I loved all of your comments on this morning’s post about negativity. You guys had some great stories and advice, applicable to both everyday life and the blog world. Dealing with the negative attitudes and remarks of others can be so difficult and your comments made me want to highlight a quote that Mary shared:
“Blowing out someone else’s candle doesn’t make yours burn any brighter.”
Amen, sistah.
Breakfast
Last night I stayed up later than usual and when the alarm went off this morning at 5 a.m., I knew heading out to BodyPump at the gym I found that offers my favorite class in St. Pete just wasn’t going to happen. I was so pumped for the ‘Pump last night, but this morning my body wanted the rest.
I think I’m still trying to catch up on sleep from this past weekend’s adventures.
I slept in for another hour before waking up to bust out this morning’s Blog Talk Tuesdays post over breakfast.
Today’s morning meal included oatmeal topped with fresh blueberries, served with a side of sweet cherries.
Not a bad way to start the day.
Once my morning post was published, I headed to the gym for a workout.
Workout
Today’s workout began with 20 minutes of cardio on the elliptical before I tackled the weight room.
The strength-training portion of my workout included three sets of 15 repetitions of the following exercises:
- Bicep curls
- Tricep pulldowns
- Ryan’s awesome shoulder move
- Leg extensions
- Deadlifts
- One-legged leg extensions
- Lat pulldowns
- Front shoulder raises
My mom took a Zumba class while I did my workout, so it was nice to have a buddy to keep me company on the drive to and from the gym.
Lunch
After the gym I snacked on a bowl of cereal and worked through the remainder of the morning until it was noon and time for lunch.
A smoothie was on the menu for today!
My grandma (the one you guys loved in our wedding video) painted that mug. I love it!
Today’s smoothie included:
- 1 c. milk
- 1 c. cherry Greek yogurt
- 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
- 1 tbsp. cocoa powder
- 1 c. frozen strawberries
- 1 large handful fresh spinach
- 1 handful peanut butter M&Ms (<—Okay, so those were just enjoyed on the side)
The cold temperature of the smoothie was a welcome treat. I’ve been trying to do a lot of my work on the computer outside on my parents’ patio so Sadie can run around in the backyard.
If no one is outside with Sadie, she wants to come inside to be with us… and then she just stares out the window. Watching her look longingly out the window breaks my heart, so I’ve been braving the 90-degree heat so she can happily play and think I’m paying attention to her. I’m so sneaky.
These pictures of Sadie remind me of one more thing I wanted to share with you guys with regard to this morning’s post about negativity: Nothing can make you go from sad to happy faster than cuddling with a dog. I swear Sadie doesn’t have one negative or nasty bone in her body.
And good news! If you’re in need of a hug today, Sadie said she’s more than willing so send one your way.
Back to work! I have two articles to get through today… one about shrimp (yum!).
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Did you know there is actually a thing called animal therapy where they make people hug animals. I once saw this woman who had been picked on all her life, being called a pig, then for therapy she had to go to a farm where she had to cuddle and talk to the piggies. I know, it sounds absolutely hilarious, and it was, but it was also very facinating to see how this woman started opening up after doing it, so I guess it helps. Actually, I also read once in this teen/girly magazine that when you have exam stress, you should spend 5 minutes petting an animal, and that it would help you deal with the stress better! For me that totally works!
Dante, my beautiful lab cheers me up in an instant … I will have to tell you all about that some time. I know I told you this before … but I LOVE your pictures of Sadie … I have yet to take action shots of Dante that make any kind of sense, or catch him at a funny moment. I love when you talk about Sadie, because she is adorable and makes me think of my adorable Dante!
Thanks for your posts!
Sadie is so cute! My dog, Sparky, is the best thing thats ever happened to my family (mom, dad, sister and I). Whenever we walk through the door, he’s there to great us and his tail is wagging so hard that his butt is shaking too! Then he always sleeps in my room, and always hogs the bed. I may complain, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Puppy love is the best!!
Hi Julie!
I just wanted to let you know that thanks to your blog talk tuesdays, I reached out to a company (incidentally, Peanut Butter & Co) to let them know that i loved their product and wanted to give some away. This has turned into a week of giveaways with a bunch of cool sponsors like salons, photographers, custom headbands, Earth’s Own, Epicure and Arbonne! Too cool!
So thanks for your article, and if you are interested in getting some free swag, visit my blog (sunnykatie.wordpress.com) all this week!
I’m kinda needing a hug today, and my hubby isn’t around to give me one … so I will gladly accept a Sadie hug!! 😉 Have a great evening, Julie!
Love your post!
Gosh, I might just steal Sadie! 😉 And then I could have TWO Sadies.
LOVE the candle quote!
Dogs are always happy to see you and they never get tired of seeing a person walk in the door.
I used to have a big dog, and now I have a small dog that thinks he’s a big dog, and both are so great.
So Julie, I am reading over some of your old blogs about moving and I am relating to you so much right now! How are you dealing with all of the stress from having all of your stuff packed away, not knowing the exact date, all that good stuff? My biggest solution seems to be to eat handfuls of chocolate chips, but my skin is not liking that approach.
P.S. I continue to love your blog! I think it’s been a year since I started reading, maybe more!
You have to love the puppy face. Nothing ends the day better than a smooch from your doggie!
It’s so true how dogs can turn a bad day into a good one immediately. I wish we as humans could be like dogs and just wag our tails all the time with pure happiness 🙂
Thanks so much for this post and today’s earlier one. I always love Sadie’s words of wisdom.
For a future blog talk, would you mind discussing how you go about securing these writing opportunities? Since you’re freelancing now, I assume most are paid. Do publications approach you? And if so, is it with a predetermined topic? Or do you do that? I’ve always been so curious and never thought to ask. Your comment about your shrimp article reminded me. 🙂
There really is nothing like an animal to brighten a bad day! My mom’s dog Gracie loves to hop up and down in my lap and attack me with kisses when I get home. Even when it’s slightly annoying, she’s just so cute that you can’t help but love her. I have to say Sadie’s a favorite part of your blog for me 🙂 She’s so cute!
Dogs are joy on four legs! Mine does the same…stares at the door sighing his big drama queen sighs, but barks to be let in the second I go back in the house. Poor guy. He’s nowhere near as photogenic as Sadie…
i tried ryan’s shoulder move last night! it was fun and definitely a good arm workout. thanks for sharing!! 🙂 🙂
Hello, Nice photos of your dog, Sadie.
I came across her photo accidentally while surfing.
I’m an aspiring photographer and like the lighting in the photo.
I was wondering if you’d share some info regarding the photo with me, namely the type of camera used, settings if you recall, was there flash, and what the time of day was?
Thanks very much for you input.
Khaleel.