To Protect Them All

At dinner the other night,

my brother asked if there are any charities that focus on getting armor for Police Dogs.

Though I didn't know what it was called,

I knew that there must be one.

Not surprising, there are a few,

but some of them focus on many different aspects of protecting K-9's.

After a little searching.

I found just what I was looking for.

"Vested Interest in K9's, Inc."

It's not an Oregon Charity,

but they do exactly what my brother was asking about.

And the BEST PART, 

is that there is a Groupon right now,

where $10 can make a huge difference in the lives of Canine Officers.

Donate Today!

Groupon is exactly what got me interested in Fences For Fido a couple years ago.

Who knows, maybe this Grassroots Groupon with help others get involved too.

It's difficult to imagine, 

that dogs are put into life threatening situations without any protection...

but it happens every day.

Canine Officiers do amazing work,

and just like their human partners,

they deserve to have their vital life systems protected.

 According to their website, Vested Interest in K9s, Inc.

"Vested Interest in K9s, Inc. is a 501c(3) non-profit whose mission is to provide bullet and stab 

protective vests and other assistance to dogs of Law Enforcement and related agencies 

throughout the country. We exclusively offer a state of the art bullet and stab protective 

vest made in the United States that offers ultimate protection for K9s at an exclusive rate of $1050.   

Each vest has a value between $1795 – $2234 and a warranty of 5 years."

Wow! For only $10 we can make a difference in protecting these amazing dogs.

No matter what you think about different police situations,

all officiers deserve protection.

I've donated.

Will you?!

 Groupon for Vested Interest in K-9's 

Tomorrow is Ladies Day!

 That's right,

it's usually called Mother's Day,

but I like to think that it is a day to celebrate woman.

Instead of it just being about Mom's,

it should be just be about being an amazing girl!

We could have a Ladies Day and a Man Day!

Oh wait, Men already have their day/s...

it's any major sporting event.

Ha! Okay, that's not really true,

but the commercials seem to think that dudes 

are the only ones who watch those.

Anyway...

back to Ladies Day!!

Whether a woman is a mom or not

doesn't really matter.

Women influence all around them, 

and together we can raise an army of strong young women.

Women are just awesome,

and should be celebrated for being the nurturing people they are.

I'm not a mom,

but I feel like a play one everyday at work.

Okay, maybe not the mom,

but definitely the feisty aunt.

Who loves fiercely,

pushes you to do better and be better,

but also cares deeply too.

There's a beauty in the balance of those things that women 

bring to situations.

So, let's celebrate it!

Women are amazing!

So make sure that the fabulous ladies in your world 

are celebrated tomorrow.

It really doesn't take much to make someone feel special.

Just a kind word,

or a helpful hand can speak volumes.

And from me to all of the wonderful, beautiful women,

thank you for being strong,

gentle,

thoughtful,

and simply YOU!

You are perfect!

And believe me, I know what this looks like,

I was raised by this type of woman.

She's called Mom

and she's all of this and more.

I work with these women,

my time volunteering is surrounded by these women,

and I'm lucky be friends with strong, brave, gentle, 

thoughtful, and simply amazing women.

And how lucky to learn from them, am I.

Happy Ladies Day!
Especially to my Mom!

Take 5

I needed a little help today.
Some days are just like that.
Walking into a middle school in late April is a crap-shoot.

Is it going to come up good?
Or is it going to shatter?
I never know.

Today I had to work really hard to keep my sparkle
from darkening too much.
I had to force myself to focus on the good.
I made up my mind to look at only the good in my day.

This didn't happen all at once.
Nope.
I had a big gloomy Eeyore cloud over my head for most of the day.
I really don't like being gloomy.
It's not at my core nature.
But sometimes the gloomy, negativity of a couple teenagers
occasionally latches on to me and like a fungus,
it gets under my skin.

And then at lunch,
I had had enough.
I vented to my friends (Thank you!)
and ate homemade Macaroni and Cheese.
(I'm sooo glad that I made that last night!)

Slowly, I felt the gloom lift.
Just a little.
Then a little more.
During 5th period, I had most of it gone,
but at the end of class
I still needed a little extra boost to free myself completely.

And then...
I saw it.
Two of my goofy students were dancing,
and in that moment, I knew what I needed.
A dance party!
Whoop! Whoop!

I turned on some Disco music
and we had a 5 minute dance party.
Those two boys had a dance off...
squaring off with their "moves."
Other students joined in.
Instantly the giggles rose in my throat,
and the next thing I knew,
I was laughing really hard.

Yes,
it was completely goofy.
No, it isn't a part of the curriculum.
But when most of their (and my) day
is consumed by standards, targets, and state testing,
sometimes we just need to take 5.
5 minutes to be goofy.
5 minutes to laugh, smile, and most importantly boogie down.



So in your stressful moments,

remember that it's just a moment.
Just a little spot of time.
It may be stressful
and the gloom may overwhelm you,
but don't let it totally consume you.
Ultimately it will pass,
but you can help it along by finding your own 5 minutes.
Maybe it will be a silly dance party like mine.
Maybe it will be a quick walk outside.
Or maybe it will being greeted at home by someone you love.

Life is so much more than the things that bring us gloom.

Whatever it is,

own it.

Breathe it in.

And if you're like me,

just DANCE!