My husband is obsessed with dog food!

Well, that is a funny title. It is true. My husband is obsessed with dog food. He doesn't eat it himself, although it is human grade so he could. He is obsessed with what we feed our dog Ellie-Mae. If you strike up a conversation with him about what you feed your dog, he will become obsessed with your dogs meals also. When we rescued Ellie she was about 5 months old. The food that she was fed at the shelter was a mixture of many different types of food that had been donated to the shelter. She seemed to have a little bit of a sensitive stomach, so we started to do our research on different dog foods. I eat as much Natural and Organic foods as I can, and that was the route I was going while shopping for Ellie's meals. My husband took it to a whole new level. He started asking everyone he knew about their dogs and what they fed their dogs. He found a great site that rated dog food brands. ( www.dogfoodanalysis.com) This made for very long trips to shop for Ellie's food. He would walk around the store looking at different brands while researching the brand for the star rating on his iphone.  

After trying out a few different brands, FROMM (Grain Free) has become his and Ellie's favorite brand of dog food. A 26 LB bag is around $55 which some people say is crazy. I rationalize it this way. Our dog is happy and healthy. Studies show that dog foods filled with byproducts and fillers decrease your dogs health and longevity. If your dog was sick, I guarantee you would spend as much money as it would take to make your dog better, or to save your dogs life. Rather than waiting until there is a problem with your dogs health, why not invest in your dogs health and wellness throughout their life. 

Journey Through Acupuncture

 Recently I have been receiving acupuncture treatments on a weekly basis. I had a brief education in acupuncture and Chinese medicine over 10 years ago when I was attending Massage Therapy School. This however was my first time being a patient. Of course with my line of work, I am a huge advocate for alternative health care and wellness based practices. I found myself a wonderful acupuncturist, and my journey began. 

 I was very impressed with my first visit. I was taken into a very cozy, soothing room where my acupuncturist and I talked about my reasoning for seeking treatment. She asked me many questions about my history and current conditions both emotionally and physically. She looked at my tongue, which is a diagnostic technique in acupuncture. You would be amazed at what your tongue can say about your health. We went over my treatment plan, and then it was time for the needles. I wasn't afraid of the needles, or anticipating any pain. I have a tattoo and surely this will not compare to that, which wasn't bad either. I'll be honest, the needles to the face are not very pleasant, but definitely worth it. The needles were put in place, and I was left to relax on a heated massage table. I'd say for my first treatment that I believe the needles were left in for about 30 minuets. After my first treatment I felt very relaxed. If not anything else, I knew that this treatment was at least reducing my stress level. I have had about 10 acupuncture treatments now and I will definitely be continuing to receive acupuncture. I have experienced reduced levels of stress, headache relief, sinus relief and hormonal balance. I would recommend acupuncture to anyone looking for an alternative treatment for any aliment. You will be amazed by the way you feel after treatment. 

Ellie-Mae's Adoption Story

We are madly in love were our puppy Ellie-Mae. I thought that I would share our story of how she became ours as her 1St birthday is approaching this Valentine's day. For two years I begged Patrick for a puppy. I really wanted to adopt, so I searched petfinder.com literally every day for two years. About once a week, I would e-mail pictures of puppies that were available to Patrick. He never responded to my puppy e-mails :( Then one day over the 4Th of July weekend while Patrick was home I came across Ellie-Mae. Her bio was perfect, she already had my last name, and her pictures were simply irresistible.  It was love at 1St sight. I called Patrick over to the computer to show him her page. I saw in his eyes that we had won him over. I asked "can we please go see her" to my surprise he instantly said YES. I couldn't believe it. I jumped up and said, "lets go". I knew that if I didn't act fast he was likely to change his mind. 

We jumped in the car and drove out to A.D.O.P.T the shelter where Ellie was at in Naperville, IL. It seemed like it took forever to get there. I was so excited. As soon as we walked in, I saw an employee take Ellie out back to play. We asked the front desk if we could meet Ellie-Mae. They told us that there has to be a counselor on site for us to even just meet her. Since Ellie was out back with staff in a fenced in area, we were able to go out back and see her. I was afraid that the staff was going to yell at me if I got to close to the fence, but Patrick put his hand up to the fence and Ellie ran right over to him. SOLD!!!! She is a smart girl. Ellie won his heart instantly. She was so sweet and oh so adorable. 

We asked if we could fill out an adoption form and they told us that we could, but we would have to bring it back in when a counselor was working which would only be on Tuesday from 5-7. They also informed us that a man and his son where there just before us looking at Ellie. This was our dog and one way or another I was going to make sure that she was coming home with us.

 I was so sad as we drove home without her. The minuet we walked in the door I filled out an online adoption form for Ellie. To go along with the adoption form, I typed out a 3 page letter with information on Patrick and I, our love story, our dog history, and everything that we promised to provide Ellie. I of course was booked with clients during the 2 hr. time span that the counselor was going to be available. In the rules for adoption, it clearly states that both parents must be on site during the counseling session for adoption approval. My husband is a real charmer, so I was pretty confident that if the counselor was a women, he would win her over.


 On that Tuesday, Patrick raced from downtown Chicago to Naperville to be the 1St in line for Ellie. He arrived at 4 and patiently waited for the counselor. He had our adoption form, and my 3 page typed letter on hand. The counselor came to greet him and they went back to see Ellie-Mae. As Patrick interacted with Ellie, the counselor sat back and read my forever long detailed letter. As she finished the letter she looked at Patrick and said, "she's yours". Meanwhile, I'm finishing up at work and Patrick calls to tell me the great news. I didn't even believe him. I thought he was playing tricks on me. Ellie was going to be spayed on Wednesday, and we were picking her up on Thursday. I was bursting with excitement!

We spent the next couple of days preparing for Ellie-Mae. We went Shopping!!! She had new toys, blankies and all the essentials ready for her arrival. We definitely went overboard, and to this day I still have to ration Patrick's visits to the puppy boutique. Every time he goes for more food, he can't help but buy her another $30 toy. Speaking of food, Patrick is obsessed with feeding her the very best. He researches all the best brands, and makes sure she only gets holistic food with a 5 star rating. If you have a dog, watch out for Patrick. He will talk your ear off about what you are feeding your dog. I love that he loves her so much.

We are blessed that Ellie-Mae has come into our life. She is our family, and I couldn't image a day without her. 

Thank You 2010

New Year's Day is on it's way and I'm super excited! January 1ST is my favorite day of the year. I love a fresh start and a whole new year. 2010 was very good to me. I was greatly blessed this year.

 My dad moved back to Chicago for the spring and summer :) He had his very important cancer scans and tests and there were no signs of anything:) He is currently celebrating his great health in Mexico for the winter. We are hoping that he will come back this spring. We are also excited to go visit him in the near future.

 In May Patrick proposed while we were down south visiting a winery. We were so excited to get married, and really wanted an outdoor fall wedding. So we set the date for September 24TH and spent a short 4 months planning our wedding day. Now I'm Mrs. Capuano and I couldn't be happier! 

Over the 4TH of July weekend, we adopted our puppy Ellie-Mae. She has brought so much joy into our lives, and also kept us super busy! 

We honeymooned in late September and early October on the Big Island of Hawaii and had the best time ever. I can't wait to go on another journey like that with my husband.

On December 17Th I turned 30. After many years of dreading 30, I am actually really excited for my 30's.

These are just a few of many, many wonderful blessing 2010 has brought. We have big hopes and dreams for 2011.

 Happy New Year!

Happy Holidays!

Oh Holy Night Religious Christmas Card

Shop Shutterfly.com for elegant Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Mahalo Hawaii

Mahalo Hawaii... Thanks for the memories.   


Hawaiian Oasis

 

                                      Kona Area

South Point

Volcano Village

Hilo

Laupahoehoe

Waipi'o Valley

Hawaii Part 12 - Waimea

We have come to our final full day on The Big Island. We fly out this evening at 8:30 pm. We woke up early and had the last of our farm fresh fruit for breakfast. We packed up the car and took a final shower in the amazing outdoor shower. We are really looking forward to this last leg of our trip to see what the final stretch of the island has to offer. We are an hour and a half from the airport. We are heading back to Kona town where our adventures began. We are giving ourselves 8 hours to explore before we have to check in at the airport. 


On our way back towards Kona, we stopped in a super cute town called Waimea. Waimea is located at 2,600 feet. The air here is cool and crisp. Big clouds move across the sky between Mauna Loa and Kohala. The Mauna Loa volcano is where you will find snow caps on the island. In the winter season you can ski down this breathtaking volcano. Waimea is also where you will find Hawaiian cowboys. There are not beaches or surfing on this side of the island. In fact there are large evergreen trees and cactus on this land. This is really an incredible sight to see. This town is really a town of it's own, with a very unique look and feel to it.  If I were to pick a town to move to on The Big Island, this would be the town.