44 is FABULOUS!

And so I turned 44.  And it was phenomenal.  As a rule I don't lie about my age, in fact, I actually shout it out to anyone who is listening.  Some might even say that I brag way too much about being 44.  Ant they're right.  You see, I am proud to be 44.  And that's because even in my old age I am living my life to its fullest and attacking every dream I have ever had. I was lucky enough to figure out that life begins at 40, and that this version of me today is the best version of me, ever.

It is actually true that it is never too late to chase your goals and change your life.  Standing here today I am not the same person I was last year, last month, or even last week.  It really wasn't a conscious decision to go out and take life by the balls, it just sorta happened due to some crazy twists and turns that my life has decided to take, and because for whatever reason the right people are in my life, holding me up, and not letting me fail no matter how many stupid things I have done.  And the stupid has been many lately.  I won't even go into it but if you ask me, I'll whisper in your ear all the stupid things I've done in the last month :).

Anyhow, with all the stupid, my birthday came at exactly the right time and it coincided with some crazy things that made it all become a perfect storm for this phoenix to rise!!!

First up, Hibiscus Half Marathon.  I wasn't confident because I hadn't run a long run in over a month, but in reality I am the strongest I have ever been due to Cross Fit and RIPPED class.

Hibiscus Half 5.29.16

For my bday I ran a 1:55.56 half marathon with little long distance training, poor nutrition (or maybe over nutrition) and on a bum calf that I messed up doing RIPPED.

:)

Pineapple Run 10K 5.14.16

I have been having a very rough couple of weeks and yesterday's Friday the 13th was from absolute hell.  That coupled with the fact that I went back to Cross Fit this week and did an arm WOD on Thursday and a leg WOD on Monday and haven't been able to move normally were all a recipe for disaster.  Thus, I wasn't really planning on trying to run the race hard.  Yes, I am competitive these days and don't like to lose, but I really wasn't thinking about this race at all..

Rainbow bridges....

Riley was my third Jack Russell.  Koa was my first but when it was time to move out my parents were so attached to him that I left him at home to take care of them.  Buddy was the second, and when I fell in love with him I knew we needed to get him a girlfriend so that we could have baby jack russells, and so I went to a house advertising a litter and fell in love with the teeny tiny little pup that fit in my two hands.

Riley was so tiny when I got her that I didn't dare leave her in the yard.  There was no way I could make sure that she wouldn't escape or get lost.  So every day that I left for work she was caged in a part of the house.  She would whine and cry and chew everything up and have so much crazy energy when I got home.  When she finally reached 10 pounds I was relieved that I could leave her at home in the yard full time.

By the way, if you don't know, Riley was named after my all time favorite coach, Riley Wallace.  She was fierce, loud, and sassy just like him too.  The name was perfect for her, she was just like my beloved coach.  

Riley ended up mating with her boyfriend Buddy and in an amazing twist of fate was due to give birth on October 26th and being a first time doggy grandma I of course elected to stay home.  Staying home from work wasn't the problem, the problem was was that the University of Hawaii football team was going to be playing rival Fresno State and I needed to see the game.  If you were at the game or watched it on tv, you know what happened. In case you didn't, read about it here:

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2001/Oct/27/sp/sp01a.html

Long story short, Riley gave birth to 4 puppies during the game. She chewed off too much of the placenta on the runt and we almost lost him but we did some resuscitation and he made it.  I had never been so stressed in my entire life.  If you have never seen a dog give birth, you are lucky.  We only had one litter of pupies and that's because it was crazy stressful!  Anyway, the runt dog that made it was named Rolo after star of the game Nick Rolovich.  Riley had 4 puppies in the litter, 2 girls and 2 boys, and only the name Rolo stuck.

Shortly after Riley gave birth I moved out of my house and neither she nor Buddy came with me.  It was a very sad time for me and eventually Riley and her puppies came with me and her boyfriend Buddy stayed at the old house.  Those were dark times and there were many nights when Riley would sleep around my head as I cried.  She went everywhere I went, slept with me, sat at my feet at all times. She was my best friend.  

Later, when I recovered from crazy and was pregnant with Dannika, Riley would sleep next to my tummy where Dannika was, and when Dannika was born she was always so attached to her.  When I became a human mom, I became a bad dog mom, it was just so hard to balance being a mom to kids and dogs.  But that didn't stop Riley from loving me.  I was still her favorite human, she still demanded my attention, she still loved me like no other.  And I still spoiled her with treats any time she barked for them.  

Yesterday, at the age of 17, we had to put Riley down. She was no longer eating and was struggling to walk.  I just couldn't do it myself so my Dad took her for me.  Its been hard not seeing her every morning, greeting me at the door with hungry eyes and barking for a treat.  Its been weird to come home today and not see her to tell her hi.  And as weird as it is that she's not there physically, I don't at all feel like she's gone.  I still feel her with me, can still see her cute little face with eager eyes, her wagging tail, her high pitched bark.  I am sure eventually it will hit me that she's gone, and the kids have already asked if we can get another dog.  It may seem crazy to get one, but I honestly want my kids to experience the love that I had for Riley, and the love that she had for me.  And so I don't know if there will be another dog in our family any time soon, but all I do know that my Riley girl will always be in my heart and I am thankful for her love that got me through so many tough times. I know she is running around in heaven looking down on me and still loving and protecting me like she always has.

I love you Riley, play with Goldie, Koa, and Buddy <3