HAPPY HOLIDAY WEEK

So the Christmas holiday is upon us and it is an interesting and different energy this year about the holidays than I remember in the past few years. Everyone is keeping spending down to a minimum and saying that spending time with the family will be the best part of the holiday. Isn't that what it is really all about. I mean, when did the Christmas holiday get to be so much about gifts and less about quality time spent with loved ones. I love Thanksgiving for that reason, just food and family and stories and celebration. It will be nice to get back to the simplicity that is Christmas. On the other hand, I love giving gifts. I love shopping for them and the actual giving part is the best, seeing my family and friends faces light up because I really put some time and effort into the choosing and buying aspect. I usually travel far and wide in search of the perfect gift for each person and spend a lot of time doing it. This year I decided that I was going to make everything happen here in Fenton. Not only will I be supporting our local economy, I will also be making things incredibly simple for myself. After all, I live in Fenton, MI and there is limited shopping here. I have 4 more gifts to buy and I am not sure what to get these particular people and I think that I may actually end up having to head out of town...on CHRISTMAS EVE!!! of all days. Oh well, I always have a way of making it all happen. If you are reading this, I hope that you find a lot of joy this Christmas week and through New Years and the beginning of 2009. Much Love.

One of My Favorite Moments

One of the greatest things about my work is being able to serve pregnant women during gestation as well as after the baby is born. There have been some really incredible women delivering babies lately and their stories are wonderful and amazing experiences that I hope to share with you at some point in the near future. I usually have anywhere between 10 and 15 women at any given time at all different stages of pregnancy. I hold all of them in my heart during this time however right now there is one that I am holding a special space close to my heart for. I recieved a phone call two weeks ago from a very frantic practice member that went in for a routine pregnancy check-up and they admitted her to hospital bed rest for the duration of her pregnancy which is at the very least 6 weeks. Now this particular woman does her absolute best to approach life vitalistically, and looks to do as many things naturally as possible. That was her plan for this pregnancy. Complications in the past has lead her to this bed rest period which is, in her case, probably the safest thing that she could be doing. So I have been able to visit and adjust her in the hospital for the past two weeks and have really enjoyed our visits. I have no idea if I am actually allowed to be adjusting in a hospital setting and I am sure that there would be ramifications if they found out...so I sneak it, so to speak. It is important for me to allow her to be at her best and whatever that takes I am going to do. I have been fortunate to have other things pulling me to Ann Arbor the past couple weeks but I will be there regardless. It is about service for me. This all is just about serving others. What else is there to do in life but to serve????

Choco's 1st 5K

Our great little city of Fenton has a Holiday Celebration called Jinglefest that happens the first weekend in December. For the past 3 years, my family and I get together and run it. It is great fun because it is cold and snowy and the nights always end up being perfect for a winter run. This year we had an addition to the running crew as Choco joined us. I wasn't sure if dogs were going to be allowed but I brought him anyways. There were about 200 people or so that ran it and 3 other dogs. In the beginning of the race Choco was really interested in making friends with everyone. By the time we were about 100 yards into it he realized that it was time to work and just got right into that mode. He ran the entire 5K right by my side and we finished strong. We have been on so many adventures during our first week, from riding in the car 4 hours one way to go snowboarding, play dates with new friends, a 5K, and a day with a friend of mine. He has been amazing and I am really excited that I will be able take him on my runs. I am looking forward to the time when he is ready to come to the Cafe of LIFE on a daily basis which will hopefully be just after the first of the year. This morning I dropped him off at the vet to get fixed which will hopefully take the edge off of his attitude that he gets sometimes. He is a great dog and we have had a lot of fun together and it has only been one week!

Choco is finally here!

After a month of planning and going back and forth about whether he was going to make it on the plane due to 2 feet of snow in Colorado, and after a 2.5 hour extremely icy drive to Detroit Metro Airport (normally 60 minutes max), I picked up a very terrified Choco and rescued him from his cage and all the craziness of the day. On the Colorado side, he just thought he was going on some great adventure. By the time he got to Detroit, he was convinced that he was never going to do that again. In fact, when he found out which car was mine, he made sure that I knew we were getting in it and going somewhere and never looking back. He also decided that once he was in that he may not get out of the car when we were home. What a funny dog! I am forever grateful for my friend Scott coming along for the ride to the airport as I couldn't imagine trying to convince Choco to sit while I broke down the kennel. I am also grateful to my mom and step-dad coming to my home at 11:30pm last night to help set the kennel up while I stood with a frightened Choco. I let him take refuge in his new home inside my home and left a radio and night light for him as he cozied down in his bed for the night. This is going to be a fun adventure....