Search and Rescue

Let me start off this post by saying that while we love Archer dearly, I don't think that either of us realized what we were getting into when we brought him home!  'I love dogs' turned into 'my friend has a friend who's had GSD puppies - can we just go look' turned into 'OMGWENEEDTHISDOG'.  I've always loved German Shepherds, they are truly amazing animals...but holy hell is Archer high maintenance.  Anybody who is thinking about getting a working class dog should really really think about whether they actually want the responsibility of making sure that dog is mentally stimulated (which I've found is much more difficult to do than just tiring a dog out every day).  That being said, having Archer has been kind of a 'blessing in disguise' even though I really hate that saying! *Now, imagine me saying this in a Julia Child voice* He has turned into something for me to DO!  I've had a lot of time since I have not been working that much...and I have really put a lot of time and energy into training him.   Okay, now that that's out of the way, let's talk about Search and Rescue!

Part of Archer being a working dog is that he has an incredibly high DRIVE.  He needs something to do, or else he is just a freaking nightmare!  Part of the problem that we were having was that he really needed a job, but we just didn't know that!  I'm not sure what gave me the idea that we should look into SAR, but once I did, I was glad!  The group that we're part of directed me to a new obedience trainer (she's the president of SAR group, but also has an obedience school) and that change has been AMAZING! This new obedience school has made him an entirely new dog!  Basically all of the problems we've been having are now gone!  Wednesday nights we have obedience and Sunday mornings we do SAR.  We are in the early stages of training, so it's all about teaching Archer 'the game'.  Archer having that insane drive has been instrumental in teaching him the find game, because he wants to do it, and he wants to please me!  Sometimes they have to actually try and teach the dog to have a higher drive, but Archer's already got it, which I've been told will make training him to do this easier!  What happens is, someone goes and hides (not very far away) behind a tree or bush or something.  While that person is hiding, you're saying 'oh, where are they going, are you going to find them?' over and over to get them excited about wanting to follow that individual.  Then, you point them in the right direction and say GO FIND, and they run off to go find that person!  Once they do find them (usually they're a straight shot away) there's lots of praise and treats so they know they just did what you wanted.  It's so fun, and Archer just has the best time ever on Sundays!  Plus, because of all the mental stimulation, he's usually exhausted when we get home :).  One of the trainers even said that she thought he must have been made for it!  It's been so interesting and really a lot of fun.

On Sunday we were voted in to the group (but we won't be official members who pay dues until after our 3 month probation period is over).  But, we're in!  It's pretty exciting!

*I think if we had kids, Archer wouldn't need a job as much as he does now...because watching over the children would be his job!  Lots of GSD's are 'nanny' dogs and take it upon themselves to make sure that no harm befalls 'their' kids!  Isn't that just so cute?  Since we're currently childless, we've been able to find another outlet :)

And, here's your cute cute picture for the day!

He's getting pretty big, right?  We went and hung out at the local non-mall as part of his training.  He needs to learn how to be okay at other places!  He got compliments, pets, dog treats, and more compliments...good day for him!

Mary Kay

I have my own Mary Kay website! SO COOL!  Not sure if anybody actually reads this blog, but if you do, check it out!

Robin's Mary Kay website

Holy Crap, it's been a while!

So, I'm almost positive that the only people who view this blog are my family members...which is kind of understanding because as far as a blog goes, it's not that exciting, entertaining, or funny!  More like...a way to keep in touch with relatives who I'm not facebook friends with. Anywho, here's a brief update of all the things on my plate!

1. I definitely stopped doing the Beachbody stuff.  The workouts (while fun) were hurting my knees, and the dog stopped getting walked.  However, since I have stopped doing the workouts, the dog gets walked most every day....so my weight loss has continued!  The last I checked, I had lost 9 pounds, and I still have about 10 to go.  My goal weight is roughly 125...but there's always so much fluctuation throughout the month that I understand I won't weigh 125 every single day.

2. Archer and I started going to Search and Rescue Training!  I'll do another post soon about how cool Search and Rescue is and what a great fit it is for him...along with some updated pictures!  He's getting really, really big.  Basically, just know that now he's a working dog not only in title.

3. I GOT AN IPHONE.  It's totally awesome, and I take about 100 pictures a day of all of the animals, because it's just so dang convenient.

4. I got another Doula Client :).  She is due this upcoming Friday...!

5.  As of January, I will officially be in school again.  There are programs to help military spouses finish Associate's degrees, so I will be getting an Associates of Science in Small Business Management.  I want to learn more about how I should run my Doula Business.  I'm pretty excited to get started!

6. Since I ditched Team Beachbody, I wanted to come up with another way to make a little extra money.  SO...I turned to some products that I use daily!  I love everything they make, so it sort of seemed like a natural jump for me.  As of last Saturday, I'm now a Mary Kay consultant!  It really seems like a better fit for me.  Let's face it...I'm not a workout junkie.  I'm soft, not toned...and I'm fairly curvy.  But, I do love makeup, and I love their skin care.  And, I've already had more success doing it.  So, YAY!

Back to the soft, not toned thing.  It's pretty neat - since I started working out more often and trying to lose weight, I started really looking at other women's bodies.  I'd look and think, do I really want to look like that?  The ideal that I had in my head of what I wanted to look like - when I really thought about it, I realized it wasn't what I wanted to look like at all!  Yes, I want to lose about 10 pounds.  But, I like the frame that I've got.  I like being curvy, and soft.  It makes me feel like a woman.  If I had the body that I thought that I wanted...I wouldn't be happy with it!  Being too skinny just doesn't seem sexy to me.  So, I had a dose of reality, and it really gave my self confidence a boost.  I still have my fat days, and my I need to love weight moments...but they're not really what I worry about all the time.  It feels nice to feel more comfortable in my skin.

7. My best friend is moving away.  Their time here has come to an end, and while I'm so happy for her and her family, I'm sad for me!  I'm starting to make an effort to make new friends.  Has anybody else noticed how after you grow up, it's like a million times harder to make new friends and connect with people?! I mean, as a little kid, you just sort of click and instantly become friends, but that's only happened with like, 3 people since I've gotten out here! And now they're all gone! Frack.

Here's a cute photo :

....okay.  That was 3 cute photos!

On A Roll

So...we were supposed to be leaving the area sometime in October, but that has now changed.  Jake got what's called 'rolled'.  It means that they're giving him an opportunity to go back in the program, and get a better foundation in his language.  It's actually a really good thing for his school, and his old classmates told him that they were jealous that he was getting to do it.  It's not that he failed.  He's getting an opportunity to succeed more.  You actually have to have a high enough GPA to make them think that it's worth it, but a low enough GPA where they're worried that you might not pass the DLPT on the first try.  So, now he's basically guaranteed to pass the DLPT on the first try, and with a much higher score (which means more mula monthly).  We will now be in the area until sometime next July.  They didn't need to send him back that far, but unfortunately I guess it was the only class that could take him...so we'll be here for quite a bit longer!

The good news (besides what I was saying about passing the DLPT) is that we're already moved into our new big house, so we won't be stuck in that tiny apartment for an extra 9 months!  The bad news is that I'll have to try and make new friends, because all of ours will be moving away pretty soon!  Also, we won't be making it back to the East Coast this year...we'll have to wait!  I myself will be making a trip back to NC in April, but since Jake will have class he won't accompany me.  Anyways, that's the big news in our life for now.  Ta Ta Folks!

Brazil Butt Lift

So, I started my Brazil Butt Lift program 11 days ago...and I've followed it for 11 days!  I'm really proud of myself for sticking with it.  It's very challenging, but rewarding!  I already feel different, and I swear you can start to see changes!  My butt is getting my toned, and there's more definition in my tummy/legs!  It's also working on building up my upper body strength too, which was sorely lacking!  I know that if I stick with this, things will definitely change!  For the first 2 days, I couldn't even move!!  Now, I get sore, and my muscles are absolutely tired, but I can make it up the stairs without crying out in pain :).

What keeps me going is my vision of my ideal body.  I want it so bad!  I'm less concerned about eating meals out of the fat burning foods book that's included, and more concerned with the actual fitness aspect.  Once I started, I realized it was about so much more than just losing weight.  I want to be a healthier individual all around!  More veggies, more fruits, less snacks and fatty meats!  That's my new meal plan :).  Once I'm done with 30 days, I'll post a day 1 photo and a day 30 photo to look at the comparison...and then a day 60, 90, etc!

Finished Blanket!

I finished my goddaughter's blanket!  It took me months, but now it's done.  *And to think I agreed to make another one...I am literally insane.  Hindsight is 20/20, I'll have to crochet until my fingers bleed to finish this one in time!  Oy Vey*

Just a little thing, just a tiny thing: CAN YOU BELIEVE I ACTUALLY MADE THIS?  AmIRight?

Update

Wow, it's been a while!  Things have been pretty crazy in the past month.  We moved onto base housing in the beginning of June, and it's been a bit of an adjustment.  We're about 20 minutes further away from base than we used to be...but we have a house now!  Our house is humongous...I'm going to say probably 2.5 times as big as our apartment was!  Oh my gosh, it's amazing what having space can do for your relationship!  We are not nearly as snarky to each other, and we've hardly fought at all since moving in.  We were so on top of each other in our apartment, and now whenever there's any irritation, it's easy to just go into a separate room and just cool off!  Here's a picture of our house:

Also, Archer is really big now, or so I hear.  He always looks small to me!  We got him neutered a few weeks ago, and those were a hard couple of weeks!  Try having a 70 pound cooped up baby.  He acts just like a toddler...but he's a lot bigger.  I'm really glad that we can go back to walking every day and playing at the dog park.  He's much better behaved when he's tired.  He really enjoys the house.  We have almost no furniture, so there's lots of empty space for him to run around in.

It's July here, and while the weather should be hot and sunny...it's not.  It has been cold, foggy, and dreary ever since the beginning of July.  I would figuratively kill someone for a week of gorgeous hot, sunny weather!

I had my first birth, as a doula!  It was really really amazing, but in some ways I feel like I'm still recovering.  My sleep schedule is still off, from being up for 30 some straight hours, but mainly it was just such an experience to watch someone labor, and I feel like it was a little life changing?  I didn't actually get to see her deliver, because she needed a c-section last minute, but we got all the way dilated together.  It was definitely an experience.

Also, I am working on a new business venture!  I am now a coach and a member of Team Beachbody! It got started because I was interested in one of the fitness programs, and my fabulous coach Lisa let me know that because we're military, I can be a coach for free.  SO that's how that got started.  I've gotten the Brazil Butt Lift program (there's an awesome trial during the month of July to try it for 14.95 for 30 days, if you get the results you were looking for, you buy the program, if not, you send it back!).  I'm starting a challenge on August 1st, and I'm trying to get 5 other people to do it with me...so if anybody actually reads this blog and knows someone who would like to get healthy and lose weight, send them my way! my website for beachbody is this: Robin's Beachbody Website!

I want to take my blog in a little bit of a different direction...like an actual blog about my thoughts and such, instead of just life updates.