My Sweet Hunter...

Would you just look at those puppy eyes?! Ok, for those of you who don't know me personally, I have wanted a puppy basically all my life. I spent hours searching the interweb for ways to convince your parents to get a puppy (yes this is a permanent bookmark on my phone...). 

Nothing worked. I had finally accepted that I was just going to have to wait until I was living on my own before I would ever have a dog. Just as I had accepted my defeat, my dad said "Let's get a dog!" Before he could change his mind (because that had happened before...), I dragged my family to our local shelter. We first decided on a border collie/lab mix named Opal. She was so gosh darn adorable! 

We went back the next morning to pick her up, but she was gone! Apparently, after we left the shelter, another family came in and adopted Opal. At first I was disappointed but I realized as long as Opal got a loving family, I could get over it. So later that day, we went to another nearby shelter. I picked out a dog to meet and my brother picked out another dog. Although both were very sweet, neither seemed like a perfect fit. We then asked the shelter employees which dog they thought would be a good match for our family. They then brought us a female black lab named Jareth. She was a little shy but she seemed sweet. We were all set to adopt her but first wanted to meet another pup they had mentioned named Webber.

Talk about love at first sight! Webber, now named Hunter (although I thought Webber was a cute name!), came galloping into our arms, attacked us with puppy kisses, and then promptly fell asleep less than 5 minutes later! He was the perfect mix of playful puppy, which is what I wanted, and couch potato, which is what my younger brother Michael was looking for. We signed the adoption forms immediately!

The next morning, I was checking PetFinder (an old habit of mine!), and saw that Opal had been returned to the shelter! Although I was heartbroken for her, I was glad things worked out the way they did. It seems like fate has led us straight to our sweet Hunter! These past few weeks he's been here have been some of the best weeks of my life! Honestly, he has improved my mood tenfold! Every second I spend away from him, my heart literally aches! He is so sweet and goofy, and a complete klutz (he is constantly falling off couches, running into walls, and falling over lol!)! I finally understand what it feels like to be one of those crazy dog people! 

(Yes, he is handsome from ALL angles!)

Welcome!

Welcome to my very first blog! This is my first time using a blog, so it will be a learning experience for me and I apologize for any awkward mistakes I make along the way! This blog is about me getting a new outlook on life and being excited to share some of the things I love with others. For my first official post, I would like to share a little bit of my history, and why I have decided to start this blog.

These past few years have been a struggle for me. I always seem to be sick or in pain and this constant discomfort has resulted in me missing well over 30 days of school. The other week I went to a rheumatologist and was told that I have Fibromyalgia/AMPS. On top of that, I was recently diagnosed with depression and anxiety disorders. It’s been a lot to take in at once, but I am happy to have a diagnosis and a plan of action and I am grateful it is nothing super serious.


So what does all of this have to do with me starting this blog? Well, right now I am riding on the high of finally having a diagnosis and I am feeling relatively optimistic and inspired. I figured now is a better time than any to start making changes in my life to lead to a happier and healthier me! So why not share it with the world?! I figure keeping up to date with a blog will keep me honest in my results and inspired to keep making progress. I plan to share my experiences in coping with my ailments, FINALLY losing weight and getting fit, sharing dieting recipes that I absolutely love, and talking about some of my other interests! I will also document my adventures with friends and family and whatever else life throws at me! Thank you for taking the time to read this and for joining me on my new adventure!