Mission Move More: Meet Mazzy!

About a week before Christmas Nik looked at me and said, “We need to talk about something.”

Shit. I’m usually in trouble about something when he says that. I braced myself and reminded him it’s a bitch to get out of a mortgage in NY. (Aren’t I helpful?)

Instead, he asked me what I thought about getting a puppy for Christmas instead of the pots and pans we’d talked about.

Um, okay! I had the website of the group I wanted to work with up and on my phone before he could finish his statement.

The first challenge was that he wanted a German Shepard and I wanted a Lab…You know what? There’s more to this part of the story, but I won’t bore you with the details. Suffice it to say that on a warmish Sunday between bouts of me barfing, we went to pick out a pup from one of the East Coast Adoption foster centers.

We came home with this little pupski. She didn’t have a name for the first day and a half, I’d call her “baby girl” or “pupski”. Nik called her “little shit” or “poops mcgee”. Since she was the pup Nik wanted, I got to name her. (I wasn’t allowed to name her Fenway though. Anything but that.)

Monday, he went back to work and I started house training and looking for a name. While we were outside walking up and down the driveway, around the yard, etc I’d call out random names I liked. ANNA! (nothing) OPTIMUS PRIME! (nothing), GRETA! (nope) ZELDA? (not even a flinch) among others.

Then when she was trying to eat another nugget of bunny poop, I yelled “No! MAZZY! Get over here!” and she stopped in her tracks. Then she looked at me and begrudgingly trotted over.

Mazzy Ryan B* it is.

She’s sweet, loves us even when she gets yelled at, a super good cuddler, and smart-ish. She hasn’t met a person or dog she hasn’t liked (yet), is learning to be good with the girls and not to pee inside. She likes carrots, strawberries, dog cookies, fake bacon pieces, and ice. She’s killed 2 squeekers, her first rawhide is almost gone, and is getting better about nipping/chewing us. She’s lived with us for 2 weeks and it feels like I’ve known her forever.

So about that Move More. I’ve walked more in the last 2 weeks than I did in the last months. Maybe not, but we’ve covered miles in the driveway and loops around the lawn, walked almost all the way to the fire hall, practiced a little running, and play chase a bit. I’ve also cut back drastically on the crap and the mindless eating because I can’t share with her. I suspect that as she gets a little bigger, we’ll hike in the woods, learn to play fetch in the yard, and when it’s warmer, cool off in the creek.

She’s a great little buddy and hopefully she loves us as much as we love her.

She’s totally better than new pots and pans.

Mission Move More – Aerial Yoga

My hands were down so I stopped swinging.

I thought I’d check in on my Mission Move More. It’s, um, going. I can make all the excuses in the world, but the fact remains I didn’t do so well with it. (It’s been Upstate NY in July x100 around here lately – humid, hot, buggy, and then rain.) But last week I signed up for an aerial yoga class.

See, I was looking for a new yoga  studio or class. Why? Because, I am forced to admit to myself I’m not good at keeping up with a home practice. E and I tried some together. I did it a couple of other times, too, but unless I put it on my calendar and go somewhere else, I just don’t do it.

I think at home there are just too many distractions of other things I can or feel like I should be doing to get my ass on the mat.

I found a studio not far from my house with a decent drop in price. I was looking at class times and saw they offered an aerial class! This is super exciting because I’ve wanted to try it FOREVER. (The place in Albany is pricey, always busy, and had a really inconvenient schedule.)  I found out there was a class on Sunday which I could make it.

Here’s the thing…I was a little nervous because I don’t love going new places alone. I really prefer to have a buddy with me for adventures, but I put on my brave pants, my favorite yoga shirt, and went over.

As I felt some anxiety creeping in, I reminded myself that I wasn’t scared of falling, I have a pretty solid foundation in yoga even if I am out of practice, and I’m strong mentally and physically.

I could do this.

And I did! Sure, I wasn’t good, I still don’t have a core worth a damn and it took me a few tries to figure stuff out sometimes, but I made it through the class with a smile on my face and a new love for something I hadn’t tried before.  (I also found out my favorite yoga shirt isn’t helpful in an aerial class because it’s too slippery!)

I think what I liked best (other than the new way to stretch different parts of my body which absolutely need it!) was that for a bit you feel like you’re flying and floating in your very own little pod. I was totally surrounded in a yellow pocket of space and time, just breathing.

It was lovely.

A word of caution: It is not for anyone claustrophobic, afraid of not having their feet on the ground, or who may get motion sick. There’s sometimes a slight feeling of dizziness so if you don’t enjoy that, it may not be for you. None of that bothers me in the least so it was great!

I’m happy to go again if someone wants to try it.