Tucker The Adventurer...

We had a scare last night, but if you asked Tucker, he would say he just went out for a walk. Grr...

As you know, our backyard isn't attached to our backyard. So, the dogs have gotten really good about letting us open the back door and they will run through the gate and into our yard on their own. Then when they come back in, they get a treat. This has been our routine for some time.

Last night at about 9:30, I let them out. Then I turned around to throw something in the trash. In that split second, apparently Mr. T decided to make a run for it. When I looked back out the door, I only saw Cheyenne. I went flying out the back door (in my pajamas and house shoes) and my poor choice of running shoes tripped me and I went down on the driveway on my shoulder and hip. When I regained my bearings, I went looking for him and he was NO WHERE to be found.

(Let me just share one of the mysteries that is Tucker. For a little dog that is slightly overweight and not very active, he can flat out hussle. When he is on the move, there is no stopping him- I don't know how he does it.)

I ran back into the house, grabbed some car keys and got in my car. I drove around the neighborhood for 20 minutes looking for him. I called Jason (who was in the back bedroom on the phone) and he joined me in the search. I didn't realize that in my panic, I had not only grabbed his set of keys but my purse that had my keys in it! So as I drove the neighborhood, I found Jason searching on foot... because he didn't have keys to his truck (oops...). We joined forces and drove around for a while. The longer we looked, the more worried I was. Oh- I forgot to mention that Tucker didn't have his ID tags on...

Then my gas light decided to come on. (Can I get a break here..?) So, we go home and switch to Jason's truck. We drive around forever searching. In my mind I was already decided what picture and wording I would use for my "LOST BEAGLE" posters. I was also wondering how badly my hip would be bruised from my earlier fall. Eventually we began to give up. We went home and Jason dropped me off. We loaded Cheyenne in the truck, thinking that she may be able to help locate him.

I went inside the house and they took off for the hunt. By this time it is nearly 10:30. I left the front door open to only the screen so I could watch for him in case he came home. I went to the back door and opened that one as well. As I walked back into the living room, I see a flash of white outside the front door. I ran to the door and lo and behold, there sat Tucker. He was out of breath and his tongue was hanging out the side of his mouth. He also had a HUGE smile on his face and a gleam in his eye. He was obviously very happy with the hour-long walk he had taken on his own.

I opened the door and he came jogging in and went right to his place.. for his treat. After all, he HAD gone outside and come back in. Why wouldn't he get a treat for that?? Duh, Amy. I called Jason so that he and Cheyenne could head back.

I got a glimmer of what parents some times feel like... you are so mad at your child, but at the same time you are just so happy they are safe that it is hard to be mad at them. As I fussed at Tucker, knowing very little of it was sinking in, I also just wanted to hug him! It is like the child that innocently wanders off following the cute stray cat... they don't know they did anything wrong.

Also, how can you tell this face that they are grounded??

Thank goodness...

Those are the words that I said to myself as I walked to my car this morning after the final meeting of Boot Camp. Thank goodness it is over!!

I made it through and that is about all I have to brag about! I didn't lose any weight through the process because I gained some muscle. I can definitely tell my muscles are toned and stronger. We did our final assessment test on Wednesday. I only took my mile run time down a tad, however, I did greatly increase my push-ups and holding the plank position for longer.

All in all, I am glad I did it. Mostly because I proved to myself that I COULD do it. Would I do it again? Probably not. There was WAY more running than I expected and not quite as much exercise. However, I am taking away some good lessons. I now know of lots of exercises I can do on my own and how hard I can push myself. Those are valuable things. I have learned to embrace and relish the "burn" and soreness I feel the day after a good workout. And finally, I have gotten used to getting up VERY early several times a week.

At the end of today's workout, we all got t-shirts for completing the Camp. When I went over to pick out mine, I looked at the trainer like, "Seriously??" ALL of the t-shirts were baby-doll cut, tiny little shirts. Even with the Large shirt, I would have been lucky to get it over my head!!! Of course all of the little girls grabbed their XXXXXS shirts happily and bounced off. Kelly, the Trainer, saw my look of disgust and quietly got out some "normal" t-shirts. They were probably the Men's shirts, but I didn't care. These are the shirts that "Real Women" wear... I picked mine out and happily bounced off.

So, I am not expecting a phenomenal weigh-in this week at my WW meeting. However, I am excited to start the next phase of my workouts and keep working on my weight loss goals.

Troy's Fruit Market

On Sunday we went to Kasi & Jay's house to celebrate the first birthday of their daughter, Troy. It was so much fun. Troy is walking everywhere nowadays and is just such a joy to be around. She really does well with crowds and loves to talk to people and have fun.

Kasi told me her theme idea several weeks ago and I have been excited to see how she would pull it off. "Troy's Fruit Market" was complete with a super cute cake, fruit-shaped balloons, juice boxes and bright fruit-inspired colors everywhere. Oh, and let's not forget the custom ordered fruit rollups... when you unrolled them they said "Troy's First Birthday" on them. Too cute...We enjoyed BBQ and watching Troy run around in her super cute pink tutu. I don't know that I have ever seen a fluffier tutu and Troy loves it (and the attention it brought her).


When it was cake time, Troy was presented with her own cake with candles. I soon learned that the intention of this cake was destruction... by Troy's hands (and mouth).


We had so much fun watching her play with the cake. At first she was really unsure about why everyone was staring at her and was a little apprehensive. After some encouragement and her mom smashing her hand in the cake, she realized what her mission was and that it was okay to get down and dirty!

Here is what was left of the cake. If it wasn't on the high chair tray, it was in her tutu!!


After everyone enjoyed cake, we got down to the business of opening presents. Troy watched as Kasi unwrapped all the fun gifts. Everyone ohh'ed and ahh'ed over the cute clothes she got and laughed over her reactions to the toys.

Fun was had by all!

Helping out after Ike...

A friend of a friend's family lost everything in Ike. Their home and small business. I learned something I didn't know... small business do not get assistance from FEMA! Her father and family owned a bait and tackle shop in Bolivar that was washed away during the storm. Here is a little of what she says about that area...

Bolivar is home to all local businesses, there is no McDonald's, not even a Dairy Queen. All restaurants, all gas stations, all retail and grocery stores are family owned. For those of you that have been through a disaster and have had to deal with fema you understand that fema does not provide assistance to small business owners. SBA's are at the mercy of their individual insurance companies. With that, Bolivar is a coastal community - you cannot get wind or flood insurance due to the scandals of hurricanes in the past. So consider, all of these families businesses are gone. Their livelihoods, gone, everything they worked for, gone.

She has set up a website for her family in hopes of collecting items to donate to them. I wanted to spread the word to my local readers... if you can help them, please do. I am going to spend some time this weekend going through our stuff to see what I can do to help. If you have items you can donate, please let me know or contact Kristi through the website. Click HERE to see what they need.

Sometimes it is frustrating watching on TV and not knowing what to do for these people. I just can't pass up the opportunity to help... even if it is for just one family.

Thanks!

Aftermath of Ike...

So, Ike has come and gone. We got nothing! It was a little overcast and slightly windy and that's it! As I walked the dogs the night before the storm, our sky had a beautiful sunset but there was this eerie still feeling. In the end, we didn't get a drop of rain and it was very humid and hot. Luckily, we have since had an unrelated cool front come in and we have a nice week ahead!

As far as we know, everyone in Jason's family is alright. Jason's parents didn't get anything since the storm kept taking a more Northeastern course. We don't know about all of the extended family just yet, however, we are assuming that no news is good news.

The front page headline of the Austin American-Statesman reads, "A Powerful Punch". Galveston on the other hand is destroyed... they are calling it "catastrophic" and are saying that it will be many days until the true extent of the damage is known. They are also unaware of how many people may have died. Many areas are still under water and impossible to access. It will be a tough week for those families and rescue workers. Downtown Houston took a direct hit so many high rises are damaged and streets flooded.

It was a strange feeling the other night looking up a beautiful calm sky as Cheyenne and Tucker ran around the park. It was unreal to think that just a few hundred miles from us, there was a monster approaching.

From One Storm to Another...

Labor Day weekend we watched the weather closely regarding Hurricane Gustav and prayed for my parents. This weekend we will be watching the news AGAIN for Hurricane Ike. This time we will be praying for Jason's family!!

Jason's parents live in the Rio Grande Valley (the Texas/Mexico border) and most of the rest of his family live in SE Texas. Right now, Ike is projected to hit as a Category 3, near Port Lavaca and Corpus which will be right on top of his family.


The current path of Ike also states that it will still be a Tropical Storm when it makes it to Austin. We are being told to prepare for hurricane-force winds, several inches of rain and possible tornadoes. If Ike does as they expect, we will be in for a ride Saturday afternoon into early Sunday morning.

Jason's parents have bought a generator, just in case. Jason and I will be clearing our backyard and porches for any debris that the wind could have fun with!! And of course, Austin is known for Flash Flooding... fun!

We will keep everyone posted as things develop...

Adventures of Amycita & Mamacita...

I took my Mom to the airport today, ending a fun visit. We somehow managed to do a lot but not feel rushed or over committed. It was a fun but relaxing visit with a bit if an international flair...

Wednesday night my Mom's flight was delayed so Jason was kind enough to go pick her up since I had to be up very early for Boot Camp the next day. So, I didn't actually see my Mom until Thursday morning. After some breakfast, we headed out to the Round Rock outlet mall. I hadn't ever been and really liked the mall. We took our time strolling through the stores that interested us. Mom scored some good deals on shoes and I got some new workout clothes. We also have a mutual love for cooking so we got lost in a kitchen gadget store for a while.

We stopped for a nice lunch at La Madeline. (For this blog, we will consider that French food.) Then we shopped some more and headed home. That night we enjoyed dinner at home with Jason. I made Pork Pozole (Mexican food).

Friday morning I went to Spin class and then we just lounged around the house. We drove out to my office so that she could see the place and meet everyone. She left there with a clear understanding of why I love everyone there- they were super nice to her. We had a nice lunch in Lakeway and made a few other stops. That evening we went to a Cooking Class at Central Market. It was SUPER fun!! It was a hands-on Tamale Making Class (more Mexican Food). We got to eat some Tamales and then make some of our own. We both left with over a dozen tamales each, including 5 dessert tamales (pumpkin & chocolate). We had a great time. We decided to freeze them and cook them during their Christmas visit so that we can all enjoy them.

After my WW meeting on Saturday morning, we went to my favorite Mediterranean grocery store, Phoenicia. This is very often a normal Saturday stop for me. I like to take advantage of the still warm Pita bread they have in stock as well as enough fresh Hummus and Tabouli to enjoy for the next work week. We strolled the aisles and checked out all the fun and different items they have. Afterwards, we went to my favorite Greek restaurant, Tino's for a yummy lunch (Greek food). We stuffed ourselves full then went home for a nap.

Jason spent all of Saturday with his Rocketry Group at a launch. He came home and rested and then took Mom and I to eat a wonderful dinner at Sampaio's (Brazilian food). None of us had every had Brazilian food before and it was SO good. I had a great Red Snapper, Mom had a shrimp dish and Jason enjoyed a good steak.

To wrap up our lazy, international weekend, Mom and I watched "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"... it was a great way to relax!

Mom- I miss you already and can't wait for you and Dad to be here for Christmas!

Amycita's Mamacita is on her way!!!

Thankfully my parents only ended up with some high wind and rain from Hurricane Gustav. So, my mom's visit here was able to proceed.

I just checked her flight and she is currently in the air and on time for the first leg of her trip! Yippee!! She will be here through Sunday morning. We have fun mother-daughter stuff planned, including a cooking class at Central Market.

I have taken off work Thursday and Friday so we can hang out. (Of course, I am STILL getting up for Boot Camp tomorrow morning... if I miss- I do extra push-ups. Yuck.)

Yay for Mamacita!

Boot Camp: Day Two...

Today was MUCH harder than yesterday due to being so sore from Day One. Its a vicious cycle.

Note to self: On Boot Camp days, just wear a ponytail to work. You won't be able to lift your arms long enough to blow dry your hair anyway.

Boot Camp: Day One...

I survived.

I only have strength to type that for now...