We are foster parents

Meet Hannah!

As stated above....we are fostering Hannah. After a crazy....semi ridiculous....afternoon we were lucky enough to be able to pick up Hannah. Hannah's story begins with the fact that she was going by the name Lola. We already have a Lola, and she (Hannah) was not answering to Lola, so we have changed it to Hannah. She was placed in Cherokee Animal Shelter after her owner was foreclosed on. She seems to be in good health, and good shape. She is a major lover...so cute, but very timid.

This organization called "Angels Among Us" let us know today about a Beagle, Honey, who was going to be euthanized tomorrow morning at 8am. She was in South Carolina, so we would get her tomorrow. Then at the very last minute she was adopted, so they called Jacob and told him. We figured it just wasn't our time to get a foster dog yet. Then at 3:30 they called and told us about Hannah. She was in a town 20 minutes north of Atlanta, and we had to get there by 5:30 because that was when they would be euthanizing her. Well it was north of the city, during Friday's rush hour....but we took off against the odds. We hit three different stand stills, and got held up in many congested areas. Literally pulled into the animal shelter at 5:15, ran through the parking lot.....and made it of course. But the lady at the front counter was not very nice, and she almost seemed upset that we were taking Hannah off of her hands (or out of her hands).

She is getting along with the Larkin Zoo so far. She is really timid, and doesn't know how to take Lucie and her crazy, hyperness, but she is relaxing more and more. They think she is about a year old. She is a Boxer/Hound mix. She is a gorgeous red color, with pretty white and brown markings. She is a super lover. She just wants to cuddle and relax all the time.

Now as I said we will be fostering her. We are in hopes we can find a nice house for her really soon. We have never fostered before, so I know giving up the first dog will be the hardest, but I also know that by truly fostering we can help many more animals than if we kept them to ourselves. So we are really really really really really really saying we will be finding her another home. But as I type this she is laying across Jacob's lab watching TV. Look who she has wrapped around her paw already. As we get more pictures of her and zoo we will place them here. Make sure to check them out every now and then!

Well needless to say I will be doing puppy duty tomorrow, so no long run. I have to admit I am excited to sleep in a bit, but will miss my run. I will probably try to go out after Jacob gets home tomorrow night.

If you know of anyone who is interested in our beautiful Hannah please let me know. She is doing great with other animals...no idea about how she does with kids. Let us know if someone is interested. We want her to be placed in a wonderful home :)

Something I am good at

This blog might end up being a bit random...but it has been awhile. Oh course I can use the excuse of starting school with the kids 2 weeks ago. It is more the truth than an excuse I guess. We had to get PTA meetings, Open Houses, and of course all of our pre-test data graphed and redelivered out of the way. I have been pretty busy.

But what is on my mind today.....I have found something that makes me SO, SO happy, and complete. And it is this tri training. I ran 10 miles this morning. I have never run 10 miles before. And I mean RAN it all. NO walking. This is a HUGE accomplishment for myself. And I LOVE IT! I feel so great after these long runs, and I feel amazing during the week. And lets be honest I am good at running. I ran sprints for my high school and I earned my Varsity Letter by my sophomore year. I know I am good at running, I have a runners body (or so I am told). This comes very naturally to me, and I am so happy. I haven't felt this great in a really, really, really long time. Can we just give a shout out to God for creating medicine that can heal a person's immune system?! YEAH! So honestly since this 10 mile run happened this morning I am still on a HUGE high from it. Now if I could get my swimming up to this same par...the tri will be easy :)

Other things on my mind.....

**I have been really into Taylor Swift lately. Being a teacher of 10 and 11 year olds I hear a lot of the "tween" scene. One of my girls gave me the Taylor Swift CD to play during group work time. I ended up borrowing it, and putting it on my iPod. I really like it. Upbeat, positive message, a bit girly, and it brings me back to my country roots. Can't go wrong with that right?

**I have been feeling really "balanced" lately. I use this word that my friend Cara in my Bible Study has been using...."balanced". I am able to make sure each morning I am up and spending time with God. Right now we are doing the 40 Days of the Jesus Creed (amazing by the way). This is my third year teaching the same grade level, so for the most part I know what I have to teach and when. I also have many different resources to use. Also with my tri training I am forcing myself to leave school by 4:30 at the latest to make sure I make it whatever training that might be. So I have a life outside of school, which has taken me a really long time to get. Then I get home and spend some time with Jacob and the zoo, and of course wind down a bit. Just to get up and do it all over again. I am not tired like I used to be, and I feel like I am a better teacher because I am NOT spending all my time at school. I am not burnt out and able to keep everything "balanced"

**Jacob has his 4th section of finals next week. He figured out he can start his internship next spring. Time is flying really fast for him too. He is still sporting a 4.0 GPA and I couldn't be prouder! He will graduate with a BA in Spring 2011. Crazy.

I think that is about it for what is on the mind of Amanda Larkin. I am just feeling really thankful for everything right now, my health, my family, my daily routine, the warm August weather in Georgia. I am loving this feeling. I am hoping that it keeps up.

My First Triathlon!

Good night NURSE! I can not believe what I did this morning. First thing I was up at 6am (on a Saturday) and was out of the house by 6:30 on my way to meet my running group. Then while running our 5 miles (with a good friend who has taken me under her wing, Marietta) she talked me into signing up for my first tri! It will be Oct. 4. I am still in shock. Here is the website with a bit of information. I have 2 months to get in shape and do my thing. This is the smallest kind of tri, called a "sprint tri" I am looking just to get a feeling of a tri, and to, of course, finish one. I will not be thinking about speed, or time, just to get across the finish line. Still in shock, but feel great I have a goal.

My training schedule is pretty much as follows:

Monday: Off - they do sprints but I have my Bible Study Group so I take Monday's off

Tuesday: Run 4-5 miles (this will increase as I become stronger) through the hills of Buckhead

Wednesday: Swim - right now I am working on my breathing drills, but I swim about 800 meters

Thursday: Spin (stationary bikes drills, lead by a coach) for 60 min, and then a 2 mile run (appr. 20 min)

Friday: Social night for Get-Fit but I am doing 2-5 miles on my own (Jacob normally joins)

Saturday: Mornings are LONG RUNS. This could be 5-15 miles right now. I am only up to 6 miles. Sometimes starting at 11:00 we will bike on open roads....this will start up again in Sept.

Sunday: Off - The tri group does open water swim (in a lake) but it starts about 11:00 and I can't make it and do UpStreet. I am talking to a couple of other people who do church in the mornings, so we might be able to do a later group. So if I don't make it to swim...I try to run on my own.

That is my life right now. I start school on Tuesday and I am ready. I am feeling like I am ready to take on another year. I am very proud of myself, and feel weird by saying that, but I have shed 35 lbs, built an amazing amount of muscle, and my body is SUPER toned. I hope to keep this training up during the school year. I think it is very manageable.

When I started this blog it was to help me get through ITP, which I am through. I think the idea of the blog will start to change to a "running" blog. I will talk a lot about this, but it is becoming a wonderful part of my life. I need this first tri to really sink in I think. WOW 2 months to GO!!!