Happy New Year from...

...Jinkies...
...Sparky...
...and myself!

Officially Christmas Break

I made it through the week and it's now officially Christmas Break, sure, I only get 3 days, but I'm fully prepared to enjoy it and relax. I think I'm quite fortunate to have this reaction.

It seems like so many of the people around me are getting stressed out because they have to spend time with family and are worried about gift giving. The fact that I truly love my family and enjoy spending time with them allows me to relax and have fun. There are no pressures to make sure things go well... family understands.

And as far as the gift giving... I had a new strategy this year. Quantity, not Quality! Everyone gets the same amount of gifts and all at the same price point. It really helped cut down on the planning and stressing out. The only down side was the amount of wrapping paper and tape that I had to use. Yes, it took some time to wrap everything, but in the end, I think I came out on top because I spent minimal time out in the stores this year. Let's just hope I see some smiling faces on Christmas morning.

Just think, hidden inside of each of these boxes are little wrapped up _____. Sorry, can't give away the contents just yet.

Hopefully getting back on track.

I have strayed quite a bit lately from any sort of routine. Between stress and work and the weather turning to wet and cold, I just haven't felt much like myself.

Now is the time to get myself back on track. The first step is getting Sparky and I back into an exercising routine. Thanks to a nice profit sharing bonus thingy at the end of the year because of the hard work of my coworkers and myself, I was able to work in the purchase of a treadmill. I realized that walking is one of my favorite forms of exercise and it really stinks that it's so difficult to do in the winter.

I found what will hopefully be a suitable treadmill for me at Walmart. Tom and his friends' helped transport it back to the house for me on Sunday. Once out the box, it was all mine to put together. Note: I do not suggest trying to put a treadmill together by oneself. Yes, it is possible, but it is quite taxing on the lower back.

Anyway, Sparky and I have both been on the treadmill the last two days. It has nice preplanned workouts for me, and with a few dog treat incentives, I've been able to get the Sparkster up and walking. 2 minutes the first day and about 8 today. I simply put the harness on him. Kindly ask him to hop up on the belt. Hold on to his harness, to center him. Push the on button and hold a treat out in front of his nose. My hope is to get to a point where I don't have to hold him and he understands he'll get a treat after his walk. We shall see how this goes.

My additional motivation for getting on the treadmill is getting to watch an episode of TV on DVD while I work out. I'm starting with my Ally McBeal series. As you can see in the photo below, with the slight modification of taking the magazine stand out, I'm able to set my portable DVD player in the spot. Pretty sweet!
Next step for me is making grocery lists for when I go to the store. I'm hoping this will help me from buying things I shouldn't and hopefully plan out meals better. Sometimes I wonder why they just don't have people food, like they do for cats and dogs. A well balanced diet in little nugget sized pieces that you don't have to worry about prepping or expiring. If these were to exist, I think blue would be a fun color for them to be in.

This never gets old!

I do complain about my spaz, but there are times that he just melts my heart. He really is such a good dog. As with most nights lately, he keeps calling it bedtime around 8:30 and walks into his crate, snuffles into his pillow case and calls it a night.

Cat Prank - FAIL