.Puppy dog tales.

I have never been a "dog person". Ever. I've always had my kitty cat fur babies!

Cats are a breeze to take care of. All they need is food, water and some love.

Since the mister and I have been together, he has wanted a dog. He is what you would call a "dog person". Unfortunately for him, I rescued a cat (My darling Suzie) that does not care for other animals. At all!

We have had Suzie now for over 5 years. She can be the sweetest ball of fluff... When she wants to be! She loves to snuggle with me, but is a mean kitty when people come to the house! I love this cat more than anything, but I was watching a show on Animal Planet called Dogs 101 and saw the cutest dogs (Australian Shepherds!) and thought, "that kind of do would be a good addition to our little family".

For my amazing husbands 30th birthday, I threw out the idea of maybe getting a puppy. I was more thinking out loud than offering it as his present, but the look of pure joy on his face told me that the damage was done! We were getting a dog.

I did a ton of research on Aussies before we decided for sure on the breed. They are herding dogs, which means high energy. I got some puppy books and started to familiarize myself with what to expect with a puppy in our lives. Once we decided an Aussie was for us, I found a reputable breeder and a week later, we made the hour and a half drive up to Hemet to meet her puppy's.

Since it was the hubby's birthday present, he got to pick the name (Sadie Roofus!) and he got to pick the puppy he wanted. At only 10 days old, how do you pick your future best friend? I don't know how he did it, but he picked the perfect puppy!

Here's Sadie at 10 days old

We were able to visit Sadie a few times while she was with her litter. It was so fun to see her get bigger each week! My mom and grandma even got to see her at 6 weeks old.

Sadie meeting her grandma and great grandma at 6 weeks old.

7 weeks old with her papa!

We got to bring our big fluffy puppy home on Saturday, September 29!

We are so lucky she is such a good girl in the car!

She made the adjustment to her new pack very easily! I was expecting some crying the first night, but she went right to bed! It's like she knows she was meant to be with us.

We have had her home now for 24 days, and she is such a joy! Most of the time at least. She IS a puppy after all.

We enrolled her in a puppy kindergarten class  shortly after we got her. The class is more to teach us what the heck we're doing with this puppy! She is doing very well and has already mastered sit, down, stand and is working hard on roll over! 

She has had a few play dates with her new friends, or "mentor dogs" as we like to call them in puppy class. Mommy loves how tired the little bear butt gets after those play dates ;). 

I think I have officially turned into a "dog person". I did fight it, but I finally gave in! Suzie on the other hand is taking a while longer to warm up, as we expected she would. Maybe one day she will learn to love her sister!

Here's a few more pictures of our little Sadie Bear!

Pretending to be good with her new friend Charlie

The cutest little bee!

Heading out for a play date!

Hanging out on mommy's lap

Sadie Roo is definitely a great addition to our little family! Until next time folks!

~ T.Don 

Wuv, true wuv

It's been quite some time since my last update!

I've had lots of ideas of what to write about, but never the time to actually sit down and write.

So many amazing things have been going on in our little family the last few months! My Mister turned 30, we celebrated our first wedding anniversary, I went to the UK (!!!), we have had lots of visitors, some small trips together... Oh, and of coarse, there is the newest addition to the T-Don family. Our puppy Sadie Roofus!

More on all that at another time!

The Mister and I just got home from a beautiful celebration of love! There is another new Donatelli in my new family! Congratulations to Paul and Mary!

We were so excited to be invited to share this important day in their lives. Anthony and his cousins were not very close over the years, and I didn't even meet them until May of this year (After 6 years together!). Guest lists when you are planning a wedding can be very stressful! When we were making ours, we made a very conscious decision not to invite family members we had not seen in years. In my mind, it would have been rude, and almost like asking for more gifts to invite people who I did not know/Anthony had not seen in probably 15 years.

(P.S. I in no way regret this decision! I was second guessing myself for a second yesterday thinking I should have sucked it up and invited everyone (Because they are all so amazing!), but I stuck to my guns and had my wedding my way.)

I finally met the Donatelli side of the family back in May . The family was brought together to say good bye to the matriarch of the family, Anthony's grandmother. It was not an ideal situation to meet your new family, but they were all wonderful none the less! I had a great time with all the cousins and aunts and uncles! They welcomed me and made me so comfortable, like I have been a part of the family forever! 

After that trip, we were all able to keep in touch with facebook, which helped exponentially this weekend at the wedding because I could remember every one's name! There's nothing worse than going to a family get together and not remembering peoples names!

The wedding was absolutely beautiful. It was held at St. Mary's church in Walnut Creek, CA. It was a full catholic service (which I haven't been to in I don't even know how long!). You could tell all the work they put into their service. The readings were perfect for them, the songs were perfect. It takes a lot of work to make things look that easy! Mary was stunning in her dress! I always tear up watching a bride walk down the isle, and this wedding was no exception!

The reception was at a country club, I wish I could remember the name! It was an open bar (Woo hoo at the time, more like what was I thinking this morning!), the food was delicious and the cake was AMAZING!! Most importantly, the company made the night :). I got to talk to so many of my new cousins and get to know them so much better.

You could feel the love beaming from Paul and Mary the entire evening! We wish them all the love in happiness in their life together! 

All in all, it was an amazing weekend!

Last minute plane tickets to Sacramento... Way too much $

Not having to drive 8 hours each way... Priceless! 

I totally forgot to bring my camera to the wedding (Fail!) so no pictures in this update. Sorry friends! I'll update again soon. Time to relax on the couch with my love and listen to the rain! Until next time!

   ~ T. Don

.Something in the way she moves.

I'm back!

It's been over a month since my last post, but I always come back :).

I figured I can finally talk about my work out routine since I have been doing it pretty regularly for about 3 months now. I also have a short term goal to work towards. When I say short term, it's REALLY short! As in 7 days away! I'll get to that in a minute.

I started going to the 24 Hour Fitness in Pacific Beach back in March to do their Body Pump class 3 times a week. The gym is only a couple miles from my house, but it was such a PAIN to get there! There is no parking and the classes were always packed! After not being able to get into a class one day, I decided to check out the La Jolla West 24 Hour Fitness. I love it over there! It is so much further (I have to get on the freeway to get there), but there is a beautiful view of the Pacific on the way there and the parking situation is a breeze!

My class is 2 days a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays. I get to the the gym 30 minutes before my class starts so I can get on a treadmill and run... Well, it's more of a jog! Haha! I don't really have a specific distance to go, I just try to stay at a steady pace for 20 minutes or so. The farthest I've gone in the 20 minutes is 2 miles! That is GREAT for me :).

After my jog, I do 60 minutes of Body Pump. No matter how many times I do this class, it does not get easier! I have been able to up my weights quite a bit since I first started, but there are some areas that I struggle with. Mainly lunges and shoulders!

I wrote briefly about Body Pump in a previous post. That class focuses on all the major muscle groups in progression. You start with a warm up, then move on to squats, chest, back, triceps, biceps, lunges, shoulders, abs then end with a cool down. It is intense!

On Saturday's, my Mister an I have been going to the gym on Sub Base Point Loma together. The gym is amazing, and it's never busy when we go! Mister has been doing the CrossFit workouts for a while now, so he modifies them for me, and we do them together! It's a great way for us to get out of the house, and we motivate each other! I don't want to look like a weenie in front of my hubby so I push myself! An example of one of our workouts together starts with a warm up run of about 10 minutes, 50 pull ups (on the machine! I can't do a "real" pull up yet!), 100 cow bell swings, 100 jumps ropes and end with 100 squats! Needless to say, I was sore for about a week after that one!

Lastly, I have been getting ready for a last minute 5K I'm doing with my mom one week from today! I have a good 4 more days of "training" before I head out to visit my family in Minnesota. I love that my family likes staying active! It motivates me to continue to be active too.

Results?

After about 3 months, I haven't really lost any weight, but I have noticed a change in my body. My arms, legs, butt and even tummy are firmer. I know I need to change my diet in order to loose the pounds, and I know how to do it... I'm just not sticking to it! Hopefully the Mister and I will have some good news next week that will motivate us to eat healthier! To be happy and healthy is all we really want to be :).

That's all for now folks! Time to wake up my Mister so we can head to the gym!

Until next time!

~ T. Don



.Penny Lane is in my ears, and in my eyes.

Have I ever told you I have the most AMAZING sister in whole entire world? Seriously, the ENTIRE world! She has given me something that has been missing from my life (and iPhone app!) for quite a while now... Something amazing to count down to!

That's right folks! I'm going to England! And why, you may ask, is my sister amazing for that? Well, not only does she live in England, but she PAID for me to fly out to see her!

When did my baby sister get so cool???

Now comes the fun part for me...

Planning!

7 glorious days in England.

There is so much to do, so much to see!

Only 133 days to go :) 

More to come soon!

Until next time folks.

~ T.Don

.One thing I can tell you is You got to be free.

The San Onofre "boobies"

Happy Easter!

It's been another long break in between postings. So long in fact, I had to re set my password because I could not remember it! Whoops!

So much has happened the last month to catch you all up on. I'll start with this weekend and work my way back as a new excuse to keep writing :).

Saturday morning started out wonderfully with a birthday brunch for an old friend I was reconnected with. We went to this really cute bistro downtown called St. Tropez Bistro.

Yummy coffee and a great group of people made for a late start to the Mister's and my camping plans!

Sitting in traffic on the I-5

Now, if you know us, we are not much of a camping type of couple. We love being outdoors and in nature, but my hubby is so anti RV camping (and we do not have a tent!) that we usually go spend the day with our friends then head home. That was not the plan for this weekend! We stayed with our friends in their camper at the San Onofre State Beach campground. We had a blast! 

I did, however, almost die.

Ok, not really. I was "rescued" by a lifeguard though!

It was more embarrassing than scary, but quite funny at the same time!

Mrs. "Wayne" and I went out boogie boarding with the kids boards (mistake numero uno), in waves that were much to strong for a wimpy swimmer like me (mistake numero dos). I could barley swim out far enough to ride a wave in! I had a voice in the back of my head telling me to go back to shore, but I REALLY wanted to get a good wave to take me in (and not look like a wimp!) so I kept swimming out.

After when seemed like forever, I caught up with Mrs. Wayne, just in time for a bunch of huge waves to knock me off my child size boogie board and cause a horrific charley horse in my left calf. I was already exhausted from the ridiculous amount of energy it took to swim out, and now I could not use my left leg!

Luckily the water without waves was shallow enough for me to stand and catch my breath for about a millisecond before the next set of waves came barreling down on me!

Even without the waves, I could not get any closer to shore! Every time I made any progress, I was sucked back by what I found out first hand was a very strong rip current. I knew I could make it in, but it was just taking a really long time! After yet another crazy set of waves, I see a lifeguard running into the water all Bay Watch style and diving into the waves to get to me. (Side note, I was camping with a group of Navy Divers. They would NOT let me drown and were quite annoyed that the lifeguard came out in the first place! I was standing in waist deep water, and I could have gotten in on my own. I am thankful for the help though. The lifeguard was just doing his job!) Next thing I know, I have a floatie around me and then I was at the shore!

I have always had a healthy fear of the ocean, waves in particular, and this incident showed me first hand who is boss!

Happily, the rest of the trip was not as eventful! We had a delicious kabob dinner followed by a wonderful bonfire right on the beach. This morning I helped our friends hide Easter eggs for their kids, cleaned up and headed home. 

Overall, it was a wonderful holiday weekend! You can't go wrong when you have good friends, good food and good wine!

I still have lots of stuff to catch you all up on! Check back for updates soon!

Until next time folks!

~ T. Don

P.S. Favorite quote of the weekend from my hubby: "Let me roast that marshmallow for you sweetie. It's the least I can do for almost letting you die!"

.Something in the way she smiles.

It's been a while again since my last post. I was in quite a funk the last couple weeks. First I wasn't feeling well, then work started getting stressful and I was just sad. Lucky for me, I have great friends and an amazing husband to snap me back!

This past Friday marked 6 months of married bliss for the the mister and myself. Time has flown by! We celebrated with our friends at a yummy brewery in Escondido. It was a great night with exquisite food and fun company! I really have the most amazing husband. He is my rock and I love him so much!

My work schedule changes starting tomorrow. I have to work on Mondays for the first time in months! Like I've said before, we're in the process of a lot of change, so it's been a little stressful in the office. I'm trying to stay positive, but it's getting hard. I know it will get better once our systems are in place, but the process to get there is taking it's toll on me. I don't like feeling unappreciated when I am really doing my best to keep things running smoothly.

Enough of that!

I'm back to being a ray of sunshine!

I joined a book club. Our first book is called Fault Lines by Nancy Huston. I'm really enjoying it! It's not a book I would have picked on my own so I'm glad to have an excuse to read it!

My new "thing" that I'm trying is couponing. I've subscribed to the Sunday paper and have joined a website to help me learn how it all works! I will keep you updated on how it's working out! 

I have also committed to myself to stick to a work out plan! I am finally motivated enough (which means I'm absolutely disgusted with myself and all the 'bliss fat' I've gained the past 6 months) to stick to it! I started this morning with Body Pump. Tomorrow (weather permitting) the mister and I will go for a jog to the bay. It's not going to happen overnight, but I am willing to work hard to get back to my pre-wedding shape!

Time to finish the 30 day survey!

Day 25

A picture of your favorite day

Since I've already used my wedding to answer a bunch of questions I decided to pick my favorite day from our honeymoon! We had the BEST tour guide! We had so much fun exploring Antigua. Ya mon, cool!

Day 26

A picture of something that means a lot to you

My first trip to Europe really put the travel bug in me! I am obsessed with seeing the world! I never have enough time to explore as much as I would like! I have a bucket list a mile long of places I want to see!

Day 27

A picture of yourself and a family member

My sissy love!

Day 28

A picture of something you're afraid of

I'm afraid of E.T. I refuse to put a picture though!

Day 29

A picture that can always make you smile

Jajajajajaja! I need more weenies!

Day 30

A picture of someone you miss

There are a lot of people I miss. I miss my family in Minnesota, my sister in England, my friends in Ventura... I especially miss my grandpa's who are both in heaven watching over me every day. There are too many for a picture!

Time to relax with my mister with a glass of wine and a movie. It's raining cats and dogs right now! The sound is actually quite soothing. Until next time folks!

~ T. Don

.And life goes on within you and without you.

Wow, I really have been slacking with my blog! 

The mister and I were both not feeling well last week. Needless to say we didn't get much done! 

Friday morning, I was woken up at 7 AM by my bestie informing me that there was a massive earthquake in Japan. 8.9... The fifth largest in recorded history. Not only was it a horrific earthquake, it triggered a tsunami that had the potential to cause damage all the way out here on the west coast. My poor bestie did not know what she should do seeing as she lives about half a block from the ocean! The tsunami was scheduled to hit the La Jolla beaches at 8:48 AM... Obviously we are ok! We are the lucky ones. The poor people of Japan will be recovering from this disaster for a long time.

Friday evening, the mister's parents came down to visit. We had a nice visit. We found a nice wine bar to do a tasting in downtown San Diego. It was just a quick trip, but it was nice to see them. They left this afternoon so the mister and I enjoyed a nice relaxing day in our orchard (AKA our backyard!). Tomorrow is the start of another busy week. I hope it's a good one!

I'm going back to day 19 because I found out what it really was!

Day 19

A picture of you when you were little

Day 20

 A picture of a place you would like to travel

The mister and I were supposed to go to Croatia on our honeymoon, but it has been indefinitely postponed. I WILL go there one day!

Day 21

A picture of something you wish you could forget

Yeah... This was the morning of my wedding! Needless to say, I did NOT leave like that! My wedding was not Hairspray themed!

Day 22

A picture of something you wish you were better at

I loooove doing makeup! I wish I was good enough at it that I could make a living off it :).

Day 23

A picture of your favorite book

I'm a big Harry Potter geek! I loved all the books!

And finally!
Day 24

A picture of something you wish you could change

I wish there was something I could do to help this :(

Ok folks! Promise I won't go so long between updates! Still not feeling 100% and the damn heartburn is coming back! Until next time!

~ T. Don