Just a quick one

I have to share this link---I stumbled across it looking for some coupons when placing an order for Beau's heartworm preventive at 1800PetMeds. Anyway, this site has ZILLIONS of coupon codes for online shopping PLUS printable coupons, too. If you ever shop online, check out this site before checking out with your online purchase. You'll probably save some $$$

COUPONS GALORE LINK!!! CLICK HERE

We're gonna party like it's 1999!

This past weekend I headed up to Chey-town for my TEN YEAR REUNION! What? It's been TEN years since I graduated from HS? Man, it is crazy how fast time has flown. I still remember leaving home to move to Provo ten years ago and all the adventures that followed.

Anyway, I was looking forward to meeting up with some old friends. It was a lot of fun, but sadly, only about 50 people showed up to the actual "Reunion" portion out of a class of about 300 students! I guess the mixer the night before had a lot more people show up, but only about 70 total. Still, it made me wish I had just gone to the mixer instead. But, at least I had an excuse to dress up so it was worth going to the official Reunion portion--a girl has gotta dress up once in awhile!

Overall, the reunion was what you would expect. Most people looked the same +10 years of extra "padding"--but some people looked great! I think we all gained at least a bit of weight; however, some of the girls I went to HS with looked even better than they did when they graduated. Crazy. I will admit, I was kinda happy about a "frienemy" (friend/enemy) who packed on some weight. Yes, it was wrong of me, but still...it was a bit vindicating since she was definitely a brat most of our growing up years together. Yes, I need to work on letting it go, but I should be allowed a bit of pleasure...just a tiny bit?

On a different note: Another interesting fact was how many of my old classmates now live in CO! I was happy to find out that one of my friends who I adored in HS is now in Highlands Ranch and several others are just 20-45 mins away in other cities (Johnstown, Fort Collins, etc) and several are right in Denver. A few of us decided to get together in Denver soon and I want to make sure that happens. Besides, my friend who lives in Highlands Ranch wanted to introduce me to a hot chiropractor that she is friends with. I'm in! And, it's always nice to have some more girlfriends to hang out with. Two of my friends are now lawyers! Seriously! Smart people--at least now if I ever get in trouble with the law I will have some one to defend me...jk!--hahaha!

Okay, so I only took like 5 pics of the whole event. Of course there are tons on Facebook now from other people, but I don't have access to FB at the moment (at work and they blocked it...haha) so you will only see a handful for now.

All in all, it was fun and I'm really glad I went.


My childhood through HS friend, Rachel and her boyfriend. She's a Distrcit Attorney in Fort Collins! You go girl!



Rachel, me and my friend Kristen--Kristen is the one in Highlands Ranch--and just graduated from UW law school!



The girls.

Remedy Reiki-

As most people probably know, Google can be a business' best friend. For months I have been trying to get my little business: Remedy Reiki up on the Google search engine. Man, it's not that easy. Slowly, but surely, though, it's working! I recently discovered that if you add your business location on Google Maps it will eventually show up on the list of locations "nearby" on some searches. So, did that---and already got some business from it showing up in the search.

However, I could still use some help---so everyone should click on this link to my website---it will help raise my website to a higher status in Google---the more clicks from different computers, the more it climbs...albeit slowly.---And feel free to Google "Denver Reiki" and search for my website to click on it (Remedy Reiki) that helps, too!!

Anyway, my goal is to just have some more money to ease financial stress while I'm in school AND working full-time at my day job---which I really like, btw, but it's nice to have some side income--and on top of that, with Reiki you help people, too. Added bonus.

I'm currently also working on a free E-book on Reiki---I will post that here as well when I get that done.

Still have an article to write on Reiki in the works for an online magazine, but I need an angle---should I write about the benefits of Reiki, how to choose a Reiki practitioner or something like that? Ideas are welcome! Just post them on the comments section on here

Be well, ya'll---until next time!

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.