Clyde pictures

Just wanted to post a couple really cute pictures of my little angel!

My new favorite (saved as my desktop picture so I can dream of cuddling him all day long)!

Running vs. Clyde

Ok, so I'm seriously struggling with having a dog and how it's effecting my ability to do things- mainly run.  I brought this up before, but it's getting to me more and more now that it's warming up.  Spring is my prime motivational season for working out.  Every year in the spring I really gear up and wanna get out there and MOVE.  So having a little mini-Dachshund puppy with 2 inch legs that can't really MOVE with me is sort of hindering that goal right now.  This is exactly what I was afraid of in getting a dog.  RRRRRR!  We had no idea when we got Clyde that Greg would go back to flying so soon and leave me with Clyde for a couple months by myself.  It's not Greg's fault, but I feel kind of overwhelmed that it's all me, when I wasn't expecting it to be, at least not right away.  
I'm even finding it difficult to do things at home in the evenings.  Clyde wants to play and be with me all the time.  He stands next to me holding his ball in his mouth wanting to play fetch when I'm doing the dishes or cooking.  Last night I had big plans to get home, let Clyde out, take him for a walk, and then drop him off back at the house and at least do a quick run myself, but the puppy just looks at me with these sad eyes and just wants to cuddle and play with me.  It's almost like he's saying "Mommy, please don't leave me alone at all even for 1/2 an hour!", and I can't bring myself to leave him AGAIN after he's already been alone all day!  Even though it's just for a quick run I feel too guilty, so I didn't run last night.  Ughhhhhhhhhhhh!
I don't know what to do.  I've even considered getting a dog stroller, so I can put him in it and run, but they are pretty expensive (to get a good sport/running one) and it seems a little extreme/crazy to me!  haha!

I also thought I had made peace with the fact that I wasn't going to do my beloved Thursday night running group runs until Greg is back from training and is hopefully around on a Thursday once in a while to entertain the pup.  But then over the weekend when I ran with Jen and Josie, I kind of agreed that I could go with them to Thursday night running group, just this one time, this week.  I told myself Clyde will be ok without me just ONE night.  What was I thinking??  I'm not going to want to leave Clyde tomorrow night after he's been alone all day.  I think what I'm going to have to do is go to running group (to keep my promise to the girls), and bring Clyde and just walk him a little instead of running.  That's the only way I can participate.  It's so frustrating though, because I'm just itching to run more and further, and faster, and I can't.
I'm also starting to get an itch to run in some races, but it's seeming less and less possible that I can do that, because I can't really effectively train.  It's just frustrating.  I LOVE my puppy to pieces, but it's hard to do anything else with him around!
As much as I joke about it, I am seriously considering getting the jog-dog stroller.  It might be the only way to solve this problem!  What do you think, should I do it?  Any thoughts??

Fun weekend

Twas another good weekend in Charlotte.  Saturday morning Clyde had a vet appointment and got a bunch of shots.  He was such a good boy and held very still for the vet as she checked him out and gave him a squirt up his nose of one thing, a squirt in the mouth of another, and two shots to the butt!  My poor baby!  They weighed him and he is 5.8 lbs now!  When we got him he was only 3.5 lbs, so he's definitely growing!
I did some cleaning when we got home and then later went out for a Girls Night Out with four friends.  We decided to go to The Melting Pot and it was soooooooooooo good!  I've been to The Melting Pot in Virginia before, but hadn't been to any in Charlotte since moving here, so it had been a while since I've been.  We opted for the cheese fondue, salads, and chocolate.  We skipped the entree course, which I think was wise based on past experience when I had almost no room left for dessert, which let's face it- is why you go to The Melting Pot!  It was a great time and even without the entree course we were there almost 3 hours!  Don't plan on it being a quick evening if you go there people!  haha!
Last week I got some emails from a girl who had joined my running group that lives in my area of Charlotte and asked if I wanted to run!  I was excited to meet her and run with her, so we set it up for 10am yesterday and Josie came also.  She's really really nice, I like her a lot.  We did about 3 miles around our area and then went to Starbucks to sit and talk and drink some coffee after.
In the afternoon I met up with my friend Kim for lunch and shopping.  I didn't do too much damage, just a top and dress at Ann Taylor Loft, and some undies at Victoria's Secret.  I took Kim to Cheesecake Factory for some post birthday cheesecake, since her birthday was about a week or two ago and we hadn't been able to find time to get together until yesterday.  My favorites are the Dulce de Leche Caramel and the Pecan/Pumkin Cheesecake, but I decided on Tiramisu cheesecake so I could try something new.  Kim got the Vanilla Bean.  It was YUMMY!!!
Greg and I got into a little tiff over the phone last night.  One thing that drives me nuts when he is away is that he constantly nags me to do a ton of things.  He is always like, "Did you water the plants?  Did you check the sprinklers?  Have you fed the bunnies? Are you teaching Clyde to ring the bell when you take him out?  etc..."  I don't mind the occasional reminder of some of these things, but he's very naggy about it all and it gets old.  I'm like, "Dude I'm almost 32 years old, and not an idiot!"  Plus, it's difficult to run a household by yourself.  Even without kids.  I do the best I can, and if I'm not watering the plants every day or training Clyde the way he wants me to, oh well.  I got Clyde out to pee, he is happy and healthy.  Greg can work more on potty training him the way he wants to when he's back.  He's not here and I am stuck doing it ALL by myself, so I'll do the best I can.  I wasn't even a dog person before we got Clyde and I was thinking Greg would be doing at least half the of the doggie duty, so I think I'm doing pretty good considering it's all me.  I'm a busy person.  I make sure our animals are well taken care of and fed, and do the best I can to keep up everything else, but it may not be the way he wants it done.  Oh well.  He's not here!  Anyway, we're good.  I explained all that to him.  I know its' hard to be away and wish you were home to do things, but he needs to leave me alone about some of that stuff more!

50 things you might not know about me.

1.  The drink I order most of the time at Starbucks is the Skinny Vanilla Latte.
2.  I am two years and four days older than my brother.  We often had joint birthday parties when we were little.
3.  I do not have a lot of upper body strength and am usually not that motivated to work on it.  After a term of weight training in high school I was able to do ONE pull-up.
4.  I own a Glock 27 with Tritium Night Sights.
5.  I am a good cook and baker.
6.  I usually wear pretty high heels to work because I'm too lazy to have my pants hemmed.
7.  I am a really slow drinker, and never drink enough water.  I can eat an entire meal without drinking a beverage and sometimes do.  I'm pretty sure I'm borderline dehydrated most of the time.
8.  Ann Taylor (including Loft), Banana Republic, and Old Navy are my favorite stores and where about 90% of my clothes come from.
9.  I have never had a cavity.
10.  I used to be painfully shy about talking to strangers as a kid.  For example, I didn't even like calling to order pizza or asking someone to get something down off a shelf for me in a store if I couldn't reach.
11.  I learned how to drive on a standard (stick-shift) because at the time the only two cars my parents had were both standards.
12.  I don't really tan.  I once spent the whole summer in Hilton Head, and that was probably the tannest I've ever been, but it took a lot of effort.  I have done Mystic Tan and airbrush tans for weddings and like it.
13.  I have only taken one ride in an ambulance and it was about two weeks after I got my tonsils out, because I my throat wound opened up and I had blood gushing out that wouldn't stop.
14.  I Facebook or Google stalk people sometimes, especially ex-boyfriends.
15.  I'm weirdly obsessed with the Aviation Industry and trying to understand it.  Thanks Greg!
16.  I love sailing.  When I was a kid my family had a small sail boat on a lake and I LOVED going out on it.
17.  Because I love sailing and it reminds me of my Dad, the song I danced with my Dad to at my wedding was "Sailing" by Christopher Cross.  It gives me butterflies thinking of it!
18.  The first shot I ever did was Southern Comfort at Williams College, in MA.
19.  I wrote in journals all through Jr. High, High School, and College and lot of my journals are in a box in parents' attic.  God I hope they never read them!
20.  I didn't start wearing any eye make-up on a regular basis til my mid to late 20's.
21.  I love Coach purses.
22.  All of the flowers at my wedding were white calla lilies (center pieces, bouquets, boutonnieres), except my cake, which had green hydrangea on top.
23.  I love to pet the top of my husband's head, he has really awesome thick dark hair.
24.  My closet is always a mess and often I can't find the article of clothing I am looking for.
25.  I have been to an autopsy of a man that committed suicide.  It was one of the weirdest experiences of my life.
26.  I rarely paint my finger nails but almost always paint my toe nails (except in the middle of winter, I try to give them a break).
27.  I lose interest in being friends with people if I have to do all the work.  If I don't feel like they are reciprocating, I cut my losses and move on.
28.  I read the last three Twilight books in less than a week.
29.  My eyes are green with blue around the outer edge and a yellow ring around the pupil.  Greg's are very similar except his ring is darker yellow/light brown.  Kinda cool.
30.  I prefer not to use the same shampoo and conditioner every day.  I usually have at least three different kinds of each in my shower and mix it up.
31.  When I was little I wanted to be: an artist, an astronaut, and an author.  I really have no artistic talent at all, and don't see astronaut happening, so I'm thinking author might be the only possibility left if I ever did one of them.
32.  I need it to be pitch black when I sleep so I usually sleep with an eye mask on.
33.  I am very klutzy and injure myself a lot (usually just in minor ways).  Right now I have two cuts on my hands, one from a can of soup and one from a cheese grater.  I also often run into coffee tables, open drawers, fall down stairs, you name it...
34.  I had bangs until my junior year of college and am not sure I will ever have them again now that I know the freedom of NOT having bangs.
35.  I usually go to bed with socks on and kick them off during the night.
36.  I love chicken flavored Ramen noodles and Kraft Mac and Cheese every once in a while .
37.  I love Brat Pack movies, especially The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, and Sixteen Candles.  I can quote almost all of The Breakfast Club.
38.  I used to always build forts with my friends and play house in them.
39.  I went to private boarding (Prep) school for high school, but didn't live there, I was a day student.
40.  I lived with three other boyfriends before my husband.
41.  My favorite flavor combined with chocolate is raspberry.  Orange and hazelnut are a close tie for second.
42.  My parents and brother are really into golf and are really good at it.  I'm the least capable, but do have clubs and have taken lessons.  I think I'd be a good golfer if I worked on it, but I don't have the time or money right now.  I think eventually I will try and do it though.
43.  I want to take wine classes at some point.
44.  The three countries I most want to visit are Greece, Italy, and Ireland.  But, I'd pretty much travel anywhere if given the chance.
45.  I have no tattoos or piercings other than one hole in each ear, and plan to keep it that way.
46.  I love Calvin Klein sheets.
47.  I am a purist when it comes to a lot of kinds of food.  For example I like plain potato chips, tortilla chips, and popcorn.  I don't like that flavored powder crap on them.  Not a big fan of Doritos because of this.
48.  I don't like buying just one thing if I bother to go into a grocery store or pharmacy.  I'll try to think of at least a couple other things I could use if I'm going in.
49.  The movie "Cast Away" makes me cry, and usually all I have to do is here the music from the movie and I get teary.
50.  I don't know what my blood type is.

Spring Happiness

So aside from Greg being about 630 miles away right now, I find myself pretty happy.  I'm sure that's a relief to hear after the months of whining this blog initially started as.
For one thing, I LOVE spring.  It's my favorite time of year.  I loooooooooooooove when all the trees start flowering, things are turning green and purple, the air gets warm, and the sun is out after months of unbearably cold winter.  It just makes me happy.  I get into the mood to run, be outside, and eat more healthy.  I spend afternoons reading on the deck.  I go for walks, runs, or bike rides.  I drive with my sunroof open.  It's lovely.
The other thing I was thinking about on my drive into work the other day was that back when I was younger if you had asked me what I wanted my life to be like at this age, it's pretty close to what I always wanted, minus world travel and a kid or two.  I remember thinking that I wanted to live in a nice house, near a cool city, and work in a high rise office building.  I wanted to have the occasional "glamorous night out" in the city to see a play or go to a nice restaurant for dinner.  I wanted a domestic home life as well like I was brought up with, where I cooked meals for my family.  I wanted some pets besides fish, since that was all I had as a kid.  I wanted to continue doing outdoorsy things, like hiking and biking.  I wanted a good circle of friends to do fun things with.  I pretty much have the life I wanted.  I'm waiting longer than I'd wanted to to have kids and see more of the world, but hopefully I will eventually get a chance to have both of those things as well.  I feel pretty grateful for what I have.  Things really haven't changed all that much, except that Greg getting this job took a huge weight off of both of us and I suddenly my perspective has shifted and I see the glass as more half full now again.   It's amazing how that one thing changed everything.  Hopefully the optimist in me is here to stay.
Greg's training is going well.  It's not looking like we are going to get to see each other during after all.  Stand-by flights didn't look good (either way- me going there or him coming home), plane tickets were ridiculously expensive if we were to buy positive space, and the only other alternative would be for me to drive out there and back (10 hours) or for him to rent a car and meet me half-way.  I would probably burn two days of leave to drive out there and back, and if we met halfway he'd waste at least 10 hours driving that he could have used studying.  Plus, he feels like he needs to focus on studying anyway, so a visit might not be all that fun and might stress him out.  So we've pretty much decided just to suck it up til he finishes.  There's a possibility he'll get lucky and have a break in between ground school and simulator training, so he might come home then if that happens.  That would be good!  Til then we'll get by on phone calls and Skype.  I miss him.

This weekend was much more relaxing than last weekend. Last weekend I had so much going on with my friends visiting, Wine Fest, and getting Greg off to Memphis, that I barely had any time to chill.  Don't get me wrong, I had a blast, but I was due for a day or two off.  I really liked just having a bunch of down time this weekend. I was borderline lazy! I was able to do some things though. Friday night I went to NoDa with Gibson, Brad, and Kelly and we had dinner at the Crepe Cellar. I had a YUMMY spinach, mushroom, and goat cheese crepe and some Hob Nob Pinot Noir. After dinner we went over to Dolce Vita, a wine bar, and met some more people for drinks and dessert. We had this lovely chocolate raspberry cake.  I love raspberry and chocolate together!
I finally got out and ran both Saturday and Sunday. I've resigned to the fact that while Greg is gone at training, I can't really do the Thursday night running group. I live on the south side of Charlotte and the run is on the north side. Before we had Clyde, I'd just stay after work and go right to the run and then head home after. Now with Greg gone and me solely responsible for Clyde, I really have to get home ASAP since he's alone almost 10 hours by the time I get home from work (my poor baby!). It was a concern I had about getting a dog- I didn't want to let go of the freedom of doing things after work. I have no regrets though. I LOVE my little Clyde, he is awesome and totally worth the sacrifice. I mean, look how CUTE he is!!

My running group actually meets every day of the week at various times and locations, so my new strategy is to do the weekend morning runs when I can. I feel very sluggish and slow, but you have to start somewhere and I did 5K both days, so that's good. I'll also try and run from home in the evenings a couple times during the week and that should help get me back into gear.
Last week while shopping, I picked up some Tumeric (spice). I read somewhere that it's good for you and wanted to try cooking some stuff with it. I googled recipes and came up with this recipe for Marrakesh Vegetable Curry.  I changed a couple things.  I didn't have curry powder or paste, so I used some cumin instead. I had spinach, but I forgot to put it in, but now I'm thinking it might have made the dish kind of bitter, so it might have been just as well that I didn't put it in. I also added a splash or two of chicken stock and some ginger and less cayenne than it called for cuz I'm kind of a wus about heat!  I made a pot of Quinoa, and served it over that.  It was delish!  I have lots of leftovers to eat this week.

Picture Issues, Skype, and St. Paddy's Day

Not that I've ever been really good about it before, but I'm having major issues posting pictures in my posts as of late just to let you know. For those of you who read my blog, you may not have noticed, but most of the time I'll write a post and then go back later and add pictures when I have more time and motivation. Therefore it's entirely possible that you all think I just babble aimlessly with no visual aids. Which a lot of the time I do. I do try to post pictures if I have relevant ones to a post though. I just haven't really gone out of my way to take pictures specifically for the blog. I actually have quite a few pictures I've been meaning to post, but alas the photo link has disappeared from my post options so I'm trying to figure out how to remedy that.
Anyway, it's been a busy but good week.
Greg's first week of training has gone pretty good. He aced his first test and is settling back into the pilot mentality. Right before Greg left he got me a new laptop as an early birthday present, mainly because my desktop computer is old and criminally slow, and we wanted to use the new laptop for communication purposes while he's gone. It has a webcam, so we've been doing Skype and I LOVE it!!! For you pilots wives that haven't used this with your hubbies when they are traveling yet, I HIGHLY recommend it! I tend to get kind of bored on the phone when it's recapping the same sort of stuff each day, so to have the visual of him (and vice versa) is awesome and makes me want to talk so much longer! Greg also LOVES to see Clyde, since obviously Clyde can't talk on the phone. He loves to be able to see his puppy hopping all over and chewing on his toys. I also got a tour of the hotel room and the view of Memphis from the window. I'm sure those of you with kids would love it too. The only thing is that Clyde moves so fast that it's hard to see him sometimes. He's kind of a blur on the screen! It's still really really cool though.
We haven't figured out if/when a visit will occur, but I think I'll be going to Memphis at some point. It doesn't look like Greg is in training on Saturdays after all, which was something that we thought would be an issue. So that's good.

I took a half day on St. Paddy's day to celebrate with friends. I LOVE St. Paddy's Day! So fun! A bunch of us went to a bar/restaurant called PJ O'Reilly's and I kicked off the festivities with some Irish beer and grub. The tour then led me back to downtown Charlotte to RiRa for further beverage consumption and fun with some of my friends that did not get out of work early and met us after. This is something I do have a bunch of pictures of to post so as soon as I get my issues resolved, I will try and remember to do that.