back from my hiatus

hello Internet world!
I've decided to come back to you after a long hiatus. A lot has happened. My lovely husband and I had our first anniversary :) The first of many many more to come!

Then there was the union of two amazing, kind, beautiful people (inside & out) :)

LOVE YOU TWO!

And of course the marriage of Mr & Mrs Monroe.

LOVE YOU TWO!!



I know I may sound redundant but I really love these people! They make my life an even better place so thank you to you all! AND TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER or I will hunt down the one who's doing wrong haha

So I really just wanted to start off simple and slow with a post congratulation those who have made their relationships "official". Thank you for letting me be a part of your lives.

Lastly, I'll just say on a quick note that I have a new job and I am enjoying coming home each night with NO calls to home and no panic attacks about whats happening at work!

Work should be important to you and you should always want to give your best. but it is STILL a job. Remind yourself to enjoy your time with your loved ones and be present.

Back on the saddle again.

Sheryl

Keepin the tradition or not?

Weddings wedding everywhere! Lately there's been a lot of great people in my life getting married or soon to be getting married! I'm just happy to see the people I love being in love!

There's a lot of traditions that come along with a wedding and everything after. I realized last night that brandon and my anniversary is coming up in less than 2 months and I do not feel even the slightest need to exchange gifts on ANY of our anniversaries. I think it's silly. (personal opinion, so DO NOT be offended if you do).

The day of our wedding and days up to it, I thought about how many couples exchange gifts the day of their wedding. What could Brandon possibly get me the day of our wedding that could even compare to the special day and the gift that he was going to be my husband? Nothing! I'm glad he felt the same way. We didn't exchange gifts the day of our wedding, just vows that meant the world.

So anniversaries... What's your plan?

Well for our one year anniversay we get a whole new cake top from our cake vendor. I plan on spending it drinking champagne or wine and eating cake with my husband of one year. Maybe dinner but no monetary gifts.  I don't care if it's the paper year, the gold year or the diamond year. Every year gets better and better because of love.

I think for as long as our cake place is open, we'll go every year on our anniversary to share a slice of our wedding cake and remember that night over and over again.

But a toast to all my newly wed or soon to be newly wed loved ones! Bre and Zev! and of course my lovely sister Jenny & Ej!

Under Pressure

Good morning good people!!!

I've been on a pretty big hiatus dealing with STRESS. Unfortunately stress is something most of us cannot escape. It does a lot to a person.

-lack of sleep (I found myself waking up EVERY 25-30 minutes the other night)
-high blood pressure (I was too afraid to check mine)
-immune system weakened
-loss of appetite.

The list goes on and on. I simply felt burnt out. You there? Everyone deals with stress in their own way, so I don't expect my words to help everyone but maybe it will help someone.


*Got a dog? go for a walk! EVERY morning. Yes...EVERY morning. It's probably been one of the most helpful things for me. It reminds me that there's more to me than what I do or what is stressing me. Many people joked that buddist monks look and act like little children in their later years. The reason for this is because they keep their mind in a constant state of wonder. Just like a baby.

Do this! Walking dexter every morning helps remind me how nice the summer morning air feels, smells, and how it looks. The other day I spent a good 5 minutes mesmorized in the shower looking at the water as it fell onto my hands. (by now you think i'm crazy) but simply being their and noticing what was going on right then, how it felt and looked was pretty neat. (No....I wans't drunk).

*Exercise. I've been so stressed I havent left myself much time to exercise. Latley I started running and although I dont typically run too far yet, I have learned to control my breath and not get tired early.

*Music in the morning. Turn it up loud, dance and sing while you make breakfast or coffee!


Stress can consume you if you let it. When you feel like its becoming too much talk to someone who makes you laugh or smile, it'll pull you right back to what really matters.

I'm a lover, i'm a liver, i'm a doer, i'm simple, i'm a friend, a dog mom :)

My job is simply what I do not who I am.

Todays morning is brought to you by Neil Young's Heart of Gold. 

Now go take your dog for a walk, Dexter and I are leaving for ours now. Try to focus on nothing else in your life but whats going on in the moment.  Afterall....nextflix, pinterest, and instagram are all down. So go back to living life! http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-57464342-71/modern-life-halted-as-netflix-pinterest-instagram-down/

"I'M LIVING IN THE NOW, NOW JERRY. AND I'M LOVING EVERY MINUTE OF IT!"

Have fun! It's healthy!

Did you know that everytime you smile your body releases endorphins?
Fun loving optimistic people also live longer!

So to help contine our healthy happy long endorphin releasing lives haha, we went out last night!

Here's how it went....

It's important to take time out from your busy schedule to unwind...really unwind. Smile, laugh, dance like a fool and not care what anyone around you may be thinking.

To recoup today I think a lot of us spent time in our sweatpants haha. While I felt alright with it for the most part, I always feel lazy and gross after laying around all day. I need to learn to just sit and be haha. "the rock just sits and is....you rock, rock!" (I <3 huckabees).

All in all a great night out and a great reminder of how great people can be if you just let them in. I love you guys!

<3

So you think you want a boxer pup?

Today is a two-fer!...or is it two-for....either way, you get TWO posts today!

Brandon and I (as most of you know) have gotten ourselves a boxer pup back in October, shortly after our wedding. After having the puppy for just a few short days we panicked and took him back. Thankfully, is original owner let us come back less than 24hrs later to pick him up again. :)
Going back there was the BEST decision for us!

I'll tell you, that at this moment Dexter (our pup) is laying down all cute and snuggly on my bed....this is not normal. He's only acting this way because he ran a muck from 11am until about 5 this afternoon.

I decided to maybe provide some personal reflections and opinions to other people out there looking to possibly get themselves a boxer pup or dog.


They say boxers are like three year old children that never grow up. VERY true! Dexter is super playful! He has his sleepy times but for the most part he is an attention seeker.

Let's give you some history!
Boxers were bread from a wild dog in Germany and a mastiff. They were originally bred to hunt wild animals. Their jaws helped them hold onto the game until their owner reached them.

Today's boxers are much more playful and friendly. They make great companion dogs, and are very protective over their family. I cannot agree enough with this when it comes to Dexter. If Brandon so much as looks at me funny, or talks to me in a tone (jokingly) that Dexter does not  like, and especially if he pretends to hit me or even TAP me DEXTER GOES NUTS! He is CRAZY protective over me. If I pretend to hit Brandon Dexter actually jumps in to help ME!  I'm sure Brandon doesn't find it as endearing as I do but it makes my heart melt to know he cares that much about me.

Boxers love to have something to work for or have a task to do, so obedience training is a GREAT idea! Dexter started at about 3 months and was the star of his class! He picked up all the tricks very easily and loves doing them to this day.

Separation anxiety...if you get this GET A TRAINER, read up on it. Start leaving your puppy alone (crated preferably) in small increments. Dexter picked up separation anxiety at about 6 months out of nowhere. It IS possible to overcome if you nip it in the bud early! If you need any helpful tips or advice, I'm not a professional but with the help of one we defeated our puppies poor anxiety problems. Just comment and I will get back to you!

Lastly....get a harness that hooks in the front! Walking a strong boxer can be very difficult. Practice heel (usually taught at obedience classes or puppy training), or try other techniques to train him to walk beside you not lead you. The harness really helped us. I can actually walk him by myself!

Getting any kind of puppy is a big decision. In our family it's just Brandon and I. I think having less people in the family makes having a puppy (particularly a boxer puppy) a LOT like having a kid. They need constant attention, affection, and discipline. I think having more people in a family might make having a puppy easier but its not impossible for a couple. You just have to be ready to sacrifice a little and be PATIENT.

It's worth it! <3

"Life's too short"

I haven't really been on the computer in quite awhile. Busy doing things around the house, making crafts, doing some gardening, and obviously working.
I've been so caught up in work work work that I decided to spend more time on me and who I really am.

I'm not my job. I'm a great friend, possibly a hippy at heart. I'm a yogi, a lover, a dog lover (as dexter licks my face haha). I talk wayyyy to much.

I want to laugh more, be healthier and spend more time with the people I love. I'm going to make the best of every second of every day. I think we all owe it to ourselves. We all get caught up in the hustle and bustle that we forget that life can be taken away at any second. Would you really be satisifed today that you did everything you wanted to? NO regrets?

So as of yesterday, I've been getting up earlier, eating right and doing yoga to start my day. I listen to RIDICULOUS music first thing in the morning to start my day (ie. whitney houston- I wanna dance with somebody)....seriously I challenge you to start your day with that song you'll laugh at yourself but you won't be able to stop dancing haha.


So what sparked this post?

The death of a childhood friend. Tim Berchou was taken away way too early to cancer. The older I get the more kids from my childhood and high school years I see pass away. It's cliche to say life's too short but it really is if you don't live it to the very fullest.

Here's to a year of doing new things and doing more with my time here on this earth.

This year I want to do a lot.

- I want to volunteer more
- I want to run a half marathon
- I want to dance like a fool at my boo's wedding!
- I want to spend time with my sister in ohio
- I want to go to the toronto zoo
- I want to go on my first cruise to europe next year
- I want to pursuse all my dreams and I won't stop at every road block.

keep on keeping on! you're never too old and its never too late!

sights, smell, memories

Well hello new blogger! Or maybe it's just me..... I've been living off the blogger grid for at least a month now.

Busy with work and home. Our bathroom is partially remodeled. There is no longer a hole in the wall serving as a memory of the time dexter busted out of his crate and locked himself in the bathroom!

Speaking of memories, as I was driving home from a coffee date last night I had a band I listened to back in the day come on the old ipod shuffle.
For a second I felt like I was 18 again and sitting in the back seat of my sisters ford tempo rocking out as her, other friends and myself wondered the streets amiously with no destination in mind.


It also reminded me of stealing lawn gnomes and other ornaments.

yes...we stole all these.

Or riding around a campground with a jesus duct taped to the front of our golf cart!

I'm very very very content with my adulthood life but geez....I wanna stayyyyyyyyyyy 18 forevvvvvvver. (ahh...brand new.)

Back to 2012!





http://www.livescience.com/8426-brain-link-sounds-smells-memory-revealed.html