Get Up & Get Walking!

I must say that I am pretty freakin proud of myself today.. :)

This week I have been getting up at 6:30 & going to the park & walking. The first day it was just me & the pups..which was a nightmare! For those of you who don't know my pups, here's a little background info:

They are the sunshine of my life! I love them so much, and am so glad we were able to adopt them when we did & bring them into our home. They have taught me patience. Avery was severely abused before we adopted her in September of 2009. She is terrified of people, and will run and hide whenever anyone comes over. We have taken so much time with her, and she has finally made some progress. Our friends and family that come over regularly know her and she will actually go up to them and not run away.

  And Dexter...oh man is he something. We adopted him in May of 2010. The first week that we had him he was really sick. He was pooping blood and really weak and sleepy all the time. One morning I went to get him out of his kennel & the whole bottom was covered in blood. I took him to the vet & we ended up needing to buy 5 different meds. $300 and a week later, he was better & we got to see his crazy personality. He has some sort of dog autism-not even joking! The vet told us something is definitely not working in his brain the right way. We have had to be very patient with him as he doesn't understand why he gets in trouble when he is being naughty. haha, but I love them to death & our family wouldn't be complete without them.

Now that you know how my dogs are, imagine how it was walking both of them in a place with several new people. of course every time someone would walk pass us going to opposite way, Avery would be running behind & around me almost tripping me to get away from them & Dexter is all happy & interested to see them! Needless to say, that didn't last long. We walked 1.5 miles & I called it quits. But 1.5 miles is a huge accomplishment for me, as I haven't done any form of exercise since before the wedding last year & I haven't walked that far since high school. [Other than when we went to Sedona in July..we did some hiking, but it took me forever!] [Also, when we were in Sedona Bret's Aunt Martha bought us both a pair of the Vibram Five Shoes(seen above)! They are amazing! I love walking in them. They are lightweight & feel like you are barefoot. They are all-terrain. You can  walk on rocks, sticks, stickers, and even wear them in the water! They even work out muscles in your body you didn't know you had because of the toe design, which also helps with balance. I highly recommend them to everyone looking for a good shoe!]

The second day Bret didn't have to work in the morning so he went with us! He walked Avery & I walked Dexter. This time we went on a longer trail & not as many people were on it. Win & win! We walked 2 miles that day. Dexter starts dragging after the first mile, so I didn't want to over-do it for him. He's a small guy & has to walk pretty fast to keep up with us. When we got home he drank a ton of water then passed out at his spot next to my computer chair! Poor guy, he was exhausted! 

Yesterday I didn't walk. I had gotten a splinter in the dead center of my foot a few days ago & yesterday i had a huge knot because my body was trying to push it out. I definitely didn't want to walk far on it!

And today! Today Bret & I went without the pups & walked 4 miles! FOUR MILES! That is huge for me! I feel such a sense of accomplishment & my body couldn't feel any better! When we pulled into the driveway it started raining, so I got out & jumped rope for a minute in it. I was so glad to see & feel the rain! I think I am starting to fall in love with the way I feel when I get done walking. It is good motivation & I know this routine is here to stay! Not to mention it's a great time for Bret & I to talk & have a good long conversation. It's kinda hard to get to talk together lately with both our schedules being off, but now we have this designated time every morning to spend together. I do have to say that he is my biggest supporter! In fact, he is in the kitchen right now cooking up some eggs, wheat toast & a big bowl of strawberries! I love that man of mine. :)

-Ashlie