a new addition

(Bunny in the closet and Beau hanging out in his carrier to get a closer look...don't ask he keeps crawling into his carrier, silly puppy)


Out of the blue a few weeks ago, a former co-worker/friend of mine contacted me---I hadn't heard from her in nearly a year, so it was a real surprise. She told me about her plans to go to India to volunteer for the month of August and asked if I could take care of her cat.

Now, now, I know what everyone is thinking...how could someone ask you to do something like that when you haven't heard from her in so long? Yes, I know, but I felt for her situation, and knowing she has been out of work for over a year, that it would be a huge help to her financially, as as an animal lover, wanted to help out.

Long story short: her cat, Bunny, has been at my house for nearly a week now. Just imagine this: I already have a dog and a cat and now I'm adding another cat to the mix. To say the least, it has been interesting. Bunny was in the closet, literally, for the first several days, as she got used to my place, but now is wandering around. Problem is, Bo-Bo doesn't particularly like her. Aria, my cat, is fine now, but Beau really likes to attack Bunny, in the middle of the night. Needless to say, I've had a few nights with disturbed sleep because I had to separate Beau from his new prey: IE Bunny.

So, now I'm worried. I have 5 more weeks of babysitting Bunny---how can I deal with these episodes every night of Beau going after her? I think I might have to call Beau's trainer into this and settle up the situation, "Dog Whisperer style"---

Anyway, Bunny is actually quite sweet. I just wish I could say the same about Beau's feelings towards her.

Well, wish me luck.

The Reunion

(me with my nieces--I did Mary's make-up & hair....)

This past weekend we had a Fowler Family Reunion in Cheyenne, WY---some of us hadn't seen each other in years, so it was great to get together again!

It was a total of 10 adults, 11 children and 2 dogs in my parents house for three days. Needless to say, it was noisy! However, I had a lot of fun.

We went to Snowy Range in Wyoming for hiking and fishing on Saturday and that was pretty cool. I will admit, I'm not much of an "outdoorsy" person, but even I could appreciate the scenery and nice weather. I have some great pics of the hike and fishing below.

I decided that instead of making a long blog entry about the reunion, I would just include some highlights (I'm stealing the idea from my sister-in-law's blog, Andrea ;)))

So here goes:

The memories I will take away from this reunion are:

1. The makeovers---two of my nieces (15 and 11 years old) allowed me to do their hair and the older niece, both hair and make-up. It was fun to try out my "beautification skills" on someone else and they both loved the results. Afterward, the younger nieces wanted to give ME a makeover..needless to say, I looked like a "lady of the night" when done, but it was fun to let them try their hand at make-up on a "grown-up"

2. The adoration. :) It was wonderful to be adored by some of my nieces and nephews. That is one privilege of being the "cool aunt"--

(All my nieces and nephews)



3. The bugs. 15 mosquito bites left me itching and scratching most of the weekend. We did see some pretty cool bugs in the mountains, and one of my nieces, Syd, loved to pick them up and play with them. Needless to say, she was in charge of the worms for fishing.

4. The dogs. I had my little Beau along for the trip and my brother's family brought their mini schnauzer as well. At first they fought, but after taking them on a walk together, they were fine...mostly. At least they would hang out together without fighting even if they didn't play together.
(Two of my nephews with the Fowler dogs)


5. Old habits---it's funny how when you get together as a family that even as adults you fall into your family "roles" ---my younger brother and I were definitely bossed around a few times by some older siblings. That's okay. And for the record. I *did* help clean up and prepare stuff...just not when everyone else was around to watch me. ;)


(Pic of Patrick and Kristen (two of my siblings) after Patrick got a hold of my camera)








(Pic of my sister Jama and brother Dave--just watching the chaos unfold)

6. Blessings---I have some pretty amazing family members. It was great to see them all together again--my parents did a pretty darn good job raising us.


(Pic of Mom & Dad)



And here are some pics of Snowy Range...it was beautiful---even with all the bugs.

Did you know

that Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) can cause canker sores? And guess what? SLS is in pretty much every freaking toothpaste! How fabulous! What's even more fun is that people with braces (like me at the moment) get lots more canker sores because of the the orthodontic appliances in our mouths that can be abrasive on the soft tissues in the mouth. What fun! And then, we have to brush our teeth a zillion times a day and that lovely toothpaste contributes to all the canker sores! Wahoo! So much fun.

Seriously, though, what a painful annoyance. I finally found a toothpaste that doesn't contain SLS, but it wasn't easy. Some version of Sensodyne (be careful, some Sensodyne toothpastes DO contain SLS---so be wary of it if you are prone to cankers.)

And for those who don't know---canker sores are NOT a form of Herpes. That is cold sores. Canker sores are just painful little "ulcers" only found in the mouth (cold sores are always OUTSIDE the mouth) and are NOT contagious, like cold sores. Just had to clarify that. Here's some proof. (click on the link) And for any hot men that may be reading this and had consider kissing me at some point---don't worry, I'm safe to kiss ;)

Anyway, I have probably had at least one canker in my mouth the entire process of wearing braces, with maybe a short break in between without them. I am so glad I know that my stupid toothpaste is contributing to them, because they hurt like a MOFO.

In happier thoughts---yay for this weekend! I'm heading to Cheyenne to spend time with the fam. Everyone will be there--5 siblings, 4 in-laws, 11 nieces & nephews and two dogs--so I think it will be entertaining at least---fabulous at best. However, I have decided not to discuss religion or politics. Safer that way.

I will be sure to post pictures after the reunion--

Until then,

N

Looking Back

I recently came across the new show on A&E called "Obsessed." It's a documentary-type show about individuals who suffer from severe forms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and their journey of going into therapy and getting better from it. Each week there are two different people with different OCD issues.

So, while I was watching this show it made me look back on my life and the times in my life, specifically when I was quite young (elementary school through junior high) and my OCD was unbearable. There were moments when I literally could not function--not even walk, because I was so anxiety-ridden. There were other times when it took me forever to get ready for bed because I had so many rituals and certain prayers I had to say otherwise I feared my family or myself would die or be hurt and it would be all my fault. So much anxiety and fear for a little girl. A lot of this I kept as secret as I could because I was embarrassed about the "worries" as I thought they were. I remember how torturous it was to take out the dishes from the dishwasher--specifically touching the dinner knives, because I was afraid I would "lose control" and start killing everyone. It sounds silly now--I mean, at the time of that particular worry I was maybe 9 or 10 years old.

I remember the day my mom saw a psychologist/author on t.v. promoting her book about anxiety disorders, one of them being OCD. My mom immediately bought that book and we learned that I wasn't crazy--that it was a specific anxiety disorder that could bet treated. That was the first step into my getting better--I would eventually go to a therapist and get some medicine that was almost a miracle to me. I felt so much better.

Now, as an adult, I have years of books, therapy and learning under my belt. I really understand what OCD is, what caused mine and most importantly, how to deal with it.

I feel so blessed that I am a happy and functional adult. My OCD is mild now, although still there, but when I have unnerving thoughts caused by my OCD or compulsions, I know how to deal with them, confront them, and move on. It is so empowering to know how to do that.

Anyway, watching this show, and these individuals getting better, makes me want to be a part of that process of others suffering how I did. This is just one more push in the direction of becoming a therapist. It's still up in the air for me, but I feel more and more inclined to get my MA in Counseling Psychology after I finally finish my Undergrad next year. It's possible I will change my mind *again* but I really feel this might be the right career path for me.

This may be shocking to some people that I am so open about my OCD, but I think by talking about things it allows room for further understanding and healing--for myself and others. I don't think it's something to be ashamed of. After all, 3.5 MILLION Americans have OCD. I'm obviously, not alone in this.

And for those who want to learn more about OCD and ways of getting help you can go to this website.

So, that's my story....well part of it at least ;) I am so grateful for my journey and how far I've come.

A doting "Mother"

Okay, okay, so, he's just a dog. But he's my dog, and until I have kids, my child of er sorts. So, being the silly mama that I am, I had to get some cute pics of him and a little video. He is darling with his little tail constantly wagging...:) Warning, though, trying to film and play ball with the little guy was not easy...therefore the footage is "bouncy" --kinda "Blair Witch Project"-esque--and the light started out good then disappeared.

Beau is crazy about tennis balls. Crazy! He's also very good at ferreting around and under things...including my couch with has very little room underneath it. So, I had to show a quick video of him running after the ball and getting on his belly to get the ball from under the couch. I realize this post is probably boring to most, but hey, whatever, this is my blog after all ;-)

Old & New

So, I "inherited" my digital camera from my baby brother, "Bubba" (Matt) last year and he had all these pictures on there from his trip to NYC and CT to visit my sisters and their families. Instead of deleting them, and being the great sister that I am, I copied them all and emailed them to him. However, there were a few I wanted to post.


Picture of somewhere in NY or CT--I'm guessing maybe Central Park (nice, pic, Matt, btw!)



Bubba on a ship...hmmm..maybe they went on a road trip to RI or Boston?



Again, with the ship theme---this is Matt and our nephew Lukas



Good pic of the ship



A philosophical picture--a picture of my sister Kristen taking a picture of my brother taking a picture of her, etc.



And some pics of the nephew, Lukas and niece, Mary--I doubt Mary will appreciate these since she has her glasses on, but we all know she is lovely in spite of it.

the elephant journal

First off, I am very grateful that this is a short work week. My office has July 3rd off for the holiday and today (Thursday) we only have to work till 3 PM--so yay for that!

Well, I have approached an editor of an online magazine/blog called elephantjournal.com that focuses on holistic news, yoga, non-new-agey spirituality, the environment, etc. with an idea for an article on Reiki--and low and behold, they have accepted my proposal!

So, now I actually have to write the thing.

I've been playing with ideas for days and have written down starts and pieces of the article, but have been having a rough time to make things flow (the irony here being that Reiki is a form of energy that easily flows, without effort, but I digress).

This article is a big opportunity for my little Reiki business because it's essentially a free advertisement to a large group of people who are like-minded. Therefore it's important to write a helpful, well-written and informative article that sheds light on Reiki and its benefits without sounding like a long advertisement.

At the end of the article they will post my website, email and picture so I think that is advertisement enough--so I want the article to just be clean and full of useful information, not a bunch of self-promotion.

This weekend, with extra time on my hands, I hope to get the article squared away and have a few friends read/proof it before I submit it.

I am really excited and thankful for a fabulous and *free* marketing opportunity but a little nervous about putting the article together.

Anyway, any ideas or angles on this would be great--since most of my friends and family don't know much about Reiki, I would be interested in knowing what kind of informative article on Reiki would interest them? What to focus on?

In other news...little Bo-Bo is going to be my other focus this long weekend because we're starting from almost square one on the housebreaking. Long story on this one...but carpet feels so much like his puppy pads and grass that he seems to think anywhere there is carpet it means he can pee! So, I will be focusing on fixing that incorrect belief. But, he's still adorable.

Yes, I am that girl--the single chick who is in love with her dog. So what? It makes me laugh, actually, because I always thought I would be married by my early twenties, well, God had other plans, and so in the meantime I have my own little family of two animals (cat and dog) But, like I've said so many times before: that's all. I will not be the crazy animal lady with all the animals.

There will be lots of time for a husband and a family, but *after* I get my degree...so I'm enjoying life for what it is now. After all, that is all there really is...tomorrow never comes, actually, it's only today. "Now is your only place of power."

Very philosophical, I know.