of December, I really want to aim for running a minimum of 1 mile a day. And hopefully get up to 10-15k on the weekends. That would be awesome! And then 2021 I want to hike! I want to go to the range more, we want to start going to the archery park! (Hello Christmas present?! Might be getting a compound bow! 😍) but anyway, I want to continue being active but exploring different hobbies, branch out from running.
Monday– prepping for auntie to come to town, we cleaned the crap out of this place! Also went to an interview for a new restaurant with a bizarre concept. It would work more in big cities but not downhome small towns
Tuesday– first day without any accidents! No running for me, working longer hours this week since J is home and able to help out. We did get to enjoy some skinny margs at night!
Wednesday– 5k plus some extra up hill walking.
We caved Wednesday night and let the pup sleep at the bottom of the bed with us. And guess what? No whining, no accidents, no issues! I took him out twice to use the bathroom, he didn’t give any cues but I thought it was about time to try and he went. He did so good!
Thursday – virtual 5k! Hit some paces I didn’t know I still had in me! Really proud I pushed myself to complete this!! Then I stretched and used my gun massager (swear ya’ll need to get one because it really pushes out the lactic acid!)
I would also like to take a minute to say I am so grateful for so many outlets! I have running, hiking, working up a sweat, writing, reading, my family… these outlets create a way for me to channel all my feelings and I’m so thankful I have them. Like pillars of my life holding me up and allowing me to be the best version of myself. My family, even though far away are only a text or phone call away… yeah I miss them like hell, but I am so glad to have their blessing to live the way I want to live. I truly am happier here than I was on the west coast. It feels more possible for us to live on land and have this lifestyle that we are craving! Think the country… with a farm and livestock and living it up. 🐄🐎🐂🐃🐑🐏🐓🦃🐐🦌
For thanksgiving, we had a big feast! And my favorite part? THE PUMPKIN PIE WITH WHIPPED CREAM!!! I love pumpkin pie 🥧😍 and stuffing, and mashed potatoes… and turkey…. I love it all. And I hope you guys enjoyed your thanksgiving as well!!
Friday– since getting River it’s been difficult for us to really give H the attention he needs. It’s puppy all the time and as much as we include him in the remaining and playing as much as possible it’s still hard for him. So, today after we did a photo shoot (yes!! We did a little photo shoot 😍) we put river in his crate and took H out to go to a trampoline park. He had so much fun!
One of our pics! We went for casual/“hiking” style instead of dressing up.
Saturday- the arches of my feet were quite sore from the run! Paired with needing new shoes and trying to run on the mid-sole/front foot it’s no wonder I’m a little achey. We didn’t do much, we are practicing leaving the pup home alone for a few hours so he isn’t always attached at the hip. We did laundry and hung out and mostly chilled during the day. It’s been a lazy feeling week.
Sunday- I needed to work out and get some exercise in! So after making the boys lunch I headed to the gym and went on the bike for about 3 miles and did some legs and arms while waiting for the ONLY treadmill to finish. yep… just one. But normally no one is on it. Anyway, I had every intention of doing a 10k but after doing the bike and weights and waiting I just didn’t have it in me. So I did ~2 miles slow run trying to keep my HR down and then an inclined fast paced walk for a total of 30 minutes.
I’m actually stretching afterwar
When you run on the treadmill… do you like watching or listening to something? For me, I have to have a visual… so if I’m passing the time and trying to just do a long run I turn on either something funny or an action packed movie. But for the virtual run I did, I had music videos playing. I listened to LIzzo for most of it and then another playlist with fast paced music. It’s gotta be fast and loud to keep me going!
Monday- Plan: There was no plan! And there was no execution. Monday was very very tough and exhausting. For one thing, Hendrix cut his hand REALLY badly and he nearly passed out from all the blood. Not that he lost a ton (it was pretty bloody) but he got nauseous from the sight of blood. He was trying to cut something, I wasn’t paying enough attention and all hell broke loose. Jesse came speeding home, our friend down the street came over to help as well and we glued the cut together. Yes.. it was that bad. He would’ve needed stitches if we didn’t superglue it. So, first day with the puppy and Hendrix… H hurt and wanting to just cuddle all day. Me running after the puppy to get him to pee and poop on the puppy pad. IT WAS MAYHEM. Jesse came home and I was just frazzled and exhausted.
Tuesday- I had a good talk with H about really needing to step up and help out with River because I couldn’t do it all on my own. And he did step up! He was falling into the whistle blower category and just saying what the pup was doing and not helping at all. So, he started to really help and he is getting more comfortable with the pup. I wasn’t as exhausted so I got to go to the gym for a 30 minute cross training work out. Earlier that day I introduced River to the vacuum cleaner, he didn’t like it too much. J shot a couple little bb’s from the bb gun to introduce him to that sound. We want River as a hunting dog also so we are trying to do small introductions and researching the right way to do it. (which we later found we shouldn’t have done the bb gun just yet, but we are learning and he didn’t freak out at all!) River woke up almost every hour that night to pee, the only upside was he would immediately pee on his pad and then go back to sleep.
Wednesday- Morning- he peed and pooped on his pad with NO prompting. And continued the good streak most of the day. Aside from a few accidents because we didn’t change out the pad. Of course the day went great and then at night… Monster!
Thursday- I can’t remember anything.
Friday- who knows!!!???? 🙄 except Friday night I got about 3.5 hours of sleep! This pup is really giving us a run for our money!
Saturday- we went to Canal Rd to do some fishing. It had some muddy ground and rocks, it was very deserted so we felt it was okay for the pup to explore. I sillily thought he was scared of the outside because he is doesn’t bolt out the door when it opens. He usually backs away. But he was LOVING it and got muddy and was all over the place! Then he passed out for 5 hours!! And we couldn’t get him up. Which led to a bad night sleep lol. But we did try to keep him up once we got home and play with him the whole time. Didn’t help much.
We brought his crate with us on our day out so when we parked he could crash in there. Worked great! He loved it
After exploring he quickly passed out
Sunday- 2 mile run on treadmill and .5 mile incline walk
Over the past week I was still getting over a little cold. I didn’t want to push myself too hard so I walked.. my job has a little challenge to get exercise in each day. Everyone thought I was going to blow them out of the water since I run so much. And then I got sick… and barely did a thing. And even walking tired me out some. By Friday I was feeling better!
Saturday though… was a big day! We got a puppy! And oh my is he a lot of work… I took night duty and successfully got him to use the pee pad two times and had no accidents (that night)! Woo hoo! He isn’t allowed outside just yet because he needs to complete his parvo shots. And since we live in an apartment complex it’s not safe to have him outside just yet.
Sunday, despite only sleeping a few hours I got in a 2.5 mile run with incline increments and then a .5 mile walk on the highest incline! Then some leg work, arms and back and core.
ride home
Having a puppy is HARD WORK. I am exhausted, and frankly sitting on the ground trying to get him to pee on the pad is tough. It hurts my back and butt and makes me realize how much more strength training I need to focus on.
So, hopefully soon I can sleep longer and get more than 4-5 hours of sleep… puppy raising is hard. But they are so darn cute and we hope that in time he will be a great listener. He is a fast learner, just RAMBUNCTIOUS!
*disclaimer* I wrote this back in April when we all thought this would be over by summer 😂 and then shit just got worse.
Back in April…
I will admit, I was starting to waiver in positivity. Daily I waiver… it is hard work to keep your positive energy up. And I dipped low a couple times. Not only is COVID-19 disrupting our lives, but there is more stress involved now.. with a 5 year old home all the time wanting to play, to property management really not being very great, to people walking around looking like they are going to loot our car… we are stressed. I am trying to focus on the positives…
I get to work from home and be with my family, I still have a job that can help to provide for my family, we live in a good area right next to the beach and near trails to walk and run, we have running water, food, love and family
Sometimes we lose sight of the positives, so here are some ways I am keeping my head up and what is working for me, maybe it’ll work for you too?
keep a routine, get SLEEP!
meditate/ yoga
listen to calming/happy music
do 1 thing for yourself each day
Join a virtual challenge- I have been doing a plank challenge, and I didn’t realize how much I enjoy the community I was posting in until I didn’t do it one day, and I felt bad! It doesn’t take long, just a couple minutes in your day and you get awesome thumbs up from the community
Work up a sweat! Even if you don’t want to, you want to just curl up, trust me… a little fresh air or sweat drippin’ inside is going to help!
Get dressed and out of your sweat pants! Dress up for you!
Express your emotions- either by writing (I do this), singing, dancing, working out, drawing, painting… anything!
Know that it is OK to take a break/ or a nap, you don’t have to be “on” 100% of the time. We all need rests
Eat some fruits and vegs’, for me the constant processed junk food really puts me down and I crave some fresh foods.
FaceTime a friend! I didn’t realize how badly I was missing my best friends face until we FaceTimed the other day for like 2 hours. We didn’t have a lot to say necessarily but it was so nice just having her with me to talk and do normal daily things with.
Be easy with yourself, we are all facing something completely unknown! I don’t know about you, but it is taking me some time to adjust to this new routine, and I am allowing myself to slowly ease in and figure out how the best way I can cope.
Keep dreaming! Think of what you get to do after this quarantine is over… hopefully we can go back to how things were- but who knows how long that will take. I am most looking forward to my daily routine being back in place! Also, a camping trip in the near future! 🙂
take a trip down memory lane; photos or movies. Lately we have been watching older movies and showing them to our son so he can see the “classics” or our classics. Today we watched E.T., he also got to watch part of The Perfect Storm- he is obsessed with fishing, just like his dad, so he got to watch when they were catching all the sword fish.
Try something new, my son is very good at this. Each day we have taken out something new for him to do… drawing chalk drawings on the side walk, scootering, skate boarding, scavenger hunts is his next request! Dad and I have to work on that one lol!
April dressed up
Fast forward to November 2020- we moved states to go after more land and something more of our dreams.
so while reading through my post I wrote so many months ago I chuckle. Some of it is true. Some I tossed out the window and said IDFWU! Wear what you want, but dressing up DOES help, even if it’s a matching set of workout gear lol. 95% of the time I’m with no makeup and dressed in baggy sweats because comfort is #1. My hair thrown up in a pony tail or braid or a hat thrown on. And ya know what? I like myself more without makeup! (So there’s a plus) I whole heartedly agree with exercising and getting outside to work up a sweat, staying in touch with friends and family, be easy with yourself and try something new, stay positive and keep a routine if you can. But also, just do what you want and don’t be a lazy ass??
At first it was just the kiddo that tried new things. Now we all are. From shooting to hunting to new fishing grounds to hiking. It’s new and exciting.
November 2020 not giving af about dressing up when I don’t need to
First off… where did the year go? It’s November!! I find this absolutely insane that we are about to end the year. And yeah, you’ll probably hear this a few more times from me.
Monday- plan: 7 miles Actual: 7 miles on the treadmill! This was tough to do on the treadmill because it gets boringggg.
Tuesday- REST day and Election Day. We spent 2+ hours in line to vote. We also went to the DMV to get our cars registered. Which reminds me I need to call the bank lol. H went to sleep and woke up around midnight with a high fever and it was pretty much no sleep from there on out.
Wednesday- plan: 30 min treadmill speed session with strength training I’ve also completely deleted all the apps from my phone. But have been checking in to see what is going on with people and if mayhem has broken out And to keep an eye on what’s happening. Skipped- h was sick the night before and it was another rest day
Thursday- I felt sick!
Friday- despite not feeling the best, I had a good nights sleep and decided to get out for a walk to get my body moving. Then it completely exhausted me!!! I didn’t run.
Saturday- original plans were to go to the shooting range. But as H is growing so is his rebellion and we nixed the plans for it. I should have gone on a run, or worked out… but I’m still struggling.
Sunday- cough has gotten a bit worse. We went fishing for a bit but it was too windy. Very inactive week
My original goal was to make it one week. I started Thursday October 22 around 2pm and ended today. I haven’t posted but wrote a couple messages and then found myself scrolling a little. And ya know what? I hate it.
I have seen and felt some great benefits of taking a hiatus from social media. And frankly, I DONT MISS IT! I do miss the connection with a couple close girls I talked to daily that I met through Instagram, but that is about it. I don’t miss the constant comparison I felt when others ran faster or longer than me, or seemed to always be so much more positive. I felt the constant need to comment back or give praise to others for completing their runs and getting their goals. I was trying to show this happy person who only ran and had no other goals or hobbies. And… that is not me. I am not 2D.
Pros of removing social media from life: 1. less time on the phone 2. more time to spend with J and H 3. Learning more things! Pinterest has become a great friend (again) and I have learned more about hiking, wilderness and living outdoors 4. I have finished a book (audio) and am about to finish another one 5. I have been writing more 6. I only have to charge my phone ONCE a day instead of 60,000 times during the day! 7. In general, I feel happier (there are still ups and downs, especially with PMS haha) 8. I am not snacking as much! Like I am more here and present and not absently reaching for food. 9. I have found a great fun show that everyone enjoys, Mountain Men, and it shows a whole new lifestyle of living off the land. Being isolated and secluded and living a happy full life. It is intriguing. However, in this particular show it shows most of the wives’ staying home for cooking and cleaning, and if we were to ever live off the land (which is a dream of ours) I would not be okay with just staying home and not going on any adventures! 10. I have been able to listen to ME more, so instead of me thinking I would be letting a follower down from not doing my scheduled run or making that post every day, I could just be like ” I DON’T FEEL LIKE TAKING A PICTURE OR POSTING TODAY” and it has been really nice 11. I haven’t online shopped at all! I put Amazon in my “HIATUS” folder… oh I didn’t delete the apps because I was afraid I wouldn’t know the passwords, so I just put them in a folder to not touch. I haven’t added anything into Amazon and I have been doing much better with spending 12. I am putting us on a tight budget, since changing jobs… I really don’t have extra money to spend. So I need to come up with a plan for us. J is the bread winner now… and we are working towards saving for a house.
CONS: 1. I am still on my phone/computer- with Pinterest and looking up hiking adventures, mountain biking and what not, but I am not digesting “crappy” things like silly tik tok videos from IG. 2. I feel like I am avoiding people on social media now. I know there are messages, I did check on one friend because of the hurricane coming, but she wasn’t too bothered by it. So that was that. But I do feel I am just avoiding talking to people, which makes me feel bad sometimes. 3. Removing my phone really makes me realize how much we rely on our phones. I almost wanted to sell the iPhone and get a flip phone, but then I realized there is so much more to the phone than social media, so many more apps I use besides those for the phone. And one is FaceTime. I like being able to call my family and see them. 4. I feel behind on the news times…. like I’m not in the “know” so that kinda blows. But trying to stay up to date as much as possible.
On Friday I checked in on social media and made a post that I’m just not ready to come back just yet. And I’ve been on sporadically and then just felt meh. It’s not fulfilling. It’s not something I want to keep filling my day with. But it Does leave me feeling “isolated” from friends. But does it really? Idk.
Then, I went on Facebook and saw some friends and their Halloween costumes. It was cute. Then I kept scrolling. Then I looked on market place. I think I was on Facebook for a total of 1.5 hours from Friday-Monday. Monday at 1:45pm I deleted it off my phone. Don’t need it. Don’t want it. Don’t want to make my brain toxic again with people complaining and one thing or the next. So, bye bye Facebook. Not really into you instagram. See ya later snap chat.
Run Jac Run 🏃🏻♀️ 