On Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs...

Many of us have recently seen the movie that just came out called American Sniper. Of course, being married to a SWAT sniper, my husband and I were really excited to see it as well. I must say that the movie was outstanding and boy did it tug at my heartstrings since I could relate in many ways to things that were portrayed in the movie. However, one of the things that has continued to float in my head is the story of sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs that they touch on in the movie.

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The following is an excerpt from On Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs by Dave Grossman

One Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me:

“Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident.” This is true. Remember, the murder rate is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated assault rate is four per 1,000 per year. What this means is that the vast majority of Americans are not inclined to hurt one another. Some estimates say that two million Americans are victims of violent crimes every year, a tragic, staggering number, perhaps an all-time record rate of violent crime. But there are almost 300 million Americans, which means that the odds of being a victim of violent crime is considerably less than one in a hundred on any given year. Furthermore, since many violent crimes are committed by repeat offenders, the actual number of violent citizens is considerably less than two million.

Thus there is a paradox, and we must grasp both ends of the situation: We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep.

I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me it is like the pretty, blue robin’s egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue shell. Police officers, soldiers, and other warriors are like that shell, and someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful. For now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators.

“Then there are the wolves,” the old war veteran said, “and the wolves feed on the sheep without mercy.” Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? You better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.

“Then there are sheepdogs,” he went on, “and I’m a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf.”

If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? What do you have then? A sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero’s path. Someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed.

If you find yourself with the sheep…please hang with the sheepdogs!

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Being the wife of a police officer I have heard this story many times before seeing it played out in this movie, but it is so true of the world we live in today. For me, it is tiresome to constantly hear all the cop bashing on the news, in social media, and even from people I come in contact with every day.  When did our society turn our police officers... the men and women that put their lives on the line for you and me everyday... into the enemy?? When will our society lift up the sheepdogs instead of the wolves? All I know is how incredibly thankful I am for the sheepdog in my life!

Mileage Monday

Running stats for the week of January 19th - January 25th... Well, I actually had my first pregnancy runs this past week! YAY! Even though they weren't long runs or fast runs... just running again felt really wonderful. The only thing I was surprised about was that I felt like I was going to pee my pants the entire time. Hmmmm... not the most enjoyable, but you know... it is what it is :)

I also have tried to start doing squats and stretching as much as possible each day because I have been reading that it really helps make labor and delivery much easier. And let me just tell you, Lord knows I want a super easy labor and delivery ;)

Monday, January 19th, 2015 - Ran 1.25 miles / 12,802 total steps / 3.9 total miles / 459 calories

Tuesday, January 20th, 2015 - 8,303 total steps / 2.8 total miles / 162 calories

Wednesday, January 21st, 2015 - 15,310 total steps / 5.0 total miles / 340 calories

Thursday, January 22nd, 2015 - 10,932 total steps / 3.8 total miles / 251 calories

Friday, January 23rd, 2015 - 6,557 total steps / 2.4 total miles / 111 calories

Saturday, January 24th, 2015 - Ran 2 miles / 10,329 total steps / 3.5 total miles / 408 calories

Sunday, January 25th, 2015 - 5,437 total steps / 2.1 total miles / 89 calories

Totals for the week : Ran 3.25 miles / 69,670 total steps / 23.5 total miles / 1,820 calories

20 Weeks... Halfway There!

When I realized that I am now 20 weeks along I was in a small state of shock! Holy cow... I'm halfway through this pregnancy! Where in the world did the time go??? And how in the world am I, the person who knows very little about babies and kids in general, going to care for this new life??? It's safe to say that I'm not only nervous about the change that will soon occur in our lives, but down right scared...

So, just like I did when I was given the task to care for a small 10 week old puppy, I have started to research and read different materials to educate myself on how to be a parent. The top two books I'm reading right now are "What to Expect the First Year" & "Nursing Your Baby." I'm hoping they both teach me all things "baby" and all things "breastfeeding" since I'm overly concerned about both.

Anyways, enough about all my worries and onto the fun stuff! I had another doctors appointment this past week. Everything is checking out okay so far. The doctor says the baby has a great looking head and that I have a great looking placenta... who knew! We could have found out the sex this appointment, but I was tough and declined the offer to find out even though I think Dan is more than ready to know. HA! We did get to take home some face shots of our little June Bug that I can share with you.

Profile shot...

Face shot... baby looking at you...

3D ultrasound shot! Wild isn't it!

Even though there is a LOT of changes happening right now, one of the coolest things I have experienced lately is being able to feel the baby move not only from the inside, but I can put my hand on my stomach and feel it on the outside as well. There was even a night that I felt it kicking and could actually see my stomach move! CRAZY! Of course, poor Dan has either not been home when this all is happening or the baby stops it's acrobatics when he tries to feel. But he was finally able to feel it slightly one night which was super exciting for both of us :)

One of the things I have been struggling with the most is people wanting to touch my stomach.... uhhhhhgggg just the thought makes me cringe. I have tried to be pretty vocal with most people that it's okay to look, but please don't touch... but working at a place full of older ladies it's hard to get them to understand that I'm not comfortable with their hands all over me. I get that there is a baby inside there, but to me it's my belly and not something I enjoy people rubbing all the time. Dan is the only person who has free reign to touch the baby bump whenever he pleases.

Anyways, I'll leave you with the first of few belly pics. As you can see, Remington is already in love with our soon to be new addition to the family. At least I like to think so. HA! No honestly... in all reality he is completely unaware of what is about to happen to him :)

Mileage Monday

Stats for the week of January 12th - January 18th... So I had grand plans to start running this week, but my husband and other family members had others in mind for me. They all were encouraging me to talk to the doctor about running before I started up again. I know I have taken pretty much a five month long hiatus so I suppose I can understand their concern. So at my most recent appointment I asked the doctor his opinion. Without much surprise he thought it was an "awesome" idea! We talked about how much I have ran in the past and that the rule of thumb for me now is always be able to carry a conversation easily during my runs. This will ensure that I'm not depriving the baby of any oxygen. I'm hoping the weather holds out this upcoming week so I can get started up again.

Monday, January 12th, 2015 - 4,562 total steps / 1.9 total miles / 111 calories

Tuesday, January 13th, 2015 - 10,153 total steps / 3.6 total miles / 227 calories

Wednesday, January 14th, 2015 - 15,277 total steps / 5.0 total miles / 337 calories

Thursday, January 15th, 2015 - 7,932 total steps / 2.7 total miles / 183 calories

Friday, January 16th, 2015 - 14,751 total steps / 4.7 total miles / 301 calories

Saturday, January 17th, 2015 - 3,009 total steps / 1.1 total miles / 10 calories

Sunday, January 18th, 2015 - 1,274 total steps / .3 total miles / 2 calories

Totals for the week : 56,958 total steps / 19.3 total miles / 1,171 calories

Remington's Rundown

Hey Doodle Lovers! It's Remington Bear here!

 

It's been a while since I last made an appearance on the blog! I know you missed me!

What have I been up to lately you ask... well lots of stuff of course, but mostly passing out love to people!

Doing visits at Mom's work takes up a lot of my time, but I get so excited when Mom puts on my bandanas and tells me its time to head to work. 

Most of the time I do my visits with my girlfriend Bella... but there was about a 5 week period when Bella's Mom was vacationing in Hawaii so my buddy Cubby, the Golden Retriever, filled in for her! I love Cubby and we get along great during our visits together!

But... when Bella finally did return I was super excited and I let her soak up as much love as possible from Mom's residents since she had been without any for so long.

When Christmas time rolled around I helped Mom pass out presents to the residents that Santa had delivered. That was hard work and took a long time since we had around 150 residents to visit with. PHEW!

Not only did Santa show up with gifts of all kinds, but Mrs. Claus also made an appearance. She looked so cute and the residents couldn't resist her sweetness.

Because I work so much I often have to spend a lot of time catching up on my beauty rest...

and giving snuggles to my Dad...

and snuggles to my Mom!

I also have been investigating some changes that have been going on around my house. Mom and Dad have been bringing in strange smelling boxes. They tell me they are trying to prepare me to be a big brother. I'm not completely sure what it all means but I have a feeling my life could be changing soon. All I know is that I will try my hardest to make Mom and Dad proud of me!

 

Time to sign off... WIGGLES!

~Remington Bear~

Mileage Monday

Stats for January 5th - January 11th... Sadly, no running happened this week. The weather was down right freezing around here. We are talking -30 degrees below with the wind chill. However, even if I was able to run outside I don't know if I would have or not. I actually am starting to feel and look pregnant, which is definitely different. I'm having trouble bending over comfortably and even though I'm wearing the same clothes I always have I am no longer buttoning my pants. The one thing that does make me feel better about not being overly active is that I still get a ton of walking in because of work. That has to count for something right?

Monday, January 5th, 2015 - 9,798 total steps / 3.1 total miles / 186 calories

Tuesday, January 6th, 2015 - 6,927 total steps / 2.5 total miles / 119 calories

Wednesday, January 7th, 2015 - 14,812 total steps / 4.8 total miles / 302 calories

Thursday, January 8th, 2015 - 11,969 total steps / 4.0 total miles / 254 calories

Friday, January 9th, 2015 - 11,721 total steps / 3.7 total miles / 221 calories

Saturday, January 10th, 2015 - 3,104 total steps / 1.1 total miles / 10 calories

Sunday, January 11th, 2015 - 2,937 total steps / .9 total miles / 5 calories

Totals for the week : 61,268 total steps / 20.1 total miles / 1,097 calories

Isolation

Let's just say... cold and flu season isn't the greatest time to be working in a nursing home...

Several of our residents have come down with the stomach flu or an upper respiratory infection and had to be placed on isolation so it doesn't infect any of the other residents. This is easier said than done of course as the viruses continue to move through our building.

I ended up with a horrible cold that I have been battling for the past week. It's been even worse because I needed to be really careful what medicines I actually took. Dan ended up calling the doctor and they said that Sudafed and Robintussin would be okay and not hurt the baby. It made me uneasy, but I was so miserable I took it. Luckily I started feeling better less than a week later and got off the meds fast! Now if I can just make it through this pregnancy without getting the flu!

How Lucky Were We...

On December 9th... the day after I completed all the requirements needed to finish my Masters degree... my grandmother left this world and entered into Heaven. At the time, even though I was sad... I was more relieved that she was no longer suffering or in any type of pain.

Now, after almost a month has passed by I can feel the grief setting in. I miss her and now am feeling a lot of what I should have been feeling when it all happened. So many things remind me of her every day and my heart aches to hear her voice, or get a letter from her, or have her hold me in her arms.

Not too long before she got really sick I had breakfast with her one morning where she explained to me how she wanted her funeral to go, where certain things in her apartment were, etc. For a very long time she had what would happen after she was gone planned out. She never wanted to be a burden to anyone. So when she passed away, it was no surprise to find a journal with every detail written out and I knew most of these plans. One thing I didn't know about was that she wanted me to speak during her funeral. I wasn't sure if I would be able to do it, but I'm so glad I did. So on that day I stood up and read these words that I had written about her....

My Grandma was an amazing lady! But that is no secret to those of you who knew her. 

She was many things to many people, but for me she wasn't just my Grandma...

She was my best friend, mentor, shoulder to cry on, 

Skip Bo partner, pen pal, secret keeper, and biggest cheerleader.

There is no doubt that many of our hearts ache today because of the loss of this

special women, but she gave us many memories to remind us of her as we 

continue on our journey through life. 

During this time I would like to share a few special memories, on from each of her grandchildren.

(Here I shared three memories... one from myself and my cousins Ryan & Stephanie)

All of us have our own special memories that we've shared with her... 

and what a blessing that is! 

So today remember, she would not want this to be a time of sadness,

but instead a time of celebration of her life. 

I want to leave you today with one of my favorite quotes that comes to us 

today from Winnie the Pooh...

"How lucky we were to have someone in our lives 

that makes saying goodbye so hard."

Masters of Science in Gerontology

It took me pretty much six years to do it, but I'm so proud of myself and can finally say I completed my Masters in Gerontology Degree!!! And it feels so good!

And even though it has been over a month since I did any kind of school work I still find myself panicking at times about what assignment I have due next! 

Truly though, it's a great feeling to having nothing to worry about except planning for a new member of our family.

Mileage Monday

Running stats for the week of December 29th - January 4th... So since I got pregnant my running has really taken a nose dive. I was so sick and just plain exhausted during my first trimester it was hard just making it through the day at work let alone think about getting a run in. But now that I'm in second trimester and my sickness has for the most part passed and I have some of my energy back I'm hoping to slowly get back into it.

After not doing pretty much anything for the past four months I can definitely tell that I have lost a ton of muscle and I'm sure I have no endurance like I use to. Plus, being pregnant I have to make sure not to push myself hard as I start up. Exercising is good when your pregnant, but you still have to be careful.

All I know is that if I'm going to start getting back into running... now is the time when I'm still pretty little and my body can handle it. No run will be long or fast... just slow and steady from here on out.