day 70 : ask a driver to stop texting while driving {and then not freak out when he gave me the finger}

you know that texting & driving is dangerous, right?
maybe you think you are a really good driver, so its fine.
or you really need to tell your husband to pick up a pizza.
or you just have to confirm with a friend that you are running a bit behind.
regardless, its dangerous.
and depending where you live ; its against the law.

here

i dont text while driving. ever.
blake doesnt either.
see, we ride our bike most days of the year.
both of us {and other bikers, too} will tell you how many close calls they have had with drivers who werent watching.
i have been almost hit or run over so many times by a driver who wasnt paying attention.
just yesterday, a girl was texting on her phone & she blew a red light and there was a biker {not me, but i saw the whole thing} in the intersection. she missed the biker by less than a foot.

here

a few weeks back, i was at a 4-way stop {and i stopped first} & had the right-of-way. as im going, there is a women texting, head down ; doesnt even slow down ; just plows right through the stop sign ; didnt see me OR the sign. we were in a residential area, so i chased her down & told her how close she was to hitting me.
i could go on & on...

this morning on my way to work, there was a grown man texting {at a light} right next to me. i stared until he made eye contact & told him to stop. its against the law in minnesota & its SO dangerous.
he gave me the finger, told me to bleeeeep off & ran the light a second before it turned green.
{not all good deeds are well received.. ;)}

here

i am begging you NOT to text while you are driving. all it takes is one second to hit a car, a pedestrain or a biker. and im sure i sound like a pain in the butt ; but seriously. if you hit {or KILL} someone, your entire life will change forever!

day 69 : help a little girl protect the elephants

hi you guys! 

do you have $5? 

want to show a little girl that she is special AND raise money to protect elephants?

a few days ago, lynne {the same women that helped save emma's life}shared about a little girl named sohana that lives in canada.

she is 6 and has been in love with elephants her entire life. she opened a lemonade & cookie stand and raised $95 to help protect elephants!! she created a sign explaining why she loves them & why we should protect them! her family started a fundraising page for her through the world wildlife fund, so those of us that live far away can still donate.

so far, she has raised OVER $200.

if you want to brighten her day, go here!

day 68 : buy some grass for my dog {seriously}

yesterday at the farmers market, i bought a container of 'pet grass' for daphne.

i have been thinking of buying some for a while now, but there was a big container, organically grown & only $3, so i bought it.

daphne wouldnt touch it yesterday ; she just kept circling & sniffing, but wouldnt eat it.

today, she finally tore into it. she LOVES it.

there is some 'pet grass' {i cant think of the scientific term right now} around the lakes that daphne loves eating ; but i thought having some in the house would be great for her.

do you know much about 'pet grass'? dogs {cats, too} munch on this grass to help aid in digestion. whenever daphne eats something that is questionable {often!}, or when we switch her food, she always munches on 'pet grass'. 

since she is inside more often that outside, i thought having a container in the living room would be great for her.

some people say shes spoiled.... 

;) 

day 67 // thank the trainer for a great class

this one is so fun! 

yesterday daphne, blake & i went to a free human + dog fitness class hosted by dolvett quince from the biggest loser.

daphne didnt get to partake as much as i would have liked [shes still working on her manners...] ; but id like to think that she enjoyed some of it. ;)

after the class, we got to meet dolvett & thank him for the class. the class was free & i appreciated that we were invited. i thanked him for being there.

and seriously, what a fox ;) 

day 66 : clean up someone else's mess

this one is SO easy [and seriously takes 2 seconds!]

tonight, blake & i had to run to target [my bathroom scale finally bit the dust!] & while he ran to the bathroom, i wandered a couple of aisles. 

there were a bunch of toys on the floor, so i picked them up & put them where they belonged.

thats it. i was standing there, i saw their 'home' ; so i bent down and put them back.

easy! 

day 65 : run a 5k that benefits charity

happy thursday!

todays good deed is to run for charity! 

if you have been following my other blog, you know i am training for my first duathlon [3.5 mile run + 26 mile bike + 3.5 mile run]. 

tonight, there is a 5k run happening a few blocks from our place & a portion of the proceeds go towards Girls on the Run. GOTR is a national organization that works with young girls to build up body confidence, talk about real issues & to get active [they run a 5k at the end of their session!].

this morning, blake & i biked 50 minutes as a part of the duathlon training & i will be running tonight.

[if we are being totally honest, my legs are f e e l i n g  it!!]

wish me luck! 

day 64 : demand justice for millie

you guys, this is a sad one.
i will keep the heart-breaking details to a minimum, but for millies sake, please read the entire post!

two weeks ago in savage, mn [about 35 minutes outside of minneapolis] rudolph poppe brutally beat his golden retriever millie with a sledgehammer. millie was an older dog & she had an accident inside the house. mr. poppe was angry, so he tied her head in a plastic bag & beat her IN FRONT of neighbors.
millie was conscious the entire attack [makes me want to throw up!] ; but was taken to an animal hospital & put down due to the extent of her injuries.

currently, mr. poppe is in jail awaiting his sentencing. he is charged with 2 counts of felony animal cruelty // torture & 1 count of  resisting arrest & 1 count of disorderly conduct. and 2098423098 counts of being a big, massive jerk. 

there is a petition circulating demanding justice for millie & asking the court to prosecute mr. poppe to the full extent of the law.

in honor of millie, the petition is here.
i am *begging* you to sign this petition & pass it on. share it through email & social media.
my heart is so sick over the fact that this happened to a healthy, loving animal. as i type this, i am thinking about daphne & how much she loves & trusts us. we saved her life & brought her into our family. i am disgusted that this could ever happen.