Jogging through Snow

I got up this morning to go on my usual Wednesday morning 30-minute run, knowing that it was going to be cold and snowy. And I was right. It seemed like most of the people had cleared their sidewalks last night but hadn't gone out again yet this morning. The snow had stopped falling, but the wind had kicked up overnight, leaving the unshoveled sidewalks with about 6 inches of snow. Bella and I did pretty well, but I kept thinking, "This must be what it's like to run on a sandy beach." Too bad I wasn't someplace warm, sunny, and ocean-side! Someplace like San Diego. Or Hawaii. I only made it 2.6 miles in 30 minutes, which is about 0.4 miles less than I do in half an hour. Oh, well. I still thought that was pretty good, considering the condition of the sidewalks. When I was almost home, a guy ran past Bella and me. He was running in the street. That's probably what I should've done, but I was running on some busy roads. Safety first!

This jog was part of my training for the Lake Monona 20K. My training is going really well so far. My only complaint is that my schedule is so tight with work that it's hard to stay motivated to get up before 6 on during the week. I keep telling myself skipping a training session is not an option. So far, that's working. I really need to get a new pair of running shoes - I'm going to have to start saving so I can get a new pair well in advance of the run. Does anyone know if the Shoe Box has good deals on running shoes? I don't need anything too fancy - I just want the best price possible. And I'm partial to New Balance and Mazuno.

Happy New Year Wedding!!

Two friends of ours from Mount Horeb got married on New Year's Day. It was a nice wedding, and a great opportunity to reconnect with some former Grumpy Troll co-workers. One of them said she checks this blog every so often and has been disappointed that I haven't updated it in so long. So, in the spirit of a new year, I will resolve to keep this blog updated at least once a week.

I have also registered for the Lake Monona 20K (12.4 mile) run. That happens Saturday, May 1, so I have plenty of time to train!
I did my first training run last night - a relatively easy 30 minute jog. I took Bella with me, and I was a little worried about encountering unshoveled sidewalks in the dark with an exuberant dog. I think I jogged a little slower than I could have, but I managed to make it home without injury! I did fall once, though, when I had stopped to wait for a car before crossing the street and then took a step to get started. Fell right down. And Bella was looking at me like this was something I had planned. Kinda funny. I got back up, and we were on our way.

In case you haven't heard, in December, Einar and I bought a new-to-us car. We got a 2008 Civic Hybrid to replace my 1999 Saturn SL1. So far, it's been a good purchase! The rear driver side tire seems to be losing pressure, so I'm taking it to the dealer on Thursday to have them check it out. Thankfully, the sales guy (a friend of ours) had had to fill that same tire before we took delivery of the vehicle. I hope it's just a leaky stem or seal. I also had a minor incident with our neighbor's house one morning last week. I hit the passenger side mirror on his cable box, and a chunk of the mirror casing was broken off. When I took it to Zimbrick Honda to get an estimate on fixing (which means replacement in this case because it's remote controlled and has a reflector/blinker on it), I was told $305 for the part plus about $45 for labor!! Yikes. We've decided to hold off on that for the time being.

I continue to look for a full-time job. I was basically offered a position at Huntington Learning Center, but I turned it down because I couldn't deal with the schedule it required. I have applied at a couple other places, too, but so far, nothing has come of them.

Good heavens!!

"Forevermore. . ." That's what my co-worker Donovan says whenever I say, "Good heavens!" at the office. He thinks it makes me sound like an old lady. Whatever. At least I'm not cussing!

I said "Good heavens!" though, because it's been almost a month since I've blogged. I guess I'm not very good at this. I have, however, written two blog entries for work. You can find them here and here.

A couple of weeks ago, Einar and I got in touch with Tempur-Pedic because we've been feeling like our mattress (purchased last December) wasn't living up to the description given and promises made. Last Monday, we submitted a relatively simple claim - which required us to take some pictures of the mattress to show a sag - and then began to wait. We were told we'd hear from them in 2-3 weeks. I'm happy to report that we got an email from the warranty department yesterday, stating that our claim had been approved. We will be getting a new mattress and foundation in the next 7-21 days!! Hooray. Now hopefully this new one won't have the problems our current one has, and we'll be sleeping better than ever!

I decided last week that I really need to be getting up and taking Bella for a good walk or jog before work. She has been destroying some of her toys when we've been at work, and I think it's because she's bored. So, I think if I can get her a little tired before work, she'll sleep more and destroy less. All this dawned on me last week when we had gotten her a new sleeping pad for her bed. The website said it was really good, and in the customer reviews, people commented that it was quite durable. Well, Bella chewed through the corner of it the day after she got it! Luckily, the company agreed to exchange it for a new one. We're still waiting for it to arrive, but my hope is that the early morning exercise will deter Bella from eating her new bed. I'll keep you posted. The picture below is after she had destroyed the bed pillow we had in her kennel for her, which prompted us to order the sleeping pad.

11 weeks old

I just realized that I haven't blogged in over two weeks! I'm sorry it's been so long, but with work and the puppy, I feel like I've been meeting myself coming and going.

Anyway, the first couple of weeks with Bella were especially difficult as she would go potty in her bed (crate) all the time. It didn't seem to matter if she had been in there for half an hour or 3 hours - she would go potty. We finally called the vet, and we discovered she had a urinary tract infection. She's been on amoxicillin for two weeks now, and she has only had a couple of accidents in her bed during that time. Hooray!! Giving her medication is a lot easier than working on behavior modification. And when she's not in her bed, she always goes to the door to let us know when she needs to go potty.

We started a puppy socialization class this week. We learn about training (starting with Sit and Come), and the puppies get a chance each week to play with each other. There are some really cute puppies in the class with Bella! We're looking forward to learning more about helping Bella to become a well-trained dog. It'll be a lot of work, but it'll be worth it!

Here are some pictures we took last night when our friends brought over their 8-year-old Husky.

Bella Tori

This picture was taken the night we brought Bella home. She was 2 days shy of being 8 weeks old. We met the breeder and 2 of her sisters at the big truck stop where I-90/94 and I-39 split. We really liked all 3 of the puppies we met, but Bella was the one we felt the best about. When we got her home, she fell asleep on the towels by the door.




This picture was taken one Bella's 8-week birthday. She was curled up on the couch while Einar and I got ready for work. We have since decided that she will not be allowed on the couch unless we invite her. Since she's gonna be a big dog, we don't want her to think the couch is hers. Humans first! She sure is cute, though!



This picture was taken the day after the picture just above. We were at Einar's parents' condo for a wonderful Mexican dinner prepared by a visiting cousin. It was the first time Einar's family got to meet Bella, and she was a big hit! Well, except with Chino (the Shih-Tzu). Chino wasn't sure what to think of Bella, so she pretty much just hid and tried to go unnoticed.



I will try to get more pictures taken one of these days - I keep forgetting to charge the camera batteries. She is already noticeably bigger. We are working really hard on getting her housebroken, and for the most part, she's doing okay. She just doesn't have a very big bladder yet, so her accidents tend to happen when we're at work (although I'm going home a couple times a day to let her out) or overnight. She'll get it. We're starting a puppy class on May 13 for 6 weeks. We can hardly wait!