Acai Berry Diet Products ARE Available at GNC

When I originally started researching the amazing Acai berry products, I was under the impression - as I'm sure a great majority of online ad readers were/are - that these pills were only available via free acai trials. Which of course lead to a continuation of said 'trial,' along with a nice, hefty monthly charge of ~$80.00.

While I merely ordered 2 separate trials and then immediately cancelled, I wondered how I could continue taking these great products after I ran out of my trial bottles without having to deal with a pre-determined monthly supply, charge, etc.

My wedding was the main motivator for trying the Acai berry "diet" pills, but since we got married in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, it wasn't only a dress I had to fit into. I was actually much more worried about being in front of all my friends and family on the beach in a bikini! Thanks to the Acai Noni Burner trial I got, I ended up shedding that last extra baby fat I just couldn't ever shake.

Of course, my sister chalks it up to working out harder, eating healthier and stress, but I'd already been exercising hard and eating healthy for a couple of months, and while I wasn't unhappy with how I looked, I wanted to lose that extra 'padding' around my hips, butt and stomach. About 2 weeks after I started taking the Acai Noni Burner and Total Cleanse religiously (I took them for about 8 or 9 days sporadically to see how my system would react - I haven't had good luck with vitamins in the past) I started to notice I was literally trimming down day by day.

In fact, by the time I slid into my wedding dress the day of, I'd shed so much 'fat' that the dress which had fit me snugly not even a month prior was now LOOSE! It was great.

My sister-in-law commented on how I "didn't have an extra ounce of body fat" and wanted to know my secret - I told her about the Acai products. Long story short, when we got back from Puerto Vallarta she started her own research and actually found a plethora of Acai berry products at GNC: pills, powders and liquids.

Keep in mind these products haven't been evaluated by the FDA, so be sure to talk to your doctor before starting any...wow, just sounded like a commercial. But, you get the point. Enjoy!

My European Line German Shepherd has Patellar Luxation

For those wanting further clarification on why NOT to purchase a German shepherd from Kozies Shepherds:
This past winter my European-line German shepherd, Zada, was diagnosed with luxating patellas. Dogs have "knees" much like we do. In their back legs, the ligament and patella (knee cap) on their legs fit into a sort of "groove" which is their knee joint. It's a fairly common knee joint affliction which can be caused by a traumatic injury or genetics.

When a dog has patellar luxation, the knee cap basically dislocates. While at first this isn't painful to the dog - unless caused by an injury - it does cause them to hold up a hind leg and hop along until the ligament/patella pops back into place (most often when the quadricep muscle relaxes/lengthens again). Over time, in ~50% of dogs this turns into an affliction of both hind legs. Also, the longer the dog lives with the condition, the worse it becomes as arthritis inevitably occurs as a result.

There are different 'Grade' levels for this disease, and while Zada is only a Grade I, she's also less than 3 years of age, and already showing the signs of patellar luxation, which is sure to become a chronic nuisance.

Also, since she displays the classic 'knock-kneed' stance associated with this affliction, and since there wasn't a traumatic injury, this makes me firmly believe it's an inherited condition; not an accident.

Numerous sites I used for reference for this post give the same warning:

"Keep in mind that patellar luxation is a heritable disease and we do not recommend breeding affected dogs. It is also very common for the disease to affect both legs." (Claws & Paws Veterinary Hospital)

"Patellar luxation should be considered an inherited disease." (OFA)

"...in the absence of trauma and breed predisposition supports the concept of patellar luxation resulting from a congenital or developmental misalignment of the entire extensor mechanism. Congenital patellar luxation is therefore no longer considered an isolated disease of the knee, but rather a component/consequence of a complex skeletal anomaly affecting the overall alignment of the limb, including:

• Abnormal conformation of the hip joint, such as hip dysplasia" (ACVS)
  

Just another checklist item to be aware of when researching dog breeds (also, in reading further on the sites mentioned above, you can read a list of the 'most commonly afflicted' dog breeds).

A List of Portmanteaus

The other day I was inspired yet again to search around for clever portmanteau words (words created from the combination of words and meanings, such as smoke + fog = smog) and assemble a list of my favorites:

Afterthoughtfulness: A husband's uncanny ability to ask if his wife needs help with a household task at the exact moment that she is finishing it.

Alcoholiday: A weekend entirely lost as a result of excessive drinking.

Amabergasted: My sister was amazed and flabbergasted I had nerded out enough to assemble a list of my favorite portmanteaus.

Begetcetera: Multiple births.

Brickormortis: A bad housing market.

Cinemaddict: Someone who feels the insatiable need to a) constantly attend the movie theater or b) buy every new movie that comes out on DVD.

Convenieccino: When you don't have time to make coffee in the morning so instead you purchase cappuccino from the gas station.

Ethiccup: A brief, involuntary suspension of one's moral principles.

Euphemistress: One's "niece."

Foxymoron: A perfect 10 in looks and IQ.

Hasbian: She used to be a lesbian.

Leotarp: Plus-sized workout wear.

Malaproposition: "Hey, babe, want to preamble over to my place and copopulate?"

Mantastic: A fantastic man.

Mulligangster: A hit man who is afforded a second shot when his first is not successful.

Orgasmithsonian: A museum of pornography.

Penultimatum: I'm going to tell you this only one more time after this . . .

Prostituition: A whorrible way to pay for college.

Punditto: Talking heads who keep agreeing with each other.

Teatery: A Hooters restaurant.

Slothello: A quick tempered Moor who, overcome with jealousy, wants to kill his wife, his friend and himself, but never gets around to it.

Smirting: Flirting while on your smoke break.

Snatulence: The embarrassing and involuntary event when you expell air from the hind end while sneezing.

Splog: A spammy blog.

Subterraneanderthal: A subway groper.

Swipeout: When you've maxed out all your credit cards.

Tatooth: When someone's adorned their teeth with gold initials, diamonds or the like.

Spring Trail Riding

I realized I forgot to blog about our Girls' Ride this spring. Every Mothers' Day weekend a bunch of us gals head out to Pillsbury State Forest (near Pillager, MN) to horseback ride, camp, and of course eat, drink and be merry.

My mom has been doing this for over 25 years and while the number of women in the group has
fluctuated over the years, there are some core family friends who always come. It's a really fun weekend, normally starting on a Thursday afternoon and lasting until Sunday afternoon.

We ride twice a day normally but one day we'll pack a lunch in our saddlebags and head out for 5 or 6 hours. In state forests, dogs can be off-leash on the trails, so there are at least a couple of dogs with us, too.

It was a tad chilly this year, but still good weather for riding horses, since you never want it TOO hot. Everyone had a great time, and no one got hurt - thankfully! - even though we did have one bucking-bronco episode.

We all leave happy, tired and relaxed on the last day...already looking forward to our next Girls' Ride in the fall at Kathio State Park.

Tucker Gets Brushed

Every dog owner knows that all dogs have a spot. It's a place where if you scratch the dog, he can't help but thump his hind foot in appreciation.

While this happens much easier on some dogs than others - for instance, I have to really hunt to get my Zada to even oblige with an obligatory twitch - I do believe Tucker is giving Dani the definite "thumbs-up" on this brushing session. Watch closely as at one point BOTH hind legs are going at the same time!