#also I hid 7 chickens on the picture just for fun

[otselotus]

Day 1: heart old day memories Original prompt list here

[fandomxo00]

Ok but imagine:

Hugh is away for press and calling home to you and your son - fluff fluff fluffy

You were lying in bed with your son, Kai, Hugh's 'Put me in coach' shirt Jim Carrey t-shirt that smelled faintly like his cologne. Kai was curled up into your side as you rested a bowl of chips on your swollen stomach. Your son was laughing at the TV as you watched your husband's latest interview. You could blame the constant interview watching on your son, but it was for you too. You missed when he wasn't home, usually you would travel with him, but you were too far long in your pregnancy. Though you did enjoy yourself, as he appeared on 'First we feast' eating hot chicken wings when he comedically tried stuffing the bowl of ice cream into his mouth and the four-year-old that it was the funniest thing to ever happen. You couldn't hold by your chuckles as you snapped a picture of his frozen face, his veins poking out and his mouth wide open, mid bowl choking.

"Dad's so funny!" Your son giggled, his eyes glimmer up at the screen, you knew how much Kai adored his dad.

You also knew Hugh's love for his family. When you first met him, the subject of his own children came up. The way Hugh spoke about them made you want to have your own children. He adored both of his kids and just the though to how good of dad he must be didn't leave your mind. He wanted to make sure you comfortable with the idea of meeting them one day. You were in early 30's but you had to admit back then the idea of meeting his kids was scary. But not something you were opposed to.

When you did meet them, he reminded you to just be yourself. The two of you had grown close in such a short amount of time. But Hugh seemed to learn everything about you, constantly soaking up information like a sponge. Doing everything, he can make sure you were comfortable and always making the air seem light. Though you were still incredibly nervous, but they didn't seem to hate you. You'd try sharing with them about things you have in common. You felt the grounding touch of Hugh's firm hand on your thigh, and the night seemed to become a whole lot easier with just his touch.

You were 7 months along and just loved how large Hugh's children were. Kai definitely caused some tearing on the way out and you were nervous it was going to happen again. Especially because you were having another boy. But you were torn out of your nightmarish thoughts of birthing a giant baby as your phone started to ring. You smiled at the familiar ring tone of 'The Other Side' plays for Hugh's number. You immediately put him on speaker phone and Kai already knew his ring tone so he sat up straight.

"Hi love." Hugh greeted.

"Hi daddy!" Kai yelped, your son took after his dad in the endless amount of energy and silliness. "Oh my gosh, you are so funny?"

"Yeah?" He chuckled on the other end, the sound making butterflies swarm in your stomach. "Whatta I do?"

"You shovin a whole ice cream bowl in your mouth!"

"You and mum watching my interviews?"

"We might be." You hummed.

"There's that voice, how is my girl and other boy?"

"We're good, my feet are so swollen."

"Wish I was there, baby." The sound of Hugh's voice was emotional, you knew how hard this was for him. He had his fun and it was hard to spend time with Ryan. But he missed you, Kai and your life together so badly. He'll be ready for a break in the fall time.

"Can make it up to me by singing to me to bed tonight."

"I'm sure that can be arranged."

"Daddy, you won't believe what happened at school!"

"What baby?"

"Well, well, today we were playing tag and I finally got Roger!"

"Really now?" Hugh's voice showed intrigue, a light feeling coming your heart. "Did ya do what we talked about?"

"Yeah, I hid behind the slide!"

"Good job, kiddo, proud of you. You being good to your mumma?"

"Hugh." You blushed.

"Yup! Lots of cuddles."

"Raising quite the gentleman, I am raising, huh love?" Hugh joked, as you shook your head with a playful smile on your face.

"Do I need to make your ego bigger?"

"Please, darling."

"I miss you."

"I miss you too baby."

note: i am soooo bad at sticking to plans guys i'm so sorry, probably the things i said i was gonna do probably wont happen but i'm trying! it's my mental illness showing what can i say! ik i said i'd probably not write for hugh but hehe, inspo struck! hopefully this okay this my first time writing for hugh

tag: @ohtobemare @jessjessmarvelandhp @chronicallybubbly

[gumnut-logic]

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We’re getting there ever so slowly. We have some herding of brothers to get through first.

For @soniabigcheese​ who started this one :D

-o-o-o-

From that point onwards, it was all about family.

Virgil threw himself into looking after his brothers with the same vigour he looked after his ‘bird the five days previous.

There was guilt, so much guilt. He had put himself over his brothers, ignored them even and hid away nursing his own wounds.

Gordon yelled at him about it, but Virgil was focussed on Scott. He had never seen his big brother so down. It was almost as if his fire had been extinguished.

John refused to leave orbit, determined to deploy as much energy and equipment he could into fixing this mess. Virgil let him be. For now. He had plans to later climb up into orbit himself to check on his space brother. He had no doubt the astronaut was running himself into the ground.

Alan was recovering and for lack of a better description, reminded Virgil of a pissed off terrier. Angry as all hell and willing to take on the neighbourhood great dane.

There were words.

Emotional words.

Alan continued to snarl.

But his little brother was now mobile and buzzing around the house in a hover chair. Grandma was keeping an eye on him.

Grandma was keeping an eye on all of them.

Virgil got one hell of a talking to about looking after himself and received chicken soup as punishment. At least he thought it was chicken soup. The cucumber was confusing.

Kayo was simply gone. On the other side of the planet, most likely. Virgil didn’t know exactly where. The few times she contacted the Island, he grilled her on her health status and was ignored for the most part.

Virgil worried.

About all of them.

It hit Scott the hardest. The commander saw it simply. He saw it as failure.

This was their father’s dream and somehow it had all crashed and burned. Virgil regretted his absence in those first days more and more. If he had been there to support Scott...

But he wasn’t.

He cursed himself in every language he knew.

Gordon was almost as much a concern as Scott. The aquanaut was fuming. No sorrow, no fear, just anger. He spent most of his time in contact with various people and Virgil had the urge to ask John to monitor his fish brother’s communications in case he was planning a world coup of some kind.

But as the days wore on the picture of exactly what was happening did become clearer.

The scathing media continued. Jack reported in almost daily, apparently his entire practice had been mobilised across several attack fronts. They were winning several, but the battle appeared to be a long one.

One of the worst moments was when a hurricane hit the Bahamas and Florida. IR was refused deployment, no matter what angle John tried. The astronaut directed calls to emergency services as best he could, even called in a few Tracy favours from the Jacksonville plant of Tracy Industries, their machinery switching to emergency supplies and relief production to help the people in the beleaguered cities to the south, but even that received a rebuttal. The head of GDF communications cut into IR frequencies and demanded Thunderbird Five cease interference.

Virgil had never heard John so angry.

Scott was as cold as the Arctic. “Do as they ask.”

“Scott-“

“Do as they ask!” Blue eyes like ice, Scott’s expression was stone.

So, theoretically, Five stood down.

Virgil was on the elevator within the half hour.

Eos pummelled him with questions all the way through the stratosphere and into space. John had stopped answering apparently, so she was looking for another Tracy to help.

Virgil stepped onto a silent Five.

“Where is he, Eos?”

“Communications hub. I honestly don’t understand, Virgil. Why would they do this? John is trying to help.”

Virgil’s lips thinned as he strode to the airlock that separated the gravity ring from the central hub. John had to know he was there, yet, there was no greeting, no acknowledgement.

Virgil drifted through the lock to find that Five had most certainly not shut down.

His brother floated in a sea of information. Aunt Val’s picture cruised past. Another document with the GDF logo at the top darted over Virgil’s head as his brother threw it across the room.

“Eos, I need the results from breach fifty-nine.”

“Not until you rest.” Eos’ voice was determined. “And now I have Virgil to help me look after you.”

Turquoise flickered in the engineer’s direction. “Virgil.” It was a greeting and a dare all rolled into one.

“What are you doing, John?”

His astronaut brother wove code with one hand while reaching for a document with the word ‘classified’ stamped across its header. “Exactly what you suspect I’m doing, no doubt.”

“John, I thought we had an agreement.”

“You thought you did. I’m only doing what needs to be done.” The coding hand finished something off and with a swipe sent it on its way.

It was replaced with a scroll of information, rapidly accumulating in a simulated pile.

John smiled thinly at it before turning to face his brother.

“What do you want, Virgil?”

If Virgil had been in a gravity affected situation, he would have taken a step back. As it was, he hadn’t gotten his space legs quite yet and was reduced to a half-strangled gasp.

John was ever so pale, his eyes little more than caverns, his usually perfect hair looked limp and straggly, hanging down over his face.

“Have you slept at all?!”

“I’m doing what needs to be done.” His brother returned to juggling information.

A beat and an incoming comm flashed up. “Johnny, Brandy says the orders have come down. The launch is set for next week. We should tell Scott.”

Virgil blinked.

A swipe of his hand and John answered. “No need, Gordon. You’ve just told Virgil.” A pause. “And don’t call me ‘Johnny’.”

The aquanaut startled as, no doubt, Virgil’s image appeared in his office alongside John. “Oh.” A shrug. “Hey, Virg. Whatcha doin’ up there?”

“What are you doing, Gordon?”

“What needs to be done.”

“And what exactly is that?”

“Saving International Rescue. After all, ‘saving’ is what we do, isn’t it, Virgil? We don’t sit on the side-lines while people die.” The aquanaut poked at something out of transmission range. “Johnny, you gonna brief our big brother or let him dob us into Scott and tackle both explosions at once?”

“Gordon…” John’s voice spoke of exhaustion. “I will handle this.”

“FAB. Sending you Brandy’s report.” Another document flashed up, this one with the WASP logo at the top.

Hell.

Gordon’s hologram held his stare for a moment before blinking out.

“John?” Virgil put every bit of big brother he had into the name. He wasn’t Scott, but he hoped he was enough.

The astronaut sighed.

“General Strom has commissioned a new rescue force for the GDF.” John waved a hand and an array of aircraft and equipment appeared, floating in the recycled air. “They’ve called it ‘World Rescue’ and on the surface it appears legitimate. Brains is even impressed with some of the technology.”

Brains? Brains was in on this as well?

Virgil eyed the largest ship in the list. It was no Thunderbird Two, but it appeared formidable. “They don’t have our technology.”

John frowned. “No, they don’t…yet.”

Virgil mirrored his brother’s expression. “What?”

Another sigh and John flicked through a series of documents. “Lady Amelia traced the source of the equipment to a project initiated about the same time we lost Dad. It appears that even then, these people had their eyes on us.”

“But why? Running a rescue organisation is not a money-making exercise. We both know that from experience.”

“It is if you are the only one.”

“But-“

A hand caught his shoulder and Virgil’s eyes widened. John was definitely tired if he was reaching out. “Even if they don’t charge for the service, the GDF will gain popularity. Our popularity, Virgil. We have a huge fan following. You know this.”

“But that is just for fun!”

“Virgil, popularity is the key. That list of our weaknesses is also a list of our strengths. The GDF’s popularity has been inversely proportional to ours. We’re stealing their thunder, literally. This has led to budget cuts and a drop in recruitment. They’ve lost money because of us.”

Virgil blinked.

“They want it back.” As Virgil continued to stare, John swallowed. “But that is only part of the equation.” John let go of Virgil’s shoulder. “The call for expressions of interest is a farce. They have a launch planned for the first fleet next week.”

“Next week?”

“To capitalise on our negative press. The world is calling for a replacement service and they are answering.”

“We’re being replaced.”

“By Jim Lucas and Robotics Industries. Eos has found connections between Lucas and Wainwright. Lucas went to college with her. Strond is the only part of this equation we haven’t been able to fully clarify. His is the position responsible for the project funding. Lady Amelia is working on it.” John’s shoulders dropped.

“You need sleep.”

“Virgil, this is important. Aunt Val is in the firing line because of us.” A frustrated sound. “Because of me.”

Virgil drew in a breath. He knew that their Aunt had turned a blind eye for them on several occasions, particularly where John’s fingers had poked into certain pies that perhaps they shouldn’t have. But John only did that to save lives. Aunt Val knew that. She was their support within the GDF and she took that position seriously.

Even Virgil knew enough to know that was why she had been removed from the picture.

Scott had been in contact. Had thrown Jack at her. Tracy money was doing its best to dig her out of the hole they had dug for her.

“She wouldn’t want you killing yourself over this.” Virgil kicked off the wall gently and caught his brother by his arm. “C’mon, John.”

“Virgil, get off me.” John wriggled in his grip.

The holographic display suddenly shut off, leaving the hub a bleak grey. “You’re not doing any more work, John. I have Five under control. Attend to your bodily needs.”

John pushed him away and Virgil let him. A turquoise glare hit him between the eyes.

“I can look after myself.” He glanced at the camera beside the airlock. “Just let me be. Both of you.”

“I tried that and look what happened.” The AI was defiant.

“Eos, turn the hub back on.”

“No.”

“Eos!”

“No! Listen to your brother, if you won’t listen to me. You need sleep and food. Your vitals are a mess.”

Virgil set himself. John could be as stubborn as the rest of them, and as slippery as an eel. “It can wait, John. You either sleep up here, or I drag you downstairs and you can deal with Scott.” Who was just as bad, but John didn’t need to know that.

“Virgil-“

“No, John. Food, then sleep. If Scott isn’t enough of a threat, I have a direct line to Grandma. Don’t think for one second that twenty-two thousand kilometres is enough to keep her out of your hair.”

Turquoise lit on fire. “Fine.”

Virgil wrapped an arm around his brother. “And after we will look at what we can do.”

John just grunted at him.

Virgil drew him closer and led him from the hub.

-o-o-o-

 Next

[svetlanabelikova]

Journaling (I)

content warning for the following:

self hatred

fat shaming

talk of surgery

topic of weight loss

i supposed this is my commencement post of my “journaling” series. i know that isn’t really a word but in art, anything can be a word or phrase if you put the meaning into it. i debated if i wanted to start another sideblog for this-- but i already have like,,, 7 or 8 at this point. adding another is too much of a hassle. I remember back in like 2008 or so i made an attempt at one of these on my old personal livejournal-- yeah i had one of those, with pictures and everything but i just ended up hating it and trying to delete everything after a couple weeks to hide from it. i’m sure google still has the photos somewhere. so, why am i doing this? what is this about? it feels embarrassing to even say it but i’m doing it because i need to. on monday (9.16.19) i attended something called a “shared decision making class”. which i literally didn’t know what it was until the presenter started up the giant tv screen and it was the first slide in her presentation. what was the decision, you hopefully are asking, well it was on what weight loss programs were available and which we would like to pursue. i am fat. that’s not like a dig at myself-- thought im sure i’ll make a few of those before this post is done. it is a fact. i am fat. no, im not just fat, i’m what the kids call ‘morbidly obese’. on the body mass index or BMI (which i know is not a very scientific look at one’s stature and actual weight to fat ratio but it is the easiest to calculate quickly), there are 4 categories: normal, overweight, obese and extremely obese.  you find your place in these categories by cross-referencing your weight and your height. very messy but simple. i am about 40ish pounds over the ‘extremely obese’ category for my height.  which feels fucking disgusting to say and i hate myself a little more every time i allow myself to really think about that.  but it is still a fact. at one point while living pretty much alone, i was able to get back down to the border between extreme and garden verity obese, but after moving back in with my parents, i sailed on from those clear waters out into the storm. in the class we were told there was several different paths to choose from: behavioral support (i.e. a food anonymous group meeting once a week), a meal replacement program, medically induced starvation or surgery. each one will allow you to lose a percentage of your body fat. 10%, 15%, 25% and 40% respectively. i need to lose about 70%. i am more fat than me.  that idea came to me late last year.  i am more fat than i am me. for a long time i felt like i was carrying around an extra person. like i had this whole other being, another me, that was just dead weight. she only woke up when i was naked and i hid when i looked in the mirror, the rest of the time she wrapped herself around me, arms and legs tangled around my hips and thighs. but then, it hit me one night while i was in the shower:  i am more fat than i am me. this isn’t another person. this isn’t someone i am equal to. this is something that is smothering me. it isn’t a she that i am cursed to care for, it is an infection. a blight on my body. in my body. something that has slipped in years ago and germinated.  i’ve always been fat. i see pictures of myself when i was 5 and i was already chunky. one of the few early memories i still have is trying to find new clothes before i started 6th grade. i had to shop in the adults section. i was 11 years old and was wearing the biggest clothes in the adult section. it wasn’t even like i could just shop in the small adults or anything, no i had to go to the very end of every rack in the adults’ section of the clothing store. by time i was in high school, i could only get clothes in plus size stores.  i was the 3rd fattest kid in my entire high school. there was one guy and one girl that were bigger than me. that’s it. in a school of nearly 4,000 students, i was 1 out of 3 of the fattest people, including teachers. when people talk about how much they hated school there are few ways to hate yourself more than being the third fattest kid in school and having to buy the biggest shirt available in the school store for physical ed. class and it still being about 2 sizes too small. i literally failed freshman year p.e. because i was too embarrassed to even go into the locker room. and before that, in 7th and 8th grade, we did swimming in p.e. i hated it beyond words. 7th grade i still had some of that childhood ignorance not to notice that everyone was laughing at me, but by 8th grade, i knew. we were allowed 5 days out of the entire month to not get in the pool to swim and i took all those and more.  i’ve always been fat, but i’ve been fat in a family full of fat people. i was still one of the biggest people in my family, but i had 1 cousin that was bigger than me. well, about 7 months ago, she got weight loss surgery. i saw her for the first time in mid july and... i am no longer the second fattest person in the family. i wear the crown for prize heifer.  this surgery is horrifying to me. it is cosmic horror level scary to me. it is reshaping the human body to become wholly unrecognizable. it is permanently altering the natural dynamic of the human body into something constructed, something a mad scientist with a love of anatomy and no humanity would conceive. and even that won’t be enough. the surgery alone will only lower my BMI by 40% over 1-3 yr.s and i need to lose 70%.  i try to focus on the pure numbers alone.  surgery                   -40% group therapy         -10% meal replacement   -15% total                         -55% that still isn’t enough. that would still leave me floating around the middle of the obese category of the BMI. and i know physical activity isn’t entirely factored in here but i have a messed up knee from an injury i got as a kid and bad ankles and feet from carrying around all this fat for a quarter of a century. i need to lose as much weight as possible to get enough stress off my back and legs and internal organs to be able to add in a physical activity routine. when i was in my early 20s i used to work out every night. i would put my headphones in and just dance hard to rave music for an hour or go walking around my neighborhood for awhile, but the body wears down fast and i just physically can’t do that anymore.  there is also the mental side of this. the idea that i will try to do all this and just utterly fucking fail. that i waste time, money and resources. but that will have to be for another post.  today i have another appointment with my case assigned nurse. she is going to weigh me and then probably talk to me brutally and honestly. she works in a hospital that treats nothing but fat people so nothing about me will be unique or out of the ordinary for her, other than maybe my fun combination of gall bladder issues, lactose intolerance, tonsil stones and chronic migraines/headaches. they are all fun road blocks that have stood in my way for years so i’m sure she will have a whale of a time (no pun intended) trying to navigate this path with me. she is going to talk to me about meal replacement, which i am not siked about. i spent all yesterday drinking shakes that tasted like a bottle of tylenol blended with water and strawberry milk powder or eating puffed rice bars that were not awful but not really good either. the soup was just, bad. no matter how many spices i put in it i couldn’t get it to stop tasting like an entire handful of crayola chalk dissolved in water near a can of chicken soup.  those will be fun ways to describe the “food” to her today, lamo. i hope she’s got a sense of humor. 

[grgop]

Geneva, the French and the Međimurci

After months of residing in the darkness of inactivity here comes a fresh review of the recent trip to Switzerland. Those 3 days were without expectations and with plenty of spontaneous decisions that turned out...awesome. I even managed get my Master thesis done and sent to print hours before the trip thus not having to bring my laptop there and work at the airport. I would also use this chance to thank again our hosts for the wonderful time we spent there as well as for helping us with the stay in Geneve. Merci beaucoup...or whatever you write it.  Now what was all this about, when, why and how...please start scrolling. The whole trip was planned a few months ago as one our best and closest Uni colleagues was going to get married. Since we were sitting next to each other since the day 1 of the University life (and were breaking the Erasmus Intership Exchange ice together writing the letters and creating our portfolios in the bars between the Uni lectures...) there was no way for me not to come there. Wait a bit more to see the wedding pics. The interesting story is that she had met her future husband during Erasmus internship in Paris while I was in Vienna (maybe I should apply again for the exchange?). One of the last things in life I imagined was ending up on a wedding in Switzerland and be surrounded with the French and the Međimurci. On the trip there and back again I was with a few colleagues whom we will refer to as “the Noone”. Let’s start with...

DAY 1: Travelling from Zagreb to Venice Marco Polo Airport. Getting lost in Venice. Evening arrival to Geneve 

Just before our trip there were several problems that were kept in secret in order not to spread panic. Our return flight with EasyJet was cancelled due to French Airline’s strike and luckily I was online to check us in on the next one an hour later. Had we not had the second flight the same evening things would gotten nasty with the bus schedule and arriving home on Monday morning to hand in our binded Master’s thesises. 

The second crisis emerged early in the morning around 3am when I realized:

a) I left the sunglasses at my barber’s desk the day earlier

b) I forgot the headphones on my desk!!

We travelled with Flixbus, direct line from Zagreb to Marco Polo Airport, at 7.30am and arrived a bit later than scheduled due to traffic problems on the Italian highway and a traffic mess at the bus station in Trieste (sorry Italians, it was another prejudice come true...). 

We came to our destination around 2.30pm and had almost 5 hours free before the flight. And what should we do?

Go to Venice of course! For the price of 15 Euros you get the bus return ticket from the airport to Venice. My colleague was there for the first time and for me it was the 3rd. I honestly didn’t expect going there but ... was worth it. The plan was to drink coffee somewhere but we didn’t have time as...umm... I wanted to make a tour around and we got lost on our way back...just a bit. : -) In the end we managed to get in time back.

The overall impression of Venice?

Crowded, hot, stinky...few buildings and streets that impress you in the beginning and then you get bored and start counting nationalities and bricks in the walls. As well as the shades to hide in. 

Just before the security check in I realized that I totally messed up with clothes and items in the travel bag...bringing unecessary stuff that took plenty of space. Never again listen to the others and just keep it simple. So I was forced to put my pants, part of ceremonial clothes etc. into the bags of my colleagues. :-D Just like Voldemort with the horcruxes.

Speaking of food and water supplies on your trips and specifically at the airports...there are two kinds of people in this world. Those who buy the bottled water in duty free shops... and those who drink and fill them in the restrooms (toilets). During my 3 days I only drank water from the restroom. Save money, save the nature. 

Our flight was around 8pm and I spent most of it (one hour) sleeping dead tired. For those of you who’ve been following me from before you might remember I’ve already been to Switzerland but never in Geneve. (scroll down the blog for those posts).

Geneva airport? While going towards the exit you pass by numerous billboards of the Swiss watches...Rolex, Rolex, Rolex...and Rolex..and so on for the next 5 minutes. The good thing is that all the arriving guests have 80 minutes free public transport ticket so we went to the next stop (Geneve Cornavin). Our hostel (Geneve Hostel) was about 5-7 minutes by foot and close to the Geneva lake. Boys in one room, girls in another to avoid the potential problems. And unplanned weddings. 

At the hostel we were also given free public transport ticket that was valid for the whole Saturday and Sunday which helped a lot. It included the train, the boats, the buses and the tram within Geneve. Since France was super close (cca 4 km) there was even a tram line leading there (about 30 minutes)...we heard you can have a cheaper lunch there and planned “to visit France” on Sunday but plans changed. 

Before the sleep we searched around the hostel area for some cheap place to grab some food. Now, the word “cheap” in Switzerland is not as same as “cheap” here and the best for your psychological health is not to convert the currency. We found the Ali Kebab place right next to the hostel and ate Chicken Kebab with some salad and French fries for 17,5 Franks, a meal we split for two. This was relatively similar to some prices here so it was not that bad at all. I could have eaten though the whole plate again but my wallet couldn’t. No complaints anyway!

DAY 2: Morning tour around Geneve. Going to the ceremony. The wedding and the afterparty.

I’m a morning person and Saturday morning was no exception. Woke up early, took a shower, breakfast when there aren’t many people and already ready to go at 7.30am. I got the public transport and city landmarks map at the hostel staff and  went to the lake with another early bird. Here are some impressions of the streets, people and cityscape.

Plenty of runners with bluetooth headphones, people walking with dogs, the cylists, expensive cars you see in James Bond movies, the specific architecture, plenty of hotels and banks, mostly clean sterile streets, the promenade and the boats. Pretty much international population and French language everywhere. And I don’t speak French except for few words but was interesting to be in an “alien” surroundings. The lake that is as huge as the sea yet fresh water. Ducks everywhere. What I loved was seeing the bike roads across the promenade and the streets of Geneve. More about it on Day 3. Speaking of traffic behaviour they all more or less stop when you approach the pedestrian zebra crossing and stop even 0,5 m before it if the red light turns on. On contrary, here you’d get run over even if you were sitting on your balcony.

We went back to pick up the third early bird and started our little tour around. There were several bridges in the center and you had a boat connection with other side of the lake. There is the huge wheel with cafes around the big bridge. One of the Geneve’s landmarks is the huge fountain which we reached later and had a free shower. One of the things that pleasantly surprised me was (as I had found out later) the artistic project “Happy City” where there were ca. 20 painted pianos placed around the city’s squares, parks, streets and bridges...where you do as it says “Play, I’m here for you”. So I did what they required you to do. Playing piano on Lake Geneva was another thing I never thought about ... but now I can say “new achievement unlocked”. 

We walked a bit more to the inside of the other side up and down the streets, seen some churches and lots of interenational bars and restaurants. Expensive exotic cars again..and then decided it’s time to go back to hostel. 

On our way back we checked out Lidl and took some emergency food to have just in case of unexpected hunger. This saved us on the next day. I also almost forgot that right now I can buy and drink Rivella.

Travelling to Gland and the Wedding.

We jumped into our suits and wedding clothes and went to the train station around 2pm. We had to arrive to Gland which is ca 20 minutes away from Geneve and there our fiancée’s family was going to pick us up and transport to the ceremony’s place. While there we got to know our French roommates and colleagues offiancé.

What I liked (and probably others) there weren’t many people as it usually is the case here. I won’t go into details here and throw emotions but here are some things. Close friends and family from both sides, that’s it. The ceremony took place at the fairy location called Le Moulin du Creux. Beautiful house with garden, creek and forest around located 100 meters from the road. Check the nice photos of it and you’ll get the idea.

We had two-three pastors, the French ones and the Croatian one. Since most of us didn’t speak nor understood French we had a translator. And it was funny because she was a Slovene translating into Serbian mostly. :)) Nevertheless, an interesting ceremony and a special moment for our now married couple!

What was also new was that after taking pictures and rushing to the tables with food and drinks we also had a game organized - seek and answer game. They hid around 30 photos around the area and we got the papers with questions in French and Croatian. For my team it was kind of a fail in the end. We were trying to learn a few useful French phrases such as J'ai soif which means “I’m thirsty” when sneaking around the table with served drinks.

The other games included a catapult and a cubic football. There was also a gigantic version of the Jenga Tower which was fun to play. We took and received as a memory the polaroid photo with our couple and later moved inside for the dinner and the rest of the show. We watched short movie clips that fiance’s family created about him and our friend. The only problem we had was that we didn’t understand anything as there were no subtitles. :-)

After few more games and meals it was time to go out on the field and light the lanterns. This was a cool thing and my first time to show up and do the thing actually, I think we all enjoyed it. I have no photos of it though but you can imagined what it looked liked having many of them flying up. Let’s hope non of them fell on the forest below. :-D

Soon followed afterparty with some dance music. Some people already had to part and leave. Finally, around 2am we also decided to leave as we didn’t want to miss our train back to Geneve. And of course we missed the first one by being 5 minutes late.

We came to the hostel around 4am and straight to bed.

DAY 3: Tour around Geneve one more time. Coffee & city bikes. Departure.

The final day is here. So far everything great! We made a deal to meet with friends from Nyon around 10.30h at the giant wheel in the center. Shower, breakfast and baggage packed and locked in the hostel. Ready to go. 

We took the boat to the other side and soon met with our friends. We then wasted around an hour going to the “old center” only to find nothing interesting there. However, we saw more of the public pianos and parks. For the next half an hour we were on a quest to find a solid cafe to sit and talk about life. 

We ended up below the giant wheel and had a tiny cup of coffee for 4 Franks. Naturally, we stayed for 2 hours sitting & chatting there to compensate the loss. I ran out of cash and asked the waiter where to go. After all, Geneva is the city of banks and I hadn’t seen a single ATM machine there.  Before running for some cash we decided to visit the giant fountain. On our way there I stopped by the public piano which was now free of ambitious moms and their kids who just pressed random keys but had a cool photo. Actually, I was doing the same. It was funny to have the unusual audience around you. 

Soon by the fountain. Time for a group photo! 

  Time flew by quickly and our friends had to find the bus station as they were leaving sooner than us. We went to the center in search of places to eat and after parting with them three of the original squad left. We had a few hours left before rushing to the train station and the airport. Having lunch in France? Visiting France by trams? Visiting France on bikes? Using city bikes to go around? We rushed to the nearst bike station and...all the bikes were gone. Second chance at the one across the bridge. We somehow were lazy to walk and wasted time on the boat. What happened there? Only two bikes left. I agreed to run  to the other station as the rest follows me. But the guy working there couldn’t find the keys of the bike so we waster 10 minutes there filling the papers and waiting for him to come to common sense. The third and the last luck before giving up was using the tram to the Station No. 5 ... and...three bikes left, keys in the hands and off we go!

There is no better feeling than going around the new place by bike. Pure freedom and flexbility. We gave 20 Franks deposit and decided towards the north along the lake. Bike routes almost everywhere. Going between the streets was fun. No fear of the vehicles around us.

We did cca 10 km in total in about more than hour stopping to take the pictues (the evidences). The idea was to go to France but by democracy 2:1 we gave up from that idea fearing something could go wrong and we get stuck in the middle of nowhere and miss the plane. So we returned the bikes close to our hostel, took the baggage and went to the train station. There we found a nice souvenir and chocolate shop....you can’t leave without one kitschy fridge magnet and a few Toblerones. We met the other Croats who were going back by plane to Venice and I again reorganized my bagge stuff into 2-3 bags of other people. The food from Lidl helped a bit. As well as the good old fresh water from the restroom.  I slept again in the plane this time successfully hiding my cabin baggage under my seat as the plane was crowded and full of passangers because of the cancelled flight. New achievement unlocked.  We had almost 3 hours to wait for the 2.15am Flixbus for Zagreb. Being dead hungry we checked the available offers at the backery there and found some snacks to survive till home. This time Flixbus didn’t have the second floor (on Friday we found the first row spots on the 2nd floor, the best view and the best way to get killed in an accident). But who cares, soon home! The route was shorter as we stopped only in Ljubljana...I woke up two times in total and the second on just at the Croatian border. The bus arrived precisely at 7.30am to Zagreb, to the most beautiful of the ugliest bus stations in the area. Finally, seeing “Mamiću cigane” grafitti around the station I can say “Welcome back home!”.

[m00n-enj0y3r]

I know no one asked but I don’t care!

(Also some TW stuff, it gets VERY VERY DARK right off the bat, I warned you)

1. His mother was very cruel and abusive to him and would regularly starve, scream at, and beat him with anything she could get her hands on, and when he was a pre teen she dressed him up like a slutty girl and she forced him to be a cocotte (look it up) because they weren’t doing well financially and was too self absorbed and fat that she wouldn’t get off her ass and get a job

2. One of the reasons he got fat that he is always kinda nervous that he will get starved and abused again like he was when he was still a kid (not like full fledge terrified of that happening, but it always lingers in the back of his head)

3. When he was little, he was the sweetest thing to exist, he loved to pick flowers and make lil Flower crowns that he would wear and hide in a little hole in a tree, sometimes give them to his friend (more on why he hid them later) and also did okay in school

4. The reason he always hid the crowns is because his mother was very homophobic and he feared she would hurt him again if she saw, because when he gave her a flower crown, she screamed multiple slurs at him, locked him in the basement, and beat him the hardest she’s ever beat him daily (sometimes with a bible)

5. He’s gay, but he isn’t trans (totally fine if you think he IS trans but IMO I think he’s just Gay)

6. The reason for the name “Birdie” came from his gramma that he loved dearly because she owned a farm, and he would hang out with her chickens (one of her chickens, named elvis was his favorite one) and usually make chirping noises and she called him that little nickname and he just goes by it

7. The necklace he wore in SFA was actually a locket with a picture of his grandmother inside to remember her

8. His actual name is Bernard Miles Solomon

9. He’s autistic, and he sometimes exaggerates his movements and facial expressions (what do you call them...Tics or something? I dunno)

10. Sometimes he will wake up crying or screaming because of PTSD fueled nightmares

11. Has a secret lil cat plushie he named “jasper” hidden away in his room, his gramma made it and he still hasn’t let it go and when he gets tore, he will stitch it right up

12. He has a beautiful singing voice that only Ibuki and shibasaki have heard before (he slapped ibuki because he didn’t know she was there and startled him), the songs he loves to sing the most are in the ghetto, I got you babe, I wanna be loved by you, and I don’t want to set the world on fire

13. His favorite edgy songs are world so cold, bitter taste, not gonna die, animal I have become, ribcage, whisper, going under, and my demons (all very good songs, you should listen to them)

14. He can’t really process compliments or affection but he acts like he does because he never really got any affection from anyone (besides his gramma)

15 He loves reminiscing about the good things in his youth, like things that he did and stuff

16. Last one, He’s 52 years old (in sfv he doesn’t have a confirmed age, and I like to have fun with that)

Thank you for reading these!

Anybody wanna hear street fighter birdie headcannons?

(Please say yes I just wanna spout nonsense bout da big bird man)

[andreafestefano]

How to make a HUGE upholstered bulletin board

Hello there! I'm back with a project I've been planning for a few months! I was finally able to get to it last week. I've been holding off on starting until I could get a sconce installed on the wall first. I've only shared this side of my office once because it's hasn't been much to look at. I showed you this wall early last year:

It certainly wasn't awful, but it wasn't nearly as cool as the other side of the room!: 

You can see how I built that wall of office built ins here. 

Since that before picture I've changed out the TV for a slightly larger one and moved the dresser to another room. The bookcases gave me plenty of storage. (I replaced the dresser with a smaller table for the printer.) 

I've had an idea for a big bulletin board in my head for a long time, but as I mentioned, I wanted to get a sconce installed first. If you have an outlet it's pretty easy for an electrician to run wiring for a sconce and switch. I've done it many times over the years! 

I taped out the size for the board before starting: 

I use painter's tape all of the time to figure out the placement and sizing of things -- it's great for figuring out furniture layouts too!

This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. 

See my policies and disclosure page for more information. 

I found the brass sconce here (I'll show you a closer pic in a bit) and it was only $36! It is an LED light, so if you don't like that brighter daylight look, you'll want to pick something else.

Step one: Hang particle board

I had to give my bulletin board a base on the wall -- otherwise I would be gluing the foam directly to the wall. I learned a long time ago avoid glue on the wall at all costs. :) My bulletin board size is four by six feet so three 2x4 boards were enough:

I think they were $7 each. (It would be slightly cheaper to get a 4x8 piece cut down, but I get impatient sometimes.) As you can see, the TV was staying. I left it up as I worked because I wanted the bulletin board to surround the TV mount as closely as possible. 

At the bottom I cut the boards short so the cords could go through that channel: 

I don't have a pic, but I later put my favorite cord hider down the middle with the cords inside. If I have to remove the TV I can still take it off the wall and pull the cords through the bottom. 

Step two: Install foam boards over the particle board

I've used the large 4x8 insulation boards you can find at the hardware store for bulletin boards before, but they are bulky and hard to get home. (I'd have to score and cut it there to get it in my car.) 

So instead I used this insulation kit I found at Home Depot: 

I can't remember the exact price because I bought it so long ago, but it wasn't bad! 

It comes with six sheets and they are about 3/4 inch I believe. One kit was plenty!: 

I used Liquid Nails (in a caulk gun) on the back of each piece of foam to secure it to the wood: 

As you can see I just pieced it together as well as I went. Cutting it down is easy, it's just MESSY. I  used a razor to score the foam and it popped off with a pretty clean edge. 

It looked like it had snowed in my office after I was done, but it worked! 

Step three: Attach the fabric 

This is where I made a little misstep, so learn from my mistake! It ended up working out much better in the end thankfully!

I used a staple gun to attach my fabric at the top and then started working my way down. You'll need to be patient with this part! To make sure the fabric stayed against the foam, I used this spray glue as I worked. Just spray over the foam and then smooth your fabric down as you staple it around the boards. 

I removed the TV for the middle part and just cut through the fabric:

Trim the fabric and staple around the hole like so: 

I could have taken the TV mount off and installed it over the particle board, but that seemed like extra work to me. Either way would work -- just be careful not to put the foam and fabric right up against the vents of your TV so it can "breathe." 

The spray glue method worked GREAT! Almost too well -- the problem was, after I was done I could see the minor imperfections in the foam (because the fabric adhered so well). I wish I would have taken a photo to show you. It wasn't crazy noticeable, but enough that I knew it would bug me. 

Thing is, I bought a fabric for this project months ago, but when it came time to install it, I chickened out. It was out of my comfort zone a bit, so I went with a basic cream tweed fabric instead -- trying to play it safe. But when I got it up, not only could I see the imperfections...but it was BORING. 😂

Sooooo...I went back with my original fabric and LOVED it. I should have stuck with my gut, but it ended up being a good mistake because the first layer of fabric hid the imperfections. (I installed the final fabric over the first.) After I got my fabric up, I painted and installed trim around the whole thing to frame it out:

I carried the beautiful green (called Vintage Vogue) on the built ins over to this side of the room and I absolutely love it against the fabric. 

The fabric makes a statement but isn't busy. A larger print (like a floral) would look great, but I was worried it would get super busy with the photos/notes I want to put on here. Here's a closer view of the art light:

You can see how bright the LED light is! 

I am SO in love with how this turned out!! I found my antelope (faux) fabric at Hobby Lobby for 40 percent off, but you can also find it here online: 

The little console was from At Home and it's perfect for extra printer paper and ink. 

I've already started filling up the board with things I've wanted to display for awhile -- some inspiration pics, mementos and recent magazine spreads: 

Aren't those huge letters fun? I found those at Hobby Lobby too. I think they still have them!

It turned out just as I had envisioned all these months. I love that I have a spot to display these in a "neat" way: 

Here are a few things to think about if you tackle this project:

Use a fabric with a loose weave -- something that will allow your pins to get through easily (and won't show or snag when you pull them out).

Remember you can only go as big as your fabric width -- length can be as long as you want. If you want one piece of fabric, you can only go about 50 inches across. 

To avoid seeing any imperfections in the foam you can do a layer of a thin fabric (like muslin) over it first. I think anything with a pattern (like what I ended up with) would also help to hide it.

Here's a look at the before of this wall again:

And how it looks now!: 

I have plans for one more big project in this room! But after wanting to do this big bulletin board for so long, it feels complete to me for now. Have you created a big bulletin board like this for your home?

------------------------------------------------------

Here are a couple of other ideas for office organization! You can also make a HUGE chalkboard using my tutorial here:

Or use an old frame to create a bulletin board as well: 

(I later changed it out to a magnetic board instead of using pins!) See more of our home here. To shop items in our home, click here! Never miss a post by signing up to get posts via email. 

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This industry information is provided by ThompsonsComfortConnection.com.

Copyright © Thrifty Decor Chick. All Rights Reserved.

By: Thompsons Comfort Connection Blog Feed https://ift.tt/3aTABBW

[chanxyeollie]

70 questions, tagged by @stan-the-best-stan-monsta-x thx bby

1. do you have a good relationship with your parents? uhhh... well me & my mom generally have a good time, she acts more sisterly if that makes sense?? but me and my dad butt heads A LOT and do not get along very often.

2. who did you last say “i love you” to? see i’m pretty uncomfortable physically saying the words but like probably my cat or something lol.

3. do you regret anything? um YES let’s see off the top of my head: dying my hair red in the sixth grade, putting waaaay too much cheese on the pizza i had the other day, and being such a shitty student this year haha.

4. are you insecure? yES. i mean i have this rule that everyone who knows me in irl knows. like no one is allowed to take pictures of me. or share pictures of me. if they want a picture i have to take it or i have to direct them. there are years of pictures of my growth or w/e missing and it pisses my parents tf off lol.

5. what’s your relationship status? single as the day i exited the womb

6. how do you want to die? preferably when i’m asleep i mean??? like i don’t wanna feel anything so...

7. what did you last eat? pork? and then right after whipped cream from a can because that’s who i am as a person.

8. played any sports? hahahahahah fun fact i don’t play sports because i have really weak ankles - i’ve sprained both of them twice!

9. do you bite your nails? ugh yes... i had three years where i didn’t but now i do. :/ i’m trying to break the habit by carrying an unlimited amount of nail files with me. i miss having long nails SO MUCH.

10. when was your last physical fight? two nights ago, my mom came home after work at like midnight and hid behind a wall to scare me, which resulted in a ninja-like slap from me.

11. do you like someone? the beauty of being socially awkward and anxious and being in a uni where you don’t have to talk to anyone means there is no one to get to know and crush on. nice. :-)

12. have you ever stayed up 48 hours? no, i’ve stayed up for 37 but that was the longest and i was... pretty wacked out by then but that’s a story for another time.

13. do you hate anyone at the moment? if i do i’ve blocked them from my mind i??? can’t think of anyone at this particular moment, probably just fictional characters.

14. do you miss someone? i’m gonna say this really adorable cat named toby that i saw at a petsmart like a year ago. i hope he found a good home.

15. have any pets?
 three cats! boris, pepper, and widget.

16. how exactly are you feeling at the moment?
 um a little bit numb because i’m sitting on my foot but otherwise neutral.

17. ever made out in the bathroom? no

18. are you scared of spiders?
 yeah the story of the first time i stayed up for a full 24 hours relates to a spider. also when i was very little i had a night terror where i had materialized a tarantula the size of me on top of me in my bed and well. that scarred me for life yanno?

19. would you go back in time if you were given the chance? fuckin yeah i’d tell myself not to confess to that one guy. embarrassing

20. where was the last place you snogged someone? never lol

21. what are your plans for this weekend?
 crying before i start work on monday. i really don’t wanna go back, fuck.

22. do you want to have kids? how many? yeah! i already made a pact with myself that if i’m still single when im in my thirties i will adopt some kids. 

23. do you have piercings? how many? just my ears~

24. what is/are/were your best subject(s)? um well once it was english but NOT ANYMORE LOL

25. do you miss anyone from your past?
 no, i don’t think so.

26. what are you craving right now?
 surprisingly more of the pork i had earlier even tho i didn’t really like it lol??

27. have you ever broken someone’s heart?
 no

28. have you ever been cheated on?
 no, kinda have to have had a boyfriend for that to happen

29. have you made a boyfriend/girlfriend cry?
 no

30. what’s irritating you right now? the exam i have tomorrow. i should have withdrawn from that class i’m gonna have two F’s on my transcript wails

31. does somebody love you? my youngest cat. i am her mom.

32. what is your favourite color? black, pink in your area

33. do you have trust issues? yes but at the same time no

34. who/what was your last dream about? omg k let me get out my dream journal hang on... okay a short synopsis: my friend owned a burger king in this area near our high school (idk??) and i worked there w her, her boyfriend, and a few other people but one of the guys took my uniform which was, by the way, for some reason pastel blue and pink overalls but like shorts? and they were puffy like winter jackets. and then so i couldn’t work but i was still there and then allison and lydia from teen wolf walked in and we had like a reunion bc apparently we were friends lol and then scott came in and then stiles came in after him and i like ran to him and we hugged. idk what happened in my head man.

35. who was the last person you cried in front of? omg... my roommate. because i read a really sad fic and i tried to hide my tears w my blanket bUT SHE CAUGHT ME and then i started laughing while bawling my eyes out simultaneously bc i was embarrassed rip.

36. do you give out second chances too easily? gdi yeah i do. but i’ll bitch abt the person a fair amount first.

37. is it easier to forgive or forget? forgiving is hard but i’d never want to forget anything someone did to me. i’d want to remember so i can caution myself to make sure the same thing doesn’t happen again.

38. is this year the best year of your life?
 um no unless the second half is gonna have a really great turn around.

39. how old were you when you had your first kiss? well i can tell you at this rate i’ll be 20 or over when it finally happens

40. have you ever walked outside completely naked? (réka omfg i laughed so hard at ur answer) no i have not. but once i forgot to take my pajamas off and just put my clothes over them and then when i went to the bathroom later in the day i was really fucking confused

51. favourite food?
 well you got ur meats, steak, bacon, any sort of chicken. but you got pizza too. and you got sugar waffle cones... i mean like how am i to pick?

52. do you believe everything happens for a reason? i mean i hope it does because otherwise that’s just a big fuck u from the universe.

53. what is the last thing you did before you went to bed last night?
 (réka fuck me up enter the realm of exo) um i read exo fics and then i was on @vixx17andbtsimagines‘s blog catching up on her stuff.

54. is cheating ever okay? noooooooooooooo~~~~~~ its not like wtf is that why would you put someone through the pain that’s so shitty. idc the circumstance.

55. are you mean?
 no i’m really not but my face and fast-paced walk and avoidance of ppl makes them think i’m a mega-bitch. seriously, at least three of my friends have told me that was their first impression of me yikes.

56. how many people have you fist fought?
 technically two but very lowkey. the first one was a very hesitant, light slap to the face of this boy when i was in the sixth grade - i was very scared to do this but afterwards he cried and said i broke his jaw lmAO. and this doesn’t really count but this guy i was friends with was sitting across from me at a table and he jokingly threw a plastic fork at me and out of pure reflex i smacked him across the face. this has happened more than once disclaimer rofl.

57. do you believe in true love?
 books make me want to believe it. but i don’t really know. i feel that can only be answered by someone who’s experienced it idk??

58. favourite weather?
 just... march, october, and november because that is when there are no bugs and it’s cold enough to wear pants and the bulk of my clothes without sweating/freezing.

59. do you like the snow?
 yeah if i’m not in it lol. those canadian winters, man

60. do you wanna get married? yeah i’d like to one day, but when i think abt having the ceremony i get very anxious haha

61. is it cute when a boy/girl calls you baby? that depends on the person?? but i feel like i’d personally be such a sucker for it if it was from the right guy lol

62. what makes you happy?
 the rare perfect cup of coffee, music, smyang’s music box version’s of songs, exo and bts crack videos (i die every time), having a good ass sleep with my body pillow to name a few.

63. would you change your name? yeah i go by aluri everywhere because its what i want to change my name to. by this point i’ve ‘had’ it for ten years and even though my family/irl friends don’t call me it, that’s all the online knows me as.

64. would it be hard to kiss the last person you kissed?
 well the last person i kissed was in a dream and it was mark from got7 so no, not at all ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

65. your best friend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do? i don’t have one of those anymore so

66. do you have a friend of the opposite sex who you can act your complete self around? no?

67. who was the last person of the opposite sex you talked to?
 shocker it was my dad lmao

68. who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with? my roommate. which sucks because we aren’t roomies anymore and i’m gonna miss our car talks so much. :/

69. do you believe in soulmates?
 if the reason i haven’t been so much as looked at by a guy is because the world is saving me for my soulmate then sure. but otherwise NO

70. is there anyone you would die for? my oldest cat boris. :/ he’s kind of my best friend so what’re you gonna do, you feel? i love doing things like this as an excuse to talk abt myself  & it was really fun so thank you for tagging me babe @stan-the-best-stan-monsta-x and i loved reading yours!! and um gonna tag my two mains again @tearsmp4 @bunmyeon because a) i love them b) i have no other friends seriously also @sooberri if you wanna do this i’d like to know more about you as creepy as that sounds ^^

[piracytheorist]

I decided to take a question meme and just answer all of the questions for myself and anyone who might be interested to learn more about me :) Long so under a cut.

1: Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed?

Uh... you mean my wardrobe doors? Closed, If you mean bathroom, also closed. If you mean my room's door, open.

2: Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotel?

If they're in a pretty package, sure. If not, I may not take them.

3: Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out?

Out. If I do try to tuck them in, I'll kick them out without realizing it so it'll be a waste of time to tuck them in.

4: Have you ever stolen a street sign before?

Nope. But I've taken posters from events that have already taken place, because those are thrown away afterwards.

5: Do you like to use post-it notes?

Yes but I'm way too unorganized to actually use them, I always forget.

6: Do you cut out coupons but then never use them?

I... never get coupons?

7: Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of a bees?

I know that to escape a bear you have to pretend you're dead. In the same article I read that it also showed how to survive a swarm of bees attack but I don't remember how that one went, so I guess a bear? At least it will probably kill you fast if it gets you...

8: Do you have freckles?

Yep, lots! And I'm proud of them :D

9: Do you always smile for pictures?

Yes, fully, with my cheekbones going up. Unless it's just a random photo a friend may take as I'm doing something random.

10: What is your biggest pet peeve?

Cars that ride by and have awful music at full volume.

11: Do you ever count your steps when you walk?

No, but most of the time I try to step on the tiles.

12: Have you ever peed in the woods?

We are a six-member family that used to do long-hour car rides, and I'm the youngest. OF COURSE I've peed in the woods. However, it's been almost ten years since the last time I had to do this.

13: What about pooping in the woods?

I think I remember doing it only once, and I must have been younger than 8.

14: Do you ever dance even if there's no music playing?

Yep.

15: Do you chew your pens and pencils?

I used to. Now I sometimes let a pencil rest between my teeth, if I'm bored, but I'm not actually chewing them much.

16: How many people have you slept with this week?

LOOOL the only people I've EVER slept with are: my mother, my sisters, and two or three friends, in a complete platonic manner.

17: What size is your bed?

Single.

18: What is your Song of the week?

Sweet Child o' Mine by Guns n' Roses.

19: Is it okay for guys to wear pink?

It's okay for everyone to wear anything they want. Sometimes I may be judging inside but that's my problem I need to solve.

20: Do you still watch cartoons?

I did binge-watch Avatar: the Last Airbender and Legend of Korra, if that's what that's about, and I recently watched Moana.

21: Whats your least favorite movie?

Twilight - I literally cannot watch this thing, the whole filming is so repulsive to me.

22: Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had some?

If it's small and light, inside my pad packages - I've actually hid some banknotes in there once. If it's not, probably in my dirty laundry basket.

23: If you're a girl, bra size? If you're a guy, pants size?

80D in European system. If I'm correct, that's 36D in UK, USA and Canada. Yep, I have big boobs.

24: What do you dip a chicken nugget in?

Geez, we rarely even eat chicken nuggets - I prefer whole schnitzel pieces baked in the oven. But usually it's either ketchup or yogurt.

25: What is your favorite food?

Lol, lots. For now I'll go with pita gyro.

26: What movies could you watch over and over and still love?

Chocolat, Finding Nemo, Treasure Planet, The CS movie except from the nonCS parts, Shrek, Corpse Bride... I'm sure I'm missing a few.

27: Last person you kissed/kissed you?

Look, you're dealing with a grey asexual here, ok? I think it was my mother when she was going back home from visiting me at the beginning of this month.

28: Were you ever a boy/girl scout?

No, though I wished my parents had sent me :(

29: Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine?

Nope.

30: When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper?

About a month ago while playing D&D. My character was supposed to tell another character something but because it was personal and he didn't want the other characters to know, I slipped a letter to the player playing the character I wanted an interaction with, containing what my character would have told her.

31: Can you change the oil on a car?

Nope.

32: Ever gotten a speeding ticket?

No, I don't drive. Though once I called the police to give someone a ticket for parking on the sidewalk repeatedly.

33: Ever ran out of gas?

No, but once while I was with my father and we were going to Athens, the car stopped for some reason I can't recall and we had to wait for the track to mow us somewhere where it could be fixed.

34: Favorite kind of sandwich?

Sweet Onion Chicken Terriyaki from Subway.

35: Best thing to eat for breakfast?

Pizza, cold from the previous night.

36: What is your usual bedtime?

Lol. That's not even a thing for me anymore.

37: Are you lazy?

Yeah but I think my psychology issues are making it way worse.

38: When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for Halloween?

We don't have Halloween here, but we do celebrate Carnival. So off the top of my mind, I've dressed up as Snow White (reaaaaaly young), witch, hippie, cat, and then there was that time that I wore everything (shirt, trousers, coat, bag) with the back going on the front. I even brushed my hair to fall onto my face and wore a mask at the back side of my head. The only problem were the shoes -_- I also have a cheap pirate hat that I wear for fun, without a full costume.

39: What is your Chinese astrological sign?

Dog.

40: Are you horny?

Right now? No.

41: Do you have any magazine subscriptions?

No.

42: Which are better legos or lincoln logs?

What the hell are lincoln logs?

43: Are you stubborn?

Yeah but most of the time I keep it all in.

44: Who is better...Leno or Letterman?

What?

45: Ever watch soap operas?

Nah. Though OUAT has turned into a soap opera, hasn't it? To be honest I did watch Days of Our Lives at some point. And then sometimes my grandmother has Bold and the Beautiful, or The Young and the Restless, or maybe some Greek soap operas on when I visit.

46: Are you afraid of heights?

No, but it's not that I've tested it fully. I'd like to try bangee-jumping but I don't know how I may react.

47: Do you sing in the car?

I don't drive, but if I did I would sing.

48: Do you sing in the shower?

Sometimes.

49: Do you dance in the car?

If I did drive, I would only dance while waiting for the light to go green.

50: Ever used a gun?

Only airguns while training shooting, but yes, lots of times.

51: Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer?

Two years ago, for my passport.

52: Do you think musicals are cheesy?

Yes. Most of them. But then there is that fine line that I can't describe that if not crossed, the musical can be amazing for me. Galavant is an example.

53: Is Christmas stressful?

A little but because I'm around so many people and I need to spend some time alone to recharge my extroversion but I feel bad doing it when the time I have to spend with them is limited in the first place.

54: Ever eat a pierogi?

I don't even know what this is, so no.

55: Favorite type of fruit pie?

I think I'd go with peach. Though this kind of confectionary is not my favourite.

56: Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid?

Teacher, massage therapist, psychologist, architect...

57: Do you believe in ghosts?

No.

58: Ever have a Deja-vu feeling?

So many times I think I should start writing down whenever I feel them so that I can see if the circumstances are ever the same.

59: Take a vitamin daily?

I try to remember to take a Vitamin C supplement ever day.

60: Wear slippers?

Yep.

61: Wear a bath robe?

No because the climate here is humid af and the robe will never dry out. Otherwise I love them, sometimes even in summer.

62: What do you wear to bed?

Simple cotton pyjamas, and currently leg warmers as well because it's COLD. Never socks, though. My toes need to breathe.

63: First concert?

For non-wide known musicians, it must have been when I was 9, for two Cypriot singers who are very well known and loved in Greece. Widely known, Scorpions in 2009.

64: Wal-Mart, Target or Kmart?

I think I did shop once from Wal-Mart when I was in NY, but I'm not sure. I've never been in any of the others.

65: Nike or Adidas?

Don't care. My requirements are that they're affordable and anatomical.

66: Cheetos Or Fritos?

*regrets choosing this meme* Only Cheetos are available in Greece, so...

67: Peanuts or Sunflower seeds?

Peanuts! Though sunflower seeds are great to pass your time nibbling on something cheap with very few calories.

68: Ever hear of the group Tres Bien?

Nope.

69: Ever take dance lessons?

I took a few months worth of argentine tango.

70: Is there a profession you picture your future spouse doing?

Do I even picture a future spouse, is the question! Though I'd love for them to be into music and all.

71: Can you curl your tongue?

Yep.

72: Ever won a spelling bee?

No.

73: Have you ever cried because you were so happy?

I was touched by Inside Out and Tangled, but I guess this isn't happy exactly... I've also cried from laughter... but I don't think I've ever cried for pure happiness, like meeting relatives or friends I haven't seen in a while.

74: Own any record albums?

No but my mon has some old ones her late father had bought. One of them is Let it Be. We put it on the record player with my sister and danced around as if we were living back when it was first released.

75: Own a record player?

No, but I'd love to.

76: Regularly burn incense?

No.

77: Ever been in love?

I've been infatuated, but it never progressed much (first time the dude wasn't interested, second time he had a girlfriend) so I didn't even get to know them well and I can't call what I had love.

78: Who would you like to see in concert?

Colin O'Donoghue. 😍

79: What was the last concert you saw?

Muse in Athens last July. But after that I was in various other concerts of choirs and little bands here that you probably don't know of.

80: Hot tea or cold tea?

Hot tea.

81: Tea or coffee?

Tea. Coffee causes me to tremble.

82: Sugar or snickerdoodles?

What the hell is a snickerdoodle? *Googles it* A biscuit? Why is it that against sugar... oh. Biscuits, then.

Wow this meme is very American isn't it.

83: Can you swim well?

I can float, move around and sink a little if I want to, but I'm not that good with it. I learnt swimming when I was 11 and I've only practiced about a few weeks per year, some years I didn't even practice at all.

84: Can you hold your breath without holding your nose?

Yes.

85: Are you patient?

I wouldn't say so.

86: DJ or band, at a wedding?

Anything as long as it's not something I hate with the power of a thousand suns and it's not in super ultra full volume. Unfortunately for me, that's how Greek weddings almost always go.

87: Ever won a contest?

There was one singing contest I won when I was in a children's camp some 10 years ago, though not first place.

88: Ever have plastic surgery?

No, though if I ever did, I would do something to raise my upper eyelids.

89: Which are better black or green olives?

I'd say both. We have a black olive tree in our garden back in my hometown though, so I've eaten way more black than green olives.

90: Can you knit or crochet?

My grandma taught me knitting when I was little but I never bothered practicing. Now it's weird because it's such a trend even guys knit.

91: Best room for a fireplace?

In the center of a room, with a circular sofa around it.

92: Do you want to get married?

..... Eh.

93: If married, how long have you been married?

-

94: Who was your HS crush?

Who was my what?

95: Do you cry and throw a fit until you get your own way?

... No, I'm not five anymore.

96: Do you have kids?

No.

97: Do you want kids?

.... Eh.

98: What's your favorite color?

I like most colours, but I'd say my favourite hues are blue and purple.

99: Do you miss anyone right now?

My family, but mostly my sister and my baby nephew.

[buynewsoul]

Autumn & Kona: A K-9 Search and Rescue Team

The post Autumn & Kona: A K-9 Search and Rescue Team by Wendy Newell appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

Autumn Manka is a K-9 Search and Rescue (SAR) handler to her 3-year-old German Shepherd Dog, Kona. As members of the volunteer nonprofit Virginia Search & Rescue Dog Association (VSRDA), this dynamic duo spends its downtime training for and going out on searches to help Virginia law enforcement find missing people or human remains.

What it takes to be a K-9 SAR and handler

Kona with his gear. Photography courtesy Autumn Manka.

The time and money required to be a K-9 SAR handler isn’t small. As Autumn explains it, the commitment takes over your life. Above and beyond training Kona and learning how to handle a search and rescue dog, Autumn herself must go through ongoing certifications including those in first aid, blood-borne pathogens and crime-scene preservation. She is, after all, working with the police in what could be an active crime scene.

Then there are the constant classes so she can make sure Kona and the other dogs on her team are taken care of. Doggie first aid, doggie agility, and doggie stretching and orthopedic classes all fill her calendar. Add an annual out-of-pocket cost of $2,000 to $6,000, and one wonders why anyone would do it. That’s an easy question for Autumn to answer. It’s the human paycheck.

“The feeling that you get, whether it was your dog or any dog, and you find a missing person that has been out for four days in the elements, and everyone is getting worried, and the dog hits the ground, starts the task and says, ‘Guys, he’s right here,’ and you’re able to get that person loaded into an ambulance and they are off and well because of a dog — that’s the paycheck. That’s the human paycheck.”

Nose up, nose down

For nose up work, dogs work off leash following their handler’s verbal control, looking for a smell of a person in the air. Photography courtesy Autumn Manka.

There are two main types of search and rescue dogs. Both require certification. There is tracking and trailing (known as “nose down” work) and wilderness area search and recovery (known as “nose up” work). Nose down work is scent specific. These dogs are looking for a specific person. They are trained to find a scent, lock on it and follow it. Nose down dogs go on missions wearing their leads so they don’t lose their handler. They have a job to do, and making sure their human is keeping up with them isn’t part of it. Once they lock on to that scent their heads are down, and they are going to follow it!

Nose up dogs are looking for a smell of a person or remains in the air. All of us have a specific scent that is determined by our diet, where we live, etc. That scent lives in our cells that we are constantly shedding. We can’t see it, but there is a cell cloud around us at all times. That cloud travels, much like fog. Even after a rainstorm, parts of your cell cloud can still be floating around in the air. Nose up dogs scan the sky sniffing for that scent. They usually work off leash, and their movements are more methodical —you can see their brains working as they scan, pause, sniff and scan again. They too will follow the scent no matter what, but head up dogs are trained to stay under their handler’s verbal control.

Kona’s story

Autumn has been doing this volunteer work since 2007, and Kona isn’t her first SAR K-9. When it was time to get another partner, Autumn knew what she wanted. Although any worker breed can be trained in SAR, she works well with German Shepherd Dogs. She contacted a breeder who specifically breeds the type of pup she was looking for. Before even meeting the puppies, Autumn studied their pictures.

When she saw a group photo there was one pup out in front, a born leader. When she met them in person, a train went by close enough to scare the newborns. The puppies hid, all but one. He too was most likely afraid, but he wasn’t going to show it. He stood his ground, facing the train. This was the brave leader Autumn knew she could train into a talented search and rescue dog.

Kona came home at 7 weeks and immediately went into training. Of course, obedience is a big part of SAR dog training, but the majority of what is focused on at this age is structured play and purposeful socialization. Once a puppy gains the physical maturity to start his search-and-rescue training it will take 14 to 24 months of 8 hour sessions per week to get to a place where the dog can pass certification.

Kona is a recovery, nose up dog, which means that Autumn can’t share the specifics of their cases, but he has had success in his searches. They search for missing people. As examples, it could be a dementia patient who is lost, someone who has wandered away from a car wreck or someone involved in a crime.

Hunting, for the dog, is fun. You don’t really train a talented dog partner to hunt, according to Autumn. That part comes naturally. You train him to indicate and show you that he has found the person or remains he has been looking for. The hunting — that’s part of who the dog is.

“They are doing what they love to do,” Autumn says. “It’s a beautiful thing to watch. To watch your dog utilize all their dogginess and succeed is an awesome feeling.”

Why do Autumn and Kona do this?

Back to the original question of why. Why would someone spend so much time and effort to volunteer for something like this?

For Kona: Well, as a reward for a job well-done, he gets his favorite toy and there is nothing he likes more than his favorite toy. Not to mention he is getting to do what all of our dogs love — sniff!

For Autumn: According to her, she’s now a connoisseur of good boots, wool clothing and is a sock snob. She can use a compass, GPS and a radio forward and backward — nothing of which she knew anything about before becoming an SAR K-9 handler. Oh — and then there is that human paycheck!

A Q&A With Autumn —

Q: What is Kona’s diet?

A: Kona eats a dry beef and sweet potato kibble with warm water added twice a day. He also earns treats when we train obedience. Sadly, for Kona, the days we train with treats, he gets less kibble. Have you ever seen an overweight working dog?

Q: Does Kona get any human food?

A: Kona likes cheese sticks, peanut butter and raw chicken, turkey and beef. Frozen peanut butter- and kibble-filled Kongs are my go-to for absolving personal guilt and keeping Kona occupied on non-training days.

Q: What type of gear does Kona use?

A: Many SAR dogs wear lightweight harnesses or vests. Some wear only collars. Whichever the handler chooses, the gear is usually minimal in Virginia, because the dogs are searching in brambles and bushes, which loose gear gets hooked on. Also, our dogs mostly search off leash day and night, so a bell and LED lights are important.

Q: Are there certain health issues that Kona’s job causes you to have, and how do you address those?

A: SAR dogs are K-9 athletes, and as such, they are exposed to a lot of impact on their joints. Many of our SAR team dogs use joint supplements throughout their working career. I think blood sugar is an important consideration, and I prefer to feed Kona several meals throughout the day, instead of one big meal. When a K-9 teams searches for hours, it’s common for handlers to throw some kibble in their partner’s water to keep their energy up and encourage water intake. On the East Coast, ticks are a big concern for handlers and dogs. I treat my search gear with Permethrin sprays every six to eight weeks, and Kona wears a tick collar.

Q: Do you groom Kona yourself or take him to someone to be groomed?

A: I do all the grooming care for Kona. Also, while (I assume) Kona does not daydream about getting his nails trimmed, he drools when he sees the grinder. Working together, my spouse and I intentionally classically conditioned him to the nail grinder. Nails are a safety issue for a working dog, and a paw injury can take a canine out of deployable status for weeks or months if it keeps reopening or gets infected.

Thumbnail: Photography courtesy Autumn Manka.

About the author

Wendy Newell is a former VP of Sales turned dog sitter, which keeps her busy being a dog chauffeur, picking up poop and sacrificing her bed. Wendy and her dog, Riggins, take their always-changing pack of pups on adventures throughout the Los Angeles area. Learn more about them on Facebook at The Active Pack and on Instagram @wnewell.

Editor’s note: This article first appeared in Dogster magazine. Have you seen the new Dogster print magazine in stores? Or in the waiting room of your vet’s office? Subscribe now to get Dogster magazine delivered straight to you!

Read more dog news on Dogster.com:

MUTTS Canine Cantina — An Urban Oasis for Dogs

Animal Welfare Enforcement Down

The UPS Loves Dogs

The post Autumn & Kona: A K-9 Search and Rescue Team by Wendy Newell appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

[daddyslittlejuliet]

Autumn & Kona: A K-9 Search and Rescue Team

The post Autumn & Kona: A K-9 Search and Rescue Team by Wendy Newell appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

Autumn Manka is a K-9 Search and Rescue (SAR) handler to her 3-year-old German Shepherd Dog, Kona. As members of the volunteer nonprofit Virginia Search & Rescue Dog Association (VSRDA), this dynamic duo spends its downtime training for and going out on searches to help Virginia law enforcement find missing people or human remains.

What it takes to be a K-9 SAR and handler

Kona with his gear. Photography courtesy Autumn Manka.

The time and money required to be a K-9 SAR handler isn’t small. As Autumn explains it, the commitment takes over your life. Above and beyond training Kona and learning how to handle a search and rescue dog, Autumn herself must go through ongoing certifications including those in first aid, blood-borne pathogens and crime-scene preservation. She is, after all, working with the police in what could be an active crime scene.

Then there are the constant classes so she can make sure Kona and the other dogs on her team are taken care of. Doggie first aid, doggie agility, and doggie stretching and orthopedic classes all fill her calendar. Add an annual out-of-pocket cost of $2,000 to $6,000, and one wonders why anyone would do it. That’s an easy question for Autumn to answer. It’s the human paycheck.

“The feeling that you get, whether it was your dog or any dog, and you find a missing person that has been out for four days in the elements, and everyone is getting worried, and the dog hits the ground, starts the task and says, ‘Guys, he’s right here,’ and you’re able to get that person loaded into an ambulance and they are off and well because of a dog — that’s the paycheck. That’s the human paycheck.”

Nose up, nose down

For nose up work, dogs work off leash following their handler’s verbal control, looking for a smell of a person in the air. Photography courtesy Autumn Manka.

There are two main types of search and rescue dogs. Both require certification. There is tracking and trailing (known as “nose down” work) and wilderness area search and recovery (known as “nose up” work). Nose down work is scent specific. These dogs are looking for a specific person. They are trained to find a scent, lock on it and follow it. Nose down dogs go on missions wearing their leads so they don’t lose their handler. They have a job to do, and making sure their human is keeping up with them isn’t part of it. Once they lock on to that scent their heads are down, and they are going to follow it!

Nose up dogs are looking for a smell of a person or remains in the air. All of us have a specific scent that is determined by our diet, where we live, etc. That scent lives in our cells that we are constantly shedding. We can’t see it, but there is a cell cloud around us at all times. That cloud travels, much like fog. Even after a rainstorm, parts of your cell cloud can still be floating around in the air. Nose up dogs scan the sky sniffing for that scent. They usually work off leash, and their movements are more methodical —you can see their brains working as they scan, pause, sniff and scan again. They too will follow the scent no matter what, but head up dogs are trained to stay under their handler’s verbal control.

Kona’s story

Autumn has been doing this volunteer work since 2007, and Kona isn’t her first SAR K-9. When it was time to get another partner, Autumn knew what she wanted. Although any worker breed can be trained in SAR, she works well with German Shepherd Dogs. She contacted a breeder who specifically breeds the type of pup she was looking for. Before even meeting the puppies, Autumn studied their pictures.

When she saw a group photo there was one pup out in front, a born leader. When she met them in person, a train went by close enough to scare the newborns. The puppies hid, all but one. He too was most likely afraid, but he wasn’t going to show it. He stood his ground, facing the train. This was the brave leader Autumn knew she could train into a talented search and rescue dog.

Kona came home at 7 weeks and immediately went into training. Of course, obedience is a big part of SAR dog training, but the majority of what is focused on at this age is structured play and purposeful socialization. Once a puppy gains the physical maturity to start his search-and-rescue training it will take 14 to 24 months of 8 hour sessions per week to get to a place where the dog can pass certification.

Kona is a recovery, nose up dog, which means that Autumn can’t share the specifics of their cases, but he has had success in his searches. They search for missing people. As examples, it could be a dementia patient who is lost, someone who has wandered away from a car wreck or someone involved in a crime.

Hunting, for the dog, is fun. You don’t really train a talented dog partner to hunt, according to Autumn. That part comes naturally. You train him to indicate and show you that he has found the person or remains he has been looking for. The hunting — that’s part of who the dog is.

“They are doing what they love to do,” Autumn says. “It’s a beautiful thing to watch. To watch your dog utilize all their dogginess and succeed is an awesome feeling.”

Why do Autumn and Kona do this?

Back to the original question of why. Why would someone spend so much time and effort to volunteer for something like this?

For Kona: Well, as a reward for a job well-done, he gets his favorite toy and there is nothing he likes more than his favorite toy. Not to mention he is getting to do what all of our dogs love — sniff!

For Autumn: According to her, she’s now a connoisseur of good boots, wool clothing and is a sock snob. She can use a compass, GPS and a radio forward and backward — nothing of which she knew anything about before becoming an SAR K-9 handler. Oh — and then there is that human paycheck!

A Q&A With Autumn —

Q: What is Kona’s diet?

A: Kona eats a dry beef and sweet potato kibble with warm water added twice a day. He also earns treats when we train obedience. Sadly, for Kona, the days we train with treats, he gets less kibble. Have you ever seen an overweight working dog?

Q: Does Kona get any human food?

A: Kona likes cheese sticks, peanut butter and raw chicken, turkey and beef. Frozen peanut butter- and kibble-filled Kongs are my go-to for absolving personal guilt and keeping Kona occupied on non-training days.

Q: What type of gear does Kona use?

A: Many SAR dogs wear lightweight harnesses or vests. Some wear only collars. Whichever the handler chooses, the gear is usually minimal in Virginia, because the dogs are searching in brambles and bushes, which loose gear gets hooked on. Also, our dogs mostly search off leash day and night, so a bell and LED lights are important.

Q: Are there certain health issues that Kona’s job causes you to have, and how do you address those?

A: SAR dogs are K-9 athletes, and as such, they are exposed to a lot of impact on their joints. Many of our SAR team dogs use joint supplements throughout their working career. I think blood sugar is an important consideration, and I prefer to feed Kona several meals throughout the day, instead of one big meal. When a K-9 teams searches for hours, it’s common for handlers to throw some kibble in their partner’s water to keep their energy up and encourage water intake. On the East Coast, ticks are a big concern for handlers and dogs. I treat my search gear with Permethrin sprays every six to eight weeks, and Kona wears a tick collar.

Q: Do you groom Kona yourself or take him to someone to be groomed?

A: I do all the grooming care for Kona. Also, while (I assume) Kona does not daydream about getting his nails trimmed, he drools when he sees the grinder. Working together, my spouse and I intentionally classically conditioned him to the nail grinder. Nails are a safety issue for a working dog, and a paw injury can take a canine out of deployable status for weeks or months if it keeps reopening or gets infected.

Thumbnail: Photography courtesy Autumn Manka.

About the author

Wendy Newell is a former VP of Sales turned dog sitter, which keeps her busy being a dog chauffeur, picking up poop and sacrificing her bed. Wendy and her dog, Riggins, take their always-changing pack of pups on adventures throughout the Los Angeles area. Learn more about them on Facebook at The Active Pack and on Instagram @wnewell.

Editor’s note: This article first appeared in Dogster magazine. Have you seen the new Dogster print magazine in stores? Or in the waiting room of your vet’s office? Subscribe now to get Dogster magazine delivered straight to you!

Read more dog news on Dogster.com:

MUTTS Canine Cantina — An Urban Oasis for Dogs

Animal Welfare Enforcement Down

The UPS Loves Dogs

The post Autumn & Kona: A K-9 Search and Rescue Team by Wendy Newell appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

[jeffreyrwelch]

Autumn & Kona: A K-9 Search and Rescue Team

The post Autumn & Kona: A K-9 Search and Rescue Team by Wendy Newell appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

Autumn Manka is a K-9 Search and Rescue (SAR) handler to her 3-year-old German Shepherd Dog, Kona. As members of the volunteer nonprofit Virginia Search & Rescue Dog Association (VSRDA), this dynamic duo spends its downtime training for and going out on searches to help Virginia law enforcement find missing people or human remains.

What it takes to be a K-9 SAR and handler

Kona with his gear. Photography courtesy Autumn Manka.

The time and money required to be a K-9 SAR handler isn’t small. As Autumn explains it, the commitment takes over your life. Above and beyond training Kona and learning how to handle a search and rescue dog, Autumn herself must go through ongoing certifications including those in first aid, blood-borne pathogens and crime-scene preservation. She is, after all, working with the police in what could be an active crime scene.

Then there are the constant classes so she can make sure Kona and the other dogs on her team are taken care of. Doggie first aid, doggie agility, and doggie stretching and orthopedic classes all fill her calendar. Add an annual out-of-pocket cost of $2,000 to $6,000, and one wonders why anyone would do it. That’s an easy question for Autumn to answer. It’s the human paycheck.

“The feeling that you get, whether it was your dog or any dog, and you find a missing person that has been out for four days in the elements, and everyone is getting worried, and the dog hits the ground, starts the task and says, ‘Guys, he’s right here,’ and you’re able to get that person loaded into an ambulance and they are off and well because of a dog — that’s the paycheck. That’s the human paycheck.”

Nose up, nose down

For nose up work, dogs work off leash following their handler’s verbal control, looking for a smell of a person in the air. Photography courtesy Autumn Manka.

There are two main types of search and rescue dogs. Both require certification. There is tracking and trailing (known as “nose down” work) and wilderness area search and recovery (known as “nose up” work). Nose down work is scent specific. These dogs are looking for a specific person. They are trained to find a scent, lock on it and follow it. Nose down dogs go on missions wearing their leads so they don’t lose their handler. They have a job to do, and making sure their human is keeping up with them isn’t part of it. Once they lock on to that scent their heads are down, and they are going to follow it!

Nose up dogs are looking for a smell of a person or remains in the air. All of us have a specific scent that is determined by our diet, where we live, etc. That scent lives in our cells that we are constantly shedding. We can’t see it, but there is a cell cloud around us at all times. That cloud travels, much like fog. Even after a rainstorm, parts of your cell cloud can still be floating around in the air. Nose up dogs scan the sky sniffing for that scent. They usually work off leash, and their movements are more methodical —you can see their brains working as they scan, pause, sniff and scan again. They too will follow the scent no matter what, but head up dogs are trained to stay under their handler’s verbal control.

Kona’s story

Autumn has been doing this volunteer work since 2007, and Kona isn’t her first SAR K-9. When it was time to get another partner, Autumn knew what she wanted. Although any worker breed can be trained in SAR, she works well with German Shepherd Dogs. She contacted a breeder who specifically breeds the type of pup she was looking for. Before even meeting the puppies, Autumn studied their pictures.

When she saw a group photo there was one pup out in front, a born leader. When she met them in person, a train went by close enough to scare the newborns. The puppies hid, all but one. He too was most likely afraid, but he wasn’t going to show it. He stood his ground, facing the train. This was the brave leader Autumn knew she could train into a talented search and rescue dog.

Kona came home at 7 weeks and immediately went into training. Of course, obedience is a big part of SAR dog training, but the majority of what is focused on at this age is structured play and purposeful socialization. Once a puppy gains the physical maturity to start his search-and-rescue training it will take 14 to 24 months of 8 hour sessions per week to get to a place where the dog can pass certification.

Kona is a recovery, nose up dog, which means that Autumn can’t share the specifics of their cases, but he has had success in his searches. They search for missing people. As examples, it could be a dementia patient who is lost, someone who has wandered away from a car wreck or someone involved in a crime.

Hunting, for the dog, is fun. You don’t really train a talented dog partner to hunt, according to Autumn. That part comes naturally. You train him to indicate and show you that he has found the person or remains he has been looking for. The hunting — that’s part of who the dog is.

“They are doing what they love to do,” Autumn says. “It’s a beautiful thing to watch. To watch your dog utilize all their dogginess and succeed is an awesome feeling.”

Why do Autumn and Kona do this?

Back to the original question of why. Why would someone spend so much time and effort to volunteer for something like this?

For Kona: Well, as a reward for a job well-done, he gets his favorite toy and there is nothing he likes more than his favorite toy. Not to mention he is getting to do what all of our dogs love — sniff!

For Autumn: According to her, she’s now a connoisseur of good boots, wool clothing and is a sock snob. She can use a compass, GPS and a radio forward and backward — nothing of which she knew anything about before becoming an SAR K-9 handler. Oh — and then there is that human paycheck!

A Q&A With Autumn —

Q: What is Kona’s diet?

A: Kona eats a dry beef and sweet potato kibble with warm water added twice a day. He also earns treats when we train obedience. Sadly, for Kona, the days we train with treats, he gets less kibble. Have you ever seen an overweight working dog?

Q: Does Kona get any human food?

A: Kona likes cheese sticks, peanut butter and raw chicken, turkey and beef. Frozen peanut butter- and kibble-filled Kongs are my go-to for absolving personal guilt and keeping Kona occupied on non-training days.

Q: What type of gear does Kona use?

A: Many SAR dogs wear lightweight harnesses or vests. Some wear only collars. Whichever the handler chooses, the gear is usually minimal in Virginia, because the dogs are searching in brambles and bushes, which loose gear gets hooked on. Also, our dogs mostly search off leash day and night, so a bell and LED lights are important.

Q: Are there certain health issues that Kona’s job causes you to have, and how do you address those?

A: SAR dogs are K-9 athletes, and as such, they are exposed to a lot of impact on their joints. Many of our SAR team dogs use joint supplements throughout their working career. I think blood sugar is an important consideration, and I prefer to feed Kona several meals throughout the day, instead of one big meal. When a K-9 teams searches for hours, it’s common for handlers to throw some kibble in their partner’s water to keep their energy up and encourage water intake. On the East Coast, ticks are a big concern for handlers and dogs. I treat my search gear with Permethrin sprays every six to eight weeks, and Kona wears a tick collar.

Q: Do you groom Kona yourself or take him to someone to be groomed?

A: I do all the grooming care for Kona. Also, while (I assume) Kona does not daydream about getting his nails trimmed, he drools when he sees the grinder. Working together, my spouse and I intentionally classically conditioned him to the nail grinder. Nails are a safety issue for a working dog, and a paw injury can take a canine out of deployable status for weeks or months if it keeps reopening or gets infected.

Thumbnail: Photography courtesy Autumn Manka.

About the author

Wendy Newell is a former VP of Sales turned dog sitter, which keeps her busy being a dog chauffeur, picking up poop and sacrificing her bed. Wendy and her dog, Riggins, take their always-changing pack of pups on adventures throughout the Los Angeles area. Learn more about them on Facebook at The Active Pack and on Instagram @wnewell.

Editor’s note: This article first appeared in Dogster magazine. Have you seen the new Dogster print magazine in stores? Or in the waiting room of your vet’s office? Subscribe now to get Dogster magazine delivered straight to you!

Read more dog news on Dogster.com:

MUTTS Canine Cantina — An Urban Oasis for Dogs

Animal Welfare Enforcement Down

The UPS Loves Dogs

The post Autumn & Kona: A K-9 Search and Rescue Team by Wendy Newell appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

[stiles-wtf]

Autumn & Kona: A K-9 Search and Rescue Team

The post Autumn & Kona: A K-9 Search and Rescue Team by Wendy Newell appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

Autumn Manka is a K-9 Search and Rescue (SAR) handler to her 3-year-old German Shepherd Dog, Kona. As members of the volunteer nonprofit Virginia Search & Rescue Dog Association (VSRDA), this dynamic duo spends its downtime training for and going out on searches to help Virginia law enforcement find missing people or human remains.

What it takes to be a K-9 SAR and handler

Kona with his gear. Photography courtesy Autumn Manka.

The time and money required to be a K-9 SAR handler isn’t small. As Autumn explains it, the commitment takes over your life. Above and beyond training Kona and learning how to handle a search and rescue dog, Autumn herself must go through ongoing certifications including those in first aid, blood-borne pathogens and crime-scene preservation. She is, after all, working with the police in what could be an active crime scene.

Then there are the constant classes so she can make sure Kona and the other dogs on her team are taken care of. Doggie first aid, doggie agility, and doggie stretching and orthopedic classes all fill her calendar. Add an annual out-of-pocket cost of $2,000 to $6,000, and one wonders why anyone would do it. That’s an easy question for Autumn to answer. It’s the human paycheck.

“The feeling that you get, whether it was your dog or any dog, and you find a missing person that has been out for four days in the elements, and everyone is getting worried, and the dog hits the ground, starts the task and says, ‘Guys, he’s right here,’ and you’re able to get that person loaded into an ambulance and they are off and well because of a dog — that’s the paycheck. That’s the human paycheck.”

Nose up, nose down

For nose up work, dogs work off leash following their handler’s verbal control, looking for a smell of a person in the air. Photography courtesy Autumn Manka.

There are two main types of search and rescue dogs. Both require certification. There is tracking and trailing (known as “nose down” work) and wilderness area search and recovery (known as “nose up” work). Nose down work is scent specific. These dogs are looking for a specific person. They are trained to find a scent, lock on it and follow it. Nose down dogs go on missions wearing their leads so they don’t lose their handler. They have a job to do, and making sure their human is keeping up with them isn’t part of it. Once they lock on to that scent their heads are down, and they are going to follow it!

Nose up dogs are looking for a smell of a person or remains in the air. All of us have a specific scent that is determined by our diet, where we live, etc. That scent lives in our cells that we are constantly shedding. We can’t see it, but there is a cell cloud around us at all times. That cloud travels, much like fog. Even after a rainstorm, parts of your cell cloud can still be floating around in the air. Nose up dogs scan the sky sniffing for that scent. They usually work off leash, and their movements are more methodical —you can see their brains working as they scan, pause, sniff and scan again. They too will follow the scent no matter what, but head up dogs are trained to stay under their handler’s verbal control.

Kona’s story

Autumn has been doing this volunteer work since 2007, and Kona isn’t her first SAR K-9. When it was time to get another partner, Autumn knew what she wanted. Although any worker breed can be trained in SAR, she works well with German Shepherd Dogs. She contacted a breeder who specifically breeds the type of pup she was looking for. Before even meeting the puppies, Autumn studied their pictures.

When she saw a group photo there was one pup out in front, a born leader. When she met them in person, a train went by close enough to scare the newborns. The puppies hid, all but one. He too was most likely afraid, but he wasn’t going to show it. He stood his ground, facing the train. This was the brave leader Autumn knew she could train into a talented search and rescue dog.

Kona came home at 7 weeks and immediately went into training. Of course, obedience is a big part of SAR dog training, but the majority of what is focused on at this age is structured play and purposeful socialization. Once a puppy gains the physical maturity to start his search-and-rescue training it will take 14 to 24 months of 8 hour sessions per week to get to a place where the dog can pass certification.

Kona is a recovery, nose up dog, which means that Autumn can’t share the specifics of their cases, but he has had success in his searches. They search for missing people. As examples, it could be a dementia patient who is lost, someone who has wandered away from a car wreck or someone involved in a crime.

Hunting, for the dog, is fun. You don’t really train a talented dog partner to hunt, according to Autumn. That part comes naturally. You train him to indicate and show you that he has found the person or remains he has been looking for. The hunting — that’s part of who the dog is.

“They are doing what they love to do,” Autumn says. “It’s a beautiful thing to watch. To watch your dog utilize all their dogginess and succeed is an awesome feeling.”

Why do Autumn and Kona do this?

Back to the original question of why. Why would someone spend so much time and effort to volunteer for something like this?

For Kona: Well, as a reward for a job well-done, he gets his favorite toy and there is nothing he likes more than his favorite toy. Not to mention he is getting to do what all of our dogs love — sniff!

For Autumn: According to her, she’s now a connoisseur of good boots, wool clothing and is a sock snob. She can use a compass, GPS and a radio forward and backward — nothing of which she knew anything about before becoming an SAR K-9 handler. Oh — and then there is that human paycheck!

A Q&A With Autumn —

Q: What is Kona’s diet?

A: Kona eats a dry beef and sweet potato kibble with warm water added twice a day. He also earns treats when we train obedience. Sadly, for Kona, the days we train with treats, he gets less kibble. Have you ever seen an overweight working dog?

Q: Does Kona get any human food?

A: Kona likes cheese sticks, peanut butter and raw chicken, turkey and beef. Frozen peanut butter- and kibble-filled Kongs are my go-to for absolving personal guilt and keeping Kona occupied on non-training days.

Q: What type of gear does Kona use?

A: Many SAR dogs wear lightweight harnesses or vests. Some wear only collars. Whichever the handler chooses, the gear is usually minimal in Virginia, because the dogs are searching in brambles and bushes, which loose gear gets hooked on. Also, our dogs mostly search off leash day and night, so a bell and LED lights are important.

Q: Are there certain health issues that Kona’s job causes you to have, and how do you address those?

A: SAR dogs are K-9 athletes, and as such, they are exposed to a lot of impact on their joints. Many of our SAR team dogs use joint supplements throughout their working career. I think blood sugar is an important consideration, and I prefer to feed Kona several meals throughout the day, instead of one big meal. When a K-9 teams searches for hours, it’s common for handlers to throw some kibble in their partner’s water to keep their energy up and encourage water intake. On the East Coast, ticks are a big concern for handlers and dogs. I treat my search gear with Permethrin sprays every six to eight weeks, and Kona wears a tick collar.

Q: Do you groom Kona yourself or take him to someone to be groomed?

A: I do all the grooming care for Kona. Also, while (I assume) Kona does not daydream about getting his nails trimmed, he drools when he sees the grinder. Working together, my spouse and I intentionally classically conditioned him to the nail grinder. Nails are a safety issue for a working dog, and a paw injury can take a canine out of deployable status for weeks or months if it keeps reopening or gets infected.

Thumbnail: Photography courtesy Autumn Manka.

About the author

Wendy Newell is a former VP of Sales turned dog sitter, which keeps her busy being a dog chauffeur, picking up poop and sacrificing her bed. Wendy and her dog, Riggins, take their always-changing pack of pups on adventures throughout the Los Angeles area. Learn more about them on Facebook at The Active Pack and on Instagram @wnewell.

Editor’s note: This article first appeared in Dogster magazine. Have you seen the new Dogster print magazine in stores? Or in the waiting room of your vet’s office? Subscribe now to get Dogster magazine delivered straight to you!

Read more dog news on Dogster.com:

MUTTS Canine Cantina — An Urban Oasis for Dogs

Animal Welfare Enforcement Down

The UPS Loves Dogs

The post Autumn & Kona: A K-9 Search and Rescue Team by Wendy Newell appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

[grublypetcare]

Autumn & Kona: A K-9 Search and Rescue Team

The post Autumn & Kona: A K-9 Search and Rescue Team by Wendy Newell appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

Autumn Manka is a K-9 Search and Rescue (SAR) handler to her 3-year-old German Shepherd Dog, Kona. As members of the volunteer nonprofit Virginia Search & Rescue Dog Association (VSRDA), this dynamic duo spends its downtime training for and going out on searches to help Virginia law enforcement find missing people or human remains.

What it takes to be a K-9 SAR and handler

Kona with his gear. Photography courtesy Autumn Manka.

The time and money required to be a K-9 SAR handler isn’t small. As Autumn explains it, the commitment takes over your life. Above and beyond training Kona and learning how to handle a search and rescue dog, Autumn herself must go through ongoing certifications including those in first aid, blood-borne pathogens and crime-scene preservation. She is, after all, working with the police in what could be an active crime scene.

Then there are the constant classes so she can make sure Kona and the other dogs on her team are taken care of. Doggie first aid, doggie agility, and doggie stretching and orthopedic classes all fill her calendar. Add an annual out-of-pocket cost of $2,000 to $6,000, and one wonders why anyone would do it. That’s an easy question for Autumn to answer. It’s the human paycheck.

“The feeling that you get, whether it was your dog or any dog, and you find a missing person that has been out for four days in the elements, and everyone is getting worried, and the dog hits the ground, starts the task and says, ‘Guys, he’s right here,’ and you’re able to get that person loaded into an ambulance and they are off and well because of a dog — that’s the paycheck. That’s the human paycheck.”

Nose up, nose down

For nose up work, dogs work off leash following their handler’s verbal control, looking for a smell of a person in the air. Photography courtesy Autumn Manka.

There are two main types of search and rescue dogs. Both require certification. There is tracking and trailing (known as “nose down” work) and wilderness area search and recovery (known as “nose up” work). Nose down work is scent specific. These dogs are looking for a specific person. They are trained to find a scent, lock on it and follow it. Nose down dogs go on missions wearing their leads so they don’t lose their handler. They have a job to do, and making sure their human is keeping up with them isn’t part of it. Once they lock on to that scent their heads are down, and they are going to follow it!

Nose up dogs are looking for a smell of a person or remains in the air. All of us have a specific scent that is determined by our diet, where we live, etc. That scent lives in our cells that we are constantly shedding. We can’t see it, but there is a cell cloud around us at all times. That cloud travels, much like fog. Even after a rainstorm, parts of your cell cloud can still be floating around in the air. Nose up dogs scan the sky sniffing for that scent. They usually work off leash, and their movements are more methodical —you can see their brains working as they scan, pause, sniff and scan again. They too will follow the scent no matter what, but head up dogs are trained to stay under their handler’s verbal control.

Kona’s story

Autumn has been doing this volunteer work since 2007, and Kona isn’t her first SAR K-9. When it was time to get another partner, Autumn knew what she wanted. Although any worker breed can be trained in SAR, she works well with German Shepherd Dogs. She contacted a breeder who specifically breeds the type of pup she was looking for. Before even meeting the puppies, Autumn studied their pictures.

When she saw a group photo there was one pup out in front, a born leader. When she met them in person, a train went by close enough to scare the newborns. The puppies hid, all but one. He too was most likely afraid, but he wasn’t going to show it. He stood his ground, facing the train. This was the brave leader Autumn knew she could train into a talented search and rescue dog.

Kona came home at 7 weeks and immediately went into training. Of course, obedience is a big part of SAR dog training, but the majority of what is focused on at this age is structured play and purposeful socialization. Once a puppy gains the physical maturity to start his search-and-rescue training it will take 14 to 24 months of 8 hour sessions per week to get to a place where the dog can pass certification.

Kona is a recovery, nose up dog, which means that Autumn can’t share the specifics of their cases, but he has had success in his searches. They search for missing people. As examples, it could be a dementia patient who is lost, someone who has wandered away from a car wreck or someone involved in a crime.

Hunting, for the dog, is fun. You don’t really train a talented dog partner to hunt, according to Autumn. That part comes naturally. You train him to indicate and show you that he has found the person or remains he has been looking for. The hunting — that’s part of who the dog is.

“They are doing what they love to do,” Autumn says. “It’s a beautiful thing to watch. To watch your dog utilize all their dogginess and succeed is an awesome feeling.”

Why do Autumn and Kona do this?

Back to the original question of why. Why would someone spend so much time and effort to volunteer for something like this?

For Kona: Well, as a reward for a job well-done, he gets his favorite toy and there is nothing he likes more than his favorite toy. Not to mention he is getting to do what all of our dogs love — sniff!

For Autumn: According to her, she’s now a connoisseur of good boots, wool clothing and is a sock snob. She can use a compass, GPS and a radio forward and backward — nothing of which she knew anything about before becoming an SAR K-9 handler. Oh — and then there is that human paycheck!

A Q&A With Autumn —

Q: What is Kona’s diet?

A: Kona eats a dry beef and sweet potato kibble with warm water added twice a day. He also earns treats when we train obedience. Sadly, for Kona, the days we train with treats, he gets less kibble. Have you ever seen an overweight working dog?

Q: Does Kona get any human food?

A: Kona likes cheese sticks, peanut butter and raw chicken, turkey and beef. Frozen peanut butter- and kibble-filled Kongs are my go-to for absolving personal guilt and keeping Kona occupied on non-training days.

Q: What type of gear does Kona use?

A: Many SAR dogs wear lightweight harnesses or vests. Some wear only collars. Whichever the handler chooses, the gear is usually minimal in Virginia, because the dogs are searching in brambles and bushes, which loose gear gets hooked on. Also, our dogs mostly search off leash day and night, so a bell and LED lights are important.

Q: Are there certain health issues that Kona’s job causes you to have, and how do you address those?

A: SAR dogs are K-9 athletes, and as such, they are exposed to a lot of impact on their joints. Many of our SAR team dogs use joint supplements throughout their working career. I think blood sugar is an important consideration, and I prefer to feed Kona several meals throughout the day, instead of one big meal. When a K-9 teams searches for hours, it’s common for handlers to throw some kibble in their partner’s water to keep their energy up and encourage water intake. On the East Coast, ticks are a big concern for handlers and dogs. I treat my search gear with Permethrin sprays every six to eight weeks, and Kona wears a tick collar.

Q: Do you groom Kona yourself or take him to someone to be groomed?

A: I do all the grooming care for Kona. Also, while (I assume) Kona does not daydream about getting his nails trimmed, he drools when he sees the grinder. Working together, my spouse and I intentionally classically conditioned him to the nail grinder. Nails are a safety issue for a working dog, and a paw injury can take a canine out of deployable status for weeks or months if it keeps reopening or gets infected.

Thumbnail: Photography courtesy Autumn Manka.

About the author

Wendy Newell is a former VP of Sales turned dog sitter, which keeps her busy being a dog chauffeur, picking up poop and sacrificing her bed. Wendy and her dog, Riggins, take their always-changing pack of pups on adventures throughout the Los Angeles area. Learn more about them on Facebook at The Active Pack and on Instagram @wnewell.

Editor’s note: This article first appeared in Dogster magazine. Have you seen the new Dogster print magazine in stores? Or in the waiting room of your vet’s office? Subscribe now to get Dogster magazine delivered straight to you!

Read more dog news on Dogster.com:

MUTTS Canine Cantina — An Urban Oasis for Dogs

Animal Welfare Enforcement Down

The UPS Loves Dogs

The post Autumn & Kona: A K-9 Search and Rescue Team by Wendy Newell appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

[hotfitnesstopics]

When it came to starting a wedding diet, I procastinated. Hard. In fact, a month before the big day I went on a work trip to Morocco and Paris where I ate all of the bread, butter, and chocolate my appetite desired (as one does). Which is all part of the how I found myself muffin-topping over the sides of my strapless Reem Acra gown (pictured, top left) at my last fitting, just two weeks before I was supposed to walk down the aisle. I'll admit, I was bloated at the time from my period, so when it ended a few days before my wedding, my body tightened. But, I was also up a few pounds. Instead of accepting it, I took about four private workout sessions per week with celebrity trainer David Kirsch. The pro is responsible for sculpting the bodies of celebrities (like Jennifer Lopez and Heidi Klum) and has a wealth of fitness and health knowledge (to recap, he's written five books, has his own line of shakes and supplements, and owns a top-notch NYC gym). He put me on a routine that was a mix of cardio, strength training, HIIT, and TRX. Every time we met up, the moves and sequences were different, which kept my body guessing and metabolism revved. But anyone who has successfully lost weight knows diet is more than half of the battle. And pre-getting "Kirsched," I had been working out almost every day anyways. So I do credit his eating plan for partly pushing those five extra pounds off of my body. Related: 25+ Planning, Style, and Life Wedding Tips From a Newlywed Editor Here, I am going to share exactly what I ate - and most importantly, did not eat! - to shed the lbs, so my dress fit perfectly (top right). Note, the dress was not taken in or out between the two images, but my body actually transformed in two weeks! "In my experience working with a bride-to-be, the last couple of weeks leading up to the wedding is uber stressful," Kirsch told me. "As you can attest to personally (Lauren), slight tweaking of your diet will go a long way to keeping you optimally energized, fueled, and looking your very best on the big day!" Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Lauren Levinson Let's start with the hard part, things to avoid according to Kirsch: Say goodbye to pizza, because you will not be eating processed carbs (bread, pasta, crackers, etc.) or dairy. "I have found that dairy can cause bloating, and who wants to be bloated on their day?" Kirsch said. And no whole grains or potatoes either. I have personally eliminated both gluten and dairy for weeks and added them back to reveal that I am not intolerant to either. I can have a slice of pizza and feel like a peach, but kicking them out of my diet definitely made my belly flatter. After three days of no carbs, I was craving them! So I texted Kirsch asking if I could have a sweet potato. He told me to crunch on celery instead. It took willpower to follow his advice, but it was worth it. I surely enjoyed sliding into my bathing suit when I arrived at my tropical honeymoon a few days after my wedding. You'll also need to revamp your drinking game. That means, no alcohol (NONE!). While this meant sitting through events, family dinners, and bar nights totally sober, I enjoyed the mental clarity and increased energy in the mornings. "Save the glass of champagne for after you walk down the aisle!" he said. And yes, I got to enjoy a few flutes of well-earned bubbly at my affair . . . and a margarita! Related: How to Customize and Glamorize Your Wedding Look From Head to Toe I also had to limit the amount of coffee I drank. Kirsch recommends having one espresso in the morning. While I stuck to brewed coffee beans, I drank it black. I didn't even add almond milk, and I swear it makes a difference in better digestion. Kirsch believes that "too much coffee can lead to belly bloat!" Think about it, coffee dehydrates you, so you retain water to hold on to it. Instead, switch over to green tea, which has both caffeine and antioxidants. Every morning, I also had one of his A.M. Detox Drinks (it's yummy and fantastic for your skin!). You can see it in the mason jar above. Finally, the hardest (for me, since I have a sweet tooth): no sugar. Even dark chocolate. OK, I may have had a handful of dark chocolate-covered almonds one rough night, but for the most part (like 95 percent) I kissed my beloved cookies, ice cream, and cupcakes goodbye. In fact, my husband hid the chocolate on a very high shelf so I could not reach or find it in our apartment. Do what you need to do to survive, brides! Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Lauren Levinson Now onto what you can eat. Disclaimer, this was not Kirsch's exact plan but one loosely based off his advice and what I know works best for my body. For breakfast I stuck to two options. The first, two eggs and sauteed spinach, all cooked in EVOO. Earlier in my wedding prep, I enjoyed that dish with a side of avocado, but the last two weeks I cut it based on Kirsch's recommendation to limit my fat intake (even healthy ones!). Otherwise, I had an antioxidant-rich bowl of unsweetened coconut yogurt with a handful of raw almonds, chia seeds, flax seeds, cacao nibs, and blueberries. While Kirsch recommended no fruit (remember, no sugar!), I know blueberries are good for eliminating belly fat and making skin glow, so I had some anyways. If you're going to have sugar, eat it in the morning so you can burn it off throughout the day. When it came to snacks, I sipped on dark green pressed juice (the kind without fruit) and crunchy veggies (Kirsch likes celery, red peppers, and jicama sticks). I also ate GoMacro bars, which were referred to me by another trainer I'd been working out with, Steve Pasterino. I bent the rules a little since these are made with brown rice syrup, but it ensured that I had an option when I was on-the-go. Dinner and lunch were pretty similar. I'd either have what I dubbed a "Sad Salad" of spinach, crunchy water veggies (cucumber and snow peas), and lean protein (homemade chicken or salmon with no sauces) - all drizzled with EVOO and a lemon squeeze. Snooze. Otherwise, I would cook veggies (such as steamed green beans or asparagus) and have it with the aforementioned lean meat or fish. Sometimes, I would even have the eggs (see: breakfast!) for dinner, which I found very easy to digest. Occasionally, I'd enjoy a green smoothie (kale, spinach, blueberries, almond milk) with pea protein powder. Image Source: Bruce Plotkin Photography And for our grand finale, what to eat during your actual wedding weekend: By then being a bride had taken over my identity (it happens to the best and most chill of us ladies in white). So I brought my own food to the weekend destination, including unsweetened coconut yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, green juice, nuts, seeds, bars, etc. I made sure my hotel room had a fridge to store it in. "The day before is a day that you want to make sure to put the finishing touches," said Kirsch. "You have planned hard, sweated hard, and stayed away from the obvious no-nos. What else can you do? I suggest a relaxing massage, sauna, and steam. Eating foods like asparagus and celery will help keep you full and debloat you." So I couldn't resist a taste of homemade pasta during our rehearsal dinner at a delicious Italian restaurant, but by 7 a.m. the next day, I was back on it. "The day of, I would have a couple of eggs in the morning and oatmeal as you will need the energy and fuel for the rest of the day," Kirsch recommended. "A protein shake for lunch and water for the rest of the day. Save the drinking and eating for after the ceremony, or better yet, for the honeymoon!" Here's what I consumed for breakfast on my wedding day: I had the antioxidant yogurt and seed bowl as well as black coffee; for lunch I ate a simple salad with grilled chicken provided by my venue; and for snack, I went with a GoMacro bar. After the ceremony, my husband and I sat in a separate room and ate every single appetizer (including pork buns, pulled BBQ chicken, mini grilled cheese sandwiches, and more!) and drank champagne. Diet. Over. As the evening went on, I enjoyed the goat cheese salad (CHEESE!), the short rib and sweet potato entree, wedding cake, homemade cookies, and apple cider donuts. There was pizza at our afterparty. I ate that, too. Was dieting fun? No. Was it satisfying? Absolutely not. Was it worth it? Hell yes! For two weeks, you can do this! And you likely will lose inches, but you have to stick to it almost perfectly. We all have our handful of dark chocolate almonds here and there, but make sure you get right back on track. The best part in addition to your tight bod? You can pig out on your honeymoon! (On mine, I sure did my job consuming all of the noodles and dumplings Southeast Asia had to offer . . . and that is another story. Next up: How to get back your hot wedding bod of yesteryear.) Workout sessions for the author were provided by David Kirsch for the purpose of writing this story. from POPSUGAR Fitness https://ift.tt/2qP6hA9 via IFTTT

http://www.fitnessclub.cf/2018/06/exactly-what-to-eat-2-weeks-before-your_9.html

[hellojessicabrown]

There + Back, a Day in Northern Ireland

Ireland is such a beautiful country and lucky for us, an easy one to travel as well. We spent our third day trekking through Northern Ireland, which is actually part of the UK. The whole day was full of excitement including The Dark Hedges, Carrick-a-Rede Bridge, The Giant's Causeway and Belfast. We booked our tour through Paddywagon Tours, and we would recommend them to anyone traveling in Ireland. You hop on a bus, the tour guide tells you everything you need to know and then you stop in some of the most beautiful places. No hassle, no worries.

(This is a long one, so grab a cup of coffee or a snack to hold you over) Jeremy and I had to get up and get moving early so that we could meet at the Molly Malone statue by 7:30am. We had to take the Luas 20 minutes into St. Stephen's Green and walk the rest of the way. Unfortunately, most coffee shops in Ireland don't open their doors until about that time. Luckily, once we were on the bus, the tour guide told us that we would be making a stop for restrooms and coffee about an hour in. We grabbed coffee and a muffin at Costa coffee in the rest stop. Not the best coffee but some coffee is better than none sometimes. I did however manage to leave half of mine on the bus...on the floor...not in the cup. To be fair though, I spent the first few days in Ireland not feeling so hot. I started to fall asleep on the ride out to the Dark Hedges and that's when the coffee hit the floor. (I had to add it, Jeremy will enjoy me fessing up on here...) The first stop on the trip was the Dark Hedges. This place is gorgeous. The whole road is lined with beech trees on both sides creating a tunnel of beauty. The trees were planted in the 18th century and are starting to reach the end of their life cycle. In the next decade it is expected to be gone. Trees that have fallen recently have been made into doors representing each of the 8 seasons of Game of Thrones. There's another fun fact: Game of Thrones has filmed here. Our tour only gave us about ten minutes but we made the most of it. [gallery type="slideshow" size="large" ids="2348,2349,2350,2351,2352,2353,2354,2380,2381,2382,2383,2384,2388,2387,2386,2389,2355"] After everyone climbed back on the bus we headed to Carrick-a-Rede Bridge. This bridge is a rope suspended bridge that is 20 meters long and 30 meters above the water. It connects mainland Ireland to Carrickarede island. There is a little over a half mile walk to get to the bridge but well worth the travel. We also paid €6 each to cross. The National Trust monitors the use of the bridge and with good reason. If too wet or too windy, it would be very unsafe. Lucky for us we got good weather, the two days prior people were not so lucky. The walk to the bridge was nothing short of the breathtaking beauty we had come to expect from Ireland. We waited in line, crossed the bridge and then crossed the bridge back. I faced my fear of heights and came out on the other side a little more adventurous. That's the thing about Ireland, you don't want to miss any second of it. If they tell you to climb down extremely steep steps to a rickety (which it's really not) bridge then you do it. [gallery type="slideshow" size="large" ids="2390,2391,2398,2397,2396,2395,2394,2392,2393,2399,2400,2401,2402,2403,2404,2405,2413,2412,2411,2410,2409,2408,2407,2414,2415,2416,2417,2418,2419,2420,2427,2426,2424,2423,2421,2422,2428,2429"] Remember those doors I was telling you about? It just so happens we had lunch at Fullerton Arms which has the 6th door. Once we were finished at Carrick-a-Rede we headed there for lunch. Jeremy and I ordered the Guinness Stew and Seafood Chowder. I got through some of the stew and chips but the seafood chowder was a no go for me. I was still having the issue of not being the slightest bit hungry. With all the hiking and walking I should have been starving but even the thought of food sent my stomach turning. [gallery type="slideshow" size="large" ids="2433,2432,2431,2430,2434,2369"] When lunch was over I was ready to get going. Our next stop was The Giant's Causeway. Every stop on this tour was on my bucket list of things to do and see but the Causeway was #1 on that list. There is a legend behind The Giant's Causeway that was really fun to hear. I know there are different variations but the premise behind the story is that there was a giant in Ireland named Finn, and a giant in Scotland (you can see Scotland from the Causeway). The Finn went across the bridge to Scotland and found an even larger giant there. He ran back to Ireland to his wife and told her about the huge giant in Scotland. He then went and hid in the baby's bassinet while his wife had the giant from Scotland over for dinner. The Scottish giant did not believe that her husband was not home so he went room to room in search of him. When he came to the baby's room he saw the Irish giant in the baby's bassinet and got scared. He said to Finn's wife, "If your baby is that big, how big is your husband?" In his fear he ran back over the bridge to Scotland breaking up the bridge as he went. Now today you can only see these hexagonal rocks in very few places including Ireland and Scotland unless you want to go deep sea diving. [gallery type="slideshow" size="large" ids="2437,2441,2442,2452,2453,2497"] The actual science behind these interlocking hexagons is the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. No matter what story is more intriguing this place was phenomenal. The tide was low so we got to venture further than we maybe should have. Slick maybe, awe inspiring, absolutely. Not only were we able to walk about these basalt columns but there were places that towered over you as well. After wandering with the crowds for a while we decided to take a hike up the side of the cliff. We only had about 30 minutes left so we gave ourselves 15 to get to the top and 15 to get back to the bus. That was something we did a lot the rest of the trip. We made it to the point we had hoped to reach and it was again beautiful on the other side. This was the only point of the trip we wished we had more time. If/when we return we will be spending a day at the Giant's Causeway to do the 4 hour hike. [gallery type="slideshow" size="large" ids="2373,2372,2374,2438,2439,2443,2444,2447,2448,2499,2500,2501,2503,2504,2505,2506,2507,2509,2510,2511,2512,2513,2515,2516,2517,2518,2520,2521,2522,2525,2527,2528,2530,2533,2534"] We still had two stops left before making our way back into Dublin. Dunluce castle and a stop in Belfast were next on the itenerary. Fun Fact: This castle was also filmed in Game of Thrones. They actually paid to have some of it rebuilt (to look authentic) so that filming could occur here. The story behind the castle is that the kitchen and cellar fell into the sea on a stormy night. We stopped on the side of the road for pictures but getting up to it and going in is a feat so it was back on the bus for us! That meant we had a short journey to Belfast and then we'd be finished with our stops for the day. I'm sure if you have more than an hour Belfast could be an interesting place. The Titanic was built here after all. We were tired from the day, not finding much to do within our short amount of time and decided to grab coffee at Caffe Nero. Jeremy and I got back on the bus early and were ready to get back. 12+ hours is a long day. [gallery type="slideshow" size="large" ids="2539,2540,2541,2542,2543"] At the drop off location we saw a footprint of blood on the ground. It didn't look real though because of the amount and the bright red color. We walked back toward the Luas talking about what to grab for dinner and noticed the print kept going, everywhere we were going. I had initially thought it was a fun hoax for the ghost tours but by the time we started worrying we found out where it was from. A guy was lying in the entrance of a shop with people surrounding him calling for help. Jeremy and I got out of that area as fast as possible. Not like we ever felt unsafe but we don't like to be in situations like that. Unfortunately homelessness is a big issue in Dublin and this was probably a bad case of what we would call a bum fight. Finally after not eating much of anything for three days I was able to eat something for dinner. Jeremy and I don't eat McDonald's. Ever. Like, I can't remember the last time I had it was. I'd much rather cook at home every night. That's what we had that night though. A happy meal for me and some kind of chicken sandwich for him. No I did not take pictures, you all know what that looks like. For the first time on this trip, Jeremy had to work the next day so it was back to the hotel and bed time for us.