Why Dontcha Run?: The Many Adventures of this Birthday Girl

This Birthday Girl is whooped! Whew. What a day!

I am quite blessed to have an employer that gives birthday's off with pay. :o) WOO! That alone is reason to have the day start well. I rolled out my exercise mat and broke out the weights for a workout DVD this morning. The workout was so intense (and my muscles and body aren't used to such work) that my legs were shaking during and after the session. Even climbing the stairs to put Sultan in his crate this morning, was a task.

Food was "calling" after the workout, so I showered and went out to breakfast with my mommy and daddy. :o) (They're the best!) I chose Cracker Barrel since I hadn't been in so long and figured since they have such a large menu, there would be a decent choice of good-for-you food. I'm glad I chose this, because I had quite the yummy good-for-me breakfast! Cranberry Juice and Water were my beverages of choice. I know, I know, I'm livin' on the wild side! hehe

Fresh Fruit n' Yogurt Breakfast
Low-fat yogurt with honey oat and almond granola. Served with a cranberry-orange muffin with bits of pecan, fresh pineapple chunks, orange slices, a Gala apple, two eggbeaters, and turkey sausage patties.

I didn't eat much of the muffin, but the few bites I had were awesome!

(The poor quality breakfast pictures are from my cell phone. I guess I can't expect much coming from a cell phone.) ;-)

Breakfast was fantastic and I loved the time with my parents. :o) Upon arriving home, I let Sultan out of his crate and ran outside with him for a little bit. After a while, I went inside to get some stuff done and left him outside to play and run off some energy. I always leave the door cracked open so he can come in whenever he's done. About 15 minutes passed and I hadn't heard him bark for a good 5 minutes so I went outside to call him in. He didn't answer or come running. I made a couple laps around the yard with still no sight of Sultan. Here is where the fear set in. I called my parents over (they live two houses down) for help in the search. We called his name, searched the yard, the neighbors yard, the road across the street with still no sign of him. I had a complete breakdown and started shaking, crying, having the urge to throw up (I know, TMI, but he's our baby and I couldn't imagine losing him) and fell to the ground. I picked myself up, threw on my boots and started trecking the the woods, fearing he had been bit and was laying helpless. Still nothing. At this point, both my parents, my little brother, my Mimi, Mother in law and Mimi Jane were driving up and down the road and walking to every local yard and through brush. I finally called the husband and he left work to help search and to calm me down. Thirty minutes passed from the beginning of the search, when a car slammed on their brakes and honked their horn, about a quarter mile down the road. We all ran in fear of him being hit but they hit their brakes because they saw him run across the street. My dear MIL (Mother in Law) spotted Sultan, screamed and we all ran (see? we ran. lots of us ran today. ;-)for him. HE WAS SAFE!!!! His tail was wagging and was un harmed. That little daschund nose of his must have gotten the best of him and he went off on a trail to "hunt" for who knows what. My dad found where he had escaped and we'll be repairing it very soon.

Sorry about the long post, but I had to get that off my chest. Here we are, after the great search and recovery... momma (me) is all sweaty and absolutely exhausted but relieved beyond words that my puppy mut is safe!

Needless to say, my day was pretty much shot after that. So I vegged out on the couch, fell asleep for about thirty minutes, recharging for dinner at The Willow Tree tonight.

My appetite was slim for lunch as well, so I made myself a little plate of homemade hummus with some veggies and a few pieces of fruit. It was yummy and just enough to hold me over until dinner tonight.

The Willow Tree in Sanford offers amazing authentic German cuisine, which never lets my taste buds down. This evening, I had the Jegar Schnitzel (sp?) with fresh veggies and a side of German potato salad. All of which was quite amazing! My birthday beverage of choice was a Gummitini. :o) It even had cute little gummy bears as a garnish. YUM-O!!