The Day After

Started out the day with a workout at the gym. I was still pretty sore from Tues, so my goal was to work for 30 minutes but not kill myself so that I could get some warmth and oxygen into my muscles. It did help.

Back at home there was cooking to be done and guests to be entertained.

Dinner was good. Family had fun. Mom kicked my butt in scrabble. Andy left his jacket. Trish took home all the pies and cakes (thank you very much). Cheryl and Eric took home most of the fish bowl raffle. Uncle Arnold enjoyed the back yard and the dogs. Peggy and everyone helped in the kitchen. All in all a fun, relaxing, day.

The turkey sliders I did for Hordourves turned out great!

Since they worked well AND were a healthy alternative, here is the recipe:

-Take ground turkey, worsturser sauce, basil, garlic (paste), chili (powder or paste) mix up
-make into small meat balls
-spray pan with pam and cook over med heat until done

set aside until ready to make hordourve.

-take whole wheat flat breads (look like tortilla but thinner and cut into little squares
-on flat pan heat and spray with pam and toast squares of flat bread
-in another pan, heat up turkey meat balls
-once bread is done place on plate
-put one leave of spinach down on bread square
-place heated meatball on top of spinach.

For a difference, (contribution from my nephew), mix a little hot sauce with non fat ranch dressing and put a dab of this on the toast and the spinach. This hold everything together and adds a little more spice.

Guests eyed these things suspiciously (like was I trying to sneak something healthy in - which I was). Once they tried one, they couldn't stop eating them :)

The end to a perfect day found me doing some jump work with Fin and Tazz then settling down for a movie with my mum and husband (a dog on either side of me, one at my feet and one in Kels lap).

Happy Thanksgiving!

You are What you Eat

Today is the day before thanksgiving. There is alot to be thankful for.

I'm thankful it is raining.

I'm thankful that I enjoy a close relationship with my family members, they mean the world to me.

I'm truly grateful for the friendships I have developed both through work and agility.

I am thankful that Rocky and Maddie came to live with us 10 years ago. They have taught me so much.

I'm grateful (mostly) that my boy Tazz lives here with us and that he will play agility with me (even if he'd rather be cuddling on the couch).

I'm thankful that Fin is here to keep agility fun and lively.

And most of all I am grateful to my husband. He puts up with me and is still my bestest friend.

What is for Dinner?

The turkey has been in Brine now for about 18 hours. A few more to go and we'll get it ready to go into the oven tomorrow morning. I believe this will be one fine bird and I plan to eat the healthy parts and let the rest get eatten by the family.

Along with the turkey:

• twice baked potatoes
• waldorf salad (a healthy alternative one)
• grilled asaparagus
• steamed green beans
• bread
• gravey
• cranberry sauce
• pie for desert

I'm also doing turkey meatballs for starters as the guest will be getting here early and will want something to munch on.

I will get up and go to the gym tomorrow morning first thing. Just to get a little cardio in. Then the entire day will be about family and enjoying the company of friends. If they go home early, I'll go out and work some box work with Fin and Tazz. Never can get too much training.

I have no plans for shopping on Friday. I plan to sleep in, work out at the gym, work agility with my dogs, and enjoy a day off with my husband.

Fitness for Agility

I'm now participating in TWO fitness challenges.

First: I'm in a challenge with the "getfitforagility" yahoo group to loose 12 pounds by Jan 15. Since I have to loose 12 pounds to hit my 30 so I can run Fin, I'm all on this! Winner takes home a goody bag (although if I loose 12 pounds I'll be the winner!).

Second: I'm in a fitness pool. No I'm not swimming (although some may say I'm swimming with the sharks). Each of us puts $20 in the pool and the person the marks the most hours of workouts between Dec 1-31 gets the whole whalloop. :)

So, what did I do today? I worked out at the gym. Did 30 minutes on the elliptical and 30 on the treadmill, then stretched, then went home to work.

I had yummy tilapia with a spinach salad for lunch and I've got soup cooking for dinner.

Fun Match Report

Fun times! A very small fun match at Fionas Farm. Cool, difficult courses.

Very relaxed and lots of time for walk throughs.

Fiona's farm is located in Brentwood. She does fun matches a few times a year. I see alot of newbies there and the matches seem well run, friendly, and relaxed. Here is a link to their web site: http://www.fionasfarm.net/

The harder standard course presented some interesting challenges. I had no problems at all until 7-8. What I noticed is that trying to front cross, if you didn't get there super quick, all the dogs were going wide. Fin practically took the A frame my first attempt. If you didn't do the front cross, then you were rear crossing and way behind late for the teeter. The other area of major difficulty was the closing. Timing of the rear cross had to be perfect or else dogs went into the weaves.

Here is the jumpers course. No major issues, just getting behind on 17-18-19, Fin needs to drive better.

Fin was everything I know she can be with a little chaos thrown in for good measure. I did 6 runs total (that's alot in 3 hours). I didn't do whole courses at first. Just looking for challenges and opportunities for reinforcement. Got to work rear crosses and tight turns. Contacts were GREAT! She played the entire time I was there and at the end I stood talking to a friend and she layed down in the dirt and took a nap (a very good sign of a tired dog).

Tazz just wasn't himself, I think a little stiff. Balked at the A frame and triple. Had no problem with everything else. I decided after 4 runs that was it for him (2 standard and 2 jumpers). He did lunge at a few dogs, but only half heartedly, he is sleeping in his dads lap right now, I'm sure he'll be better by Power Paws on Tues.

A "well worth the drive" kinda day. Now gotta get ready for TG!

Crazed Sheltie Knocks out Owner!

Went to Salinas today. I ran Havoc and Laura ran Fin. We are working on this because I don't want another dog that won't let Laura run her. So at Robs class, Laura runs her 3-4 times and then we switch.

Laura had some great runs, I really love the way Laura treats her as her own and takes the time to get the training in. Havoc was amazing for me and I was blown away that she and are are starting to have the confidence in each other to get around a course.

When we switched and I ran Fin, the first run was fabulous! It was a really difficult opening of jump, 270 to the tire, a front cross to jump and real difficult weave entrance. She did smashing! I'm so proud of my little girl. She did pop the last weave pole, but I was really driving (something to work on).

The second run of the day was a real difficult straight line across the field over two jumps, into a tunnel and then I needed to get into position to serp a jump to get her going in the right direction.

I wasn't where I needed to be, and she exited the tunnel, got the jump, but barrelled right into me. She only weighs 18 pounds, but knocked me down into the dirt! I could not believe it. Down I went.

When I rolled over on my back and said, "Oh girly where are you?" she streaked from wherever she was and bounced on my chest. This encounter did not phase her in the least. For me, it made me move my sorry ass faster to get out of her way!

So since I don't have my cable, I don't have video of our encounter. Laura is most disappointed in this fact. I believe she would have played a video of me falling at her christmas party instead of white christmas. Now she is stuck with finding some other way of entertaining her guests.

All in all a fun day. I'm headed for a nice hot bath.

Fatman errr, I mean Batman

I had a dream last night that I was running agility with Fin, Tazz, and a new dog. His name was Batman, but I nicknamed him Fatman. He was a cutie pie and spent a great deal of my dream in my arms. He was an enthusiastic agility partner. I've liked the Frenchies for a long time. Now I'm dreaming about them.

At least he was speedy, my little Fatman.