Owning up to 30 before 30

Ok, so I'm gonna own it right now.  I'm pretty sure there are 10 items on the list that there is no way I can accomplish before January.  Just ain't happening.  So...I'll confess to being a failure and set more realistic goals in the future. 

For instance?

The 10k...yeah...not really running at all right now.  So the likelihood of running 6+ miles next month?  Mmm...not happening.

Also, I have not been vegetarian at all for a bit.  It just isn't working with my lifestyle right now, and I'm dealing with some guilt, but I'll worry about that later.

I can't go into the rational for everything just now, so I'll leave it at that.  Oh!  And thanks for the concern, but I really wasn't hurt by the fireball.  I may have lost a little bit in the aesthetic department, but that's all.  Thanks, though! 

This weekend's excitement brought to you by the letter...G

Gas.  You either stink up the place, empty our wallets, or pollute the planet.  Ok, I may be a little bitter.  However, I'm also currently missing a lot of eyelash and eyebrow on my right eye, as well as a few chunks of hair.  Not too visible, but pretty darn stinky.

Chris asked me to turn on the grill for him.  No biggie.  Done it a million times.  This time, however, the clicker took a bit too long to light, and I ended up with a giant fireball chasing me down.  Scary, smelly, and I miss my eyelashes.  Bah.

Aren't I talented in paint? :P

Harper is Improving!

Sorry I've been so quiet, but we've been as hectic as you may have guessed.  But we have good news!  Harper is responding well to treatment!  It's VERY expensive, so our pockets aren't loving it, but at least our puppy is.  One B12 shot is $16.50, and she gets one of those weekly.  One 12 oz bottle of enzyme powder is $129, and we estimate that will last us a little over 2 months.  (The vet tech tried to tell us 300 days, but we think she's confused.  Harper needs 1 tsp with every meal.  Believe us, we've run the math a million times by now.)  Also, as she progresses, she'll do a blood test every month or so until she's better...which is a couple hundred.  Puppies are not cheap propositions, people!

But the most encouraging sign?  This:

That picture may not look like much, but let me tell you why it's fantastic.  That is a puppy with a wet head because she wouldn't stay out of the shower while I was in it.  She was too busy biting at the stream of water and having a wonderful time.  She's starting to get back to her old, playful self!  Such a relief.  It's probably been almost two months since she's played this game, and we're happy to have it back, even if it does make for a wet bathroom, and public shower. 

30 before 30: #13. Throw a party

I do have to admit that this is one of many items on my "Bucket List" that I have done many times before.  That didn't make it any less of a goal.  And, it's yet another one that I selfishly used Chris for my purposes.  For his 30th birthday, we had some of our friends over on Saturday.  Not a huge gathering, but it qualifies.

Chris's best man, Matt, brought a lot of his home-brewed beer, as always.  He is very talented.  Don't think some skunky crud coming out of someone's basement.  Think treats from a semi-professional, who dreams of one day being a brewmaster.  He frequently enters competitions, and frequently does well. 

Why the beer talk?  Matt showed up, and immediately treated us to a  micro-brewery beer he had recently discovered, and MAN, was it delicious.  He did not warn the light-weights amongst us (*cough* me) that it was 13%, though, when he handed me a mug full.

Try it, it's delicious.

Not surprisingly, before any other guests showed up, I was running up and down the street trying to invite neighbors.  While this may count toward #8 Making Friends, it is perhaps a little embarrassing.  Not that I was visibly intoxicated.  I just get very friendly.  The two neighbors I talked to, and would love to be friends with, both sounded very positive, and said they'd try to stop by...but didn't.  I was bummed.

The real reason for the party, forget all that birthday stuff, was to watch Penn State play Alabama.  Originally, we were going to watch the game on a screen in the backyard, but the dog has made the yard a terrible minefield that contains swarms of flies.  We try our best to keep up, but...it's disgusting, and we certainly weren't letting people out there.  So, inside it was. 

Lent by another groomsman, Mike

I can't really claim to have watched much of the game, but perhaps that's better for our sanity for two reasons.  1) Penn State got slaughtered (not surprisingly) and 2) Chris DVR'd it and we watched it again the next morning anyway.  The re-watching of the game is pretty standard in our house, and should not surprise any of you who read Old State Glory.  Chris doesn't get all his stats with one watch.  OH no.  There is serious analysis going on in our house.



Now, I'm starting to feel there's a bit of a conspiracy.  Virtually every blog I read has recently announced they are pregnant (Hi Kat of Living Like the Kings and Tina of Faith, Fitness, Fun who usually read here, too).  ALSO, while you can only see Maddie over on the left, and Will front and center, Sam is hiding behind a column and Tim & Cathy are hiding little "Borat" (or so they claim) in-utero.  Feeling some pressure.  But, while my husband suggested that I do a post on my feelings on what we're thinking, I think I will not ask for THAT many comments.  ;)

EDIT 
***NOTE FOR ALL NEW PEOPLE WHO ARE FINDING THIS POST SEARCHING "PREGNANCY": The complete and total irony of this post is that I was indeed pregnant at this party.  I did not know it.  I found out 4 days later.  Our feelings were that we were going to start trying some time in a few months...obviously...well, y'know...unnecessary.***

Overall, we had a great time.  I made vegetarian chili (which, I need to send the recipe to Kelle, but you can find HERE.  Yum.) and pulled pork, as well as the cake.  Our very generous and helpful friends brought all the sides.  Which, obviously means, I broke down and ate some of Meghan's buffalo chicken dip.  Ok, the majority of the pan.  So much for vegetarianism, and my comfort.  OHHHH have I felt sick from the dairy.  Whatever, worth it.  It's awesome.

And even Harper got up off her whiny, sick-butt and joined in.  She can't resist a good party!  Of course, she was passed out the next day, but loved it while it was going on!

Harper Update

We got Harper's bloodwork back today, and it's confirmed that she has an insufficient pancreas, which is pretty much destroyed.  She is being put on pancreatic enzymes which need to be given with every meal for the rest of her life.  Furthermore, the vet wants to give her a B12 shot to try and push her in the right direction, and is switching the antibiotics over to Metronidazole after reviewing the bloodwork.  I did a little google research, and it seems that it treats protazoa instead of bacteria, so I'm guessing that's what they found.

She's still on pain killers for the leg, but because she seems to be improving, we are holding off on seeing the orthopedic specialist for now. 

It's amazing how much the dog is going through.  Never anticipated anything like this, but hopefully she'll be alright soon. 

 (Happier baby Harper)

30 before 30: #23. Bake a cake and decorate it WELL

This can also be titled: Happy 30th birthday, Chris! 

Chris lucked out and convinced me that he needed a week of celebration, so this cake was for a party we held on Saturday night, not actually his birthday on Sunday.  And, the definition of "WELL" is very subjective, but this is pretty darn good for me.  So I'm going to check this one off my list. 

Doggie Depression

It is incredibly sad to watch how lethargic and antipathetic Harper has become.  Even Chris is letting her on the sofa.  So, you know things have gotten rough. 

She wouldn't even get up when I came downstairs this morning.  Or even give me a wag.  And this is a dog that typically loses her mind with excitement if I step outside for 5 minutes and come back in!  But there is one thing that got her up this morning...

COOLER FULL OF ICE WATER!!!

No puppy can resist dunking her head in freezing gallons of water, just to retrieve ice cubes, and run them over to her bed to chomp on them:

"Running" being a relative term, of course.  With Harper it's kinda a slow hobble at the moment.  But that didn't stop her from going back for more:

Feel better soon, baby girl!

**We do not have test results yet, but as you can see from the above picture, the total bony-ness is SCARY, and they need to do something SOON.