I've Created a Monster

And that is not necessarily a bad thing.

With the high summer temps and the kids with me 99% of the time, I can't really go for walks or runs unless I do it early in the morning before Joe leaves for work. Yes we have a treadmill but I just don't get the same enjoyment and relaxation out of it. Not to the mention the fact that we now have a puppy with a lot (and I mean A LOT) of energy to expend. And so I started getting up and taking him for walks at 6:30 in the morning. The problem is that as soon as I wake up, his nose is stuck to my calves and he is whining and excited and ready to go. He really loves his walks. Some days I can't even get him to eat his breakfast because he is so excited to go. One day last week, Joe had to drive to Scottsdale and left at 4:30am, which meant we had to skip our morning walk. Not only was Kuma disappointed but he also let me know by getting into anything and everything all morning.

But this isn't necessarily a bad thing because it forces me to get some exercise in during the warm summer months. Yes it means I haven't been running but I have always loved walking. And I am going to back track here a little because I feel that my blog has been a little stale lately. Yes, I have kept up to date with all of our fun summer activities. But I also want this blog to be a real reflection of our lives and life is not always sunshine and roses, swim lessons and soccer practice.

For the past couple of months I have been dealing with a relapse in my anxiety issues from a few years ago. I don't know what triggered it but I do know that I am working very hard to get it under control. A lot of people who I have talked to about my anxiety assume it stems from me being stressed, overwhelmed, trying to take on too much, etc. etc. But let me assure you that this is not the case. It runs much deeper than that and I am looking much deeper to get to the bottom of it. In the meantime, keeping myself and the kids busy and partaking in relaxing activities like daily walks through desert terrain with my puppy is just what the doctor ordered.

Here is a picture of the landscape we encounter while on our walks. This field is across the street from our neighborhood. I much prefer being on the trails made from quad riders then on streets. For one, it is much more relaxing to be surrounded by native plants, quails, rabbits and ground squirrels then walking past houses on streets. And second of all, I would much rather deal with the occasional skittish coyote then loose dogs in neighborhoods that may attack.

And so my morning walks with Kuma will continue to be an integral part of my morning routine and my way to relax and exercise for now. As I said, I may have created a monster but that is not necessarily a bad thing.