That One Time When I Blogged....

Admittedly, I have been a major social networking BUST so far this year. 
I unintentionally kind of put blogging on the back burner. 

Like, waaaaaaay way back there in the back of my closet.
 Next to the pants from high school that I swore one day I would fit into again. 

Needless to say, I decided to resurrect the blog and give away the high school pants. Let's be real, those things don't stand a chance.

When 2 Chainz talks about the girl saved in his phone under "big booty", he's actually referring to me. I am collecting royalties as we speak.

I figured now was as good of a time as ever to try and get back with it. I love writing and kind of miss it! So, here's a quick update of life's highlights so far in 2014. It may be only 4 months in, but there are plenty of things to share. 

I smelled the roses.

 This boondoggle really deserves a post of it's own.
 

Getting to the National Championship Game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena was a true test of God. But once I was there, it was all worth it.

 

Summary:

• Find out at 10pm the night before our flight that our 6AM leg from Tampa to Atlanta had been cancelled.
• Called airline. Weighed options: fly stand by, fly out of another city and miss part of game, not go at all.
• Thought of one more option: DRIVE TO ATLANTA and then get on the plane there (mind you Prateek had not packed yet...yes...it was 10pm the night before. Welcome to our life.)
• Confirmed that the 8:30 AM Atlanta to LAX flight was on time. 
• Packed, rented a one way car to Atlanta, and drove 8 hours through the night
• Pulled into the Atlanta airport with about 2 minutes to spare and got to the gate as they were boarding the plane.
• Got off the plane at LAX, went to In N Out (duh), then went straight to the Rose Bowl

The game was one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had. Even though Auburn didn't pull through with the win, it was worth every sleepless minute it took to get there.
 I was so proud of them I almost cried. War Eagle, y'all.
 

I injured myself. Like, really bad this time.

I've had running injuries before. But nothing that has kept me in a sedentary state for THREE AND A HALF MONTHS. A strained tibial tendon may sound minor. After a month in a boot, another 6 weeks in an ankle brace, and then being limited to only "low impact" activities for another 4 weeks, I officially respect my tendons.

My waistline (and my sanity) can't wait for me to fully heal.

Thankfully, a resurgence is near. I ran my first pain free mile last week. I was so happy I cried. It was slow and I had a side stitch the whole time and I kind of wanted to throw up at the end, but it was the best mile I've ever completed in my running career thus far. Bring it on, recovery! I have new Oiselle duds that need to be worn!

I sold the first "big girl" thing I've ever owned. And then purchased the first "big girl" thing I've ever purchased.

 I sold one of the loves of my life -- my 2002 Honda Civic with 190,000 miles on it - and bought a new car. I cried when the Honda sold. Then I cried again when I signed the paperwork on my Audi.

I think maybe I cry too much.

I am the greatest fantasy football commissioner and player to ever exist in the history of time.

OK, not really. But I did kinda love being commissioner. And I did in fact win two of the three leagues I was in this year (and came in 2nd in my other one). 

Had hit records on my demo..did y'all boys not get the memo?

Oh, and I went on to win the March Madness office pool as well.
I think everyone at work hates me. It's tough at the top, y'all. Haters gonna hate.

I got Bollywood Fever. 

This also really deserves a post of it's own.

  

 Everyone knows I'm no stranger to a packed social schedule. I've been fortunate to have attended hundreds of concerts and shows and events in my lifetime. IIFA, however, tops the list of them all.

The IIFA Awards are Bollywood's version of the Oscars, and had been hosted all over the world but never in the United States. This year, Tampa won the bid to host the awards and Prateek and I were so lucky to attend all of the events and their respective after-parties.

 

Imagine mixing the Olympic Opening Ceremonies, a Broadway musical, and Cirque du Soleil. That is what the IIFA production was like.

I've never seen anything like it and probably won't ever again.

The show was taped and will air sometime in June to over 800 million viewers worldwide. Incredible! 

And that brings us to May. 

The month that I have been simultaneously looking forward to as well as dreading since around this time last year.

But I'll save that for another blog post.

Eulogy

Dear Jadoo,

You came bounding into my life with your giant paws and long fuzzy tail. You pushed your big Rottweiler head into the side of my leg and forced me to pet you (and almost knocked me down in the process). Ever since that moment, you filled a hole in my life that I didn't even realize I had. 

 

You never met a stranger and gave kisses freely. You protected me from terrible predators like lizards and pelicans and squirrels, and wouldn't stop barking until they were gone.You let me dress you up in ridiculous outfits for the holidays. You would do just about anything for a cookie. You knew when I was happy or sad and would come lay next to me when I was sick and not leave my side.

I will miss how you ran around in circles in the backyard right after a bath. I will miss having you at the bow of the boat as the first mate. I will miss how you would lie down right smack dab in front of the bathroom sink every single morning, making me stretch and reach over you to brush my teeth. I will miss doing my cool down walks with you after a long training run. I will miss having you rush to the door to greet me after getting home from work. I will miss how you barked at the swimming pool whenever someone would jump in. I will miss hearing your footsteps go up the stairs like a herd of elephants. I will miss how you attempted to attack the vacuum cleaner but then would get scared of it and run away. I will miss sitting out with you on the dock watching the boats go by. I will miss how you tried as hard as you could to get comfortable in the back seat of my Civic, 99% of the time being unsuccessful because you were just too big. I will miss the tumbleweeds of your hair swirling across the floor, no matter how often it was swept. I will miss how you tilted your head to one side and hiked up your ears when I said the word "hungry". I will miss constantly picking up your toys (which also included the empty milk jugs that you would chew into a ball of shredded plastic). I will miss how you'd follow me from room to room.

Most of all, I will miss your unconditional love.

You touched so many people's lives and will never be forgotten. I can't wait to cross the Rainbow Bridge with you someday. Until then, rest in peace my handsome boy.

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole

Prateek was on a business trip earlier this week, and bequeathed unto me the duties of single parenthood for a few days. Everyone, meet Jadoo. 

He is a Rottweiler /German Shepard mix that’s too smart for his own good. Jadoo means “magic” in Hindi, but he also carries many aliases such as “Dooger", "Hairy Dooglas”, “Judah” (Thanks Lady GaGa), “Jades”, “Jada-Pinkett”, and “Doogy Doogerton” (I have no idea, don’t ask.) I tend to mostly call him “Handsome”.

His pastimes include: giving kisses, going for a jog, wrestling, playing tag, forcing people to pet him, watching Animal Planet on TV, closely monitoring squirrels/lizards/pelicans out the window, helping referee at Prateek’s beach volleyball games, hanging out on the boat dock, and playing tug-of-war with empty milk jugs and chewing them into a ball of shredded plastic (cheapest and best toy ever!).

I don’t have children, but I imagine it’s similar to having a pet in that you’re always taking pictures of them, showing off those pictures to other dog owners, laughing about something that your dog did that day, having discussions with your significant other about respectable subjects such as poop, and making sure they are seeing the best doctor possible and eating the best food you can afford to give them.

He is one of the only dogs I’ve ever met that wears every emotion on his face. You can always tell what is running through his head!

Here are a few for an example:

Annoyed
Mr. Scrooge is fed up with the stupid photos already, geesh.

Happy
Turns out he likes Christmas after all! He seemed to like the hat. Probably because he looks so handsome, and he knows it.

Sad
You don't have to get so mad, all I did was chase the neighbor's stupid cat....

Alert
Mr.  Pelican, I dare you to make a move. I will take you down to Chinatown..

Bored
My social life is really being burdened by your non-willingness to take me to the dog park today. 

Regulating at beach volleyball  
Um, excuse me sir, that was clearly a foul.

Confusion - Why are you making those funny noises? If you want me to tilt my head in an adorable manner, all you have to do is ask.

It's unbelievable how much energy he has, running around in circles begging for you to play with him. Here’s a shortened clip of Jadoo in the backyard playing and wrestling one afternoon after a bath -- I shortened it because he seriously did this for 5 minutes straight:

If you're looking for a new member of the family, there are great adoption websites like petfinder.com, as well as your local SPCA or Humane Society, that can find the perfect dog (or cat!) for your lifestyle. If you’re looking for an exact breed, there are breed-specific rescues all over the country too. Anyone that has never experienced the joy of having an animal in their lives is missing out on so much unconditional love! 

 Jadoo constantly makes me smile. He's loyal, and is always excited to see me. He never tells my secrets, is never demanding, and knows when I've had a bad day and will come sit next to me and put his head in my lap. He will move from one room to another, depending on where I am, so that he can be near me.There's a great old quote from an unknown author that says My goal in life is to be as good of a person as my dog already thinks I am.  
Dooger, I will try my hardest! Love you handsome.