Layla's Birthday and a Weekend Away!

I'm finally back! I was away Saturday to yesterday which is why I didn't post at all but I'm slowly working on catching up on stuff. My grad school essays are lagging behind and I need to get a move on with those! I don't want to think about those right now so here's what I've been up to the past couple days! 

I originally didn't think about posting this but then Margot was like "well, I'll read all about Layla's birthday on your blog, right?" and she requested it so here ya go darling :) 

P.S. I CAN'T WAIT FOR ROUND TWO BAKING EXTRAVAGANZA! <3

Anyway, Saturday my sweet girl turned a whole year old!! 

Funny side story but is it sad that when I woke up in the hotel in the middle of Saturday night and forgetting where I was, the first thing I felt around for was Layla?! If I could put emojis in my posts, I'd totally have put the one laughing so hard it's crying. I feel like that's something people do with their spouses but nope then there's me just waking up and looking around for my dog! She usually snuggles right up against me and shares my pillow :) it's pretty adorable. 

I'll have you know, though, that I have a very healthy level of obsession with my dog, according to a BarkPost quiz (yes, I actually took a quiz...). According to my results, I do in fact spoil my dog but I do not let Layla be in charge or let her run the show. Apparently this is the ideal result so there you go! 

The obligatory snap chat had to go out to everyone so they were aware of the special day! If you can't already tell, I'm quite the snap chat artist hahaha

I did make her a birthday breakfast after I got back from my run. Like I said, she's spoiled but it's a healthy amount for her! I made her three mini pancakes from just a simple pancake mix that I mixed with water. I also was very generous and shared a tiny scoop of my vanilla frozen yogurt with her since it's her favorite!

Being such a good girl :)

The way I taught her the command stay was with giving her food at each meal. Basically, as a small puppy I'd have her sit and then say stay as I lowered the bowl towards her. As soon as she'd move I'd pull the bowl right back up. I kept repeating it until I could get the bowl all the way to the floor without her moving. This took a few weeks and probably close to 10 attempts each time I went to feed her but I was consistent and she eventually learned that "stay" meant she couldn't move a muscle. Even now she always will wait for my cue to eat whether it's in her bowl or like this situation when I gave her something on the floor. I don't even have to tell her, she just does it. Her routine is she runs over to her bowl, sits down, watches me pour her food into her bowl, and then will look at me until I tell her to eat. She won't move a muscle without my cue! 

 She, of course, went after the frozen yogurt first (that's my girl) and then I broke up the pancakes into smaller pieces for her to eat. It took her all of about 30 seconds to devour everything! 

After Layla's birthday breakfast, I showered and hit the road! My best friend from college was having her graduation party on Sunday but she invited me to come out Saturday to make a whole weekend out of it. A few other friends were making the trip as well so her mom was wonderful enough to put us all up in hotel rooms for both nights! Her family is amazing and I love them! 

It was a great weekend but I'm also glad to be back to my usual routine. It was a great time to spend with friends, and I was happy to make the drive and be there for my friend. I pretty much just cranked up the Christmas tunes and jammed out the whole way there and back. She was so thankful and excited that we all were there for her which is totally worth it to me! 

I took yesterday off of work since I knew the party wasn't until later on Sunday night so I wanted the day to drive back. It was perfect because I was home in the early afternoon which means I got right back in it and went for my run. I also got a new PR this season for my 6-miler so I think the cheesecake did me some favors ;) 

I never had a foam roller before but figured that since I'm starting my marathon training soon that now should be the time to invest in one. Let me tell you, I thought I knew what a love/hate relationship was but that was nothing compared to now! 

The first time I used it, I was in so much pain but it's weirdly satisfying. Like you can feel it working out your muscles but it's ever so painful during the process. It's worth it in the end but I always dread using the roller! My mom actually was in tears laughing as she was watching me use it the first time. I guess I was making some hilarious faces and had to suppress quite a few unladylike words from slipping out haha :)

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!