Pet of The Week!

Photo of Woody, courtesy Elyse W.

This week's Pet of The Week comes from my future cousin-in-law, Elyse! She is an avid cat lover, too, and she deserves some serious props after rescuing her two cats and giving them an incredible, loving home!

Below you'll find her story.

"I found Woody- as in the cowboy from Toy Story- (and his brother Buzz) huddled together outside my neighbour’s basement window when they were around 8 weeks old. We brought them home that night and didn’t look back.

Photo of Buzz, courtesy Elyse W.

Woody is obsessed with what we have lovingly dubbed as ‘tummy time’. He will lay right beside you on his back, spread eagle, and demand you rub the round bit of his tummy (with your arm in-between his back legs – strange I know but he loves it). He is a tabby-minx cross, so he doesn't have a tail. He also loves the smell of residual chlorine water from our hot tub, the smell of sweaty hot yoga clothes, and loves to help make the bed."
Courtesy Elyse W.

Animal of The Week!

This week's featured animal is Puddecombe, rescued and being cared for by Calgary's Meow Foundation. He was found severely dehydrated and was possibly hit by a car, yet he has soldiered on. But he needs our help; if the Meow Foundation can raise $3000, then a local Calgary company Follow Your Light will match the $3000 to cover Puddecombe's medical expenses of $5000. 

Please visit The Meow Foundation's website here to donate to Puddecombe!

The Meow Foundation holds a very dear spot in both Thomas and my hearts since we adopted our littlest kitty, Bella, from them. Bella has brought so much light and love to our lives and we are better people because of her. She is the most cuddly, beautiful little ray of sunshine and, for humans like ourselves who will not be having children, animals like the ones that we have been so fortunate to bring into our lives are our children forever.
There are many tragedies in the world that people can get behind and I support that fully. However, we must also remember how to be compassionate to the animals that be often take for granted. They become part of our families and capture our hearts, yet there are so many animals out there that are subjected to terrible, unjustified cruelty; abandonment, abuse, etc. when all they have to offer us is unconditional love. I wonder what the world would be like if we adopted the same compassion that our animals carry for us and had that for all living things.
 Don't let this cruelty happen; do something about it! Whether that means donating, volunteering, fundraising, or becoming directly involved with any cause that strikes you- the more we build compassion, the brighter future we build for ALL living things on this fragile, precious Earth.

"World peace must develop from inner peace. Peace is not just mere absence of violence. Peace is, I think, the manifestation of human compassion."

- The Dalai Lama XIV

Pet Of The Week!

Image courtesy of Brenna J.

This week's Pet of the Week comes from my sister Brenna about one of her cats. Both Brenna and I pulled a bit of a one over on my Dad... well, twice... and both brought home cats without him knowing. Thankfully, he was a pretty good sport and we never had to worry about my mother being opposed to it as she had done the same thing to him when they were first married!

Below, Brenna has submitted a paragraph about why Boo is our French Onion Soup Saturday Pet of the Week!

Image courtesy of Brenna J.

"I never realized how much animals help to heal until I got Boo; she has been my
snuggle buddy through some pretty dark times. I truly believe that animals can sense
our different emotions and cling to us when we need them the most. I’ve had Boo since
she was 5 weeks old and, although she was too young to go home, I took her anyways and
now she is now just about 3 years old! Boo is half Siamese and half tortoise-shell, meaning that she is loud, in charge and, man, does she have “tortitude”! For those of you who don’t have tortoise-shell cats, “tortitude” is a certain attitude they carry: they are loud, talkative and
very sassy! 

Boo’s favorite things to do are: sit on the ledge of the bath tub during my bath time, chasing my other cat Moe around the apartment, chasing/playing with the laser pointer, eating strawberries, raspberries and salmon and, of course, napping! Boo brightens my every day, she has snuggled me through many ups and downs, break ups and new beginnings and I’m pretty lucky to have a cat like her!"

Courtesy Brenna J.

Pet of The Week!

Image courtesy of Shannon J.

I guess I wouldn't describe horses as pets per se, since they become more like a friend and confidant than a pet....

"Can you ever really own a horse?" - Jeff Winger, Community

My sister and mother have horses: my sister's horse Ricky Bobbie and my mother's horse Gucci. Both horses have provided them with a sense of healing, love, learning, and... of course... exercise!

Below, my mother has submitted a picture and excerpt about her horse, Gucci. My mother grew up on a farm in rural Alberta, and has had horses since she was little, so when she got Gucci, it brought back memories - especially about her Dad, who unfortunately passed away before I was born (the man was born in 1899!)

Image courtesy of Shannon J.

"She's good karma for me; she makes me calm - sticking to one thing at a time - and she teaches me more than I teach her. It feels so good to have a horse again, especially in such a beautiful part of the country and at such an awesome stable with awesome people; I have new members of my family out there.
Her stable name is 'Gucci', but her registered name is 'Only If You Ask.'
My husband really encouraged me to get a horse; I never thought I'd have one again! I'm so grateful that he did- I didn't realize how much I missed it until I had a horse again. It was my childhood passion, and I am so grateful that my husband encouraged me to go for it!"
- Shannon J

Pet of The Week!

It's time for French Onion Soup Saturday's Pet of The Week!

Since I've introduced you to our other animals, this week, meet Bella!

Tom and I rescued Bella in February 2011 and she has been a rambunctious, wonderful addition to our family ever since!

We got her from the Meow Foundation here in Calgary. The Meow Foundation has a no-kill policy, so they do not euthanize the cats that they find. They are funded solely by donations and adoptions from people like you! The cats come to you healthy, though some feral, and all are spayed or neutered. The vet that my family has been going to for years actually helps The Meow Foundation with spays and neuters. 

If you're interested in The Meow Foundation, click here to visit their website.

Pet of The Week!

Ahhh... December! A time of cheer, decorations, food, and peppermint! I've promised myself that I will try to make a delicious, allergen-free drink for Christmas... so, when I make one with success, I will post the recipe!

Anyways....

Our Pet of The Week for this week is Theo, our flabby tabby!

A couple of years ago, for Christmas, I got the brilliant idea to dress Theo up in a Santa hat and costume... word of the wise- cats aren't too fond of costume or hats or anything that generally encroaches on their little bubble... as clearly shown in this picture:

Image copyright to me

 It's hilarious; I can't type without laughing! 

Poor guy... I don't think I could do this to him again!

Have a fabulous December 1st!

Pet of The Week!

Last Monday, our dog Riley got spayed. It was tragic.

She's fine, obviously, but I do feel bad for her since she's going stir crazy but she should be able to go back to daycare on Monday. She loves doggy daycare; she comes home and is exhausted! It's awesome!

So, because my sweet little baby pup has had her cone on for almost two weeks, Riley is our Pet of The Week!

Have an animal that you think deserves a paragraph or two? Email me with a picture and a little blurb about your fantastic furbaby and I'll feature them on French Onion Soup Saturdays!

Awesome August!

'Awe'-some August!

We went to Las Vegas again, and we got engaged there! (Had a health scare with Riley today, though, she's okay but I'm watching her sleep like a hawk right now and blogging for therapy... so bear with me if I ramble, okay?)

Las Vegas was amazing! We had gone last September for my birthday, but this time we were going with 15 of our fabulous friends for five days at The Flamingo, which was great; so central on The Strip, nice pools, and a great price for the time we stayed! Tom and I were also able to check-in early, which was nice... though our room wasn't a suite, it was perfect! The only downside? I got used to the air conditioning, and when we came home I just about melted!! 

Anyways, Tom and I have been living together for almost two years, and I had been bugging Thomas about proposing for awhile, but I really hadn't said anything for the past couple of months, so I really didn't think that he would be proposing anytime soon. Besides, we are already "married" as per the bank and the government, and I was just going to have to accept that if that was good enough for Thomas, it was going to have to be good enough for me.

However, on the Wednesday (August 8) that we were in Vegas, we had just got back from some activity, and we were getting ready for the night ahead. I had just gotten out of the shower, and was about to do my makeup, when Thomas randomly asked me to search his cargo shorts' pockets for change or cash. I did so, with0ut any kind of hint as to why I had to do it even though he was sitting right there, because he had asked me multiple times to carry his change as he didn't like it jingling around in his pocket, so I had a whole bunch of random change in my purse.  

So there I was, no makeup on, wet hair, digging through his pockets and counting the change when I come across the box. It had "Spence" written on the top and I dropped it in surprise, thinking I wasn't actually supposed to see it. So I meekly said, "Tom?" and he stuck his head around the corner and had this MASSIVE smile on his face!

So I opened the box and saw the ring and he asked me to marry him right then and there, with me doing a serious ugly cry/ laugh. I think I asked him 5+ times if he was sure he wanted to marry me; thank goodness he didn't change his mind!! Anyways, I was screaming and laughing and crying, and Aaron called our room asking where we were. I was bawling my eyes out on the phone and he was asking me what was wrong and I said, "Tom proposed!" and hung up.

We were so thrilled to be able to share such an important time in our lives with our incredible friends and excited to take the next step in our lives together!

I Can't Believe I'm Saying This, But...

I'm cooking!

Since our beautiful new pup has come into our lives, I haven't had time to cook (or clean, but that's a different story!). Which is actually quite sad for me as cooking is like therapy... so you can imagine I do A LOT of cooking!

Today, its pineapple chicken. I cook a ton of chicken; party fowl!

All puns aside, though, chicken, turkey and duck are better for my tummy.

I do enjoy a good Alberta steak; rare, of course!

I'm ranting.

Anyways, pineapple chicken with a bit of a kick has always been a favourite of mine, especially when I was a picky eater as a small child and I thought that eating broccoli was about as bad as it could get (this was before I experienced kidney stones) and fruit was always my side of choice. Plus, now that I have some free time and both puppy and hubby are sleeping (my, its quiet!) I can cook some delicious pineapple chicken, blog and maybe have a nice small (large) glass of wine. Besides, those freezer burned chicken breasts need some cookin'!

And, just because she is the cutest, sweetest, most darling puppy in the world.... treat your eyes to RILEY! (It's okay if you weep a bit over how cute she is....)

Nothing Warms The Heart Like A New Puppy

Today, I bought Thomas a puppy. She is the most adorable, well-behaved (for an 8 week old pup), calm, quiet and sweet dog! We named her Riley.
She is a border collie/black lab cross, so she will have a ton of energy and she is going to be smart.. she already is a little smartie!
The cats are quite inquisitive - Theo grew up around my parent's dog Bailey so he's really not that worried about Riley. Bella's a bit of a different story - a bit cautious, a bit curious, but I'm pleasantly surprised that there has been no hissing or growling from either party.
Riley and Theo had a face-to-face meeting (Riley on the leash of course) and Riley sat down and acted passive while Theo meowed playfully and rolled over, showing his tummy. Like I said, pleasantly surprised, but Riley's only been in the house 2 hours!

So, here's to many laughs, love and light from our new little baby... and to Tom and I no longer having excuses to go for walks!!

Namaste.

Let's Talk About... Zen In The Home

Sometimes, there seems to be no time for de-stressing at home; you walk in from work, grocery shopping, being at the gym, etc. and all you want to do is crack open a beer (or, in my hubby's case; a can of Coke), sit down and watch whatever happens to be on (Family Guy, anyone?).

How fulfilling is this, really? Sure, we get to be lazy and watch entertaining shows, but could we possibly be spending our time to achieve greater things?

Thomas would say, "No" at this point, just to be funny.

Seriously, though; what can you do to create a motivating, comfortable, and capable space to help you become the best you?

Let me tell you how I am learning to do it (note I put LEARNING).

I keep a yoga mat on each floor of my house, except for the basement as it is unfinished, as the sight of the mat reminds me of the feeling I get when I'm practicing yoga and also motivates me to get down and do it! Having it readily available has become very valuable for me. As well, this also motivates me to meditate - meditation helps to clear my head, zen me out and really connect within myself and with my spirit guides. This promotes a healthy attitude and inner strength to strengthen my "outer", so, again, having the yoga mat within my sights is a good form of motivation.

We recently "built" a record wall. Like many people, both Tom and I take solace in music - especially the classic rock music - and we went ahead and hung shelves and put our old, classic records on the shelves. The shelves we bought are great, as they have a little crook on the end that keeps the records from falling off. Here's a terrible pictures of an awesome project (it really does look better in person)!

The step stool there has since been replaced with my acoustic guitar.

Looking at the music is quite inspiring, and having the guitar there has inspired Tom to play a bit more - he is a great guitar player, but since that darned X box thing came out, he doesnt play as much as he should.

It definitely brings a Zen- like feeling into our home, through the presence of music.

As I am a Buddhist, I keep Buddhist tokens and idols around my home - I have many Buddha busts, as well as statues of The Buddha meditating, ranging from small to large. I have quite a few Laughing Buddhas, including a small, beautiful, pure-jade Laughing Buddha that I hold very dear.

These inspire me to practice yoga and to meditate, as most of the Buddha statues I have depict the Enlightened One meditating, sitting in Lotus Pose.

Candles also help me to zen out, as well. A scent from a good candle is like medicine for a bad headache.

I also have been striving to keep the house clean - I'm glad our house is the size it is - any bigger and I don't know if I could keep myself motivated to clean it! I do take pride in cleaning, it is therapeutic, and after I'm finished, I usually go for a run or do yoga, or attempt meditation. Once I'm active, I'm active, and it takes an unusually large headache or a extreme bout of laziness to calm me back down after cleaning. Knowing how great my house can look after a good clean definitely keeps me motivated to continue to keep it clean, to clean when I have the chance, and to stay motivated to keep active, even after I've finished! Also, there's always the threat family members or friends may show up unannounced, and I do like to visit a clean house when I see my friends and family, so I strive to meet the expectations I assume they have.

Humour and love also help to keep us grounded; our cats help us achieve this, as well as our friends and family. But, every day, our cats (as they are indoor-only) make us laugh and shower us with love and affection.

We also are very fortunate to have a wonderful relationship filled with love and humour - Tom is actually a very funny guy and I can say that I do keep him laughing as well.

Those are a few things the keep this house Zen, well try to keep this house Zen.

There's always more work to do, and everything is a learning process. Let's be thankful that we have been given these lessons and grateful that we are able to live life with priveleges, love, laughter and the oppurtunity to learn.

Namaste.

Animals Are Awesome!

You know how when you're not feeling so hot, and your dog or cat that day seems to be paying more attention to you and somehow it seems to help you feel better?

I love that!

Tom and I have two adorable cats: Theo and Bella. They are so different personality wise, but they both love a good cuddle.

When I had kidney stones in November of last year, they were all over me... and they bring alot of love, laughter and joy into our house every day.

We are so lucky to have our two little fur babies; they're great practise for when we may or may not have real babies and we love them with all our hearts!