Vacation! (All I Ever Wanted!)...

I'm going on vacation!!!

food, wine, fun!

I don't get out much. And aside from that, The furthest down the coast I've been is South Carolina (which I absolutely love, and when I'm rich I'll have a winter home in Charleston). Sure, I'm lucky to have a sister in Virginia Beach, so I get to travel there every year with free room and board, and stay a mile from the beach, and I'm very thankful for that.

But guess what else I have? One of my longest friends that lives in Orlando, FL...and not only that...she WORKS FOR DISNEY!!! Cue the magic!

What have I been waiting for???

This October, I will fly to sunny Florida for the food and wine festival at Disney, where I will partake in foods, wine, music, girl time,  and the magic of DISNEY!! I'm not ashamed to say that at 38 I'm probably more excited about going to Disney than most kids are!

I get entrance to Disney...FOR FREE! We are getting a suite at the hotel for the wine festival...FOR FREE! I get to go to the Animal Kingdom...FOR FREE! (animals!!! eek!)  And guess what else? She's taking me on an hour road trip to Vero Beach so that I can experience the pretty side of Florida!

I mean, we even already have dinner reservations at an Epcot restaurant...it must be good!

I had a really hard time deciding to take this trip since my #1 goal this year has been saving money, and paying off my credit debt so that I can buy a house next year...but then I decided that I freaking deserve it, its cheaper than going to see my sister, and honestly... once I buy a house, I'll have even more reasons not to take a vacation.

Watch out, Florida...here I come!

A New Life Partner...

I know you were all excited that I finally met someone, right? But this post is not about MY life partner, it's about a life partner for my dog Mr. Magoo!

Mr. magoo posing with his pool...

Being a puppy mill breeder, Magoo has always loved other dogs! So, I've been on the lookout for a while now for the right dog to live with us, and be his new best friend..it's not easy to make a match. The dogs are the ones to decide if they will be friends, and then I have my three senior cats to worry about on top of that!

We've had a few trials. 

But after years of  looking at potential dogs...we have officially adopted a new life partner for Mr. Magoo! 

Mr. Bohannon with his tennis ball!!! (named after my man crush on the show Hell on Wheels)

A friend of a friend found him as a puppy about six months ago, and didn't have time to care for a dog, and wanted to find a loving home for him. I took him on a weekend trial,  but after the first night it was clear that he was meant to be mine. 

He and Mr. Magoo played for hours their first meeting, and my cats didn't mind him at all after a couple of hours. He is around a year old, and I'm not sure what kind of dog he is until I take him to my vet, but the previous owner said the vet told her he is a shih tzu mix. I think he may be a maltese mix, he is really little, (about 6lbs) and has silky hair. 

This dog hit the jackpot coming to live with me, and  his previous owner couldn't have found a better home for this little guy!

Sleeping on the back of the couch...

rawhide!

This new little guy even spent the day at Grammas (my Moms house) with Mr. Magoo, and she agreed that he is a great dog! (good thing because she is my dog-sitter!)

After a much needed hair cut, we hit the park. Mr. Bohannon decided to survey the water safely from the bank, but true to form, Mr. Magoo got right in!

Life partners...at last!!

My Body Image...

There has been so much in the media about body image as of late. All of the ads, articles, and documentaries, trying to show "society" that it is OK to be overweight, curvy, light skinned, dark skinned, have straight hair, curly hair, be Asian, African American, Caucasian..Urging people to get on board with what beauty is, even if it isn't what "society" thinks is beautiful.

I am first in line to board this train. I think it's great. The movement inspires me. But the missing peice here, isn't about what others think of you, it's about what you think of you. If you love you, and your body, it really doesn't matter what anyone thinks. 

One of the things I have really embraced about getting older is learning what self love means.

Love doesn't come from perfection. I think about all of the men I have loved in my life that were far from perfect. If I could see past their shortcomings, whether physical or otherwise, why was I not willing to do the same for myself? My family and friends are not perfect, but I don't stop loving them because of it. I can recognize imperfections in others as beauty, so why not myself?  I love them for who they are. I don't want to change them.

So why would I want to change myself to please others?

I don't strive for perfection. I still would like to lose a few pounds, but that is no longer in the forefront of my mind. Instead of aesthetics, I aim for fitness goals. Running faster. Doing push ups.  I am more focused on what my body is, and not what it isn't. When I changed my goals to fitness achievements vs. pounds lost, I have had much easier results.

How would you describe your body in one word? 

Years ago..I would say "fat" or "disgusting".

But the older me says "STRONG!"

I can run half marathons! I workout in the gym 5 days a week, plus I log 20+ miles in 7 days. Since shifting my focus from what my body looks like to others, to what it means to me, I am a much happier person! Self loathing is not good for the mind.