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Saturday, July 30, 2011

I'm just sayin'... I'm an ISTJ

So I've taken Meyers-Briggs and Jung type personality tests several times in the past and I'm usually someone disappointed with the results. My last MB test indicated I was slightly more introverted then extroverted which didn't make sense to me. I talk A LOT! I was the kids always getting in trouble in school for talking and spent many hours in detention for being so chatty. Even now as an adult I am still accused of talking to much. So how is it possible that I'm an introvert?

Assuming that last test must have been defective I recently retook the test: Results: ISTJ... still more introverted! Seriously? I talk a lot but I don't say much (meaning I may talk a lot but I don't share much or reveal much). I also have a high need for time to myself. I know a lot of people who hate to be alone, that's not me. Luckily, my fiance also has a need for a lot of alone time, so we don't get offended when the other needs some alone time. That being said, I've always considered myself to be a pretty social person. I prefer small close-knit groups to larger groups and it can take me a bit of time to warm up to new people, but once I'm comfortable around them I tend to come out of my shell a bit.

I've never been one to share my thoughts or emotions (as a matter of fact, I tend to try to avoid all contact with my emotions). Maybe I have this vision of introverts being hermits who live in caves and don't have any friends and never come out. That is certainly not me. I'm quite the contrary. I LOVE staying busy, exploring new places, learning new things, and yes, I enjoy doing a lot of this by myself. Maybe that's the introvert in me.

Maybe if I changed my vision of introverts I would actually see myself and embrace my ISTJ nature.

Have you ever taken a MB or Jung personality test? What type are you. Do you agree with the results? Leave me a comment!

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

I'm just sayin'... Adopt a Dog!

So today is a special day in our household. It's Lucy's adoption anniversary; 6 years ago I took her in and promised to take care of her and love her. I'm looking forward to many more years of canine companionship.

I grew up with dogs. When I finally moved out on my own one of the first things I did was get a dog, Skippy. Skippy was a 70lb lab/collie with a heart the size of Texas. This dog didn't have a mean bone in his body. He actually go beat up by a cat while we were on a walk one day because he refused to defend himself against the little feline demon. I eventually had to insert my leg between the two to get the cat off him. When Skippy passed away I was absolutely heartbroken. I would go home and the whole house was quiet and still. Every once in a while I'd bump his leash that was hanging on the hook and the jingle of his tags would bring tears to my eyes.

I started looking for another dog within a couple weeks. I went to shelters first because I'm a 'mutt' kinda girl. There were a couple potentials but none really stood out and said "take me"! Lucy came into my life quite by accident. She is a little blond chihuahua mix. I've always had medium to big dogs. In fact, I used to make fun of little dogs saying they were just cats who learned to bark. But she showed me that she was much more than a pocket pooch.

She was owed by an acquaintance of my aunt. The woman who owned her should not have even owned a plant let alone a dog! Let's just say Lucy was not getting the care nor the love she deserved. After one particularly bad episode the owner told my aunt she was going to leave Lucy in the woods "to fend for herself". My aunt convinced the women to leave the dog with her and she'd find a good home for her. When the woman brought Lucy to my aunt she brought with her a 50lb bag of adult dog kibble, a rawhide the size of my arm, and various other inappropriate items.

When I picked Lucy up she was timid, shaky, and terrified to play with anything. I remember going to sleep that first night with Lucy tucked under the covers with me. I could feel her trembling all night. As the days went by she started to relax. I could see the fear and anxiety melt away as her muscles relaxed, the big brown eyes softened, and the trembling ceased. Within a few weeks she figured out that she would no longer be abused or neglected. She started enjoying her new toys and loved sitting on my lap.

If you met Lucy today you'd never guess she had such a tumultuous puppyhood. At only 9 months old I was her 4th owner. But she quickly realized that she had found her forever home and I found a dog to step in where Skippy had left off.

There are so many great dogs in local shelters just waiting to be adopted. Unless you are looking for a dog for a specific task (i.e. a working dog) it makes little to no sense to go buy some designer dog. Let's face it, must of us are getting a dog for a pet, not a guard dog, or a bird dog, etc. So if you are looking for a dog, please consider a shelter dog before you fork over hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars on a designer pooch. I'm just sayin'...

Friday, July 15, 2011

I'm Just Sayin'... Don't Toss Your Bananas

I've decided to add a new series to my blogs. I'm calling it "I'm Just Sayin'..." and it will mainly be short words of wisdom, observations, and other miscellaneous thoughts. I am hoping this series will allow and encourage me to make my blog more active. So without further ado, here is the inaugural post for this series.

I can't tell you how many times I hear folks griping about how fast their bananas turn brown. "I bought a bunch of bananas and by the time I got home they were brown!" Well don't fret!! I <3 bananas and buy them every week; however, I don't always get to them before they brown up. Here are a few things (besides banana bread) you can do with them.

First off, FREEZE THEM!! Peel and slice the bananas and put them in a freezer proof container. Once your bananas are frozen you can use them to make banana "ice cream". All you need to do is take 2-3 frozen, peeled, and sliced bananas and put them in a food processor (you can also do this in a blender) and blend 'em up. The frozen bananas will cream up as they are blended and make a very yummy, 1 ingredient, frozen treat that tastes like banana ice cream. You can even get fancy and stir in some add-ins like walnuts, chocolate chips, coconut flakes, whatever you like! You can also add other frozen fruits, like strawberries or blueberries, and create your very own signature flavors. You can eat it right away, or if you prefer to have it later put it back in the freezer.

My favorite way to use frozen bananas is in a smoothie. I <3 smoothies for breakfast especially in the summer. My favorite blend is delicious and healthy!!

1-1.25 cup of UVAB (Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze) or you can use skim milk, or light soy milk
1 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup of frozen bananas
1-2 teaspoons of nonfat, non-dairy powdered creamer (like Cremora)

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend it up! There is no need to add ice cubes because the frozen fruit does the job of making is thick and icy cold!

Try it, love it, thank me later!!

P.S. You can freeze just about any fruit that is on it's way out, so before you toss those berries or bananas consider the smoothie and ice cream possibilities!

Monday, July 11, 2011

I was NOT Abducted by Aliens

So to say "it's been a while" would be an understatement. I really have been busy, but not THAT busy. Instead of trying to catch you up on the details of my nitty gritty life the last couple MONTHS I'll just give you some highlights:

1. Went to goddaughter's 1st birthday party! Happy birthday Anne-Marie!
2. Ran a PR in a 5K in May.
3. Helping out as Asst. Coach to Couch to 5K running group.
4. Bought new sneakers.
5. Started physical therapy for ITBS.
6. Was going to return new sneakers due to extreme pain in right foot. Got expensive insoles instead.
7. Was put on 2 weeks rest from running; unable to test out new expensive insoles.
8. Met my future BIL and his wife; Ben and Felicia came from Texas to visit with their dog, Lola, for a few days.
9. Went strawberry picking in a thunderstorm.
10. Found a field rat in my garden; decided to move bird feeder and named him Mr. Templeton.
11. Discovered the awesomeness that is 'garlic scape pesto'. I have a desire to put it on virtually everything.
12. Dropped out of the 1/2 marathon that I was training to do on July 24th. Once I am cleared to run again I will focus my attention to the Maine 1/2 Marathon in October. I deferred the registration for the July race to next year's race.
13. I have not been successful keeping my food budget under $100 (except for this past week). But that doesn't count because I had a bunch of stuff left over from the previous week.

I really am going to keep up with this blog. Summer is a hard time for me to want to be inside. I have been very busy with my 2 jobs, coaching, training, and regular everyday stuff around the house. I haven't even been to the beach yet!!!

Anywho, that is about all I have for now. What have you been up to lately?