The new man in my life...

Meet Stanley. The landlord's youngest son brought him home 2 weeks ago. He was in pretty bad shape. His throat was severely cut (from a collar that was too tight or an intentional act is unclear), he was malnourished, and the vet said it was one of the worst cases of abuse he'd ever seen. Since the landlords already have 3 dogs of their own plus my dog on the property they were trying to find this one a good home. Which is where I come in. Stanley (or Stan, whichever you prefer) is now living with me and Oliver and Khan. Technically that still means there's 5 dogs on the property, but I guess they're willing to live with that to know he has a good home with a Momma who loves him. Plus they know I won't be here forever and they don't have to feed him anymore.

He's healing well and is one of the most well behaved dogs I've ever seen. He sits, comes, and lays down on command already. He has a very sweet temperament, he and Oliver get along wonderfully, and he's already housebroken. He seems to be a really happy, laid back dog. He's about the same age as Oliver (only way bigger) so they go outside and wrestle and chase each other around, but he's never overly aggressive or rough with Ollie. I'm really glad to have him here and I think Oliver is as well. Khan...maybe not so much, but he's a grumpy old man and has been for years. He'll adapt as he always does.

The biggest adjustment for me has been the amount he eats and drinks. I'm used to having cats and/or a small dog. They don't eat much, relatively speaking. Stanley eats like a horse! I guess I kinda understand that since he was half starved when he arrived here. He's just happy to have food!



No meeting this week, so nothing official to report on the weight-loss front. I presume that I'm still doing ok.

My birthday was very relaxed. Had a meeting with the client Friday morning, then came home and played in the yard for the rest of the day. It was a good day. I never really "got" Mom's thing with the yard until recently. Now I think I finally get it. I'm pretty sure I could spend days outside messing with my plants and checking on the progress of various things and digging in the dirt. It's a very zen thing. Or maybe very dirty meditation. Whatever it is, I highly recommend it!

Don't know why it's going so well but I'm glad it is

This week: down 2.6 pounds which puts my total at 29.2 lbs. I'm thrilled that I'm still losing weight. Hopefully I'll continue to do so. I'm breaking down and getting a gym membership. DT is going to help me with strength training and toning. We went home this weekend. I met his family, he met mine. No one was killed in the process. We had a good time. Other than that, stuff is fairly normal.

My life, such as it is.

So life is generally good. Trying to get the minions at work in line and on the same page. I like all of them though. It's a good group of people and we have a good time, so I can't complain. The client seems to be happy as well and we're working together to make sure that my crew is giving them what they need and want. They seem to be understanding of the fact that I've just taken over so there are going to be some wrinkles to iron out. Hopefully it will continue to go well and be a good relationship.

Outside work life is fairly standard. Studying for the bar with renewed vigor. I actually really want to take it in July. I think it's a 'need to prove it to myself' kinda thing. Honestly with my current job (at the moment anyway) I don't care if I never pass, but I went to law school so I'd like to pass at least one bar. Still doing TN in July.

On the weight loss front, I've lost 26.6 lbs since January. I'm really happy with it and obviously going to keep at it. I kinda blew off tracking last week. I didn't gain, I even lost a little. I'm actually happy that I managed to maintain even without tracking. That tells me that I can succeed and manage my weight when I've reached my goal.