Locks of Love

Several years ago, my sister-in-law, Cathy, told me about an organization called Locks of Love. Twice now, she has grown out her beautiful blond hair and then cut it off and donated it.

From the Locks of Love website:

Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. We meet a unique need for children by using donated hair to create the highest quality hair prosthetics. Most of the children helped by Locks of Love have lost their hair due to a medical condition called alopecia areata, which has no known cause or cure. The prostheses we provide help to restore their self-esteem and their confidence, enabling them to face the world and their peers.

If you have long hair or if your child is ready to lose the pigtails in lieu of a more grown-up style, keep this organization in mind. What a nice thing to do, and what a difference it can make.

Here are some before and after pictures of Cathy:

~*~*~ May you always remember to dance in the rain, and may you have plenty of ladybugs beside you! ~*~*~

Blessings,

Kat

Wildcard Wednesday: Ladybugs' First Ever Bloggy Award!

Muchas gracias to my friend Julie over at The Surrendered Scribe, who just passed on to me my first ever bloggy award for Dancing with Ladybugs!

This is the Arte Y Pico award and it is given to those who inspire others with their creative energy and talents in writing, artwork, design or contributions to the blogging community. I'll be the first to look funny at Julie for considering me in any of these categories, but I'm honored nonetheless!

I've been asked to pass this on to 5 other bloggers that inspire me. Problem is, there are too many to choose from, I couldn't possibly narrow the list to five. Instead, I'm going to put my own twist on this. Instead of me picking five, I'd like each of you to pick one. Choose the blog which most inspires you with creative energy and talents. Point them over here and tell them that this award is for them. I want YOU to pass on this award, and please leave a post to tell me who you're awarding this to, so I can add them to my list of "must read" blogs.

Go on, now, brighten someone's day!

~*~*~ May you always remember to dance in the rain, and may you have plenty of ladybugs beside you! ~*~*~

Blessings,
Kat

Good in the News: Lost Dog Home After 5 Years

The following is taken verbatim from a Today Show / MSN article, which you can find here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25700149&GT1=43001

Dog gone! Lost beagle back after 5 years, 850 miles
Rocco’s owner is now 11; ‘I was scared I’d never see him again,’ she says

By Bob Considine
TODAYShow.com contributor
updated 9:19 a.m. ET, Wed., July. 16, 2008

Five years ago, a heartbroken 5-year-old girl from Queens, N.Y., was hanging posters for the return of her lost beagle. Today, after years of wishes, little Natalie Villacis has been miraculously reunited with her beloved dog Rocco after he resurfaced some 850 miles away in Georgia — proving that every dog owner can have their day.

“I was actually scared that I was never going to see him again,” the now 11-year-old Natalie told TODAY’s Ann Curry on Wednesday. “I literally said, ‘I will probably never see him again.’ ”

Cristina Villacis, Natalie’s mother, said the family was shocked to get a call last week from a shelter in Hinesville, Ga., informing them that their long-lost pup had been found after half a decade. Thanks to a microchip implanted in the dog, an effective form of permanent identification, Natalie’s greatest hopes had been realized.

To help fill the aching void left by Rocco, the family got another dog a year after the disappearance — Bonita, a poodle from Ecuador. But even another wagging tail in the household could not fully erase Natalie’s heartache. “She got over it, but she was always wishful that he’d come back,” Cristina Villacis said. “She’d always make wishes.”

A surprise call
Although she was barely a pup herself at the time, Natalie had no problem remembering the joy of getting a new puppy named Rocco. “I was really excited,” she told Curry.

But one fateful day in 2003, after just two months in the Villacis household, the beagle slipped under a fence and ran off.

The family searched high and low, checked with neighbors and local authorities and posted flyers. But the only thing that remained of Rocco was his little red toy — and the memory of the joy he brought Natalie.

“She was very devastated,” Cristina said. “She kept his toy. She had a scrapbook with his picture.”

Then, on July 5, while Natalie was at a block party, the family received a call from Liberty County, Ga., Animal Control.

“We were so surprised,” Cristina said. “At first, of course, we thought, ‘It’s the wrong dog. It can’t be.’ But I think the turning point was when they said, ‘His name is Rocco.’ Right there, we said, ‘OK, it’s ours.’ ”

When her mom told her the amazing news, Natalie just “cried hysterically,” Cristina said. “She actually wanted to go to Georgia to pick him up, but the ride back was too long.”

A long leash
Natalie’s father, Jorge, and older brother, Nick, flew down to Georgia to pick up Rocco and drove the dog back home in a rental car.

“I was so choked up when I saw him,” Nick said. “It was a very nice moment, just to see him. He was doing well. He looked well-kept.”

Randy Durrence, supervisor at Liberty County, Ga., Animal Control, said Rocco had only a cut under his left eye and a spot behind one ear to show for his years on the road when he was brought in by someone who found him at a local military base. After the dog was scanned for a microchip, which Durrence says is “normal procedure,” he gladly made the call to the Villacis household.

“[Jorge] said he had been missing for five years,” Durrence said. “My understanding is that [Natalie] ran off into the bathroom and started crying right away. She is a real animal lover.”

How Rocco actually got all the way to Georgia from New York remains a mystery.

“Somebody must have taken him there; I honestly don’t think he walked there,” Cristina said with a laugh. “It’s OK, as long as we have him back.”

Durrence said no one came to claim the dog before the Villacis family, and that no one called to report this type of dog missing. But whoever it was that looked after Rocco over five long years has the lifelong gratitude of a little girl in Queens.

“Too bad we couldn’t meet them or see them,” Natalie said wistfully.

~*~*~ May you always remember to dance in the rain, and may you have plenty of ladybugs beside you! ~*~*~

Blessings,
Kat

Meet Kat

I just returned from a week-long vacation to Upstate New York, visiting family and friends. The trip started off with a cancelled connecting flight out of Washington, D.C., which left us 11 hours to kill in DC before we could get another flight. The day turned out well, with a visit to the monuments (our first with the kids) and a visit to my husband's cousin in Virginia.

All of last week's posts were written in advance but I was sure that I could write today's when I returned. However, I checked my work email... 682 unread emails. My personal email isn't much better. Don't even get me started on the laundry!!

So, instead of doing a less-than-ideal job in posting today about a person who inspires me (because I just have so many other things to do and frankly, I'm tired!), I'm going to point you to me.

No, I don't think I'm nearly as inspirational as some (most? all?) of the other folks I usually write about on Mondays, but this blog has been up for a little while now and well, maybe you're curious as to who's behind it.

So, use today to catch up on some posts you may have missed here, or maybe check out one of my other two blogs to get to know me a little better:

Random Thoughts from a Newbie Blogger

Kat's Next Five Things

I'll be back with your regularly scheduled programming tomorrow, I promise!

~*~*~ May you always remember to dance in the rain, and may you have plenty of ladybugs beside you! ~*~*~

Blessings,
Kat

Photo Friday: Perspective

In our crazy, run-a-round lives, it’s so easy to overlook the simple things surrounding us. Take a minute… walk in the footsteps of a child… check out the beauty right there waiting to be discovered.

Photos by Bree Instefjord, Christmas 2007… 4 1/2 years old. Words by Melanie Instefjord.

~*~*~ May you always remember to dance in the rain, and may you have plenty of ladybugs beside you! ~*~*~

Blessings,
Kat

Cool People & The USO

I've always had a soft spot in my heart for the men and women who proudly and bravely serve our country. These are people who do a job that most of us wouldn't dream of doing. They leave their families, they put their lives on the line, and they do it with a bravery and dedication that most of us can't claim. Supporting them is not about politics, it's about patriotism.

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One of my heroes (and I don't have many) is retired Brigadier General Joseph L. Shaefer (who I lovingly refer to as "General Joe.") His patriotism and friendship is unparalleled, and I'm proud to know him. He served 36 years in the US Army (PSYOP and Special Forces) and the US Air Force (Intelligence), both active and reserve.

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I'm always looking for ways to support our troops, so I asked Joe which organization might be best suited to put my donations to good use. He recommended to me the USO.

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The USO is a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to support the troops by providing morale, welfare and recreation-type services to our men and women in uniform. The original intent of Congress — and enduring style of USO delivery — is to represent the American people by extending a touch of home to the military. The USO currently operates more than 130 centers worldwide, including ten mobile canteens located in the continental United States and overseas. Overseas centers are located in Germany, Italy, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, Qatar, Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan, Guam, and Kuwait. Service members and their families visit USO centers more than 5.3 million times each year. The USO is the way the American public supports the troops. (Quote taken from the USO website)

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I've blogged here before about another one of my favorite organizations, CoolPeopleCare. The goal of this organization is to show us all how we can make a true difference in this world, every single day, in 5 minutes or less.

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So when the CoolPeople offered me the chance to support both their organization AND a non-profit of my choice, and to also bring a benefit to my friends, family and readers, I jumped at the chance.

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Starting today and continuing for forever, Dancing with Ladybugs has it's very own coupon code, which can be used to purchase merchandise from the CoolPeopleCare store. Using this code, you'll receive 5% off your purchase, and 5% will be donated to the USO. Their store offers t-shirts, eco-friendly products, books, stickers and fair-trade coffee, just to name a few items. I personally own pretty much one of everything, and I personally stand behind the quality of their products.

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If you're in the market for any "green" items, if you'd like to support the USO, or even if you're just curious, go check out the CoolPeopleCare store. If you make a purchase, be sure to use the code LADYBUG at checkout, to receive your 5% discount and to make sure the 5% donation gets routed to the USO.

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If you have any questions at all about the program, send me an email: DancingWithLadybugs [at] gmail.com.

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~*~*~ May you always remember to dance in the rain, and may you have plenty of ladybugs beside you! ~*~*~

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Blessings,

Kat

Wildcard Wednesday: 5 Minutes for Special Needs

Every parent knows that raising children can be a challenge. Even the healthiest, most "by the book" kids require a lot of attention, care, patience and love. Every parent needs support from time to time, in one form or another. When you're the parent of a special needs child, sometimes the level of support or kind of support is a little bit different.

5 Minutes for Special Needs provides just such a forum for this kind of support, for parents of special needs children to share their stories, experiences, advice, heartbreaks and triumphs. For parents who don't have special needs kids, it's a site to learn more about some of the challenges that our family, friends, or kids' friends may be facing. No pity allowed over there -- they know that every kid is a kid and every parent is a parent, and "special needs" or not will never change that.

I encourage you to check out the site, to add the button to your sidebar, and to spread the word. Take a minute to leave a comment, let them know you're reading. There are lots of contributors on the site, so the content is fresh and different all the time. 5 minutes is all it takes to make a difference.

Support. Insight. Inspiration. You'll find it all there.

~*~*~ May you always remember to dance in the rain, and may you have plenty of ladybugs beside you! ~*~*~

Blessings,
Kat