Photo a Day Challenge : Week #48

Day 24 - A Word (of advice)

Day 25 - Quirky (my college roommates would recognize this fashion statement)

Day 26 - Message (I re-read this message from Dan often)

Day 27 - No! (Uhhhh JZ it isn't Mardi Gras it's Christmas time)

Day 28 - I Am Grateful For... (my fabulous co-workers)

Day 29 - Black

Day 30 - All Done

Happy Turkey Day!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Remi and I are in P-town with family!

We'll catch you up soon!

Until then... GOBBLE GOBBLE!

Remington's Rundown (We Passed!)

Hey Doodle Lovers! It's Remington Bear here!

I didn't let you down...

I passed my Therapy Dog Evaluation with Paws and Think!

Mom and I are super excited about it and ready to get started!

I'm sure you are all wondering how I did on the "leave it" command...

Well, I rocked it folks! No problems at all!

I did have one thing that my evaluator said I need to work on a little bit. 

That is getting hugs from people. She said I did well during my test, but that she could tell that I wasn't exactly comfortable with it.

Hello! Would you be okay with strangers coming up and hugging you?

Hmmmmm....

Anyone want to help me practice??

Free hugs to all!

Time to sign off... WIGGLES!

~Remington Bear~

Mileage & CrossFit Monday

Running stats and CrossFit WOD's for the week of November 18th - November 24th... It was hectic last week. When I did get the chance to workout I feel like I over did it a bit and honestly hurt so badly the days after I could hardly function. YIKES!

Monday, November 18th, 2013 - REST DAY!

Tuesday, November 19th, 2013 - REST DAY!

Wednesday, November 20th, 2013 - Warm up : 5 rounds (20 singles & 15 sit ups / Strength : narrow grip bench press (85#) & ring dips (ME) / WOD : 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 (hand stand push up with box, strict pull ups with band, medicine ball push up)... time 10:31

Thursday, November 21st, 2013 - Warm up : 800 meter run & PVC clean jerk drills / Strength : full clean jerks (50#) & good mornings(45#) / WOD : "Fight Gone Bad" (toes to bar, kettlebells (18#), box jumps (20"), thrusters (35#), singles) 5 minutes / rest 1 minute / 5 minutes / rest 1 minute/ 5 minutes... rounds 224!  Plus ran 3.1 miles during my lunch hour!

Friday, November 22nd, 2013 - REST DAY... I can hardly move today after that "Fight Gone Bad" WOD!!

Saturday, November 23rd, 2013 - REST DAY!

Sunday, November 24th, 2013 - REST DAY!

Total miles ran this week : 3 miles

Photo a Day Challenge : Week #47

Day 17 - 5 o'clock

Day 18 - Mirror

Day 19 - Where I Ate Breakfast

Day 20 - Communication (UIndy students pledging how they will give back on #GivingTuesday)

Day 21 - I Wish I Had This (in front of me)

Day 22 - Behind

Day 23 - Simplicity (dinner and a movie)

Remington's Rundown (Third Times a Charm)

Hey Doodle Lovers! It's Remington Bear here!

Psssttttt! Over here! What do you mean you can't see me?

Oh, I guess you're right... I disappear when I'm laying on this new blanket Mom got me :)

This past Saturday was my third and final training class before my upcoming test!

There were a ton of volunteers that came to this last class to help with distractions and see how we reacted around lots of people in lots of different situations.

I did great in all areas except... you guessed it!

"LEAVE IT"

It's so hard to do! My instructor said she would have passed me based on how I did, but it definitely wasn't pretty and I know Mom is concerned about it because she just can't predict what I'm going to do with this obstacle comes up.

I guess the third time isn't a charm like they say...

Mom and I are scheduled to take our test this Saturday at noon! Wish us the best of luck! Hopefully I'll have good news to report next time I see you!

Time to sign off... WIGGLES!

~Remington Bear~

Mileage & CrossFit Monday

Running stats and CrossFit WOD's for the week of November 11th - November 17th... I couldn't keep up on my running this past week, but I did try to at least do some stuff at home to get myself moving. I plan to do my first treadmill runs this week... BLAH! Not looking forward to that at all, but a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do :)

Monday, November 11th, 2013 - At Home "AirForce" WOD : 20 thrusters (30#), 10 burpees, 20 sumo deadlift high pulls (30#), 10 burpees, 20 push press (30#), 10 burpees, 20 over head squats (10#), 10 burpees, 20 front squats (30#), 10 burpees... time 14:20

Tuesday, November 12th, 2013 - REST DAY!

Wednesday, November 13th, 2013 - At Home WOD : 15 minute AMRAP (10 sit ups, 15 squats, 10 hand release push ups, 15 squats)... 7 rounds

Thursday, November 14th, 2013 - REST DAY!

Friday, November 15th, 2013 - 100 sit ups, 100 hand release push ups, 100 squats / Stretch

Saturday, November 16th, 2013 - REST DAY!

Sunday, November 17th, 2013 - REST DAY!

Total miles ran this week : 0 miles

Photo a Day Challenge : Week #46

Day 10 - Book (Remi has been studying hard for his Therapy Dog Test)

Day 11 - A Memory

Day 12 - Clouds

Day 13 - Part of Me

Day 14 - Eating (getting Starbucks was more important than eating today)

Day 15 - In My Pocket (I got nothin')

Day 16 - Play

30 Before 30 - November Book (First Person Plural by Cameron West PhD)

The third book I read for my 30 Before 30 challenge was...

I graduated with a degree in Psychology so anything involving the mind interests me. Dan's Aunt Boo let me borrow this book and said she really liked it so I decided to read it based on her good reviews. I have to admit this book made me cringe most of the way through it because of the abuse this man suffered through as a child. It wasn't rare that I had to put the book down for a while and go focus on something else because his account seriously made me sick to my stomach! 

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Unlike Flora Rheta Schreiber's Sybil, which presented a fairly dispassionate and professional view of multiple personality disorder, now called dissociative identity disorder (DID), West's account is an intimate memoir of the pain and frustration he encountered before and after being diagnosed. In his 30s, West began experiencing symptoms of the disorder, including the presence of inner voices, periods of blackout, memory loss and the wrenching feeling that something was deeply amiss. With the expertise of a therapist and the often heroic? and sometimes courageous? support of his wife, West eventually identified 24 separate personalities of both sexes and various ages. These "alters" told stories of horrific childhood sexual abuse by family members, which West had erased from his conscious mind. West compellingly recounts his journey toward sanity and his decision to pursue a Ph.D. in psychology in order to better understand his illness. Illustrations from his journal, in which all alters were allowed to write, and drawings done by his child personalities give weight and detail to West's account. Occasionally, in his attempt to get at the experience of DID, West waxes melodramatic and falls back on awkward metaphors. The latter, admittedly, might very well be part of the territory: how can language describe two people passing each other within the same body without awkwardness? Readers who must cope with DID or other debilitating mental illnesses, either in themselves or friends and family, will appreciate West's honesty and insight about the subject.

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For the most part I really enjoyed this read. I think it is an amazing account of what multiple personality disorder can look like. I truly don't know if I believe he actually experienced all this... I know this disorder is extremely rare and there are many accounts of people "faking it" for their own personal gain... but if he did... WOW! Either way it was interesting and held my attention.

Viewer Discretion is Advised...

... yes... 

...we had a mouse in our house...

...I'm thoroughly disgusted...

...and pray we don't have any more fatalities to report in the following days...

Remington's Rundown (Training Class #2)

Hey Doodle Lovers! It's Remington Bear here!

This past Saturday was my 2nd Therapy Dog Training Class!

I was so excited... I couldn't wait to get in the car and go!

"Here Mom... take my leash and load me up in the car!"

During this class we worked on what we will be tested over during my evaluation. Things like "sit", "down", "stay", and "come". Also, how I react in certain situations like being around walkers, wheelchairs, loud noises, meeting new people, and entering buildings/rooms. I did great in all these areas mom said!! 

We also worked on walking through an area with toys and treats and I had to be able to "leave it" or in other words not touch any of the objects I really wanted to touch while we were walking through that area. This was hard for me and I was the worst in the entire group :( But I'll keep practicing so I have better self control!

I also will need to work on greeting people and not getting overly excited when meeting them for the first time. I'm suppose to be in a "down stay" and not move from that position when a new person approaches me. This is hard though because I love people and want them to love on me. I didn't do too badly in this area, but wasn't perfect at it either.

I love all my new doggie friends in the class with me! Again, I told Mom to take some pictures of them while we were in class, but there is always so much going on it is hard to pay attention to what you're suppose to be doing and take photos at the same time...

When I got home from Therapy Dog class I made sure to tell Dad all about what we did and what areas I still need help with so he can make sure to practice with me too!

He always listens to me and tells me to just try my best and I'll succeed if I set my mind to it.

I've even been doing some reading on Therapy Dog Work in hopes that I can pick up some pointers.

Reading makes me awfully sleepy though and I usually have to take a little nap...

When I wake up... I always make sure to tell Mom that I was dreaming about being the best Therapy Dog I could be... just for her!! She says that I already am her best therapy! 

Only two weeks until my evaluation!!

Time to sign off... WIGGLES!

~Remington Bear~

Mileage & CrossFit Monday

Running stats and CrossFit WOD's for the week of November 4th - November 10th... this past week flew by in a whirl wind. I keep thinking to myself that at some point things are going to slow down, but they never really do. Even though I didn't get much physical activity in this week, I am thrilled with the six mile run I did on Monday. It was such an awesome run and I felt so good while I was doing it. It was one of those runs that you just felt like you could have kept going forever... Why can't every run feel that dang good!

Monday, November 4th, 2013 - Warm up : mobility stretches / Strength : bench press (95#) / WOD : 5 minute AMRAP (5 snatches (35#) & 5 bar facing burpees)... rest 1 minute... 3 minute AMRAP (3 snatches (35#) & 3 bar facing burpees)... rest 1 minutes... 1 minute AMRAP (1 snatch (35#) & 1 bar facing burpees)... 12 rounds... then did 50 chair dips at home

Tuesday, November 5th, 2013 - Ran 6 miles / Stretch

Wednesday, November 6th, 2013 - REST DAY / Stretch

Thursday, November 7th, 2013 - REST DAY!

Friday, November 8th, 2013 - REST DAY!

Saturday, November 9th, 2013 - REST DAY!

Sunday, November 10th, 2013 - REST DAY!

Total miles ran this week : 6 miles

Photo a Day Challenge : Week #45

Day 3 - P is For... Pomegranate (my new favorite food)

Day 4 - Table 

Day 5 - I Collect... (miles)

Day 6 - Music (homemade music box my Dad made me when I was a little girl)

Day 7 - Yes! (a high school friend and fellow blogger made Fox and Friends news for a blog post she wrote that went viral)

Day 8 - Someone I Miss (there isn't a day that goes by that I don't wish I lived closer to these two people)

Day 9 - Mine

30 Before 30 - November's Healthy Dinner (Spicy Stuffed Acorn Squash)

Green Bean Delivery has definitely made Dan and I step out of our comfort zone when it comes to food. It isn't that we are picky by any means, we just tend to eat the same things over and over again. This delivery system makes me choose seasonal fruits and veggies that I probably under most normal circumstances wouldn't eat otherwise. Behold... the acorn squash!

Spicy Stuffed Acorn Squash (www.thymeforcookingblog.com)

Ingredients

• 1 medium acorn squash
• 5oz (sausage)
• 2 roma tomatoes
• 1 onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tbs fresh parsley
• 1 tbs fresh sage
• 3 tbs greek yogurt
• 2 tsp olive oil

Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds. 

Either place face down on tray and microwave for 10 – 12 minutes or put into a baking dish, cover with foil and bake in 400F (200C) oven for 40 minutes.

While squash cooks:

Peel and chop the tomatoes.  Chop onion; mince garlic.

 Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté cumin, paprika and onion for 5 minutes.  Add garlic and sauté 2 minutes longer. Add sausage and sauté, breaking it up as it browns. Add tomatoes, reduce heat, cover and cook until tomatoes soften. Remove from heat and stir in yogurt.

To assemble:

When squash are ready (they should be almost done) remove from wherever they cooked and fill with the sausage mixture. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes.

I don't think Dan was overly impressed with this meal, but I didn't think it was bad for what it was. It took a while to cook and everything, but other than that it was pretty easy and the clean up was minimal. Plus it looked pretty fancy if I do say so myself! Acorn squash success!