A Sprinkling of Updates

#1: Awhile ago I posted about the C-Dog Festival near Santa Cruz. The event website finally posted pictures so, as promised, here they are!

Liz's mom, Me, Liz, and Jessica

Hunter and his friend Maverick (Liz's dog)

#2: I've had a bit of a health flare-up lately and it has really impacted my TBB workouts which I am SO FRUSTRATED about. I'm headed to the doctor this morning to check on my medications and see what's up. I'm trying to keep up still but I'm definitely not keeping up like I was just a week ago. I know you only get out what you put in so I am still determined to try but also have to be mindful of not making things worse. It's quite a balance to figure out and I have a few more days till the half-way point.

#3: This weekend Hunter and I are headed down to Ventura for my nephew's 4th Birthday! Yikes- he's getting so big! We're hoping to have some splish-splashing in the pool (including Hunter) and looking forward to some family time. I'll do my best to have some pictures to post after we return! 

He may be turning 4-years-old but I still think of Ben like this

The Nanny Life

Lately I've been feeling an overwhelming sense of honor at the career path I have.

When people used to ask me what I do for work I would want to mumble, "Ahem um, nanny... but let's talk more about you..." I'd then feel like I needed to convince them that, no, I am not a babysitter, and nor am I even a glorified babysitter. A nanny is a whole other position.

You see, Mom's trust me with their most precious creations- their children. These are the joy of a mom's heart. Her most cherished loves. And she entrusts them to me. She's not just trusting me with making sure they get a snack, changing a diaper, or building a Duplo tower. She's handing over all the moments that she wishes she could be there for, that maybe she's even dreamed about, but that she is unable to attend. She is asking me to make the most of these moments, to absorb every detail, and to share them with her so that she can feel a part of it.

As a nanny I have helped take children on vacation, taught them potty-training, taken them to the doctor, their first swim lessons, and their first dentist appointment. I encourage them, I discipline them in love, and I nurture them. This is my job description- to fully love a child who is not mine, and then walk away from their life when the time comes.

While I am with a family though, a mom trusts me to treat her child like she would. When they run and trip on their own toes, I dry tears, calm fears, and soothe, "Oh no- did you fall? That's a scary feeling, huh? I know, but I have you, it's okay..." I help prepare for new events in life by talking about what will happen, what it will be like, and practicing with much-adored stuffed animals. "Bear is going to the dentist. He'll get to sit in a special chair that goes up and down, and the dentist has special tools that will tickle each of Bear's teeth! Oooo how exciting!" Or maybe Bear needs to learn about using the potty. "Uhoh! Bear just told me he has to go potty! Quick, let's take him! Here Bear, you sit on the potty. You're all done? Okay- time to flush and wash our hands. What a big bear you are using the potty! You get a treat!" I remind about when to use a loud voice and when to use a quiet voice. How we use our please, thank you, and you're welcome's. I tell them when I'm proud of their accomplishments. I check in with teachers on how the day went, what's being learned, and what to work on. I witness the day's funny moments and pass on the hysterical comments made. I am the window a working mom sees the life of her child through. That is a job I could not be more honored to have.

So those of you in the field of child care, be the very best that you can be. You may not be making millions of dollars for a company, or making changes effecting the nation, but you are doing the most important task that any parent can ever trust or ask of you- helping to raise and love a child.

TBB Update

As you know, I began the Team Beachbody (TBB) Challenge just two weeks ago and I have to tell you that I'm already noticing a difference in my muscles and strength. And today Matt came home from being away most of these last two weeks and said he noticed a big change in how my legs look!!! I'll be posting a 30-day update in two more weeks and maybe I'll even have some pictures for you.....

I'm loving being active again and seeing results starting! I've been working with my doctor and physical therapist on how to adapt certain routines, or which I need to stay away from and what I can do instead.  I'm already dreaming of which program and challenge I want to do after this one and I've asked my mom to join me. Please let me know if anyone else is interested in joining us! I love that I can do everything at home, with or without weights/resistance bands, and at my own speed. Gym classes are hard to fit into a schedule and also can be intimidating when you're just beginning or have health concerns like I do. The programs are on DVD and everything else is linked online so you can take it when you travel or just from the comfort of home. I will say though, like anything, you have to stay consistent and committed to see results. You'll only get out of it what you put into it. Right now, I'm putting in all I can so I can feel healthier, happier, and stronger!

Hunter's ER Visit

This last weekend Matt was at Nacimiento Lake with some friends for a bachelor party and Hunter and I were home alone. I picked up some extra hours at work on Saturday and Hunter was able to come along with me. The kids were great with him and he loved running, playing, and fetching balls in their backyard. We all went to the park together and the boys took turns walking him on his leash while the little girl and I played on the equipment and in the sand. His tummy got upset while we were there but it was a warm day and I figured he was overly tired from playing outside or he ate something on his walk. It wasn't unusual for our curious little dog to eat something his tummy didn't agree with. 

When we got home I did my workout, took a shower, and warmed up some leftover dinner. Hunter was tired and followed me around but I had left the back door open for him to go out after eating his dinner. After eating I settled in to catch up on the latest episode of So You Think You Can Dance around 9pm. That's when I noticed Hunter emerging from where he was napping under a blanket and his snout looked a little funny to me but I didn't think too much of it. A few minutes later I peeked over at him again and this time I became concerned when I saw his snout looking puffy and wrinkly and wider than usual. I picked him up to see if there was a bite or sting on his snout but couldn't find anything, and he then began itching his nose with his paws. "Poor little guy," I thought, "something must have gotten you," and switched my attention back to the results airing on TV. The next commercial came on and I looked over again and this time Hunter's eyes were red and swollen almost shut and his snout looked even bigger. He looked miserable. And that's when I freaked. Within 10-15 minutes he went from looking fine to looking like something was REALLY wrong. I called my friend Joanna, who also has a little wiener dog, and she gave me the number and address of an animal hospital which another friend, Lyndse, recommended to me at the same time via text and phone calls. I threw on some clothes, picked Hunter up, stuck his harness and leash on, and flew out the door. 

20 minutes later I arrived at the hospital and was rushed inside by a very sweet and friendly nurse. By this time Hunter had raspy breathing and was extremely lethargic. If you know our little dog then you know that's not like him. To say I was concerned would be an understatement. They gave him several shots and then we waited to be sure his swelling was going down before we could go home. We finally got home around 11:30 and headed to bed by midnight. 

Today he's been tired and napping most of the day but he's eaten all his meals (just rice and broth today), and he was very excited to see Matt when he got home. I'm so grateful for friends who helped me when I couldn't think straight and for the staff who was so caring and attentive to Hunter. I'd rather not repeat that experience ever again though. 

Some pictures from Adobe Animal Hospital's website. And no I don't have any pictures of Hunter- I was too busy making sure he was going to be okay :( 

Adobe Animal Hospital, Los Altos, CA

This lobby looked more like a hotel lobby than a doctor's office

This is the same table Hunter was on and where he received numerous shots

Doggone Good Time

Last weekend I escaped the 105 degree San Jose weather and drove the 30 or so miles to Santa Cruz to meet up with one of my favorite friends (and old college roommate), Liz! Yes it may have taken me 2 hours to drive those 30 miles, but there were hundreds of other people who happened to have the same wonderful idea as me- great minds really do think alike. Alas, I escaped the heat and sat on the sand with Liz and our dogs and caught up on news and life. This is how I found out about a local non-profit fundraiser called the Coastal Dog Festival, where they also hold an annual Doxie Dash, and invited us to come along. There was no way I could say no to doxies AND more Liz-time!

So today we set our alarm for the terrifying hour of 7am and then zombie-walked to the coffee pot where, once fueled up, we met up with our good friend Justin and loaded up the Jeep to head to Soquel. We left with minor sunburns, a whole lotta loot, and a 1st place victory!!!


Here are some of our highlights:

We posed for pictures:
Here is Hunter hanging out in a VW dogmobile. We also posed with all our friends on a surfboard while catching a wave (to be posted later once the website loads them). Not only were Justin, Liz, Nick, and their dog Maverick there, but also Liz's mom and her dog, Jessica (another of my friends from college) and her beagle Sparky, and with a few other friends and dogs that Liz knows.

Hunter did the Lure:
This is an activity where a course is set up with a cable system that has a piece of fabric attached to it and the operator directs the fabric along the cable to imitate "prey" (i.e. squirrel or rodent-like creature). This drives a lot of dogs crazy and they bark and pull their leashes to be able to hunt it down! Hunter was one of the more eager dogs to give it a go, but unfortunately we felt like parents in an hour-long Disneyland line waiting for a 30-second ride. Finally it was his turn, and when Matt took the leash off Hunter was out of the starting gate and racing as fast as his little dachshund legs would take him to hunt down that wilily creature! Seeing as how most of the other dogs doing this game were german shepherds and border collies, I think other people in line were pretty impressed with our little athlete. I have to say, we were pretty proud!

Hunter competed in two heats of the Doxie Dash. He won his first heat and he then went on to win the grand champion! At Wiener Nationals last month we used one of Hunter's favorite Chuck-It balls but this time we upgraded to a beach ball- plenty big enough for him to get crazy about and see across the field!

First Race

Champion Race

This is one of my favorite screen shots of Hunter running because it looks like he's hovering :)

We won a prize for the Doxie Dash but we also each won in a raffle at one of the booths. Other booths had trivia questions or raffles to enter for other prizes. We won treats, toys, frisbees, a bandana, food scoop, balls, pick-up-after-your-pet supplies, and reusable bags (great for San Jose where you have to bring your own bags to stores)! At the raffle, I won a first aid kit full of things for dogs and their people, and Matt won a years supply of Frontline (flea medicine about $60 each)- SCORE!!! Since we already won the raffle twice we handed our other tickets to Liz and she ended up winning some great doggie treats for her Min Pin!

Schwag

Raffle Prize #1

Raffle Prize #2

Doxie Dash Prize. It also came with gift certificates to pet stores in Santa Cruz but we gave those to Liz, and Hunter's mini-me competitor. 

I couldn't pass up getting this wiener dog squeaky toy at one of the booths!

We got back home from a busy and successful day and unpacked our bags, filled some glasses with water, and sat down to rest. Hunter, of course, proceeded to grab a newly won friend and settle down for a nap....

Mom- who does this remind you of???

I also have to say a great big THANK YOU to our friend's Justin and Sita for finding this super cute wiener blanket while on vacation in Alaska and bringing it back for us. We love you guys and really appreciate your thoughtfulness. Thanks for always being such advocates for our wiener pride! 

We also have to thank Justin, Liz, and everyone else for helping us video, take pictures, carry schwag bags, and help support Hunter in his athletic events. We're looking forward to next year!

"Staci No-Butt"

There's the saying that a body in motion, stays in motion. So the opposite must be true that a body at rest, stays at rest. For the last year I have definitely been a body at rest and it's starting to show. And I'm not liking it one bit.

I've always been blessed with a high metabolism, and weight was never really something I had to think about. In high school I was on the water polo and swim teams and I fell in love with working out. I got a weekend job at a local gym where I made enough money for getting my car around town and a little extra to tuck in the bank, and I could also get a free membership. In college I found my way to the campus gym and had plenty of hills all over campus to trek about and workout on. After moving back to Ventura, I joined a gym and it was my goal to go several times a week. I always told myself that I wouldn't let my fitness fall apart after getting married but with my back worse than ever, that was exactly what happened. I found myself unable to even think about getting to the gym- forget about getting to the gym, I could hardly get to my feet! More than ever before I was on my butt, in a chair, with my feel propped up to relieve the pain. However, the more my feet were up, the more any muscle I had started dwindling away. Suddenly I found myself looking in the mirror not liking what I was seeing. Everything I always said would never be acceptable for my body was staring back at me. Wake up call!

So with a diagnosis, new medication working, and new understanding of how I could and could not push my body, I began to seek a way to get back to my love of fitness and back to the body I felt like myself in. I have a good friend who is a tremendous athlete and inspiration. She's an Ironman competitor and just recently quit a job in finance to work full time as a fitness coach. I am so proud of her for meeting so many life goals! So of course when I needed to find something I could do with my health restrictions I turned to Kristi for some options. I picked out a workout plan that would push me, challenge me, change me (because that's the goal isn't it?), and yet stayed within my limitations, and a few days later - ding dong- it arrived at my door!

So I took my measurements and pictures, plugged the DVD in, and got to work. I have to say that it was harder than I thought. I was sweating and out of breath and had to stop the DVD at points to avoid certain death, well obviously not death, but if you tried it you would know what I mean. I am out of shape! I'm motivated to stay with the schedule though, push through, and keep track of the results. I'm putting it here for all of you to know and to keep me accountable. Come September I'll be posting the before/after pictures! It's a 60 day program but one that I think I'll stick with for longer than that to continue to stay in shape.

So don't laugh at me now, but the program I chose is called Brazil Butt Lift and I'm signed up through Team Beachbody, which is an overall fitness site that includes recipes, coaches (like my coach Miss Kristi!), and team support. Love it! Now you have to know that for my whole life my dad has lovingly had the nickname for me, "Staci No-Butt." And it's true that I've been victim of a flat-fanny for my whole life, but my main goal in choosing this program is that, other than the behind, it targets hips, thighs, and the core, which are the main areas I need to strengthen to support my back.

So here goes! I'm setting off on a 60 day adventure to improve my health, energy, and fitness! Please help keep me accountable and follow along.

This is the fitness program I'm using. I'm telling you, it is TOUGH. Please fell free to come have a workout with me and test it out if you're thinking, "Uh ya right. I could so do that!"

This is the health supplement I'm using. I have a shake for lunch and they're AMAZING! Yummy and they fill me up, plus they're full of so much healthy stuff! Better than anything else on the market!

1st Anniversary

I remember the day we broke up. I think we knew it was going to happen...we weren't getting along, couldn't agree, wanted different things, and everything ended up in a conflict. Too many times we left one another in frustration and heads bent down, shaking side to side, as we walked away. Although I don't remember the specifics that brought Matt over that day I'm sure it involved the dreaded words, "we need to talk." I do recall the panic, dread, fear, shaking hands, and woeful heart as I knew what was coming. I couldn't tell you our exact conversation that day but I know our agreement was tearful, mutual, and final.

It was the summer before our senior year and Matt didn't see himself with me (aka marrying me) after graduation so we thought we should close the chapter before the year began. We couldn't imagine dragging things out and enduring heartbreak in the midst of final classes, senior projects, and graduation plans. So it was summer, I was taking philosophy and genetics in summer school with my roommate, and praying for C's in what were challenging classes for me. In the emotion of our decision, all the other realities of life slipped away, leaving me torn in the midst of memories and regrets.

While I can't recall words, I can clearly recall the look in Matt's eyes as he got up and walked toward my front door. It haunts me and brings tears to my eyes with the memory. He moved slowly toward the door, as if in unbelief of the moment we were in, and lingered in the doorway. We hugged, clinging to one another and what was, and then he moved towards his car, paused, and finally opened the door to drive away. As his taillights were fading through my kitchen window, I turned and fell on my knees, trying to catch my breath and my breaking heart as I cried outloud. I heard my roommate call my name in concern and rush down the stairs to gather me in her arms and let me cry on her shoulder. I don't even recall how long she held me but I know that through the following days she let me cry without embarrassment and continually supported and loved me through the hurt. She was the true definition of a friend in that time. I will forever love her for being there for me in one of my hardest moments.

I spent the night crying on the phone with my mom and my sister drove up the next day to check on me and take care of me. I somehow managed through summer school and took each day one at a time until I finally felt myself stepping out on my own, knowing who I was, and being okay with that. It was the first time since I was 14-years-old that I had felt that way. It was much needed and a blessing to have the time to grow and mature and become my own.

I share this story to show you the full circle we've come. Matt walked out of my life believing he would never marry me, but our time apart allowed me to become someone that caused him to take notice, reevaluate, and fight to gain me back. This is why I still can't believe that yesterday we celebrated our first wedding anniversary, and why everyday I'm so thankful and blessed when he walks through the front door of our home. Our home. I don't know if I'll ever get used to that concept but I hope not, so that I do not take our relationship for granted. I waited 27 long years to marry the man of my dreams yet this last year has absolutely flown by. It's funny how time flies when all your dreams come true...

We celebrated this important event for us by spending a relaxing weekend in Sonoma and had a delicious dinner out on Monday night. We exchanged gifts and mine was wrapped in Christmas paper- because that's all we had in the house- but it's these little things that bring back happy memories. ("Remember our first anniversary when I handed you your gift and said 'Merry Christmas"?) Sometimes you just can't sweat the small stuff. Matt gave me a pair of Bose headphones for our travels this summer, and I gave Matt a chef knife from Williams Sonoma (sharp cooking knives have been a love of his since our early college years). We're looking forward to our next 99 years!