My Life: Yoda Bird

Hello lovelies!  I hope you are all having a relaxing Saturday morning.  Ryan has been out of town quite a bit lately and I am happy as a clam to have him back home.  Everything feels right in the world when our little family of three is together.  Speaking of the third member of our family, today I wanted to share with you a bit more about our dog Yoda {or we call him, "Yoda Bird"}.  I volunteer at a few local animal rescue organizations including the Humane Society and Every Dog Counts Rescue {EDCR}, and this past August we received an urgent email from EDCR saying the local Care & Control was overflowing with adoptable dogs and if they couldn't find short-term fosters there would be no choice but to euthanize the dogs.  Clearly this was not something I would sit by and allow to happen, so I quickly called EDCR and opened up our house to a foster.

The next morning a woman dropped off a little 8.5 pound long-haired Chihuahua mix named Yoda off at our house.  When they found him wandering along the side of the road he had almost no fur due to horrible malnutrition.  He had mange, multiple skin infections, an infected toe, and just about every other ailment you can imagine.  The poor thing was so scared he cried for the first three hours he was at our house.  When Ryan came home from work to meet him he whimpered and shook, afraid to let Ryan get within arms distance of him.  However, he quickly came out of his shell, literally falling asleep in our hands every time we gave him any kind of affection.  I remember about 24 hours into it laying on the couch to take a nap and little Yoda sneaking ever so cautiously into my nook and falling asleep with me...and it was at that moment I decided that he would never be leaving us :) It took Ryan about another 36 hours, but by the end of the weekend we had decided to officially adopt Yoda.

Slowly but surely, thanks to an organic diet, fish oil, about a dozen appointments at the vet, exercise, and a lot of love his health returned and so has most of his fur!  You can see his before and after picture here {to be honest, every time I look at the 'before' I cry}.  This little guy has made me happier than I could have ever imagined.  Last year was a pretty downright rotten year for me.  My mom was diagnosed with cancer {thankfully she is now in remission!}  My grandpa passed away.  I couldn't find a job, and when I found one {which I thought was the perfect job at my dream company} it turned out to be one of the most terrible experiences of my life.  I spent a lot of time questioning what I wanted to do with my life, doubting my self-worth, and being bogged down with constant anxiety and stress.   My friends, family, and Ryan were there for me 110%, supporting me and lifting me up when I was at my lowest...but it just seemed like no matter what I did I was stuck in a perpetual funk and no matter how hard I tried I wasn't able to get out.  Getting Yoda somehow managed to lift a huge weight off my shoulders knock me on a different trajectory, one of positivity, optimism, and {dare I say it} contentment.  I was so stuck inside my head and overwhelmed with my fears and anxieties, that getting a dog was just what I needed to bring me back out to the real world and realize that life is actually pretty darn awesome!  Apparently the bumper sticker was right all along...my rescue dog rescued me.

Guest Blogger :: The Way I Wanderlust in Corfu, Greece

Today I am excited to bring you a guest post by one of my favorite bloggers...Kayleigh of The Way I Wanderlust.  I have been following her blog for the past year and am constantly inspired by her love of travel, down to earth personality, and self-described "gypsy soul."  She dreamed about living in Australia, so in 2012 she and her husband picked up did just that.  She dreamed about backpacking through Europe solo, so she traveled for a year including spending five months volunteering at a horse ranch in Greece.  A traveler who follows her dreams and has a soft spot for animals?  Clearly a girl after my own heart.

Hi fellow Dreams in HD followers, my name is Kayleigh and I blog over at The Way I Wanderlust. My blog is mostly about fulfilling my wanderlust with endless adventure, my life and the way I like to live. When Molly asked me to take over her lovely blog for the day I was flattered. We seem to have a mutual love of travel, especially the lovely Tuscan region of Italy. I really love all her travel posts and it makes me reminisce about my time travelling through Italy. Today I would love to share with you my fabulous experience living on the island of Corfu, Greece.

I spent five months living on a horse ranch/riding centre. Originally I was only going to stay about one month before continuing on to the other islands but I just fell in love with everything about Corfu and I couldn't bare to leave so soon. I randomly found The Silva Riding Centre online when I was looking for places to volunteer at in exchange for room and board. The centre is located about 10 minutes outside of the town of Corfu sitting right on top of a cliff overlooking the ocean. Not only is the surrounding area picturesque but the actual property is so large that you feel like you are in your own little magical world.

I worked 6 days a week if you could even call it work. Basically I fed, rode and played with horses all day long. I also helped out in the lessons when I was needed, mostly leading around the younger children that were not yet old enough to ride completely by themselves. Apart from being a training centre the Silva Project also rescued unwanted and abused animals, usually horses and dogs. It was heartbreaking to see the condition that most of the animals were brought to us in but helping them recover and watching them transform as the months went on was heartwarming. I wanted to adopt every single one and bring them home with me.

In my free time I would wander around the island taking pictures, walk into town with the other volunteers to enjoy the outdoor markets and coffee shops. We had private beach access on the property so at night if it was warm enough we would head down and sit around a bonfire watching the stars. I loved getting to know all the other volunteers, everyone was there for a reason such as a much needed vacation, a break away from the world or where there to simply get to know themselves better and figure out what they wanted out of life. These fellow volunteers became my family over those months and dinner was always a large, loud event with wine and dancing continuing into the early hours of the morning.

I will forever cherish my time here and would love to go back one day. I honestly could of spent the rest of my life here content to forever be a volunteer but after five months I did start to feel that pull to move on and experience something else. I would recommend Corfu to anyone looking for a peaceful island getaway. The locals are so friendly and welcoming, we were always invited to festivals and special occasions. The few from the beach is worth the trip alone and the food is to die for.

Thanks so much for taking the time to learn a bit about me and my travels. If you would like to learn more or connect with me head on over to my blog. I recently just spent a year in Australia and am now back in Canada trying to adjust back into regular life but also planning my next escape.

{Top image via Wikimedia, all others via The Way I Wanderlust}

Giving Back for the Holidays

I hope you all are having a fantastic weekend!  With all of the sparkle of the holiday season, it is easy to get caught up in the dresses, parties, and gifts.  However, to me it is also a great time to remember how blessed I am and a wonderful opportunity to give back to those less fortunate.  

My boyfriend and I sponsor an eight-year old Haitian girl through his church and are hoping to one day plan a trip down to Haiti to volunteer at her school.  I am passionate about the arts, which is why I volunteer at my local art museum every week, assisting with the youth programs.  Many of you know that I am a huge animal lover {no fur for me, thank you very much!} so in addition to volunteering every week at my local Humane Society and with various rescue organizations {my favorite being Every Dog Counts Rescue}, I always give a donation around the holidays to help these angels fulfill their goal of finding forever homes for every animal in need.  This is especially near and dear to my heart as Every Dog Counts was the rescue who found my beloved Yoda at the pound, nursed him back to health, and brought him to me to foster {and eventually adopt}.  Some years I can donate a few hundred dollars, others just $50...but to me it is so important to give both my time and money to help keep these amazing organizations running.

My point is, there are so many wonderful charities who rely on our time and support to continue their mission.  If everyone gives a little, just imagine how much better we can make the world.  For as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”

Image via