Lesson Learned

Challenges make life interesting, however, overcoming them is what makes life meaningful. - Mark Twain

special thanks to my dear friend for giving loaning me her icepacks

I am a runner.  I took up running in medical school to help alleviate the stress that comes with it.  And as most people who start running, I became obsessed.  Running is MY time.  It is the time that I can think about whatever I want, listen to whatever I want, go wherever I want, and be gone for how ever long I want to, oh who are we kidding, I do that anyway.  Seriously though, running is my mindless time.  It is during running that I am able to slow this ADD brain down of mine and think about whatever I want to.  It is my time to try to let the days struggles/emotional ties leave me and let me replenish so I can try to leave work at work and spend quality time with those I love most.  Therefore, when the extremely dreaded pain in my front part of my lower leg began to slowly creep its way into my life, I got very upset. 

Shin splints stink!!!  They are awful!  They are at the top of most runners list as things YOU DO NOT WANT TO GET!!!  On top of my lovely pain in the butt shin splints that so graciously rudely decided to make thier appearance in my left leg over the past month or so, I think I have also endured a wonderful tear to my anterior tibialis muscle, because I am so not stubborn and refused to rest.  Awesome, just awesome!  Sounds lovely doesnt it?  

As I was doing some research on how to prevent shin splints I came across this...

Prevention

blah blah blah overpronation blah blah blah orthotics blah blah  distances should not increase by more than 10% per week blah blah muscles are not overworked blah blah avoid always running on hard pavements blah overly tight muscles in the lower leg, blah blah Stretching on a daily basis blah sports massage blah.

*Special thanks to the shin splints website I found by searching google for teaching me that I need to quit being so stubborn, correct my over pronation, wear my orthotics, not increase my distances by too much, give my muscles a break, stop running on the concrete, stretch, stretch, and stretch, and get a sports massage.  No thank you on the later, massages are wonderful creep me out!

Now please excuse me why I get more depressed and ice my sorrows away.

Dear shin splints,

Please go away, I have given you a break for almost two weeks now.  I have a busy few months ahead of me and you are not part of my plan!  Lesson learned!

I love hate you, Nicole

Life's Lesson:

Life doesn't always go as planned.  Things get in the way.  People change.  Things change, like it or not.  If we dwell in the negativity, we will get no where.  If we find the positive, however difficult that may be, learn from it, we will undoubtedly become a better person.  Remember that everything happens for a reason and someone else is always worse off than you.  Count your blessings dear friends!   

Remember, life is a precious gift, love is a wonderful gift, and laughter is glorious gift. So live life to the fullest, love with all your heart, and laugh as much as you breathe.  -unknown

Dock Dogs - Roxy's Debut

 Over the past few weeks, Andrew has been training our crazy, water-loving lab Roxy for the Dock Dog competition that was held this weekend.  If you don't already know, our psychotic free-spirited dog loves the water more than any dog I have ever seen.  Therefore, when we mix her duck with the water we get one crazy happy lab!  At the lake, where she was training, she did very well.  She was jumping far and retrieving her beloved duck, along with trying to retrieve real live ducks, that Andrew most certainly did not sick her after.  She was having a ball and seemed right at home.

A little stage fright struck on the day of the competition though.  From what I have heard, this is not uncommon.  Most dogs train in the lake, where the water looks dirty.  They say that since the water looks blue in the actual competition pool, it looks almost as if it is not water at all and almost looks like a flat surface to most of the first-time dogs that are competing.  On the first practice round, Roxy was a little hesitant to jump.  After the second time, she did a little better.  During the actual jumps for the competition she was entered in, she did much better.  I know if she would have had more practice into the dock dog pool, she would have done very well.  But none-the-less, she got 4th in her division and is very proud of her ribbon, as are we!

Here she is posing with her ribbon...

 

Letters to God

Over the past weekend, Andrew and I watched the movie Letters to God.  It is about a little boy who has cancer.  He writes letters to God on daily basis as his way of praying.  Its a very good, yet sad, movie.  And it does make you think.  

 

The movie is made by possibility pictures.  You can read about them on the movie website.  Part of their mission is to spread God's word through film.  The stories they put on the big screen and on DVD, are "stories that have the potential to stir our emotions, provoke our thinking and influence the course of our lives." They "believe in their mission and recognize their responsibility to bring stories that will lift people’s spirits and spread God’s word of hope, love and redemption."   I encourage you to take a moment and browse the website and rent the movie.  FYI: have tissues handy. 

We all have daily issues that we face, stories that we hear, things that we do or that others do that make us think.  We all have things like I mentioned that, without a doubt, help shape us into the person we become.  We have these life-changing experiences and we must take these experiences, good or bad, and let them change our life or use them to help better the lives of those around us.  Why should we do this?  Why to make a difference, of course!  Making a difference, well that is just awesome, talk about an endorphin rush, it's one of the greatest!  I once again challenge you to make a difference.  To take your life experiences and run with them.  Take time to help out those around you.  Take time to write your letter to God. 

What would happen if we all took the time to write letters to God?  The world would be a more beautiful place, no doubt! 


*info obtained from http://www.letterstogodthemovie.com/the-movement-of-hope

The Switch

I had a great weekend, it was perfect!  Friday night my husband and I at sushi at the best sushi place that is here in Owasso.  It's called Simply Sushi and I find it just delicious! 

Then we went and saw the movie The Switch over the weekend.  It was too cute!  We both really enjoyed it.  Jennifer Aniston is one of my favorites of course, but the little boy in it was just adorable and very funny.  Definitely a feel-good movie worth seeing.

 

Saturday we had the perfect day being lazy and hanging out together.  It was great!  

I worked Sunday, got to attempt to intubate a baby, and had the best call shift ever!

My husband...he worked on his grass, more to come on that later.

 

Chihuahua Facts

• Chihuahuas are recognized as the smallest breed of dog in the world
• Chihuahua’s brains are the largest of any breed, when compared to the size of their bodies
• The Chihuahua was considered sacred to the Aztec and Toltec tribes of Mexico.
• The remains of Chihuahuas have been found buried with humans in Mexico and the United States
• According to the AKC the Chihuahua is the 10th most popular breed in the United States with 24,930 purebred Chihuahuas registered in 2003
• A Chihuahua once adopted and nursed an entire litter of kittens!
• The “Taco Bell dog” is actually a female. An 8 lb Chi named Gidget
• There is a state in México named Chihuahua
• Chihuahuas love to sunbathe.
• The largest litter a female Chihuahua has ever given birth to is 6, or 7….wait no it’s 10!
• Most Chihuahuas are born with floppy ears that stand up as they get older
• Chihuahuas have been mistaken for pit-bulls.
• The first Chihuahua was registered by the AKC in 1904
• Chihuahuas were used as hot packs in ancient times for aches and pains
• Chihuahuas snore!!
• Chihuahuas come with both long and smooth coats

Debatable "Facts"

• Chihuahuas can cure asthma – We’re not to sure where this one came from, but if you don’t believe that some actually believe this to be true visit your local search engine and search "Chihuahuas and Asthma"
• Chihuahuas may have been introduced to Mexico by the Chinese.
• Chihuahuas were brought to Mexico by the Spaniards
• The Chihuahua is considered to be the only breed of domesticated dog truly indigenous to the American continent. There is no doubt they have been here the longest of all the domesticated breeds.
• Chihuahuas are the cutest dogs on the planet!! While we think this should go above as "Fact", we realize not everyone may agree.

Courtesy of http://www.dexdog.com/fun-chihuahua-facts-and-myths.html

Fresh Breath

Dogs need to be taken care of just like us, well at least I think so, and thankfully, so does my husband!  That's why whenever we realized Macy's breath smelled like garbage, no joke, we decided it was time to have both our little dogs get their teeth cleaned.  The dogs handled the procedure quite well at our vet, who we think its pretty awesome by the way!  She takes such great care of our babies, another story for a different day.  When they got home though, Macy was still a little groggy from the anesthesia.  Jaxon, as you will see, he was just fine :)

I'm so sleepy mom...

eyes are going to close real soon

such a sleepy girl.

Jaxon on the other hand...

He is as happy as a clam to have shiny fresh breath!  I know he was thinking, "I love having fresh breath, too bad the ladies don't appeal to me anymore, grrr!" You see, Jaxon also underwent another procedure, but we wont talk about that just yet...it's a sensitive subject around here...poor guy lost his manhood...

And now it is time for me to be a good mommy to my four legged creatures and start taking better care of their teeth!  Sounds like fun, doesn't it?

Sunbathing

My dogs

love

being lazy,

 

being outside,

 and sunbathing....

 

almost

 

as much

as I do!