Unfortunately my conference started today, so I had to part ways and attend lectures for most of the day.
San Diego Day #2
Day 2 started at 4:00 am. Neither Wyatt nor Ingot used to the 3 hour time difference and it made for a long, but fun, day. Here it is in pictures:
After dinner the boys went back to the pool. I was exhausted and stayed in zoning out to Food Network and writing up this post.
San Diego Day #1
My Experience on the Arbonne 28 Day Detox/Healthy Eating Diet
A friend of mine is a consultant for Arbonne and had been trying to get me to do their fancy 30 day detox/healthy eating diet for a long time. I finally caved in March and forked over my $290. I was extremely skeptical with the entire thing and it was a lot of money to spend. I asked a million questions about what was to be expected, what the benefits were and what I would feel. It began on March 6th and is now completed and I have a lot of thoughts on it to share.
To begin with, lets go over the claims the program made:
- Weight loss of with some people losing up to 25 pounds in 4 weeks
- Clearer skin including acne, psoriasis etc
- Regular bowels
- Improved hydration
- Improved energy, no more after lunch fatigue
- Complete loss of any cravings for sugary or high carb foods
- Expanded palate
- Decreased grocery bill that not only covers the cost of the program but goes in excess of it
- No hunger
I will get into how each of those applied to me in a bit, but I want to first fill you in on what the program actually was.
For $290 I received the following:
- Two large bags of protein powder, one vanilla and one chocolate
- Two boxes of detox hot tea bags
- Two boxes of “fizz sticks” a non caffeinated, no sugar added powder to flavor water
- One box of digestion plus, a probiotic formula
- One bag of fiber powder
- Seven packets of a cleanse agent
- A free gift – they recommend a greens balancing powder so that is what I did
- Access to a closed Facebook group with pointers, education and weekly meal plans
So what exactly is the plan?
Morning: hot cup of detox tea
Breakfast: protein shake. They recommend you add the probiotic, the greens and the fiber in the morning. They provide several recipes for different shake flavors and you have freedom to make your own.
Lunch: protein shake. You can also eat real food as long as you follow the dietary restrictions.
Snacks: permitted and include choice of a handful of almonds, an apple with almond butter, a single hard boiled egg.
Beverages: use of the fizz stick once or twice a day. It has vitamins in and they claim an energy boost
Dinner: A meal from their menu. You may eat out as long as you follow the dietary restrictions
Before bed: hot cup of detox tea
The third week: add the body cleanse liquid to 32 oz of water daily for 7 days and drink slowly during the day.
Restrictions: no dairy, gluten, caffeine, coffee, tea besides theirs, sugar, alcohol.
So how did I do?
I’m a rule follower to a fault, so things like this are actually pretty easy for me to do. If it says not to eat something, I won’t. I already didn’t do alcohol, coffee or dairy besides cheese. The gluten, sugar and caffeine would be the hard part in all of this. Plus I hate cooking, so there was that. Going into it I had a few concerns: the cost, being hungry and cravings. I was assured none of those would be an issue.
I was very diligent and followed all the rules: I made my breakfast shake with the chocolate powder and added frozen strawberries, lunch was a vanilla and strawberry shake. I found early on that if I didn’t eat real food for lunch, I was weak, irritable and too starving to think clearly in the afternoon so I began to eat leftovers or a salad for lunch specifically on days I went to the gym or for a ride after work. I drank my two hot teas, my one fizz stick and avoided everything it said to avoid. Even when a drug rep brought me Jimmy Johns and when we took Wyatt out for frozen yogurt. I didn’t even taste it. I was good and didn’t cheat one single time.
Ease of use: 5/5
How did everything taste?
Honestly, I didn’t mind the taste of anything. The tea is a minty flavor and was a good wake up in the morning and let down before bed. Adding frozen strawberries and ice to the shake actually made it taste like a milkshake even though I was using unsweetened almond milk. The greens powder did taste a little like grass, but added to the chocolate and strawberries it was barely noticeable. The fizz sticks were great. The fiber and probiotic were tasteless. Even the cleansing liquid was ok. It had a weird taste almost like a powdered ice tea drink without sugar added. My biggest complaint with taste was the dinner menu. Every single recipe used garlic, cumin and chili powder. Really by the end of week two I was tired of the combination and aching for some variety. All in all the recipes were really bland too. I made a turkey chili and Wyatt took a big spoonful then asked “Mom, where is the flavor?” You know it is bland when a 4 year old is asking for it to be spiced up.
As far as taste goes, I’d say it was all pretty good and definitely doable without any gagging, suffering through or forcing myself to stay on track.
Taste: 4/5
Results:
Now for the real deal. Did the program, even when followed completely to the letter without any cheating at all, live up to its claims?
- Weight loss
- My initial weigh in was 134.4 lbs. I’m 5’4″, so that puts me at a normal BMI. To be fair, I didn’t have a ton to lose, but I wanted to get back to 130 lbs by the end.
- I weighed myself at the same time and on the same scale wearing the same clothes each week. Its easy to do when you wear scrubs and weigh in at work.
- Week 2 – 134.2
- Week 3 -134.0
- Week 4 – 132.8 (after a week of colon cleansing)
- Clearer skin
- I saw no difference in any aspect at all. Again, I wasn’t fighting much of anything major. I do have rough pathes on my arms which a lot of people claim is secondary to gluten, but after a month on this diet, I saw no change for better or worse
- Regular bowels
- Got worse. I tend towards slower than normal and was looking forward to more regularity. Even with the added fiber, probiotic and drinking a ton of water each day, my bowels were slower and worse at the end of the month
- Improved hydration
- This did occur. I was happy with the forced water intake as I am bad at this on my own.
- Improved energy, no more after lunch fatigue
- I will say that I never had a crash after lunch, but by 4:30 pm I was done. I was hungry, weak and tired. It made working out really difficult because I was just too energy depleted to do it.
- Complete loss of any cravings for sugary or high carb foods
- I missed bread the entire time. Sugar and caffeine not so much, but I missed eating sandwiches and never found myself happy to not indulge.
- Expanded palate
- 50/50 on this one. Eating out became a challenge on finding what fit the rules, so it did expand my palate in that I ate things I typically wouldn’t have otherwise. I didn’t enjoy them any more at the end versus the beginning and I certainly wouldn’t go around claiming they were my favorite foods.
- Decreased grocery bill that not only covers the cost of the program but goes in excess of it
- Big fat NO. In fact, not even including the initial $290 out lay for the program, my grocery bill went up for the month nearly double. I was buying foods I wouldn’t typically buy, produce is always more expensive than not and I couldn’t sale shop and plan my menu around what was on sale. Instead I had to buy what was on the list. While I didn’t buy any junk foods, lunch meat, bread or pop, the offset was not enough.
- You won’t be hungry
- I was starving. The entire month. No addition of different fats, fruits or veggies to my shakes made a difference. I was even hungry after eating dinner. Healthy foods just don’t stick with you, or at least not the ones in this program, and I was so hungry on many days I felt nauseous.
In addition, the dinner menu was not varied. As I mentioned above, the same spices were used in every single dish. Quinoa was used in almost every dish as well. It just got a little old eating the same flavors and most things were under spiced. I learned quickly to double the recipe in terms of amounts of spices called for and it improved.
Claims met: 1.5/9
Concluding thoughts:
So, I’m torn.
I didn’t lose weight real weight as I don’t consider the 1lb 4 oz during the cleanse weight loss since it was all water loss and pretty much found every claim to be false, for me anyway. Why? I think part of it is that I already ate pretty well to begin with. The only restricted items I had to eliminate were cheese and gluten. I’m sure someone who had to radically change their diet would see a much more radical change in body form and function. I also think that I ended up consuming more calories on a daily basis than before although they were healthier and more nutrient dense calories.
Beyond that, what I missed the most was convenience. I had to cook pretty much every night since the food did not allow much for left overs and eating out was expensive and took longer since I couldn’t go to a fast food place. No breakfast for dinner or throwing in a frozen pizza. Healthier? Probably although that depends on how you determine that since I weighed and felt the exact same at the end as in the beginning, but more stressed for sure.
But….
I enjoyed the products quite a bit. Everything tasted really good and helped solve some of my diet issues: what to drink that isn’t sugar loaded but better tasting than water, what to eat for breakfast that isn’t loaded in carbs or sugar.
I had the ability to get a refund of all but shipping costs – somewhere around $270. All you have to do is ship back all part used and empty containers of the product. I could have, but I chose not to. I want to continue drinking the fizz drink, tea and shakes until they are all gone.
Would I recommend it? It depends. I do believe it opens your eyes to your own eating habits and where you can improve. If your current diet includes everything on the elimination diet and you can stick to the plan, I believe you could see some fantastic results with it. I was really disappointed at the end when I looked, felt and weighed no different than had I ate pizza and sandwiches instead, but I did enjoy eating everything and the most surprising thing….I learned to like cooking by the end. I even researched and made my own honey mustard dressing to replace the extremely fattening ranch I typically use with my frozen chicken nuggets (which I found gluten free ones I like better than the regular ones too).
I wouldn’t do it again, but I wouldn’t tell someone to absolutely not as long as they didn’t buy into the claims so much and did it more for education than anything else. I don’t plan to add gluten back to my diet either, well at least not when able to substitute it out. Cheese, though. Cheese is right back on the menu!
Farm Sitting Nerves
The biggest issue with having the horses home is what to do when we are away. In the last four years I have traveled all of zero times and even if I had been traveling, it would have been a non issue with the horses boarded. I suddenly found myself with travel plans and a problem on my hands.
Farm sitting for us isn’t really a big deal. There are no stalls to clean, no horses to catch and bring in or put back out. Just fill the feed pans and toss hay twice a day plus keep an eye on the water trough.
The bigger issue is the dogs, three cats one of which is in kidney failure and is special needs, fish and guinea pig. Its a zoo, I tell you.
When I made plans to go to this work conference (not a true vacation, I seem to be unable to take one of those), I immediately became concerned on what to do with our horde. Finding someone to house sit isn’t so easy. Thankfully I came into contact with the exact right person: a young college student who has a part time job working at a local barn. She can drive, is mature, doesn’t drink or smoke and wants a week out of her parent’s house. Perfection.
I had her come over on Saturday to take the tour. She was really nice and seemed to take everyone in their stride. I had already typed out a semi anal retentive list of instructions and plan to create a more general “how to work the house” type list as well. I’m generally not very concerned about our pets when we leave, but this time I find myself being very, very nervous. Mostly because my wonder cat, Scrabble, is really, really sick and I am worried something will happen when we are both out of town.
We debated all week about saying goodbye to him before Dusty left town on Saturday, but it didn’t sit well with me. It wasn’t time. Scrabble will tell us when it is time and just because we were leaving doesn’t mean it was his time as well. So, I am going to hope for the best while we are gone and plan to see my main guy greeting me at the door upon my return.
Popsugar Reading Challenge Book #15
This one was harder than I though it would be. I ended up just going to my local library website and performing a search with the keyword THE thinking it would bring int he most hits and restricting the search to those published this year. Then I looked through the results for something that sounded interesting and with multiple copies available.
A book published in 2017:Â The Girl in the Garden by Melanie Wallace
Lives merge, expand and contract when a young girl shows up in a small sea side New England town with an infant in her arms watching the man who brought her drive away to never return. Her own past is littered with heart break and enduring and has left her standing by the side of the road fearful of her present.
Mabel, who owns the rental cottages where she is dropped at, takes her in and gives her a home until they close down for the winter season. Mabel is grieving the loss of her husband by staunchly refusing to let go of his memory and effects and not letting anyone new in. Once the cottages are closed, she transfer the girl and her baby to her friend Iris, a hermit who enclosed herself into a secret garden at the passing of her own husband, although this was done out of hate and not love.
Their lives intersect with others as June and Luke settle into their new life helping Iris as best they can to take care of the grounds and then herself as she ages quicker than expected with a medical condition she won’t admit to having.
The book is a slice of life style novel that follows groups of people who are brought together and learn to heal from past scars through the arrival of June. Each chapter focuses on a different character although it is written in the third person throughout. This gives the reader a unique perspective of the same events through the lens of each character.
The writing style is easy to follow and modern day although quite a few run on sentences continued for an entire paragraph. The characters were what I consider ultra realistic: meaning they could exist and had all facets of real people but their stories were inflated and the arc of their eventual emotion recovery too swift and all inclusive.
I found the themes of trust and love to be intriguing and how the author showed the response to loss in such extremes as Mabel wearing her husband’s shoes every night to feel the imprint of his feet versus Iris who shut herself in and disowned the world. Both women locked themselves in their grief, not allowing life to move on but each did it in their own way. Each found freedom in the end, but this also differed for each.
Overall the themes are sad: loss, loneliness, abandonment, unrequited love. The story arc is beautifully written though and I found myself wishing for more pages at the end with so many open ended questions that I will never find an answer to.
5/5
Dressage Lesson – Breakthroughs Galore
Traffic can be really finicky which puts me at the barn either an hour early or barely on time depending on if I leave 15 minutes earlier or later from work. Growing up 15 minutes early was on time and anything after was late, so I always err on the side of way too early and Wednesday was no exception. It was 85F and sunny when I pulled into a crazy busy barn and I really enjoyed getting to sit in the grass and watch the lesson ahead of me. They were working on a really cool jumping exercise that I hope to someday be good enough to get a shot at: four cross rails were set creating an inner 20 meter circle. The girls would jump into the circle at the trot, maintain the canter after the jump and circle depending on which direction the instructor told them as they jumped in, and eventually she would tell them which jump to exit the circle on. It was all about maintaining a rhythm and rideable canter and planning ahead. It looked really hard and really fun!
But that wasn’t what my lesson was about.
I tacked up Ralphie, the Welsh-Arab cross gelding I rode the first time, and Trainer J told me we were going into the dressage arena. I was a little disappointed to not get to jump, but that soon evaporated in the lovely weather and good horse under me. Any time spent riding is good by me.
She explained the inner workings of the large dressage court I would be riding in which was all new to me having never been in an actual legal size one before and she put me to work riding down the long side on the quarter line, making a sharp and direct turn and back down the opposite quarter line. The goal was to work on straightness. I failed. When I turned down the other short side and headed back down my original quarter line I saw my woefully drunken sailor line I had previously made. Straightness is not my friend. We did it again and this time I worked really hard at keeping my horse between my legs and gong straight. It wasn’t perfect, but it was much improved.
Dusty and Wyatt showed up around the time we began a series of exercises that really helped me 1000% and I actually got some pictures to show you!!!
In order to better figure out both my own and Ralphie’s body, Trainer created a 20 meter circle at C placing a cone at the pinnacle f my circle at the center of the arena (no clue what letter belongs there, but it was a 20 meter circle at C). She asked me how many corners are on a circle: none. Then why was I adding 4? Oh.
It was pretty difficult at the walk to get Ralphie to actually bend and I wasn’t riding it right anyway. I wasn’t preparing far enough ahead and was making more of a flat tire at every single point of the circle.
I’m pretty sure she was about to just give up on me when we started to trot and it just hit me. I began to sit taller, and actually look ahead. Once I figured out to look one full marker ahead of where we were and turn my entire body to reach that point, Ralphie’s body bent around my inside leg and we maintained bend around the entire circle.
It was like a light bulb cam eon and it felt amazing to ride him like that!
She then took us to the very far end and we repeated this going the other way. It took e a few revolutions to get back to where I ended before, but we got it and I saw her grinning just as  much as I was. I wasn’t  a lost cause after all. We finished this exercise by adding a third circle in the center.
After that was done and we took a short walk break, she had me string it all together in a steady serpentine along those same circles. This was my favorite exercise to date. I’ve done serpentine exercises with Gem, but apparently never really correctly as I always squared mine off. This time I had to keep on those same 20 m circle tracks I made earlier and really plan as they came up quickly in the large dressage court.
We did this at the trot mostly and everything really clicked for me here. I had to be constantly changing the bend n my body to allow Ralphie to bend too and it forced me to really open up my shoulders and relax my body. Trainer was being gracious and mentioned that I try to sit so still to be quiet which makes me stiff. I replied that I am really just that stiff of a person. Seriously, you should watch me try to dance. I look like Frankenstein. Loose doesn;t come easily to me.
I thought we were over at this point having accomplished a lot, but she said it was time to work on the canter. My stomach knotted up a little. I was doing so well. Why end it with so much horror?
We went back down to the circle at C and did a few revolutions (pretty sure that isn’t how you describe it in dressage terms, but oh well) to get the feeling back and then she told me to sit two strides and cue the canter.
And I did. And he did. AND IT WAS AMAZING!!!
We just cantered. Trainer let out a whoop of joy and clapped. WE WERE CANTERING. In a calm, easy and bent manner around the circle while I continued to steer. It was SO MUCH FUN!
Ralphie dropped to a trot without me meaning to and all I did was sit and ask again. No fuss. No theatrics. No taking 3/4 of a turn to do it. He cantered immediately. And on the correct lead. We repeated it the other direction and the wheels fell off a little as he was now super racey in the trot and it took me a while to gather him back up, but once I asked to canter he did again. I was grinning like a fool by the end.
We called it a night after that and I was on cloud 9 the entire way home.
Things that went well:
- CANTER!!!
- She didn’t have to tell me to fix my lower position at all. I’ve dialed in what she calls a neutral seat since she had me fix myself two lessons ago and it has already become second nature
- My circle were circles and we actually bent around them
Things to work on:
- Relax those elbows and bring my arms into my body. Ugh. Will this ever happen?
- Plan ahead more. Quit riding one step ahead and ride three or four. Planning makes everything better
- Be greedy with my posture. Don’t let Ralphie pull me out of position in a down transition and don’t throw myself at him during an up transition
My Bipolar Ride on Gem
My hopes to get a lesson on Gem this weekend didn’t work out: something about Trainer sending her own horse through his first 1* event got in the way. How dare she! 😉 Plan B was to get a sitter and take a date day on Gem and Pete on the trail. Dusty and I haven’t been on a Wyatt free date since our anniversary last October. That got squashed with thunderstorms in the forecast for all day Sunday.
Saturday afternoon was warm and sunny though, so I hopped on up in the hay field to see what I could accomplish. My aim was to work on canter transitions since that is my current worst skill.
I don’t have any pictures from the ride because my phone took a swim in the toilet that morning and was sitting in a bag of rice (useless by the way) until Sunday morning when I gave up and entered one of Dante’s circle’s of Hell…aka Verizon…to see what could be done which was nothing short of paying a crap ton of money and leaving with a new phone I didn’t want. Ugh.
Anyway….
It was warm enough that I rode in a tank top which generally never happens. My blood is like ice most of the time and I rarely go out in anything short of two layers when it is under 85, but it was super sunny and just felt really good. I dragged Gemmie over to the hay field and clambered aboard in the dressage saddle.
Right away things were crap. Gem either wanted to throw her head down to eat or throw it in the air and zoom around tense and distracted. All I wanted to do was walk. For about 5-7 minutes we fought each other. I cursed her name and eventually told her I should sell her to an endurance home and get a horse that can do the simple things I enjoy doing…like walking, trotting and cantering safely and pleasantly at home.
Then I did something I have never done…I got firm. Not angry. Not rough. Not mean. Not unfair. Just firm. When I said halt I meant halt now, not in 20 feet when she decided to. When I said walk, I meant walk. Not jig, not trot, not stop and eat. Walk. Bend. Turn. Simple things that a 19 year old horse, having been ridden consistently and fairly for the last 7 years, should be able to do without issue. She isn’t green. She isn’t young.
I realized, up there on her while having no fun at all in those first minutes of the ride, that I no longer have the same horse under me as I did 7 years ago. She isn’t a delicate little egg that will crack and lose the last 2 months of trust I built up if I do one single thing wrong. She can handle the amount of pressure asking her to freaking halt puts on her without losing it. She just doesn’t want to because she has never had to. And that is my fault. I didn’t make the necessary shift in our relationship when it was time, likely 2+ years ago, and have been letting her get away with behaviors she shouldn’t have.
When I became firm with her, informed her that I do mean what I ask, she responded by fighting a bit but then listening. She halted. She walked off. She relaxed. When I finally decided it was time to trot, she picked it up and went around my 20ish meter circle nicely. If she tried to speed up, my half halt and sitting tall told her to slow it back down and maintain her rhythm. All I had to do was be clear, firm and consistent.
The next 40 minutes were a blast!
She floated around the hay field nicely and while she would get distracted at times by traffic or some such, she kept her pace, kept being relaxed and kept being rideable. We did figure 8s, 20 meter circles and larger circles around the perimeter of the area I was working in. She lowered her head, blew out and was a joy.
Just when I was beginning to think about working on that canter, she began to turn her head and bite at my leg. I asked her to move on, but she was clearly trying to tell me something. I listen to my horse when able and she is very honest about her feelings, so abnormal behavior such as this is typically her telling me something is off.
I hopped down worried that the girth was pinching her and noted that she was slathered in white foamy sweat. If there is one thing that my Princess hates, it is to be sweaty and here she was lathered! I chuckled at her sad expression and disdain for sweat and called it a day. We had been working pretty hard for 45 minutes and were both hot and sweaty. She had been fantastic and I had learned a valuable lesson.
It is time to hold Gem more accountable for her actions under saddle and quit thinking of her the way I did when she was mentally breakable. Being fair, but firm really helped change the dynamic we had Saturday afternoon.
POPSUGAR Reading Challenge Book #14
Thankfully my mom was up next and she almost always picks a winner.
A book with a subtitle: Saving Simon: How a rescue donkey taught me the meaning of compassion by Jon Katz
Simon is living in a filthy pen made for a pig with wire mesh walls and a pallet shelter only a foot or two off the ground. One day he lays down and puts his head under it for shelter against a cold rain and can’t get back up. His owner ignores him hoping he will die and it is only the love of the farmer’s son who throws handfuls of stolen hay by his head and eventually calls animal rescue that saves his life.
Jon acquires Simon from the rescue the day after he is freed from his prison and takes on the rule of physician, therapist and owner. Jon owns 90 acres in upstate New York, writes about animals for a living and has two other donkeys. He works hard at bringing Simon back from the brink and together they tackle the world.
This novel is an easy read and took two sittings to get it done. It wasn’t as heart wrenching as I feared it would be and actually has a happy ending – all good things.
While on the outside the book is about bringing a rescue donkey in, the narrative is really about Jon’s wrestling with the conception of compassion and mercy. His questions are thought provoking.
Why is it so easy to be compassionate towards a cute animal, say a donkey, but not an ugly one like an alligator?
Why are so many people who are in the business of animal rescue so incredibly cruel to fellow humans?
Are you truly a compassionate person if you extend it only towards those you like, agree with or need?
Does the farmer, fallen on hard times and unable to feed the donkey, in as much need of compassion as the donkey himself? Should we quickly condemn him?
What is mercy? In today’s world of increasing life spans and holding on tightly, is it more merciful to just let go?
These questions come up time and again and his own answers are at times surprising. I found my self disagreeing with him on quite a few points although I enjoyed seeing things from his point of view as well.
3.5/5
First Quarter Goal Review
I’ve never been much into goal setting and following, preferring to give myself the flexibility to work within reality and jump on new opportunities as they come. I was in a major funk at the end of 2016 though, so I set myself up some goals. No point in having goals if you don’t ever check in on them, so here is a look on how I am doing after 1/4 of the year has gone by.
Gemmie Life Goals
FOCUS – With Gem it is going to be all about finding the right balance of being with her and not being away from the family too much. I’d say this has been a big success. I am seeing her every day, have spa days and while I am not riding her as much I am also having more fun.
1.) Bring her and Pete home. Move in date for us is 1/15 and we are hoping to bring them home the following weekend. Fencing needs installed and we need to build a shelter for them as there is no barn or tree cover. I have the DIY plans already selected and the materials bought, just need to find time. Success! They are happily at home and doing well.
2.) Start riding consistently 2 days a week. There is a hay field I can ride in during non cutting times and I plan to use this regularly. Dusty has built me jumps in the past and will be working on some new ones once life settles back down again. Not so much. I’ve been getting in 1 day but not always on Gem. Daylight Savings Time and spring weather should hopefully make this easier moving forward.
3.) 1-2 long trail rides a month, preferably with friends. I’ve ridden solo enough to know we can do it and that it is no where near as fun as riding with someone else. It is hard to ride with others though when you need to be on the horse by 7 am to make it home in time for lunch with the kiddo, so we will see. Yup! So far I’ve gone at least once a month and always with someone. Its been a lot of fun.
4.) Make it to 1 lesson a month. If I can find someone who can come to me and deal with not having a true arena then I’d like to do 2 a month, if I have to trailer out it will likely only be once a month. I’ve been lessoning every other week and it is a good schedule for me.
Gemmie Competition Goals
1.) Complete a 50 mile endurance ride towards our decade team award. I’d really like this to be a multi day ride so that I get as much as I can into a single weekend away. Eh. endurance really isn’t on my radar at the moment.
2.) Complete a Ride and Tie of any length. Again eh. I don’t really care so much about this.
3.) Make a decision on what to do about her 100 mile bronze medal. She only needs two more 100s and I know she has it in her. The question is do I? If not, could I let someone else ride her even though I’d still have been the one to put all the conditioning miles on, spent all the money for the ride (the entry is the cheapest part of it all: hay, alfalfa, elytes, extra grain, gas to get there, time off work…), and likely need to be present to crew? Seems silly to plop someone else in the saddle to ride it. But….I really hated riding in the dark and I don’t know if I want to do it again. Lots of soul searching to do. I’ve decided. I don’t care if she ever gets a bronze medal, completes another 100 or does nothing but eat grass in my front yard. As long as she is healthy and happy and I am having fun, its winning in my book.
4.) Make it to a dressage show and not make a complete fool out of ourselves. Not this quarter, but still working towards it.
Me: Life Goals
FOCUS – For me it is going to be all about striking a better balance in life. Currently, I feel guilty when I don’t ride and guilty when I do. I haven’t taken an actual vacation longer than a long weekend since 2007. I haven’t seen a doctor in 4 years. Having Gem at home has released any and all guilt I previously held. It has been liberating. We have a trip coming up in early April. Still not established with a doc, but I have plans to get that settled this summer.
1.) Stop feeling guilty about self care time. Riding and running not only make me feel better equipped to deal with life’s stresses but it also will help me live a longer and better life. I need to stop beating myself up when I take time to do it. I have found ways to do this and am feeling better about myself and my life. Its been a great 1st quarter
2.) Run 2 days a week minimum. Treadmill or outside, both work as long as I am getting my butt moving. I quit running, but substituted working out at the Y. I go 2 times a week an vary the classes although Body Combat and Kettlebells are my favorite. I sprinkle in some yoga and dance based classes as well.
3.) Ride 2 days a week. Once typically.
4.) Establish with a primary care doctor and get a physical. Still hasn’t happened. Hoping to this summer.
5.) Figure out just what I want with my relationship with Gem. Is it okay to back off and just putz around? Do I need to have some set competition/training plans to feel satisfied? I’m still putzing with this one, but so far just having fun is enough.
6.) Continue with my pen pals. Add two new ones from new countries. I added a new one, but she is from Colorado.
7.) Create a smashbook for Wyatt. I have the smashbook, but it is still MIA from the move so nothing has been added to it.
8.) Find a trainer that I can work well with in regards to approach, personality and scheduling. I love trainer J!
Me: Competition Goals
1.) Complete a half marathon. Not yet and unlikely since I hung up my running shoes
2.) Complete a full marathon. Nope
3) Host a Ride and Tie. I have one in the works that I am really excited about. This is still up in the air.
2.) Complete a full marathon. Nope
3) Host a Ride and Tie. I have one in the works that I am really excited about. This is still up in the air.
The Roaming Rider 