Cancer Sucks

At the beginning of August our older dog Drake was diagnosed with cancer. The vet couldn’t ever get a good sample to send off to the lab so she basically told us it was the worst. It’s in his mandible he’s 10 years old. I ask the vet what she would do if it were her dog. She told us to manage pain and make him as happy and comfortable as possible.

The Vet said that this form of cancer is generally in limbs of animals. If they amputate from where the tumor is then they usually only give them 6 months tops to live. Since it was in his head then it would spread quicker. We have been preparing for the worst. I have never owned anything long enough for it to die on me. I haven’t had to deal with death and watching something die ever. I have technically been with the dog longer than my husband since he’s been on many deployments. I have never seen my husband so upset. Which is understandable.

Last Friday we took Drake in to get a check up. The Vet honestly looked surprised that he was doing so well. Since the initial diagnosis our female Kali has gone in heat. We are hoping that we get a Drake Jr out of the bunch if she is prego. The Vet is now thinking that it might not be the ‘bad’ cancer that she originally thought it was. I’m just happy that we are going to get to keep him around a little longer than we had hoped in the beginning.

Since we have found out about our dog. Several people who I ‘know’ have gotten some of the same news. I had no idea that cancer was this bad in dogs now days. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. Whatever we are doing seems to be working so I’m just going to keep on doing that.

I just wanted to share what I have learned from this experience. Don’t ever let a day go by with out you letting the people or pets in this case not know how much you love them. Give them that extra hug and scratch. They will love you even more for it.

xoxo
Ash

Run Lucky

Let me start by saying I’m not a runner. I have never been a runner. I’m trying very hard to be one though. I love being able to spend some quality time with my husband while I run. He’s very patient with me. He is a runner and runs daily.

Well today was my 2nd 5k ever. I did better than my first one which was last October actually took 4mins of my time. It was a beautiful run in Oklahoma City around the Chesapeake Campus. I did the run with J, one of my best friends Lacie and her cousin. The weather was a little chilly but it was fine.

Lacie did better than I did but that’s fine. It’s not a race to me. Its me getting out there and trying to do it on my own(with J’s help too). I just want to get better with every run I go on. I would love to eventually be able to run the whole thing.

Running is a lot different from yoga to me. I feel totally in control with yoga. Running I don’t so much. I have asthma attacks, my body freaks out about the stress and I’m not sure that I really like it at all but this is some that I WANT to be able to do.

Its kind of crazy that drop backs don’t scare me at all but every time I’m waiting to run I’m all jacked up stressed and freaking out in the inside. I will get better. I just have to do more. It’s a practice just like anything else in life.

Part of my yoga lately has been finding the joy in something that I don’t totally love. Then starting to love it too. Running is hard work. I have a lot of love for people that really really enjoy it. Maybe I will get there maybe I wont. Im sure going to try though.

At least at the end of this 5k they had a beer garden.. 🙂 Nice cold beer finishing the race was awful nice.!!

xoxo

Yoga 365

Day 3: I’m sick, tummy is jacked up and I can’t make it far from my bed or bathroom. I think I ate some uncooked chicken last night or perhaps it was too much butter on my bucket of popcorn. Anyhow I’m here and it is what it is. I’m home sick from work.

I got Judith Lasater’s book out that most of my fellow #yogadorks are reading to see what she had to say about today’s #Yoga365. Judith says that we should have expectations about things that are going on. Negative or positive we can not tell what other people are thinking about the same situation.

Adho Mukha Svanasana- Downward Dog

Today downward dog is my friend. I have been there for a few minutes today already and enjoy hanging out there. It helps me to turn things upside down a little even when I’m not feeling well. Yoga helps me in almost every situation in my life.

Rub me down..

OK so I’m 31 and I had never had a massage till yesterday. All I can say is WOW. I don’t know how I lasted that long with out one. I already made an appointment for another one. I love love love it.

I did not realize however how bad my right hip is till yesterday. It’s the stiffer of the 2 but its better too. Last night it even helped take minutes off my run. Which is getting better too. I think that the massage was a key to unlock things that had before felt like they were never going to open. Like my shoulders. I was also amazed that such a little girl could really get down deep on me. I wanted to get up and immediately start doing drop backs it was awesome!. I can’t wait for my next one.

I will try to get a massage at the minimum at least once a month. Every 3 weeks is the goal now.

Namaste..

I love butternut squash

I think I have found a new vegetable that I love. I have played with the butternut squash a lot lately and have loved everything I make with it.

This is the Recipe from the picture above.

Baked Pasta with Butternut Squash and Ricotta
INSTRUCTIONS

2 spray(s) cooking spray
20 oz butternut squash, fresh, peeled and cubed*
1/8 tsp table salt, for cooking pasta
12 oz uncooked whole-wheat pasta, penne
1 1/4 cup(s) fat-free skim milk
2 Tbsp white all-purpose flour
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste
1 Tbsp thyme, fresh, chopped, divided
1/2 cup(s) part-skim ricotta cheese
1/3 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano recommended
1/4 cup(s) chopped walnuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Coat a 2 1/2- to 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray.

Place squash on prepared baking sheet; roast until tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. Place in a large bowl and mash.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. After squash has been roasting for about 10 minutes, cook pasta according to package directions; drain and return to pot.

In a medium saucepan, whisk together milk, flour, garlic, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking frequently; reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring often, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in mashed squash and 2 1/2 teaspoons of thyme. Add sauce to pasta; toss to mix and coat.

Transfer pasta mixture to prepared baking dish; dot with spoonfuls of ricotta and then sprinkle with Parmesan and walnuts. Bake until top is lightly browned in a few spots, about 15 to 20 minutes; remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon of thyme. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Place squash on prepared baking sheet; roast until tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. Place in a large bowl and mash.

Best part is its low fat and in calories and yummy!!

xoxo
Ash

O me O my..

The past 2 days have had horrible lower back pain. Yesterday I could barely get out of bed. I have been having back issues since I was 17 and was in a car accident. I fractured my L4. The pointy part actually but was told by the ER doctors that they could do nothing about it. The doctors told me that I would have spasms and pain for the rest of my life. I have been dealing with the pain on and off.

Through my yoga practice I have been able to learn to open and release the tightness in my lower back. Yoga really does heal. For the past 2 days I have been doing a lot of Yin and Restorative Yoga to try to make my back not so bad.

Lots of legs with bent knees over the couch. Reclining warriors, supta baddha Konasana, Dragon Fly, and the knees into chest. All I could think about is what can I do to open my lower back up and make it feel better. I ask my fellow #yogadorks on twitter. They are all so awesome and such great suggestions. I listened to them all and tried them all as well.

I know if I hadn’t had done any yoga I know I would be in worse shape today then I was yesterday. Yoga really does heal. You just have to give it a chance.

Pilates has also helped me with strengthening my core so that this doesn’t happen as often as it use to. Also getting some of my weight off has helped a lot as well.

I just wish that people who didn’t understand yoga especially people with bad knees, hips, lower back, shoulders, anything really. Yoga really does help and heal.

Namaste
Ash

Those Dang Chest Openers…

Yoga has helped me in so many different was it has helped me to quiet my mind and learn to be still. Its also helped me learn from myself and care more for other people around me.

I think that I have noticed the most is that I have become more sensitive towards other people and myself. I was always the girl that was to ‘tough’ to cry or for anyone to see upset.

Within the past year I have noticed as my chest and my upper shoulders have started to open so has all the ‘crap’ that I have been carrying around with me as well.

I haven’t been the best or nicest person throughout my life. I know this. I am now trying to be a different more caring person towards myself and others. I think that it has been harder to forgive myself than it ever has been to forgive anyone else. Actually I know that it has because I work on it everyday still. I haven’t forgave myself.

I know that holding on to things only hurts me in the end. So I’m trying really hard to forgive myself so that I can move on.

For some reason I seem to think since I have done some pretty shitty things that I am a shitty person. I know (I think) that I’m truly not a bad person.

I know the more chest openers that I do the more it will all come out.

Its weird to me to know that once i start to open my body up physically then emotionally it just follows. Pretty neat too. I love Yoga and all the things that I learn and grow from it daily.

Sit more is what I have to do. I don’t know about anyone else but the sitting helps me the most.