Easy come, easy go

We got three paddles in before our kayak was STOLEN! It makes you feel awful when anything is stolen, but especially when it is brand new. I didn't really get to enjoy it and we were so looking forward to spending time together (even with Hana). To start the day with that discovery has certainly put a damper on my mood and the weather is fitting as it is overcast.
I could rant about what kind of sad, pathetic people drive around with bolt cutters looking for things to steal to make a quick buck that is probably spent on drugs, but I am trying to let it go. I am repeating my new mantra "I have everything I need." It is true and reminds me about the great people in my life who outweigh all the negative.
However days like this reinforce what I hate about living in tight quarters with no storage space and people who don't care about their neighbors. It makes me want to pack up and move, but this has happened before and can happen again anywhere.
I am grateful that no one was physically hurt and nothing so special was taken that it can't be replaced (even if we will not be replacing the kayak with no place to store it).

Hana's kayak and swim adventure

We took Hana to Fiesta Island this weekend to introduce her to the new kayak. It was a pretty good experience overall. She got some exercise first by playing in the off leash area and then we attempted to have her sit in the kayak. She had her life vest on and we made a little mat for her to sit on so she wouldn't slip. It took some balancing on our part as well to have a third body in the kayak. There were a couple of times she started to move around but we were able to keep her in and she didn't give any stress signals so we started to just paddle near shore and around one buoy so as not to overwhelm her and end the experience on a positive note.
After that we got in the water to play with her and she actually swam out to us and between us once all on her own before heading to shore. We were completely excited as she seems to love the water but only up to her belly so this was the first voluntary swim. It was a neat day for the pack and we hope it will only get better the next time.

We went kayaking without Hana on Sunday to make sure we could paddle in sync. It was a gorgeous day and one that represents why I love San Diego in August. We paddled over to a bait dock where about ten sea lions were sunning themselves and barking. It was amazing to see them up close and one young one even swam right near our kayak. The weekend was full of sun, water adventures and great memories. Next time we will have to waterproof the camera so we can share pictures.

August in San Diego

It is already back to school time for most of my friends and their kids. Even though I am not teaching, it is hard to believe summer has gone so quickly. For me living on the West Coast, the most obvious sign is how early the sun sets here. We wonder how we will exercise Hana in the evenings when dusk comes earlier and earlier.

This past weekend we picked up the new kayak and realized paddling tandem is much different. We will be working on this and will be sure to share our stories and pictures. :)
We also got to spend some time with our good friends, Lynn & Dave, who are now residents of AZ and realized they should have moved one state further west in order to enjoy summer outdoors. It was a great day poolside catching up with friends.
While we were with friends, Hana went to a new daycare to meet her own friends. I think she loved it - she was completely exhausted when she got home. She had been outside running for about 6 hours and even waded into the salt water pool to keep cool. I am hopeful she became a more confident dog due to her experience and won't shrink back at going again. We even picked a daycare with a web cam so we can check on her and check on the facility. As another dog friend put it, you want to make sure the tour you get is the same for the dog and they aren't throwing them in a kennel somewhere.

Happy Anniversary to us!

Today we celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary. It has been a beautiful day here, which we started by having breakfast together and walking Hana. G took the day off so we could pamper ourselves a little bit by having lunch and wine at the winery where we were married. I added our wedding album on the blog for those of you who might not have seen pictures- this is not all of them but a good representation of what a beautiful day it was.

Everyone always asks if it feels like 2 years. When we were at the winery I can say it feels like a long time since we were there and the second year of marriage has been much different from the first for many reasons. However, at the end of every day I still know how lucky we are to love each other and share our life together.

Yoga Challenge Complete!

I completed the yoga challenge yesterday and received the month of August free for my efforts. I promptly took today off! :)
I am really proud that I stayed dedicated- thanks to my hubby for his encouragement as well. I can see a difference from when I started and that is the big payoff. I am going to try to keep up going five days a week before I begin yoga teacher training in September. It is exciting to focus on something while I continue my job search and hope that teaching yoga will go along with the online tutoring to support what I spend on my puppy!