A New Vision

Sooooo...there have been a couple things I've realized I need to change about me, or at least change my perception on.

1. I've done 20 years of Taekwondo mixed with some kickboxing, Hapkido, Karate and extreme martial-arts. I'm thinking that I need to tick that off the ol' bucket list. This is probably the hardest and most painful choice I have made. I have realized that I'm going to have to stop seeing myself as an injured martial-artist. It is making me depressed thinking about being a martial-artist who can no longer perform. Instead, I've decided that I'm just not going to think of myself as a martial-artist any longer. Time to hang up the belt and say that I've been there and done that. I will still throw some punches and kicks when I can, but my training days are over. Time to focus on something I CAN do.

Bowing out

2. Since April I have been trying to slim down. I've been using the number on the scale to determine my success. The problem that I have is that I LOVE to eat, but I HATE cardiovascular workouts. Being that I am very goal oriented, I have been stressing and upset that I can not reach my goal weight. Even while I was good about eating right and exercising, I never dropped those last 10 pounds. I stopped lifting weights as much as I used to thinking that it would help with my back, and that muscle weighs more than fat. The result was just a soft, squishy version of myself. I am NOT a skinny chick. It's time to hit the weights again. I'm putting on muscle now, and I feel much better. Now I have to find some clothes that fit.

Need muscles like his ;-)

3. I remember having the biggest crush on my uncle when I was about 5 years old. Don't worry, he's an uncle by marriage. Anyway, Uncle Danny is a farmer. My favorite vacations were spent on his farm. Not just because my Aunt and Uncle were some cool people, but the animals and being outside were always so much fun. I also remember that whenever people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always answered that I wanted to be a farmer. Time passed, and when you grow up in the city, the idea of being a farmer isn't something that occurs to you.

Now that I've been propagating plants and growing stuff, I really enjoy creating gardens and more plants. I suck at growing vegetables, but other plants and trees I love. I don't think that I could have a whole farm, per se, but having my own tiny farm in my backyard is something I should focus on...for fun. It will be a nice release and escape for me to grow things. I also love animals. I want to find a way to either breed puppies, dog sit, or work for a vet.

My family on my Aunt and Uncles farm...I'm the little girl

So those are the 3 things I am changing my views on. It's time to do things that I can do and that make me happy.

Puppy Love

My oldest dog Titan

I'm obsessed with dogs! I always have been. I love the creatures, and I can never get enough of them. I remember writing letters as a young child to my Aunt MaryLou always inquiring about her dog and giving her detailed accounts of my dog. She must have thought I was a crazy child. My obsession started early and only grew stronger.

If you have a dog and I see it, chances are I am going to ignore you at some point. I will be on the floor with your dog or having a conversation with your dog. I am not a physically affectionate person, but when it comes to dogs I am all over them. I'm still trying to figure out how to become a professional dog petter.

Dogs are easier than people. They are happier, less judging, and for the most part friendlier. I have lived on my street for a little over a year now. I know the first name of one adult on my street, but I know Barkeley, Cuddles, Brownie, Oliver, Izzy, Cooper, and Precious. Yeah...

My furry Lakeland friends

When I go visit my friends in Lakeland (about 45 minutes from my home), I am just as excited to visit the furry friends as I am the human ones. As a matter of fact, I get extremely disappointed when I drive there and don't get to see the Wisneski dogs.

I got my first puppy when I was about 11. I finally convinced my parents that I would take care of one. Her name was Pepper, and she was an awesome mutt! She made me laugh about everyday, and when I came home from those miserable days in middle school, she was the one to make me feel better.

My youngest dog Phin

Now I have two dogs. Both rescued mutts. Titan (named after the Tennessee Titans) is 4 and he is our grumpy old man. He had a rough start in life, and isn't used to being affectionate. He likes his space, and get really upset when his space is invaded. Phin (named after the Miami Dolphins) is 7 months and is our crazy puppy. He is sweet and playful.

I could never have too many puppies. I plan to be the crazy old dog lady instead of the crazy cat lady. But until I get rid of some human children or inherit a farm, I'm just going to have to stick with my two. I don't think my husband would give me a choice on that anyway.

Titan got his head stuck in a cracker box

Dog Beach

Today I took my dog and kids to the Ft De Soto dog beach for our first dog beach experience. None of the major beaches in the Tampa area allow pets on the beach, so I was happy to learn that not only was there a beach that allowed dogs, but a beach FOR dogs.

The dog beach is part of the Ft De Soto Park which is near St Petersburg Beach. I had never been to Ft De Soto, and now that I've driven by, I really want to go camping there. Camping on the beach! The dog beach is on the north beach and there is free parking. Because it is a holiday weekend, the beach was packed, but there was still parking available on the grass across the street from the beach parking lot.

The beach was UGLY! I don't think they ever rake the beach, so its not the pretty soft white sand like the surrounding beaches. It's kinda a grayish broken shell yuckyness. But hey, its for dogs, right? The beach was small, full of people and dogs. Dogs that were just running around greeting people and other dogs. I'm a dog lover, so I thought this was awesome. All the dogs were under voice command or on a leash, and every dog and person was really nice.

Dogs crack me up! They were all so cute and fun to watch. I witnessed at one point a line of dogs waiting to pee in the same spot. It was like a doggy bathroom line. That was great. Dogs were playing with owners, other dogs' owners, and with each other. Fetch, sniff, and chase all over the beach and in the water. It was a blast!

My dog, Titan, is a very social dog. He loves all dogs and people and he loves to swim, so I thought that he would be really happy. I think maybe it was a bit too overwhelming for him because when we first got there he was scared of the other dogs. Eventually, he was able to ignore the other dogs and just enjoy swimming, digging holes, and playing with me and Faith.

Cross, my 5 year old, is as much a dog lover as I am. So he had a blast petting and playing with hundreds of friendly dogs all day long. He was in the water the whole time just playing with the dogs. I had a harder time keeping up with him than I did Titan.

Cross with a random black lab

Christian, my 7 year old, could care less about the dogs. He got excited about seeing some really cute puppies and pugs, but he was more interested in playing with other kids. He turned out to be an awesome sand dollar hunter. He was finding sand dollars for everybody at the beach. He came home with 3, plus one for his sister.

Faith, my 9 year old, was scared of swimming in water that dogs had pooped and peed in. She still had fun playing with Titan and all the other dogs. She liked to throw frisbees and balls in the water for the dogs to jump in and fetch. She liked watching the dogs chase her shadow, chase each other, do the back scoot in sand, and other silly dog antics.

Overall, I had a blast! It was a completely different beach experience, and I was happy to get to have an outing with Titan.

Asleep on the floor board on the way home