The tough life of Rylie Boo Louise

Having spent a good part of the day at home, here are my observations on what exactly it is that the poodle does all day. She decided to narrate for you.

6:20 am: cuddle time with mom begins with a good ear scratching moment followed by the slow creep up to her face for a little kiss... circle, sigh, back to sleep.

7:00 am: poop in hall quickly while mom gets in the shower

7:00-7:20: spot my red ball on moms bathroom counter and whine for it, incessantly. She keeps saying something about not giving it to me because I am slowly destroying it by chewing it into little tiny pieces. I am perfectly capable of vomiting those up later but whatever. Bitch. Whine louder.

7:30: Refuse to pee outside. It's apparent that mom is running late. Is that a bird down the street? Bark. Pull on leash. Bark. Growl. Sit in grass. Ok I'm done.

9:30: Mom is home! YAY! Bark!

9:31: Mom feeds us breakfast. Refuse to eat it unless she puts fish oil on top. Look at her longingly- YES... she put the fish oil on it. Yum.

9:36: Mom is on the phone, quick, poop in the hall. It's so much nicer to poop in the AC.

9:45: THERE'S SOMEONE OUTSIDE!!!!!!! BARK, BARK, REPEAT! THERE'S SOMEONE OUTSIDE!!!!!!!! (it's trash day and I HATE those people and that truck)

10:00 am: follow mom upstairs, make a nest in clean clothes pile on bed, nap

11:32: wake up, step on moms computer to get petted, gaze at the window where blinds are closed and growl, there could be something out there...

11:33: she gave me the red ball to get me to stop growling... works every time. Chew, throw ball at mom, fetch. repeat reapeat repeat repeat...

11:33-12:21: fetching and chewing time. i almost have this ball destroyed, the pieces look so pretty on mom's bed. confetti! yay!

12:25 back to watching the window, growl, woof, get Doodle to do it with me...

12:27 tell Doodle to distract mom so I can look through her bag on the floor, there's something shiny in there that needs to be chewed on. mmmm, i love the taste of ipods. I bet i can get this thing to look pretty with the red pieces on moms bed...

thats all for now! busy busy! -rylie boo louise

* here's what happens when Rylie Boo wants something, in this case a ball which is stuck under the furniture. Note the ball right next to her is not the right one. She doesn't stop until you get the ball for her.

Slacking, Procrastination and Anxiety... Oh My!

So I haven't posted anything in almost a week. Not because I didn't want to, but because I have been super busy having a little personal meltdown about starting school again and other trivial things. I woke up the other morning with a case of social anxiety disorder, for real. It was ridiculous. There are a few blogs that I read on a regular basis and most of those bloggers have important things to do in life, or have kids... but I really feel like I have no excuse for being stressed, which stresses me out!

I am only going back to school and I don't know why I am so nervous about it! I am excited to start nursing school and excited to start my life towards a new career, but I am letting this "overwhelmed" feeling get to me. When I get stressed I tend to "shut down" so to speak. I am normally a planner and prety organized and well prepared for my day, but when I get stressed I forget things, misplace items, procrastinate, stress eat and never answer the phone.

So here's how the first day of school went thanks to my state of mind:

Not so good:
1. Stayed in bed for twenty extra minutes
2. Forgot to feed the dogs and didnt realize it until halfway to school
3. Turned the wrong way at an intersection on the way to school which in morning traffic is timing suicide
4. Went to the side of the parking deck where the entrance was closed (of course)... there were 8 minutes left until class started at this point.
5. Tripped on the way off the elevator while pretending to text message on my cell phone because I get uncomfortable in elevators crowded with skinny, tan, freshman college girls- who knew?
6. Ate at Wendy's for lunch = guilt for days, then ate dessert after dinner and didn't go to the gym= total failure of a day
7. Didn't fold laundry or unload the dishwasher when I got home and instead watched re-runs of Wifeswap on TV
8. Didn't buy books yet

On a good note:
1. All my professors seem super helpful and are fluent in English.
2. I got handed a flyer for rush, which was humorous.
3. Three girls behind me in class were whispering about my wedding ring being pretty. Thank goodness for my eavesdroping skills coming in handy sometimes.
4. I already have a Bachelor's degree and don't have to take BS electives!
5. I DONT live in a dorm or have roomates.
6. I aced my psychology class pre-assessment test with a perfect 100- loving neuroanatomy and being obsessed with medical shows is not a waste of time after all .
7. I can legally drink- ha
8. I can get a free personal trainer from the KSU health center

Anyway, I am working my way out of my "funk" this week and am looking forward to class tommorrow. I am not so nervous anymore thank goodness and I'm not even the oldest one in all my classes! Ryan is being wonderfully supportive and hasn't lectured me once about the height of the clean laundry pile, which I appreciate. I am packing a lunch for tommorrow and even read ahead for chemistry. I can do this!

Yay for America

"Insert large American Flag Pic Here"

Anyway, what a weekend. Saturday was the most beautiful day ever and I'm really not sure what non-horse people do on days like that. Spending it cantering blissfully along with friends and their horses through fields and woods down at the gorgeous Bear Creek Farm in Moreland was basically my version of heaven on earth. Ryan was off shooting at things, so I'm pretty sure he was content as well. What a state we live in. We have beach, we have mountains, we have lakes and woods and fields and sunshine and breezes and wow, humidity, but on days like Saturday I sure am glad to live here.

Sunday was supposed to be a mundane day somewhat, since all I had to do was run down to the airport and pick up a friend who was coming back from NYC. As I waited for her at the top of the escalator near baggage claim I got to do some prime people watching. Let me tell you what, if you ever need a little emotional "pick me up", just spend a few minutes at the top of that escalator. There were reunions and welcomes of all types. Teens coming home from summers abroad, what looked like two sister meeting for the first time in years, a gay homecoming complete with balloons, a confetti shower and a screech of "you look fabbbbbuuuuulooouuuuusss!" followed by a big ole kiss! I was enjoying myself tremendously when from the escalator around the corner I hear the faint sound of applause from those sitting in a nearby cafe. Coming down the escalator must have been 50 or 60 soldiers, men and women in their desert style fatigues and backpacks. They looked tired. The applause grew and I began to notice that the people clapping weren't their families there to greet them, but strangers and as I joined in and noticed some of their faces brighten a little, the applause grew and grew and I got chills. I was thankful in that moment to get to be there clapping for them, even though I may never see any one of them again, I do appreciate their service to our country, and I'm glad all those people standing around me did too. I was proud of my country and proud of all those strangers saying thank you at once.

So this weekend, although lacking in social events or glamorous parties to attend, was one of the most fun I can think of. We are so lucky to live this little life in Georgia and thanks to soldiers like those, we are free to spend our weekends as we please. Yay America.

The Newlywed Game

Although we can't really be classified as newlyweds anymore since we celebrated our one year anniversary in June, I still feel like we learn random little things about each other on a daily basis. Sometimes I even wonder who exactly this man is and if he remembers who exactly I am? Not in a negative way do I wonder that, but it just seems like the mostly successful merging of our two lives into one sometimes goes "off-roading" as we learn more about each other, and compromise, and love, and housekeeping. We are both fiercely independent and this sometimes makes for interesting conversation and plan making- but he is absolutely the only man I have ever known (besides my daddy) that I believe to be right 99% of the time and that always has honorable intentions.

He is off shooting things this weekend while I go riding down at Bear Creek at a hunter pace and I was just thinking of a little list of things I love about him, and a few things I less than love about him. I love lists, like in a Rainman sort of way.

Things I LOVE about my husband and our marriage:
1. He is the best hugger ever
2. Big glasses of water always taste better when he makes them and brings them to me in my favorite Tervis tumbler.
3. He motivates me to be the best at whatever it is I am trying to do
4. The way he researches all big decisions and is thoughtful in making them
5. His good taste in clothes, jewelry, pets, boats and household items
6. He does laundry and helps me fold and generally puts up with my clothing explosions on laundry days.
7. He is super smart and uses good grammar
8. He balances out my somewhat impetuous nature and can talk me into or out of almost anything
9. He loves animals and they love him
10. He shares the same morals, values, and dreams for our future (except that he wants to keep trucks in the main barn and I want horses- silly boy)

Ten is enough, lest the list get a little too "TMI" as my mama would say.

List of things I less than love about my husband and our marriage:
1. When he goes out of town and leaves the kitchen trashcan full. Eww. Girls should not have to do trash. We have to have babies and that exempts us from trash duties.
2. When he hesitates if I ask to drive his car.
3. That he doesn't share my opinion that if everyone in the world got a massage once a month there would be world peace. He has never even used the massage gift card I gave him two years ago. Craziness.
4. The way it sometime takes him forever to make decisions, but I realize that this is because of number 4 listed above.
5. That we sometimes fail to communicate with each other about plans until the last minute.
6. His stupid ugly shiny noisy Blackberry
7. That he takes really long showers in the morning and being as irresponsible as I am, I go back to sleep and then end up running late. You would think the kid has to shave his legs.
8. When he lectures me for: not locking doors, leaving valuables in my car, not leaving lights on in the house and other generally security related offenses. But I know it's for my own good and he is the son of a cop so he was programmed to be totally paranoid.
9. That he can make the dogs behave better than I can
10. How clean and neat and efficient he is with his belongings. I really am jealous of this, I am incapable of being that neat.

There's always more to learn about each other and even though sometimes we get impatient and or annoyed with one another, I thinks it's sort of a fun part of being married. I love the little traditions we are slowly creating with each other and how compromising sometimes just brings us closer.

Never Alone

I have the day off today, and when I'm home by myself, I love to watch the doggies and spend time with them between their tightly scheduled napping periods. I was watching Doodle sleep and thinking about how I never feel really alone when she is around. It got me thinking about our history together and how important she is to me.

In July of 2004 I adopted "Doodle", also known as Abigail on a whim, on my lunchbreak from work. She was terrified of everything, 40 pounds underweight, abused, and in such bad shape that I though she was a chocolate lab- but she's black! Anyway, for the first two days that I had her (it was summer in Athens so I had my apt. to myself) I spent most of the time sitting on the floor with treats in my hand not making eye contact and trying to get her to come to me. She spent most of her time in the corner, shaking. After a week or so, she started to really come around and would follow me throughout the apt. but not really get close. I thought for a few days about finding her a home because I thought she would never love me. I decided to try some pretty intense socialization so I took her everywhere with me, which is totally possible in Athens and something I miss! I wanted her to think of me as her "pack leader". Anyway, I took her for a walk at the Intermural fields/trails at UGA and ran into an older lady with an old German Shepherd. She asked me about Doodle and I told her the story and that I was a little depressed because she seemed to tolerate me, but not really love me. She told me all her Shepherds were rescues and not to give up. She said the secret was to sit next to them and pull their face close and whisper in their ear that you will always love them and will never let them be homeless again. A little cooky, yes. The dog psychologist (yes they have those in Athens) I took her to said that she felt very uncomfortable with close human contact and that getting in her face was NOT what I should do. But I did exactly that. I whispered to her every day and in about two days, the following went to constant contact. No matter where I walked, sat, or laid, she always seemed to be there next to me, leaning on me or pressing her body against mine. I was thrilled because she loved me, and she needed me, and I could give her everything she needed. My maternal instinct is strong, but my dogs are the only babies I want to nurture at this time in my life so it worked for both of us. She began to blossom and her personality came out. The dog that NEVER made a sound for the first two months I had her started to "talk" to me when she wanted something. She was gaining weight and her coat was coming in a glossy black. I learned that she loved to go in the car and go swimming at the lake and had little to no interest in fetching anything, ever. She started to play with the plethora of toys I bought her instead of just looking at them and she "squeaked" her days away at my feet with her toy pig in her mouth. She developed an aversion to having doors closed in between us and laid on the bath mat when I showered, which she still does, and she saw my "potty" time as the perfect opportunity to get petted and lean on me. I was worried that she might get a little too attached and develop some separation anxiety issues, so I made sure not to make a big deal when I left the apt. and I say the same exact thing to her everytime I leave the house. "Be back in a little while, be a good girl, I love you" She chewed up one shoe one time, but that was it. She learned about me leaving and I think her personality is probably and little like mine in that she enjoys some alone time.

When Ryan gave me Rylie Boo for Valentines Day in 2008, I was pumped because Doodle would have a friend to play with (she loves other dogs) and the exercise would help keep her young. Not to mention she was the cutest puppy known to mankind. Rylie Boo, being a poodle, is by nature an inquisitive, intelligent, and affectionate dog. She craves CONSTANT attention and because I am so used to having Doodle around, Rylie Boo picked up those same habits, only took them to the next level. Instead of waiting on the bath mat while I shower, she will jump IN the shower if I don't close the door quickly enough. She will jump IN my lap when I potty and unlike Doodle, who is happy to find a place to lay in the same room, Rylie Boo is not happy unless she is touching me or walking next to me at all times. If I get up off the couch to put a cup in the dishwasher, she comes all twelve steps with me. I have created a monster. I cannot do ANYTHING in the house alone or without what I call "poodle help".

I'm sure Ceasar Milan would tell me that I did this because I want to be needed and have a strong mothering instinct, and he's probably right, but I swear I didn't realize that I would never be able to walk down the stairs without feeling poodle hair brushing my ankles. So even though it's a little annoying to have a 90 pound lab and 11 pound poodle leaning against you and trying to jump in your lap if you have to pee, it's nice on days like this when I'm home alone or Ryan is out of town and we can just enjoy the quiet together. I'm thankful for that cooky lady's advice and I still whisper to Doodle almost every day that she will never be alone again either.

On a different note:
I'm a little scared about what I will do if human children are this needy! Moms out there, do you get to pee alone?

quick and healthy summer dinner

After a long day's work, the last thing I want to do is think about what to make for dinner! Summer is great because there are so many healthy and fresh choices that, with a little planning, can be made quickly. This is literally an 8 minute meal... eat that, Rachael Ray. So anyway,

Wild caught Alaskan salmon is in season! yay! I cannot stomach buying or eating farmed salmon because of the environmental repercussions but I LOVE it when the grocery store has wild salmon in. Salmon is full of omega 3 fatty acids, good cholesterol, protein and a variety of other things that makes it great to eat! It also makes you full!

Here is a super easy way to marinate it and throw it on the grill if plain is a little to "fishy" for you. Please excuse the casual nature of this recipe, my bro is the chef, I do things a little more loosely!

-get two decent sized fillets if feeding two people

- in the bottom of a 9x12 ish pan put:

-enough soy sauce to almost cover the bottom

- 2 shots of bourbon/whisky (i use jack daniels)

- a squeeze of lemon juice

- about 4 tablespoons of honey (local if you have it- thats another post unto itself)

- a spoon full of minced garlic (optional)

-stir up ingredients until the bourbon starts to dissolve the honey

-slap the salmon in there face down, skin up

-refrigerate overnight for best results

- throw it on the grill the next day- about 3 minutes per side- do NOT overcook it.

I use a fish cooking basket for the grill so it doesn't stick to the grill when I turn it over. Great investment, I promise.

goes great with:

-cauliflower (i cannot say enough about the steamfresh in the bag kind- yum and easy)

- fresh wilted spinach- get the salad kind and wilt it in a pan with a little butter and salt and pepper

*remember, if you buy farmed salmon, this recipe will turn out badly and you will be doomed to spend eternity in a vat of warm salmon guts! Hungry Bears will be released daily.

Enjoy!