Puppy Love

My Percival passed away last week. He'd been having many health problems over the last 6 months and eventually his little heart just couldn't take it anymore. But I like to think that his heart just wasn't big enough for how much love he tried to hold in it. I got him as an older adult from a rescue group 3 years ago because I wanted to give my love and home to an animal who needed me, but who didn't necessarily require the time and attention a new puppy would. Little did I know, Percy would reignite my passion for those who have lived unfortunate lives and cannot speak for themselves. He'd been picked up as a stray and it was obvious by his weight and the length and state of his hair that he'd been fending for himself for quite some time. It took a little bit of time for him to grow accustomed to knowing he could trust me, but once he did, he showed me why dogs really are (wo)man's best friend. Never have I felt such amazing, pure, unlimited love from such a little creature. And I will forever be thankful for all the cuddles, nub-wags, and happy squeaks awaiting me every time I would come in the door. He was the highlight of my day over the last three years and the apartment feels so much emptier without his little 6-pound body. Percy, your mama loved you so much and misses you every day. But I find peace knowing you're at rest now, without pain, and that Prancer was across that rainbow bridge waiting for you.

Percy cuddling up on his warm mountain of freshly washed sheets

Bravely showing off his bandage after one of his procedures last fall

My little man and I getting ready to celebrate New Years Eve 2013

The two of us cuddling the day before he died. In his last few days, resting on my chest seemed to be the only thing that helped him breathe easier. Today, I am so thankful for this last picture with him.

So, number 16 on my 30 Before 30 list is to "Donate $50 a month to 12 different causes I feel strongly about for one year." In honor of Percy, January's donation went to Florida Little Dog Rescue which is the rescue group I adopted Percy from. I cannot say enough good things about this group. All of their animals are dogs that they've saved from Death Row at animals shelters. Every single one of these dogs would be put to sleep if FLDR hadn't of stepped in. And not only do they save the healthy dogs, but they are not afraid to step up and save the special needs dogs, the animals with problems that need medical or surgical attention before being placed for adoption. These are the animals that are usually put down without a second thought because they're not "worth" the time, attention, or money it would take to rehabilitate them. These are the animals that need us the most! Here are some of these animals stories:

Here is Houston, who was dubbed a "throw away" dog because his owners literally just discarded him. A lab mix, he came in incredibly underweight at only 26 pounds with gashes on his ear, a fever, skin rashes, and actively throwing up. FLDR gave him the vet care and medicine he needs and he's now being fostered until they find his forever home.

Above is a before and after of Rojo, who came in severely underweight and suffering from pneumonia. Look at what a turn-around he made in less than a month of just a little TLC!

Above is a picture of Liam, who picked up by Animal Control, unable to walk due to a shattered pelvis and two broken back legs. Through FLDR and their donations, Liam had extensive surgical repairs and is on his way to a full recovery. And here he is, all happy and healthy after a bath:

These are sweet, loving, beautiful dogs that don't deserve what life has dealt them. FLDR unselfishly donates time and money to the rehabilitation of these animals. Each dog will be individually fostered in a home so when that dog is adopted out, the foster parent can accurately account for the dog's likes, dislikes, fears, behavior, etc. And when you adopt a dog, whether its from FLDR or another rescue organization, you are paying $75-300 for an animal that comes fully vetted with all their shots, spayed or neutered, and the knowledge that the money you're paying is directly going towards the care and rescue of another animal in need. You can't get that confidence or feeling from a breeder or pet store! 

I urge you all to go to the FLDR website and take a look at all the work they do. Their special needs cases are chronicled so you can read updates and all their adoptable and recently adopted dogs are showcased with pictures and stories. Additionally, there is a place where you can make donations. Forty-five dollars can save a dog from Death Row. Seventy-five dollars will not only save a dog, but will guarantee the care of a special needs dog who just needs a little extra help to get their life back. 

In honor of Percy, once known to FLDR volunteers as Snowflake, I am donating $75 to kick off my year of donations. I know Percy would be proud to know the people who once saved him from a life on the streets are being provided the means to continue to save the lives of more deserving souls. 

Love,

KayCee

2013: A year of friendships and new beginnings

Welcome to 2013. I don't feel as much like I entered this year gracefully and calmly, as I was drop-kicked into it. So far this year has been full of a roller coaster ride of emotions for me. And while the majority of those feelings have been negative, I'm now beginning to come out on the other side and find value in things breaking. Because when things break you have no choice but to move on or piece them back together, and either way, that defines a new beginning. 

I have always been extremely cautious of my friendships. I'm the girl who has a few close friends that she holds close to her heart and takes a long time to nurture new relationships. Some of this has always been a part of me and some of it is a result of life experiences. I've lost many friends over the years. Some have just naturally grown apart, some have been a result arguments and disagreements that, once they occurred, we could just never see eye to eye again. In the past few years I have even had someone I considered to be one of my most dear friends tell me that my efforts to see her and keep in touch with her once I moved to a different city stressed her out and she didn't care to have me in her life anymore. That hurt, a lot. As a result, I can be pretty guarded and nothing means more to me than when someone tells or shows me that they truly value my place in their life. 

2012 was a hard year on one of my friendships in particular. We began to grow in separate directions and instead of allowing that to bring depth to our friendship, we allowed it to tear us apart, even as we refused to recognize it. We each did things that, while they had nothing to do with the other person, still managed to build a wall between us. We made small acknowledgments along the way that this was happening, but never made any drastic efforts to change it. This resulted in her feeling unsupported by me with some important developments in her life and me feeling completely abandoned and as if our friendship meant nothing to her. Something had to give, and finally, right after the new year, it did. 

As I've said many times before, I am not the girl who believes "everything happens for a reason." But occasionally things come together that makes me consider it possible. An acquaintance and fellow blogger, Becca, wrote this blog post 'To Endure the Betrayal of False Friendships' right as I needed to read something along those lines. I needed to know I wasn't the only one who had felt the ups and downs of friendships lately. And some of my other friends, seeing how devastated I was, completely stepped up and made me feel valued. For me, that is huge. I am so blessed with the new relationships I have developed over the last year and I cannot wait to nurture them and see how they grow. I have met some absolutely amazing girls that I now feel I would be lost without. It's only in the beginning days of our friendships and they already mean a lot to me. 

New Years has always been my favorite holiday because, to me, its about new beginnings and fresh starts. And while I would have much preferred this new start to stem from something more positive, in the end, it truly doesn't matter what the catalyst is if you can learn something valuable from it. In the past two or three days, I've seen very small steps toward a new beginning with my friend and I'm cautiously optimistic. It will take awhile to completely heal the hurt, but she means the world to me and I would be devastated to not have her in my life. Sometimes things need to completely break in order to begin to put them back together.

So here is my New Years Resolution. 2013 is going to be about two things for me. The first is friendships. I want to spend a lot of time and attention on the friendships I currently have and make sure each one knows how special they are to me and how vital their role in my life is. I would be lost without them and I need to take the time to listen and care about everything that is important in their life. I would want the same. Secondly, I need to spend time on myself and my self worth. Some of hurt in this situation may not have happened if I had more faith in myself and who I am without the other people in my life. I have a bad habit of comparing certain life aspects with others and allowing jealousy to act as almost a third party in certain relationships. Fixing this is no ones responsibility except my own and I know working on this will only act to strengthen my relationships. 

So here's to a new year and all the blessings it will bring, both obvious and in disguise.

Love,

KayCee

As 2012 ends...

 Merry Christmas to all! I hope everyone had as wonderful a day as I did! I worked the few days leading up to Christmas, Christmas Eve included, but I made it home just before midnight and in time to wake up to Christmas morning with my family. Our tree magically went from barren of any presents (due to our concern that my family's many animals would...well, eat some of them) to the sight you see to the left overnight. Yes, my family is generous and ridiculous all at once. But would you believe many of the presents were for our pets? If you know us well, you probably would. We had a leisurely morning full of family bonding, coffee cake devouring, and present opening, promptly followed by a few naps and Christmas dinner later in the afternoon. 

I am excited to announce that a few of 

the gifts I received will help me cross some things off my 30 Before 30 list. I have two more Disney movies to put towards my collection, books 3 and 4 in the Song of Fire and Ice (aka Game of Thrones) series, and a very funny how-to knitting book! I'm very excited to put these to good use. Also, I've decided 2013 is going to be my year to donate monthly to 12 different charities or causes. Some I have already selected because I have donated or been involved with them in the past, but I definitely don't have all 12 picked out, so I'm taking suggestions for causes you feel strongly about. I will say for sure that in January my donation is going to World Wildlife Fund. I wasn't going to post too much about my donations, but I think I might post a little blurb about who I'm donating to each month in case anyone wants to get involved with me!

New Years Eve (my favorite holiday) is coming up on Monday and I can't wait to go out and celebrate with some friends. I may also be particularly excited about a pair of gold glitter Fergilicious (no joke) peep-toe pumps I bought for the occasion. But one of the reasons I love NYE so much is I feel like its all about starting fresh and getting a new beginning. January this year is going to start a whole new chapter in my life as I go back to school and begin training for a new (well, advanced) career as an ARNP. I also like to make at least one new years resolution and see if I can stick with it. Any advice for me? Suggestions? I've only got a couple of days to decide this!!

Well, I am off to bed to prepare for my last day of work of 2012. I'll leave you with a few pictures of my sweet family and I on Christmas.

Love,

KayCee

 

(C'mon, you didn't think you'd make it out of this post without at least one Christmas picture of my boys, did you??)

1. Get my last tattoo

I finally did it!! After talking about it and debating it for going on 4 years now, I finally bit the bullet and got my last tattoo. Yes, it is my last one - I promised my mom I would put that in writing if she wanted me to! When my first cat passed, the vet gave me a mold of his paw print when they returned his ashes to me. Animals have always been a huge passion of mine and I'd long considered getting a paw print tattoo, but now that I had his mold, I was able to give my tattoo a personal twist. I took the mold into the artist and he was able to make a copy of the print and we based the sketch off Prancer's actual print. I didn't want his name on my foot because, to me, the tattoo represents all my pets past, current, and future, and just my passion for animals in general, but having a little something of Prancer on my foot makes me love the final product that much more. 

Thank goodness I didn't have to do this alone (I've never gotten a tattoo without someone there getting one as well). My friend Denyse from work came with me and got her first ever tattoo! She was much braver than I was, but in my defense, foot tattoos are really painful!! Hers is a red lotus flower with the word "love" written in Thai.

Besides working on my 30 Before 30 list, there's been a lot going on this month! I've been hard at work finishing my Christmas shopping. I'm happy to say I was done shopping and completely wrapped by Dec 16th this year. Not too shabby. And of course Meagan and I brought back our annual pink and silver Christmas tree in classic Apt 302 tradition. Obnoxiousness is our specialty. I'm pretty excited about my Christmas presents this year. I started out the season with zero ideas for anyone, but while I was out, I feel like I was really able find something perfect for everyone. Its a good feeling when the thing you're most excited about this season is giving. That's what its supposed to be all about, right?

I also got to attend the wedding of an amazing new friend from work earlier this month. It was such a beautiful, special moment for her and I was blessed to be in attendance. I am so thankful for the close friendships that are developing with some of my coworkers. I would not enjoy my job anywhere near as much as I do if I didn't look forward to seeing those girls everyday when I get to work. And I know I would definitely not be able to get through most of my shifts without their help. Here's some of us at Kiersten's wedding and at a mini sushi/Christmas get together we had last night. 

Now the rest of the year is just one big countdown... 1 day until the world ends! Well, at least if you believe the Mayans. And assuming we all live through that... 3 work shifts until I leave for Tally, 5 days until Christmas/family-fun time, 11 days until my favorite holiday. Oh yeah...and 18 days until I start my master's program!! When did time start moving so fast? 

If I don't see everyone before then... I wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a wonderful New Year!!

Love, KayCee

TRUTH.

27. Participate in a charity event

I'm excited to announce I accomplished my first task off my 30 Before 30 list! Number 27 was "Participate in a Charity Event" and this past Saturday I, along with a number of my coworkers, walked in the American Heart Association's Tampa Bay Heart Walk 2012!

The mission of the American Heart Association (AHA) states "Building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular disease and stroke" which are the #1 and #4 causes of death in the United States. As Neuro nurses, my floor sees the immediate effects of stroke (often secondary to cardiovascular disease) every day and we definitely wanted to step up and help out. We participated as part of the overall TGH team, as well as forming our own mini team, The Brain Trotters.

AHA's goal was to raise more than $1.7 million dollars, and I'm excited to say that the end result of their fundraising efforts was just shy of $2 million dollars! This money will be devoted to education and preventative measures for patients who may not have their own resources.

9A Neuroscience Nurses representing TGH...

...before turning into the Brain Trotters!

Some of my girls before taking our 3 mile walk..Emily, Tiff, Kiersten, and Bridget

We kept it at a leisurely pace with the crowd and finished in about an hour. Not exactly a competitive pace but hey, you know I was participating in a walk not a run, right? Haha. I'm very excited to have crossed something off my list and can't wait to see what my next thing to accomplish will be!!

For more information on the American Heart Association and how you can participate in future events, visit the website here!

Love,
KayCee

Rock the Vote!

(While my political preferences will become quite clear in this post, I promise there will be no preaching or lecturing!)

While creating my 30 Before 30 list, one idea that I considered and then discarding was seeing/meeting the President. I thought it would be a really cool experience but I didn't really know how to make it happen and depending on how this election goes I figure I may or may not really want to hear the President speak. 

To my surprise, a couple weeks ago I heard that President Obama was coming to Tampa to campaign at a grassroots event. I rushed over to my local campaign office and picked up a ticket and prepared to wake up at 5am on my day off to be in line by 6am for a 9am speech. Hey - if I was going to get up early to see the President, I might as well go all out!

My friend Destiny met me and we waited in line for about an hour, surrounded my other like-minded liberals, which was invigorating enough by itself. Eventually we were allowed through the metal-detectors and into an Ybor park where the rally was being held. Around 8 the speakers started which included Florida Governor Charlie Christ and finally around 9, President Obama took the stage. 

His speech was short and to the point. It was not intended to sway undecided voters, but to speak to those of us who had already put our faith in the President and were hoping to continue to do so. He was sincere, charming, educated, persuasive, and surprisingly, very funny. I believe in the President and his policies and today, when I exercised my right to vote, I voted for four more years. Regardless of your political views, I hope everyone put a lot of thought into what they want for our country and who they think the right leader for us is. I am praying for the country's progress to continue in the direction it has in the last four years, but regardless of the outcome, I am thankful to live in a democratic nation that has blessed me beyond words. So please, everyone...get out and vote!!

Love,
KayCee

I voted - And so should you!!!