Team Gregor!!!

Greetings and salutations my friends! Today's blog is a bit out of the ordinary for me...it does involve fitness in some ways, but it's main focus is the other passion in my life, dogs and dog rescue.

I'm a dog mom...I have three boys, all multi-cultural canine Americans, aged 12ish, 8ish and 1 1/2ish. They're as different as can be, but they truly bring joy and fitness into my life. Dogs need walked. Period. In my opinion, a walked and tired dog is a happy dog. Thus, every day I put on my walking shoes to the tune of happy tails beating the ground in delight. My boys know that walkies will begin shortly! During my 45-70 minutes with the dogs, I'm improving my own fitness while aiding in their physical and emotional fitness as well. It's win-win for all involved.

My youngest dog, James, came to us from the CSRA Humane Society animal shelter in November of 2009. He was the last in a litter of 4 puppies left at the shelter (the photo is of all 4 littermates when they had reached an appropriate age for adoption--James is on the far left and Gregor is in the back right of the photo). His brothers, Ian, Samuel and Gregor, all founds homes before James was able to enter our lives. Unfortunately, Gregor's home didn't work out and he is back at the shelter awaiting a 2nd chance for a forever home. Gregor (his photo is at the top of this blog) is the reason that I originally began volunteering at the shelter and became an adoption counselor. As James' brother, I wanted him to have a great home, too.

The shelter is run mainly by a large group of fantastic volunteers who raise over $300,000 each year to house, feed, and provide veterinary needs to over 200 cats and over 50 dogs each day. On March 19th, the shelter is having their annual "Paws in the Park" pet walk in an effort to raise much needed funds to care for the animals until they can find their forever homes.

In honor of Gregor, and the other great dogs and cats that are at the CSRA Humane Society waiting to find their 'people', James and I will be walking in the 4th annual Paws in the Park pet walk for "Team Gregor." If you would like to sponsor James and I in this endeavor, we would greatly appreciate any financial contribution you would be willing to donate. You can do so by going to the donation page and clicking on the "In Honor Of" in the 'One-time donation' section of the page. Your donation can be in any amount, and simply mark that it is for Team Gregor. If you would like to write a check, please make it payable to the CSRA Humane Society and send it to: P.O. Box 14667 Augusta, GA 30919. Be sure to mark that it's for "Team Gregor" in the memo. Of course, as a non-profit, your donation is tax-deductible.

Of course, if you're in the area and are looking for a dog or cat of your own, PLEASE stop by and see if one of our current residents might fit into your family. We are open for adoptions on Wednesday night from 5:30-7:30 and Saturdays from 11:00-4:00.

That Tastes Grea...YUCK!

Greetings and Salutations everyone! Hope this Super Bowl Sunday finds you in good spirits with good weather (especially those of you who have been dumped upon by the snow gods of late!).

As I'm sure you're all aware, Valentine's Day is upon is...it's a mere week and a few days away, and of course, along with Valentine's Day comes all kinds of confections sold in the store that promise someone will feel loved only if you offer them such a wonderful delight.

Just yesterday, I was offered a Valentine's cookie from a friend. She had gotten them, and not really wanting them herself (smart girl!), wanted to pawn some off on me. I hadn't eaten yet and was feeling a bit hungry, so after looking at the label to see what sort of damage would be done, I allowed myself one of her tempting looking Valentine's cookies (they were small, a serving size was actually three cookies). I promised myself to truly enjoy that little morsel of delight, so I promised to take small bites of the almond cookie dipped in white chocolate frosting with pink sprinkles on top.

So there I was, cookie in hand, ready to take my first bite. And I did. I was bound and determined to REALLY enjoy that cookie, so I chewed slowly, allowing my taste buds the time to really savor the almondness and the white chocolate. However, about three chews in something happened. I realized that the ONLY thing I could taste was the sprinkles on top...you know those cute sparkly little pink ones I mentioned? Clearly, a dye had to have been added to make them that shocking pink color, and that was ALL I could taste. Chemical dye. It left this aftertaste that was not appealing in any way, shape or form. YUM! NOT!

I think you probably get my point. Far too often, we rush through our food, not really even tasting it, just eating it to eat. If we were to slow down and really savor the taste of our food, how many of us would eat less because our brains realized it doesn't really taste as great as we thought it would?

It was quite the epiphany moment for me...a reminder to slow down, taste the food, really enjoy it, but if it tastes like crap, don't shove another handful into your mouth! Heck, even if it doesn't taste awful, does it taste good enough to want to eat more of it? Probably not.

So slow down and take your time with your food. I know it's tough sometimes...my husband was a Marine and eats a meal in about 15 seconds flat. I always feel rushed to keep up with him. He, however, can learn to wait...I plan on enjoying the taste of my food from now on.