Day 1 of 25 Days of Christmas: Tree Decorating

YAAAAAASSSSS! It is December 1, ya'll! Let's get our Christmas on! Time for the 25 Days of Christmas activities!

The first thing I like to do is set up our Christmas tree and decorate the house for a month of happiness. Being able to end every evening with the lights low, a glass of wine, and the Christmas tree sparkling, is my idea of perfection. 

I won't bore you with the details of decorating a tree because I am sure you know how to do that, but I will share some pictures of my tree and some simple decorations that I have done around my house. 

Hubby was able to pick out the first activity from
the Advent calendar before he headed to work. Ain't
he just so handsome!

He grabbed Rasbee to help him with the task.
As you can tell, he was bored with it. Lol. 

Our completed tree. Isn't it cute! 

One of the wreaths that I put on the wall.
I love anything sparkly!

I found this super cute chapel at a local thrift store and
I just had to get it and add to my Christmas decor.  

I decorated our breakfast bar! I have a collection of bells
that I have collected from every state or country that I
have visited. Not Christmas exactly, but special to me. 

A mother/daughter ornament that my mom gave
me from her collection. I think we got this in 2000.

Hubby selected this last year. Have no idea why. Lol!

Another donated mother/daughter ornament from
my mom that we got in 1998. 

Our tree would not be complete without
something with a dog. A thrift store find from 2001. 

Another dog thrift store find from 1999. 

The ornament that I selected last year that
commemorated our first Christmas together!

We picked this out this year when we took
our yearly vacation to Portland, ME. 

 I think this was a great start to my 25 Days of Christmas activities. Remember to check out my activities from 2014 if you are needing some ideas to do with your friends or family. Stay tuned for more great things to come.

Talk later!
Crystal

The 2nd Annual "25 Days of Christmas"

Last year, I started a tradition called my "25 Days of Christmas." I planned activities for every day leading to Christmas Day. I went into it thinking that it would get me out of the house and get my Christmas cheer going. I also wanted to fill my first Christmas at home with Hubby with new traditions that we could carry on for years to come.

My Advent calendar from last year.

Well, I was not expecting how much fun it would be and how interested you, my readers, would be about it. I have inspired others to do their own Christmas list and to make traditions with their families, which I love. I want to point out, though, that even if you are single without a family, these activities can be done alone. No point in you missing the Christmas cheer and it will get you out to meet others.

Last year, I scoured the internet for adult-friendly Christmas activities and truthfully did not find many. There were plenty of Advent calendar activities that focused on getting small children involved. Since I don't have kids, I needed to find or create experiences that would entertain us over the age of 21. I think I succeeded last year and I have some more great things planned this year. I did throw in a few kid-at-heart activities because sometimes you need to let your inner child out.

Activities added as they happen*
1) Decorate Christmas Tree
2) Choose a Special Ornament
3) Play Christmasopoly
4) Watch "Love Actually"
5) Go See a Christmas Parade
6) Hallmark Movie Marathon Night
7) Design Christmas Cards Online
8) Cookie Decorating
9) Christmas Photos and Singing Christmas Tree
10) Holiday Hike with My Dogs

You will notice a difference in my activities this year. I will be doing most alone. My Hubby now works the graveyard shift, so I feel bad waking him up to do my activities. He will be joining in when he can, but this year, I can show how much fun Christmas can be while doing some solo things. I do have my teenage sister, Catherine, coming to visit for Christmas, so you can expect some great activities with her, though.

Hubby and I from our Christmas photo last year!

I am so excited to get started tomorrow! I have tried to hold out on decorating my house, but the day after Thanksgiving, I could not hold out any longer! I put up my new, fancy advent calendar, planned my activities, put up some decorations and have started Christmas shopping!

My Christmas wall with my Advent calendar, 2014 Christmas
photo, and our paintings that we did last year.

We don't have a mantle, so I created a Christmas
stocking wall with removable hooks. 

I hope you enjoy the next 25 days as much as I do. Please feel free to reach out to me with additional ideas or suggestions for Christmas activities. While I do plan my calendar for the entire 25 days, there is always room for some changes and I fully expect there to be some moving around of activities.

Love you all and talk later!
Crystal

Heartworms, Heartbreak, and Healing - Part 3

Am I surprised that it took me more than two months to get this final installation of Heartworms, Heartbreaks, and Healing completed? No, because this has been one hell of a two months. We were deep in the trenches, folks. I mean, it was stressful, tears were shed (by me, of course), and I considered running away from home multiple times. But here we are on the other side and thank God, we can see the light now.

So a recap from Part 1 and Part 2: I have nine dogs and five cats. One dog, Justice, has heartworms and mass cell tumors. Another dog, Maybelline, has come in with heartworms, as well. Could things get worse? Yes, they could.

We had just gotten Maybelline (aka May) back from the shelter during her brief hold. Because of the possibility of kennel cough, we started quarantine as soon as she got back. Ha! That did not work. Within a week, kennel cough spread like wildfire through our pack. As dogs got sick, we segregated them from the pack - in bathrooms, bedrooms, living rooms, even the garage. Soon we had no place to put the sick to keep them from the well. There was coughing, phlegm, and sick dogs everywhere. We were on a rotating schedule of medicines, individual walks, and giving special loving to the sickly. It was exhausting.

In addition to the rotation, we had our special cases that required even MORE attention. Bella, our lab, got so sick that she stopped eating. For me to see my 75 lb baby looking frail and gaunt broke my heart. At the vet's suggestion after day four of no eating, I had to begin force feeding. One spoonful at a time, for two meals a day, for five straight days. At each meal, I had to make a special blended smoothie of boiled chicken, potatoes, and dog food. It was the nastiest thing to ever create, but for my dear dog, I would do anything.

Then we had Biscuit, our Chihuahua mix, who not only had kennel cough, but an ear infection. This poor boy gets ear infections EVERY year. So once every year, we have to fight him to put drops in his inflamed ears, which he hates. Another round of antibiotics and meds for him also.

And finally, we had Justice. Poor, poor Justice. This girl just cannot catch a break. Cancer, heartworms, and now kennel cough. But with already damaged lungs, the kennel cough took it to dangerous levels. We went through several antibiotics, cough meds, and steroids, but nothing was working. She was coughing, wheezing, and could barely breath. We went to the vet where she was given one last antibiotic and told that if it did not work, then there was nothing else they could do and we would have to see a specialist who would have to do a $2,000 lung cleaning. We couldn't afford that. I left that day in tears.

We were three weeks into "the epidemic" as I like to call it and I was at the end of my rope. The dogs were not improving much and it was continuing to spread. And we had one dog who literally was on her last lung. And to make things worse, I was in the midst of the busiest time of the year at work. Crystal...Rope...End.

Then with lots of prayers for patience and for healing...and after some very expensive vet bills, things started getting better. Bella began eating on her own again. Biscuit's ears got better. And Justice's wheezing got less and less. Her lungs will never be perfect, but she now sounds less like a chain smoker and more like a regular dog. We are now about two weeks from the last dog being sick and we are starting to get back on track. We have had a few hiccups in those two weeks, but in general the pack is getting back to themselves.

As I was going through these trials, the constant thought of "did we make a mistake" came up many times. Did we make a mistake in taking in a very sick dog like Justice? Did we further make a mistake in fostering May who then gave our my pack kennel cough? Should we foster again in the future? The answer was that we definitely made the right decision in saving lives. We were sent May and Justice for a reason. They needed patient and loving people to get them through their sicknesses. They needed someone who understands the animal welfare issues that relate to pit bulls. They need people who will continue to take care of them until needed.

However, we can definitely say that we are going to take a small break from fostering after this. We need to get a baseline back for our pack. We need to reassure our babies that they are safe and loved like they always have been. This past three or so months have been an adventure. Like most adventures, though, after, you want some calm. That is what we all need and that is what we will do. It may be a few months or more, but we will get back to taking in other dogs in need. In the meantime, we will volunteer, spread the word about other animals in need and donate. Those three things are needed just as much as fostering.

With every test, there are lessons and we learned some valuable lessons from this, including patience, unconditional love, and how to cope even during the worse. And most importantly, it has taught me about the plight of heartworms in dogs, which has led me to exploring new projects and ways to help. (More on this as time goes on, though.) For all of this, I am thankful.

I will keep you all updated on the progress of the fosters. For now, I am going to go cuddle up with my babies and enjoy health and happiness.

Talk later!
Crystal

Heartworms, Heartbreaks, and Healing - Part 2

Welcome back! If you read my first installment of Heartworms, Heartbreaks, and Healing, you know by now that my month has been rough. I was dealing with a pack of five cats, seven dogs, and a foster dog who was diagnosed with mass cell tumors, pneumonia, and heartworms. God knows I had my hands (or one hand) full, right? Not yet. For Part 2, I tell you how Maybelline came into our lives.

So rewind back to the Saturday when I broke up a dog fight between Justice and Bella and had gotten my hand bitten. I called my hubby crying, devastated, and sad about the outcome of poor Justice. I was weighing so many things in my mind. Well hubby was dealing with a situation as well. 

That night, hubby was leaving work when all of a sudden something darted out in front of his car. He got out to find that it was a dog. He called to it and it came straight to him. He, fearing that it would get hit, put it in the car and brought it home. (He is such an animal advocate now!)

Around Midnight, I get a call from Ryan, "Bring a harness and a leash." Yep, I knew what that meant. Another dog had found its way to our home. So I go outside to find a medium sized pit bull with spots of all kinds and the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen. She was scared, but her tail was wagging. She looked well taken care of and was clearly an owned dog. We settled her in for the night and made a plan to find her her home the next day.

The next day, I decided that Facebook was the place to start. I put a post with her picture and where we found her. I used Facebook advertising to send this ad to everyone in Fairburn, GA. The hope was that the owner would see the post and we could take her home (because everyone and their mama is on FB, right?)

We gave our Facebook search a few days. Over that time, over 10,000 people saw my post, over 80 people shared, and dozens of people wrote me with clues about the dog and where her possible home was. (Thank you to all of the people who helped.) Alas, after that time, we were no closer to finding her owners than when Ryan picked her up.

After that, we knew what we had to do...take her to the shelter. Because she was found in Fulton County, we took her to the shelter there.

Let me give a sidenote here: The Fulton and Dekalb County shelters are run by Lifeline Animal Project. On July 1, Lifeline started a No-Kill initiative in these counties where they are aiming to take these counties to 90% no-kill. This means that 90% of the dogs who end up at the shelter will not be euthanized because of lack of space. This is an increase from 50% when Lifeline took over. That is amazing! Because of this new initiative, I felt better taking this dog to the shelter, versus a few months earlier with Justice.

When we got to the shelter, I talked to the front desk staff about how we found her, how we looked for her home, and what the process would be with us leaving her there. They let me know that they would do an owner hold for three days. This would make her non-adoptable in case her owners came for her. He assured me that after that three days, she would not be euthanized, but that she would be listed as for adoption and stay at the shelter.

While I felt relieved that she would not be euthanized, I felt bad about leaving her at the shelter. For those of you who don't know, a shelter is not a happy place for a dog. They are taken from a quiet loving home into a loud facility with strangers poking them, placed in a cold crate, with dogs constantly barking and no sense of where they are. It is traumatizing for dogs. So as we sat there waiting for our turn to do intake, hubby and I decided that we would offer to foster her if her owners did not come forward. We filled out the application then gave her up to the shelter staff. Walking away was the hardest thing.

We went home that day with a heavy heart, but knowing that we did the right thing in giving the owners a chance to find her. With it being the 4th of July holiday weekend, we knew that we would not hear about her until at least Tuesday. We said a prayer for her.

As you have probably guessed, no one went to pick up the dog, who we had affectionately named Maybelline (because she looks like she is wearing mascara and eyeliner around her eyes.) On Tuesday night, I received an email from the foster coordinator at Fulton County Animal Shelter telling us that we had been approved to foster Maybelline. We were happy, then I kept reading. Maybelline had heartworms.

Having just received this same news about Justice, I was not as shocked, but still equally as sad. I knew what Maybelline would be enduring over the next 2-3 months. The injections and the mandatory crate rest. I felt sorry for this poor baby, but I knew immediately why she had found us. She came to us because we could help her through this hard treatment with love and patience. We would not give up on her.

We went back on Wednesday to pick her up. She had just gone through spay surgery, so while we waited on the staff to bring her to us, they filled us in on her status. In addition to the heartworms, she may have developed kennel cough and they were suspicious that she might have demodex, a skin condition similar to mange. (We always get the dogs with the triple threats, right?) We were being sent home with antibiotics, demodex meds, an antibiotic shampoo, and her month dosage of heartworm pills. In August, she will receive her first injections for heartworms.

We were also given orientation as official fosters about taking care of her, when to bring her in for treatments, the schedule for adoption events, and who to contact in case of emergencies. They said that she could be taken to events as soon as we felt she was ready in hopes that she would get adopted. All of her medical care will be taken care of by the shelter, but we will take care of her food and other care.

Maybelline has now been in our home a full day. She is being crated away from our other dogs and being segregated while she decompresses from the shelter. She truthfully seems traumatized and still skittish. We are not pushing her. She can take all of the time that she needs. I plan on taking her to at least one adoption event before the end of the month before we start the heartworm treatments. I want her to find a great home with people who can love her and treat her well.

In the meantime, we have two heartworm positive dogs in our house who have a long journey to healing. How am I going to do it? I have no idea. But I do know that these dogs came into my life for a reason. In Part 3, I will try to tell you why I think these two special dogs entered my home and my heart.

For now, here is a picture of Maybelline that I took when we first got her. Isn't she a cutie? Also, if you or someone you know is looking to adopt, check her out on the Fulton County adoption page. (They call her Malinda, but it is our Maybelline.)

Talk later!
Crystal

Heartworms, Heartbreaks, and Healing - Part 1

The last month has been hard, ya'll. I mean so hard that you truly feel like giving up and just going to bed for a month. Through all of the trials that I have endured, though, I have seen hope and felt like I see a glimpse of the purpose that God has put on my life. For that, I am grateful.

(While writing this blog post, I realized that this is VERY long, so I am splitting it up into three parts...yeah, that is how major this past month has been.)

About three months ago, our foster dog, Justice, came into our lives. One morning, we found out that a close neighbor had died in his sleep. He was a great man who loved dogs and who had worked with us in the past to rescue our dog, Maya. He had two cherished pet pit bulls and a third pit bull who a family member had dropped off at his door. When he died, the family left all three dogs in his home alone for three days without food, water, or outside breaks. When they finally came to retrieve his things, they took our neighbor's two pit bulls and left Justice tied to the back porch with no plan to come back for her. When we learned this, we went over and brought her home to figure out what we could do to help. 

Our original intention for Justice was to get her spayed, vetted, and connected to a rescue who could find her a good home. Well the realities of animal rescue soon hit us. First, we live in a county in Dekalb county, Georgia, where pit bulls outnumber all other breeds. The shelters are literally filled with them. We went to the animal shelter in our county and were told that if we left her there she would be euthanized. And when we asked if they could put her in their system as a foster, we were told that there was no use since she probably wouldn't get adopted. Wow! I refused to leave her there to die in that shelter. So we took her home. I was determined to prove that shelter wrong and find her a good home on my own. 

Fast forward to June. Justice is still in our home. At this point, she has been spayed and we have begun to learn more about her. She is a sweet girl with a huge smile. She loves humans, but unfortunately, is cat aggressive and kind of a bully to other dogs, which has led to some skirmishes in my pack, particularly with my lab, Bella. She needs to be in an only dog home and we need to find a home for her soon. 

In the middle of June, I decide to take her in for one more vet appointment before I list her for adoption. We had noticed her straining to breath and I felt a small knot under her armpit. We needed to make sure she was healthy before we gave her to a new home. Unfortunately, the news that we received would change that plan. 

After some x-rays, blood work, and an examine, Justice was diagnosed with a bronchial infection and heartworms. I was devastated for this poor girl. Believe me, with us living in Georgia, I knew that heartworms could be a possibility with the high mosquito count, but to know that this girl would have to be put through the harsh treatment that included painful injections and 2-3 months of crating was sad. We left that day with three medicines and a plan for the heartworms over the next few months. We were also told that if her breathing had not gotten better over the weekend to bring her back in. 

Well the weekend went by and Justice's bronchial infection had not gotten better, so back to the vet we went. The vet listened to her lungs again and diagnosed her with pneumonia. More meds for Miss J. Then things got worse. Our vet looked at the results from the test she did of the lump under Justice's armpit and told us that she had mass cell tumors. Pretty much, cancer for dogs. Again, I was shocked. I asked lots of questions to the vet, but really my brain could not process it. I took Justice and I went home to cry. 

Over the next few days, I called my animal rescue friends, coworkers, and even people at our Sanctuary in Utah asking for advice. While, I did get hope, I also had people tell me the harsh truth. She would eventually die from this. These tumors come back and are very aggressive and requires surgeries to remove each time. Add to the fact that she has heartworms and we were in an awkward place with deciding what treatment to start first. Not to mention the enormous expense that we would incur. We had a choice to make, do we take her through surgeries and harsh treatments or give her quality for the time that she had left. 

So here I am, with a sick foster dog. How can it get any worse? Well it did. I was home alone with the dogs on a Saturday. After being secluded for a week, I felt Justice needed some socialization. All of the dogs were being amicable, playing, and hanging out. I went to walk into the kitchen to get a drink and in an instant a fight broke out between Justice and Bella. Without thinking, I ran to break them apart. In an effort to pull them apart, I got bit hard on my hand. Blood was everywhere and I was crying while still trying to pull them away from each other. After five minutes, I was able to put each in their crates and calm the other dogs down. But I was a wreak. I went to the bathroom and cried heavily as I washed and bandaged my hand. How could this have happened? Why was I stupid in putting my hand in? Why was Justice so aggressive towards Bella?

I called my husband and told him the situation. He had had enough and felt Justice had to go. I was devastated. I had failed her as a foster parent. I knew what would happen to Justice if we took her to the shelter. A cat aggressive, dog aggressive, heartworm positive dog with mass cell tumors. She would be euthanized before we could leave the parking lot. I could not do that to her. Again, I called my rescue friends and family members to tell them about my predicament. 

The answer that I got was not what I wanted to hear. The answer was that maybe I should humanely put her down. She would not survive in a shelter and with her issues, she was not fit for my home. We would not be able to find a rescue who would take her nor who could afford her issues. They thought that it would be more humane for us to give her a few good days and let her escape the outcome of a sick body and a life of aggression. After talking with my hubby, he agreed. 

In my mind, I agreed with everything they were saying, but my heart could not agree. For the next three days, I spent my time in our guest room crying harder than I ever have. I kissed her big block head and I talked to her about how sorry I was for what I had to do. I talked to family members who consoled me in my heartache. I tried to get my heart to the point where I could let her go, but every time I thought about calling the vet to make the appointment, the only thought that I had was that I was killing her. 

After those three days, my decision had not been made. Even with her sickness, how could I put such a lively, happy dog to sleep forever? I could not do it. I could not fail this beautiful creature. I went to my hubby and told him that I wanted to give her one more chance.

My friends and family think I am insane. I have been told by some that they do not support my decision. Over and over, they have asked me, "What will have to happen for you to give up on this dog? How much money will you spend on her treatments? What if she hurts another cat or dog? How long will you let her suffer before you think about her quality of life?" The answer is, I don't know. I just know that the decision to let her go did not feel right and to me, that means that I must keep trying. 

We have now ended the treatment for the pneumonia and Justice has an appointment with the vet next week to talk next steps. Our vet wants to do the surgery for the mass cell tumor first so that we can diagnose what stage she is. Hubby and I have talked and based on the stage her cancer is in, we will decide after that if we continue with the harsh heartworm treatment. 

It took me a long time to decide if I should write this post. How can I write about a dog who I love, but who has so many flaws? How can I talk about the harsh decision that I battled with to keep her alive or to end her life? Can I deal with the criticism from both sides of the argument about my decision to keep her alive and in our home? What criticism will I endure if my decision was wrong?

Animal rescue is hard. Saving lives is hard. Making the decisions for an animal who has no voice is hard. Why was I chosen to get this dog amongst all of the other dogs who were in need? Well in part two, I begin to get a clearer picture of why Justice...and later Maybelline came into my life. 

I leave you with this picture of my smiling girl, Justice, on the day that we found out she had heartworms. 

Talk later!

Crystal

I Have The Meanest Life Coach Ever!

Sometimes you need a friend to just tell you the truth. The hard truth. It may hurt, but sometimes you need someone to just gut check you. A friend recently said the following to me:

"You are filling your life with animals and food."

She would be the worst life coach ever (lol), but she said this with concern and love. And she is right. With thirteen pets (one is a foster up for adoption), I cannot take anymore in. And at 250 lbs, I need to get back on my road to health. I am not calling it weight loss. I am going to call it, Crystal's ambition to get up a flight of stairs without dying. Yes...that sounds accurate. 

Two months ago, I was doing the complete fitness plan. I was using My Fitness Pal to track my food diary and calories. I was going to spin class four times a week, and had started to add in some weight training. But, I was not losing weight. Not a pound. Not an inch. I was so focused on the numbers that I missed the whole point of the journey. I was bashing myself every time I chose to stay at home and cuddle my dogs instead of going to the gym. I was miserable. I was depressed. I needed to stop. 

So I did. I would not let myself count. I went to the gym only when I wanted to. I stopped an unhealthy mindset before it started. 

Now, I need to get back on track. I am setting a plan. 

First, I loved spin class. I love the music and incorporating the biking with it. If I felt good, I went really hard. If I was more tired, I could take it easy. Either way, I was working out and burning calories. 

Also, I loved weight training. My YMCA trainer has helped me to put together a weight training plan and I can go in and do all of my sets without supervision. It gives me structure and freedom, which I like. 

Second, I need to stick to a schedule that is realistic. I am not a morning person, so I should not set myself up for failure by trying to go to a morning spin class. I won't go my full potential and I will end up skipping it. Right after work is my ideal time to work. I will need to burn off some stress and I am awake, so it is when I need to go. 

Third, the calorie counting does not work for me. It makes me too obsessed with every little calorie going into my mouth. However, I can use My Fitness Pal to keep a food diary of what I am eating. If I look back and see that I am eating too much bread, I can adjust. If I see that I need more veggies, I can add them. I can also plan my meals for the week and plan ahead for good choices. 

And lastly, I am not going to weigh myself. Well at least not at first. My trainer told me to focus on how my body feels at first, how my clothes hang, and how strong I am getting. I should stay focused on them and not a number. If I am doing this right, I may not see weight loss because my body is turning fat into muscle, but after that I will see, feel and know the loss is there. 

I need this badly. Remember the Napa post where I was talking about getting back the confidence and energy of my old self. Well I think this will help. Plus, my body back in the day was like a brickhouse. I was stacked! HAHAHA

Talk later!

Crystal

I Met My Old Self in Napa Valley

Have you ever been something so long that you start to forget who you truly are? I am sure moms feel this. They have been a mom for so long that they forget what it feels like to just be a woman. Or you have been a part of a team so long that you forget how to be an individual. Well that is me now. I have been trying for so long to shape myself into a responsible adult, that I have lost my old carefree self. On a recent trip to California, I caught a glimpse of who I once was, though. 

Last month, I left my hubby for a huge two week adventure across the country. The word epic might have been thrown out a few times. Lol. I did a road trip from Atlanta to Utah (post about that coming soon), did a work retreat at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, then continued to California for a little relaxation in Sacramento before I headed to a marketing conference in Santa Monica. 

For a week, it was just me, a rental car, and lots of the state to explore. I love to drive and see the scenery speed by as I sing from the top of my lungs going down the highway. And a lot of it I saw. 

As I drove and drove, I got a weird feeling of freedom. A full week of exploring a new state that I had never really seen. It was exciting and the anticipation was running through my veins. I was lucky that I had a full weekend made longer by Memorial Day to really take in the sights of Sacramento, which was my first stop. I planned to meet one friend in the area, but other than that, I was free to do whatever. 

During the weekend, I saw Old Sacramento with its kitschy old west look, I went to UC Davis to explore for little sister who is going to college soon, and I had dinner with an old friend. It was great. I literally fell in love with the city and the cool vibe I got from being a tourist. 

And then I went to Napa...

I don't think there is a word big enough to express the love that I have for Napa. It went beyond the wineries and the beautiful scenery. My love came from a group of people I met there who I can only describe as spiritual soul mates. As I was alone on my California adventure, I decided to put on my big bow of fun and make the most of wine country. As you all probably know by now, I LOVE wine! Hell, I even have a whole section of my blog specifically about it. The intention was to do lots of wine tasting, buy lots of wines, and just enjoy some time as a single traveler. Not what happened.

What they don't tell you about Napa wine tastings is that you drink a lot of wine! Yes, they are sample pours, but when you opt for the tasting package that lets you sample ten wines, you are going to get a bit tipsy. (Probably a huge rookie move. Lol) And this was at my FIRST WINERY! Needless to say, I needed food to get me through the rest of the day. Luckily, Napa has this great downtown area where there is food, shops, and lots of tasting rooms that you can walk to, so that is where I headed. 

I walk into a Mexican restaurant to get my nosh on. I sit down at the bar and destiny stepped in after that. As I sit down, the lady beside me gives me a very enthusiastic "Hello." As a person who travels alone, I am always up for a good conversation with a stranger, so I greet her back. We start a lively conversation and soon we are joined by her husband. Within an hour, we are best friends. We are laughing and talking about our lives. We are wrapping up and getting ready to pay when the woman invites me to join them to another restaurant with a rooftop bar. I am game, so I tag along. 

Over the course of the next NINE HOURS, our trio expands to a group of seven. All strangers, from all parts of the country, with different backgrounds, and all different ages. And we are all head over heels in love with each other. We took our party from the bar, to a tapas restaurant, to the streets of Napa, to another bar. We talked, laughed, and shared our lives with each other for the whole day. And it was the best time of my life. 

I called hubby as I was driving back to my Airbnb and told him that I had not felt that good in years. I felt like myself again in a matter of hours. I let myself be Crystal. Funny, spontaneous, energetic, and carefree. Somehow I lost that woman years ago. I missed her. She was fun. She was the person who I wanted to show the world. That old Crystal was my hero. She was not afraid of new situations. She was always the first person to meet strangers and suggest new ideas. Where had she gone? 

I left Napa that night with a new determination to let that Crystal shine more. I also left with connections to seven people who I am so happy to have met. I believe that everyone you meet has been destined by God. Whether in Napa or in their hometowns, I want to see them again so we can have another great day together. 

Here are a few pics of my wonderful day in Napa Valley. 

Old Sacramento or the Wild Wild West?

UC Davis - Home of the Aggies

Vinoce Vineyards 

A very blurry pic of four of my Napa Valley friends

Talk later!

Crystal