Day 7: School Daze...

It's the new year and it's back to school for Sophie.  We've had her enrolled in "Sit Means Sit" off and on since she was a pup.  Yeah, for those of you that know her must be thinking it hasn't paid off.  Well, maybe she doesn't do any fancy tricks and gets a bit rambunctious at times but she's a pretty well behaved dog.  I know she's not perfect but she's perfect for me.  To be honest, I think the schooling is really more for Julie and me.  It's all about consistency.  Like all of us, Sophie falls in and out of routines.  I think she appreciates the discipline and she definitely loves seeing all her friends.

Btw, still struggling with the darn laptop.  Windows 7, you just might be the death of me.

Day 6: Thank God for Alternatives...

Go figure!  Just six days into the new year and my laptop decides to go on vacation.  I've been struggling over the last couple of days with my laptop thanks to Microsoft's recent patch.  Long story short, my laptop takes longer to boot than the evolution of man.  So I'm freaking out that I'm going to miss my daily blog (I'm sure you all are just as panic stricken).  But thanks to the wonder that is the iPhone and this old Apple laptop, I'm able to meet my daily dose of Guten gab.

Now you're probably wondering what the hell does the "Jack" sign have to do with my daily blog, well sit back and be enlightened.  Julie and I had to run some errands this afternoon down in Denver and because I-25 turned into a long parking lot, we decided to take surface streets back home.  On the way we saw the restaurant "Jack and Grill" and decided to check it out.  Again, another long story short (I know, too late), we met a great bartender, had a couple of incredible margaritas and discovered a great, new eating establishment.

So what's my point?  The point is what was planned for today didn't quite turn out.  But what DID turn out were the new opportunities that otherwise wouldn't have presented themselves if things had turned out as planned.  So when things don't turn out the way you hoped, be thankful for the things that come in their place.  At the moment you feel like going off on a piss fit, stop and ask yourself "what did I gain from this?"  Sure, it may not be much but, then again, it could be quite a lot.  Allow yourself the opportunity to explore the alternatives.

Day 5: Sweet Treats...

I tell you one of my all time favorite treats is the See's Candies suckers, especially butterscotch.  Not sure if it's because they taste so good or that they represent fond memories, or maybe both, but I can't seem to get enough of these little gems.  I keep a little mug full of suckers on my desk and they seem to be my go-to crutch when things get stressful at work or I need to satisfy a little sweet tooth, usually after a hard workout.  You'd think that mug would be empty by now. 

To this day I can remember when I had my very first See's butterscotch sucker.  I was in Kindergarten, it was Christmas time and for some reason I was out with my grandmother, Mimi, Christmas shopping.  I was pretty much dressed like Randy in "Christmas Story" and most likely whining about something.  Side note, even at that age I remember stressing about money, not having any to buy gifts.  Sorry, I digress.  Either to be nice or just to plug my pie hole, Mimi plopped a sucker in my mouth and it was like heaven took up residence on my tongue.  I'm sure for the rest of the evening, or until I finished the sucker, I was a complete angel.  As I get closer to the ripe old age of 50, I STILL think of Mimi and Christmas shopping every time I have a butterscotch sucker.  The sucker, like that moment, was and is so sweet and joyful.  You see?  It truly is the simple things in life that we remember and cherish most. 

Now, gimme a sucker??

Day 4: Morning Glory

One thing about living in Colorado, you're always guaranteed to see something spectacular.  Coming home from the gym this morning I was greeted with this vision.  I'll be honest, there was very little I did in terms of edits and enhancements of this photo.  This was all nature's work.  Great way to start the day.  So who knew that these storm clouds would usher in a crappy day.  Life is nothing if not cyclical.  Great days followed by not so great.  Now, the challenge is to see how well I can keep things in perspective and find the good in all things that come my way....

Day 3: Things I learned from my dog...

Last night as I headed off to bed I immediately began to think about having to go back to work the next day. All the stresses I was able to put aside a few weeks ago all came rushing back.  But before I started to get all panic stricken, I started to think of ways I could keep some of this stress in check.  At that moment I happened to look over at my dog, Sophie, lying on the floor. 

Every night, Sophie's normal routine is to hop up on our bed and hang out with us for about 15 minutes.  Eventually she makes her way down to the floor in hopes of finding a nice, cool spot to fall asleep.  We recently rearranged some furniture in our room and Julie's vanity table now resides in the spot where Sophie usually sleeps.  What amazed me about last night was that she still managed to find comfort in a somewhat uncomfortable situation.  With her head crammed in between the wall and the table, she was soon fast asleep.  It occurred to me that I need to find comfort in the uncomfortable situations in my life.  When it comes to work I need to be a bit more adaptable and find some level of peace.  The same could be said for pretty much everything. 

It's no wonder Sophie's my best friend. 

Day 2: The Gauntlet Has Been Tossed...

My trainer, Natalie, has been nudging me for a while to get back up on the horse and run a half marathon.  Up until 2009, when I ran my last marathon, I had spent the previous 17 years running, biking and swimming through 30 marathons, countless 10k's, a dozen or more half marathons, scores of triathlons, a couple Iron distance triathlons, and a 200 mile bike ride through Death Valley.  Eventually my knees and feet said, "Enough!!"  But if you're one of those folks that willingly does distance races, you know you can't stay away from the starting line for too long.  I have to admit that after my last marathon, for the last few years I would still get that itch to lace 'em up and go pound pavement for a few hours.  I'm not about to explain what compels me to do it.  There really are no words that could adequately describe it.  Either you get it or you don't.

So, Natalie, I accept your challenge.  Pick the battlefield and I'll be there.  Bring on the sore knees, blood blisters and lost toe nails.  But once again, victory shall be mine!

"May fortune favor the foolish."

William Shakespeare

Day 1: Let's Get Started...

It's the new year!  Time for new beginnings, new resolutions, setting a new course for your life.  I've got several plans for myself, one of which is this new twist on my blog. For 2012 I plan on daily postings of images and observations of the day.  I can't promise you they will be earth shattering insights or appealing photos but at least they will reflect what's going on at the moment.  I've heard it can be quite challenging to commit to something like this but like in marathons, you never think about the entire 26.2 miles you need to run, just the mile you're running at the moment.  I'm hopeful with all the widgets and gadgets on my computer and iPhone, daily updates won't be too difficult.