Life of Reilly

Monday, November 10, 2014

Hi There! I'm still here!! Ahh Life in Italy Continues...

Last time I wrote, we had the little rescue/feral Siamese kitty that we named Gypsy. We did absolutely everything we could to make her feel comfortable in her new home; we put together relaxing music for her, we sprinkled catnip, fed her the best food, had a plethora of toys...we even gave her her own room. It seemed all was lost, and with my petsitting she just wasn't going to feel comfortable here in this environment. Then one day a very nice lady contacted me and told me how she had a nice, big house on the coast, no other animals and had actual training with domesticating feral cats. She said she would love to take her and work with her. I felt it was the right thing to do for Gypsy's sake. So she's happy in her new home now :)

That was back in April. (Whoa, I've been gone awhile!)
So, we have the rest of April, May, June, July, August, September and this month to cover.

April 27th was my husbands birthday and I surprised him with what he says was "the best birthday ever" I put together a Pirate themed birthday party with all our friends.

In the beginning of May I chopped my hair off, 16 inches!!

and today it looks like this!

May 12th I sent my dad flowers all the way from Italy to Oregon!

May 31st, MY BIRTHDAY!! I turned the ol' 28. Riley took me to dinner to the most AMAZING place then baked me a cake all by himself!

And for the next couple weeks it was beaches, drinks, bbq's, beaches and guess what, more beaches!!

The Corpsman Ball was on June 13th, 2014 and it was one of the best nights of my life. I'm so proud of my sailor.

Then for the rest of June, you guessed it, more beach time, sushi, petsitting out in Italy with amazing views, great times spent with my very good friend and neighbor Nicole, some storms scattered in there (if you know me even a litte, you know I love a good storm)

I found an amazing hair stylist by the name of Daniel Rey Valenzuela.

Robin Williams passed away in August :(

August 17th, 2014 was our official 1 year anniversary where we spent it in a castle in Tuscany drinking wine, enjoying our incredible views, drinking more wine and just being in general awe at the fascinating structure of this place.

We were able to Skype with my parents as they ate our cake topper.

September 7th, 2014 I QUIT SMOKING!!!!

September 9th, 2014 The Plain White T's came here to our base and performed. It was such a fun night.

September 18th I went to Sperlonga, Italy and met a wonderful lady named June Morocco who is an amazing travel agent that my parents met back in Oregon. What a coincidence!

And now for the grand finale, the best of the whole year! MY PARENTS CAME TO VISIT!!!

Click here to see ALL of our pictures from their visit

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.576505275810210&type=1&l=1124743364

Okay, so I was completely and utterly nervous, ecstatic, terrified, anxious, excited and any other emotion you can think of, for them to come. I know it sounds silly to be anything other than happy for your parents to come visit but let me explain. I was nervous because I felt the pressure. The pressure of giving them this great "Italy experience" all on my shoulders. I didn't want to let them down. I wondered, will they like our house? Our car? Our cats? Will they even like Italy? What will it be like with both Riley and I not working?? Will we get along? Will all 4 of us get along?
I know, all completely ridiculous fears, but I had them. But I was determined to not let my irrational fears get in the way of our having a good time and showing them where we live.

Let me give you a little background.

My parents and I, and Riley are all VERY close. They (obviously) raised me but they were also a big part of Rileys childhood as well. We all love each other more than words can explain, there's no judgment, passive-aggressive-ness, no negativity (for the most part) we're just family, more like friends. So, again, these fears I had were dumb.

Anyway, we did, we all had a great time. we filled our days with everything Italy. Some days were more low key, some days kicked our asses, but all in all, I would say it was a huge success! And we can't wait for them to come back so we can show them Northern Italy!

My mom actually wrote a piece on her thoughts about their trip to Italy:

I haven’t posted a thing about our Italy trip until now; no pictures, not a word. I don’t know why, other than I didn’t want to. I was busy. I didn’t even wanna talk to anyone, or text or send any picture messages. By the time someone is my age they’ve done a lot of traveling; some extensively. Me, I’ve only been as far as Wyoming, and most of our trips were in Oregon. I never wanted to travel, I like daily life, I don’t want to get away from it. Then my one and only sweet daughter moves overseas (ya might wanna get a cup of coffee)…

So with all the enthusiasm and fearlessness I could muster I ventured forth to a whole other side of the planet! Our trip just happened to land during a time where I was not physically at my best. Cheerful and happy yes, but after 30 years of overdoing everything, stress had caught up to me and worn down my adrenal glands, among other things. So I packed up all my vitamins, took a packing seminar and off we flew! Other than a 20 minute plane ride @ 17 (when one knows no fear), I had never been on a plane, let alone a 24 hour stint (maybe more about that later).

During the 2+ weeks we were in Southern Italy I kept trying to formulate in my mind what I thought, or how I was feeling about my unique adventure. I realized that this was a big thing and would probably take time to process. This morning I woke up, thought about the whole experience and began to cry my eyes out with what I came away with.

For two weeks in October we had the profound and precious experience of hanging out with our kids; my adorable daughter and her equally adorable husband, who is truly the son-of-my-heart. Here come the tears again, as I recount the times we had together: Reilly and I did lots of shopping; for clothes, for groceries, just regular stuff moms and daughters do; daily stuff…talking, showing each other our things, seeing her home and how they have formed a new life together, complete with kitties, and friends next door. So many times I was able to hold her and hug her and kiss her on the cheek and just stand there hugging her; so comforting, so important, and so needed.

So many meaningful things we did together that you don’t even think about taking a picture of because it’s either so normal, or daily, or common. Shortly after we got there I developed an abscess on a lump I’ve had in my armpit for years. It became so painful after a few days that Pete and Riley took me to the ER at the Naval Hospital where he works and orchestrated the entire procedure to have it lanced, he even held my hand the whole time… it was an interesting way to see where he works and what he does for a living…I even got to meet “Daviddanielbutters”! And, Riley was the one who lovingly packed and repacked my wound every morning for the rest of our stay; such an odd treasure of a time. Or the day he drove Pete and I up the Amalfi Coast road (Reilly stayed home for some downtime). The driving in Italy is insane to put it mildly, and that road is infamous for its treacherous curves and tour buses and mopeds all screaming around the corners! For three or four hours he stayed enthusiastically steady and trustworthy, he never lost his cool, he never hit a car…impressive doesn’t even cut it. Then we stopped at a roadside ristorante for some Italian food and vino rosso d casa (red house wine), while we overlooked a typical Italian view of old ladies with their cats, hanging out on the rooftops, leaning over their balconies, watching loud Italian men working on things.

A couple nights before we left we enjoyed a potluck BBQ with their neighbor friends, Josh and Nicole. The wine, grappa, and limoncello flowed as we got to know one another and told old stories. Of course, the kids have always had their own beautiful quirky dynamic that continues to entertain us even though they are full grown blown-ups now. We brought home a few of those quirks we will treasure as we say them (lacka-lacka-lacka, you’d have to be there).

They spent months creating a guest room for us that was so comfy and charming, complete with bamboo (for the zen effect) and Riley’s collections and plaques, for his manly touch. We watched 2 of Riley’s favorite movies: Master & Commander, and Pirates of the Caribbean, we kept up with Big Bang Theory, enjoyed Kebabs (big ol burritoey things), gelato (yes, you can get sick of gelato I found out), and I don’t care what anyone says, OUR pizza and wine is better!

Those guys were so gracious and accommodating, and fun to be with that our time with them was the most wonderful aspect of our time in Italy! We made decisions together as a team every day, even though one day was a comedy of errors, we forgot to eat, walked waaay too much, spend too much time on a tour bus, and waited waaay too long at the Hard Rock Café in Roma for some much needed American food! Riley was the best driver ever (did I mention I was the one who taught him to drive?) he scared us a few times, but he had to show off a little.

In the evenings, after a 5 mile hike all over Pompeii, or the Vatican Museum, we’d lounge around on their big ol couch watching youtube videos or doing stuff on our phones, silently enjoying the comfort of closeness, looking over at one another now and then with smiles. I can’t believe how much I’m crying about all that, it really was the best thing ever being with them in all sorts of little significant ways.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, yes we did see some sites! I have to say I was more positively overwhelmed with the historical and architectural aspect then I was with everyday Italian life. I think it’s because Southern Naples is not the beautiful and glamorous side of Italy, there were some very seedy, impoverished areas that we saw. Their economy is bad and one Italian man said that the Italian people were, “not good, not good”. I’ve never really seen a real live hooker before but they were all along the roadsides, sitting on buckets with their umbrellas; garbage littered the streets, graffiti everywhere (there was even a billboard that said, “Ignore the graffiti, everyone else does.”) Sad, but eye-opening.

On a more positive note, I have always been an ancient history buff, I’ve read everything I could get my hands on about ancient ruins, everywhere. I can explain cuneiform writing to you, I know where Gobekli Tepe is, I could have been an archeologist if I hadn’t been so into partying in high school. So seeing some of things we saw in and around Naples was over the top in so many ways. Here’s a rundown in order of my faves:

Pompeii- Absolutely incredible! 173 acres of an amazing ancient city that was once full of beauty and art and order! We hiked over 5 miles there and enjoyed every minute! I would give anything to spend one day there back in 78 AD. All of the artifacts are housed in the Naples Archeological Museum which we will visit next time.

Capua Coliseum- This was actually our first encounter with an ancient Roman ruin. It’s a tad smaller than the one in Rome. As I approached it I was overpowered with emotion and started choking up. I felt very emotional throughout the whole thing for some reason. This coliseum you can explore and there is no one else around. We walked all over and under the thing and marveled at what kinds of things took place there.

Vatican Museum – The line for this was blocks long, but Riley asked one of the guards if we could bypass the line because of Pete’s breathing issue and sure enough we waltzed right in! It’s mind-blowing to me what humans can create, how they lived, and how incredibly artistic and inventive they were back then! There were lots of massive religious art pieces, sculptures, furniture, you name it! Riley and I were in awe and stayed together throughout most of it, marveling and discussing. Pete and Reilly didn’t have that same intensity for all things old and opulent so they scooted through and waited for us at the exit. Good thing, cause Riley and I didn’t have a phone… Scary!

Amalfi Coast – As I write this I realize all these were my favorite! I already mentioned that white-knuckle excursion, but I wanna add, every bit of that road was gorgeous. The steep terrain was completely covered with vineyards and stucco houses. Unbelievable to me that people can live in such a tight, steep, environment!

Caserta Palace- We visited this palace one day kinda by accident, it was immense and was a lot like the Vatican Museum in time spent there and magnificence. We took a horse-drawn carriage ride all around the grounds after lunch. The whole time the weather was in the high 70s! Beautiful!

ROME – Crap! What an adventure! 4 milllion people! Founded in 753 BC, it is the oldest inhabited city in the world. We spent four days there and could’ve spent four more if we could have held up! We shopped, we ate, we had a front row top seat on a open air double-decker tour bus for three hours, it was dirty, it was fantastic, it was eye-popping, it was gigantic. Actually, all these words fall short. I got so annoyed with myself for only having Amazing, Cool, and Awesome in my vocabulary (with the occasional Geez and Holy Shit)!

St Peter’s Square- Immense, with lots of statues, and a big obelisk in the middle. We saw it at night and in the daytime. It was, again, cool.

The Pantheon – This is still a functioning church, I’m not sure what kind, but pan means all, and theo is God so it was originally the worship of all gods. It is a massive domed structure with a giant hole in the middle and a drain in the floor. Oh yeah, everything is marble, I mean everything in Italy.

The Coliseum- We saw it but didn’t go into it. It too is massive and right in the middle of the city. Next time we will take it and the Roman Forum on! The kids said that you could explore more at the Capua Coliseum so we passed…this time.

Well that concludes the highlights of the trip but one of the most precious tear-jerking moments was when we came home. First, Roxy Ann from an angle I’ve never seen before, then, on the ground we came out into our beautiful, sweet Rogue Valley! If you know me, you know I am a hometown girl…I lovelovelove the Rogue Valley, I am its biggest fan! But I never loved her so much as when I got back into her fresh, clean air, and saw all her comforting hills and mountains surrounding me. How pleasant and simple our little airport is, how nice the people; like family. But it didn’t stop there, we were met by my wonderful mom, right on time and cheerfully welcoming us back, with food! She had cared for Boone while we were away, and spoiled him rotten. Then there was Boone, failing eyesight and hips took him awhile to realize it was us, but he cried real tears when it dawned on him and he was joyously beside himself for an hour or more!

Then getting home (sweet home) to Bridjit (she hasn’t let us be since we got back!) And our very own shower, and our very own bed, and our beautiful backyard, and all our silly chickens! There are so many wonderful things about our lives; our own special environment that we love and are so very grateful for. We had so many great neighbors caring for our stuff while we were gone, Alene picked up our mail, Susan did chicken duty and I’m sure loved Bridjit to bits, Caroline watered plants and fed the chickens, and even left flowers and a welcome home greeting on the table!

I knew we were loved and blessed, but now, with the contrast of a land so far away, we feel it so much more!

Sam Mitchell

So tonight I’m sitting here at the base dog park with the 3 dogs I have until tomorrow; Duke, Blue and Niki. It’s evening, a little bit chilly but ohh so relaxing. The hubby and I didn’t have such a great day, and I left in kind of a huff but almost as soon as I got here I just couldn’t resist the smile! Being here is like, an instant antidepressant. Forget Zoloft, Welbutrin, Prozac, and Paxil, just come to the dog park! OR! Surround yourself with cats! Cats are ALWAYS a good idea.
We still have Naviche’ who’s almost 2 years old now and Nora who’s about 6 months old. Nora just finished her first “heat cycle” (which was interesting and uncomfortable to say the least) and now we are waiting for an opening so we can get her spayed. We do not plan on getting any other cats unless we move into a house or we just happen to fall absolutely in love with one.
I’m still petsitting. I have 3 dogs that come for daycare 5 days a week plus any other dogs who need weekend or longer care. I’ve had up to 7 dogs in my little apartment at once! (won’t be doing that again)

Click here to visit my Pet Sitting website! à http://reillyj08.wix.com/happytails

Riley still works in the Emergency Room, he switches from day shift to night shift every 2 months. He just switched back to night shift and I would say I’m only like, 40% of a fan of that. He loves it though.

Sometimes we’ll go on a spontaneous trip to Rome, Sperlonga, Mt. Vesuvius, a new restaurant or even just to take a drive and see what there is to see here in Southern Italy. We have been planning a few trips in the months to come…Riley is going to Zermatt, Switzerland (right at the base of the Matterhorn!) for a weekend in December. And he has been planning a surprise trip for us on our coming up vacation December 22^nd – January 5^th. I couldn’t be more excited, he’s always been so great at that kind of stuff.
And of course next summer we’re. doing. EVERYTHING. I mean it, there are so many things we missed last summer due to timing, working, and money etc. that I’m not going to miss even one thing this time.

Italy has been so great to us. We are completely happy and in awe by this place. We still can’t believe we get to LIVE here, even after a year of being here. Yes, it has its downfalls, just like every other place in the world but I wouldn’t trade it for anything right now. I’m learning so much more than I ever imagined I would, I actually like history now, whereas before, not so much. That’s the thing, before we got here, I thought that Italy was all about the colorful houses on the mountainsides, pretty pink wooden boats, beaches, amazing beaches everywhere, wine…and that was it. That’s all I thought Italy was. But it’s SO much more than that. There is SO much more history here than I can even wrap my brain around, the sculptures, the stories, the kings and queens, and not to mention their castles…I was extremely pleasantly surprised when I got here and realized how much more it was than I thought. And we get another 3-4 years to soak it all in.

Monday, April 14, 2014

Adventures In Kitty Land

Rewind about a year ago.

It was just a regular evening in the Shepherd household. Something came up that led us to the discussion of getting a cat.

I've always loved cats. In fact, I remember always saying;

"when I grow up, I want to be a crazy cat lady"

First, there was Casper, a big, puffy gray Persian. He left us in a tragic way, I'll never forget my mom holding him as he slipped away after being hit by a car.

Then there was Sammy, another big and puffy cat, only she was a Ragdoll.

both had their attitudes and quirks but I loved them so much. Then, there was Cougar. I adopted him from a horse ranch I worked at when I was 13. I ADORED this cat, almost too much. I was that person, running around behind him saying, "let me love youuuu!"

Okay, back to a year ago. I'm with Riley, the man who's known me since I was 12 years old. Who witnessed life with all of these cats and my immeasurable amount of love for them. And we start talking about getting a cat, eventually. Well, he has the audacity to say that we're NEVER going to get a cat. That he "hates cats". (WHO HATES CATS???!!) Imagine my surprise and disbelief! I was speechless. How could someone who has witnessed this passion and love for something, tell me NO, we can NEVER get a cat?!

I didn't know what to say, all I kept thinking was, and I agreed to MARRY this man?? How can I marry someone who hates cats? (yes, this is how strong my love for cats is)

I needed a break. I needed to cool down, so I went for a drive.

After being on the road for a few minutes, I realize, hey, maybe I shouldn't be driving when I'm bawling my eyes out. So I pulled into a parking lot. Remember, this is all happening at night. I sat in my car just, crying. Confused, scared and hurt.

Suddenly, I see bright headlights right behind me. And then a police officer taps on my window signaling for me to roll it down. I was terrified! And not to mention embarrassed that I'm sitting alone in my car crying like a baby. The police officer asks what I'm doing, why am I parked here, and a million other questions. I complied. I asked if I was trespassing or doing something wrong and he said, "well, you are the only car sitting in a bank parking lot, it looked a little suspicious". Talk about not aware of my surroundings!

Then he asked what caused the fight.

I kept trying to tell him it was nothing, it's stupid, and yes, I do feel safe at home, I just needed to cool off. But he persisted. I told him I was embarrassed to tell him, but he reassured me he'd understand.

I told him; "we got in a fight because he won't let me get a cat"

He giggled a little along with me and told me that he does understand, that his wife wants a cat too, but he doesn't like them, just like Riley and I.

After a minute or two of trying to regain any pride I had left, another cop walks up, it's a woman. She says; "here, maybe this chocolate will help make you feel better."

a few weeks later. I come home from work and I see a litter box, food and water bowls...All the works for a kitty. I tore open the front door to see Riley sitting there with the proudest look on his face. I screamed and cried and bear hugged him all while yelling, "is this real?? Don't joke with me! Don't you dare joke! Seriously??"

He wasn't joking.

Then a couple weekends later, I see that an adoption agency is going to be at a PetSmart in a town like 2 hours away. I actually went to see a specific kitten, Josiah. He was gray, just like Cougar. But when I got there, I made eye contact with another kitty. A Siamese/Snowshoe mix. He was gorgeous. The moment I picked him up he nuzzled right up on my shoulder and started purring. He was the one. But, as I was trying to get a hold of Riley, more people were filing in. I literally had to fight for him, like a black Friday sale or something.

Introducing, Naviche'

Click here for more pictures of Navi'

Navi' has been a miracle. He is the exact, most perfect kitty I could have ever imagined. And I bet if you ask Riley today, whether he likes cats, his answer would be different from what it was a year ago ;)

Now, fast forward to a few weeks ago. Riley saw this little Siamese-looking kitty running around outside near our building. He was a stray. Now, I don't remember what exactly was said, all I know was it was enough ammunition I needed that if I caught the kitty, I knew he'd let me keep it. I don't think he realized what was happening. For the last few weeks I ran all over the base looking for him, leaving tuna out, and I even paired up with an incredible lady, Carolyn and was able to use a couple of her safe cat traps. Days and days came and went, and I started feeling discouraged. I felt like this was going to be the ONLY other cat Riley was going to let me get, and if I couldn't catch him, all hope was lost for me to get another kitty.

Everyone on base chipped in to help! It was the most amazing thing, I got texts and emails, and even picture messages from people saying they saw him. On Thursday April 10th, 2014 I got a text. It read, "you caught your kitty!!!!" I couldn't believe it!! I was just about to throw in the towel!

So I bring him up to the house, create his own space in the guest bathroom, and give him food and water. He's terrified, and probably confused. I know he's a stray, and possibly a little feral but being that he's only about 6 months old, he has a better chance of being domesticated. I'm ready and willing to do whatever it takes.

I've been researching, and I have found some really good resources and advice.

Here are a few of the websites:

http://www.life-with-siamese-cats.com
http://www.wikihow.com/Befriend-a-Wild-Cat-or-Kitten
http://www.travelswithtigger.com/fanciers/trad-siamese-faq.html
http://www.sheknows.com/pets-and-animals/articles/1033157/here-kitty-kitty-should-you-tame-a-feral-cat

Something else I did, was I created a mix CD of relaxing music for scared cats. Yes, it's actually a thing :) I play it on repeat in his room.

In the evenings I sit with him. Just, reading, or blogging, or just to sit. To help him know that I don't want to hurt him.

Tomorrow I have his first vet appointment where I will find out if he is a boy or a girl, whether hes been spayed or neutered, has had any shots etc.

From there I can get back to my training, and helping him warm up to his new family.

Sunday, March 9, 2014

You Are Not Alone.

Last night, on March 8th, 2014 I had my first, known, irrefutable panic attack.

At first I wasn't sure what I was feeling, I figured it was just...nothing, or me feeling that way for an illegitimate reason. But after 2 hours of it getting increasingly stronger, I started to well, panic. Scared that I might actually be having a real panic attack.

My first, instinctive thought was, "get some Xanax or Klonopin from Nicole" since I didn't have any. I'd convinced myself, and the doctors that I never wanted to have to take medications. That I would much rather fix a problem naturally. But, when it came down to brass tax, turns out, I was fooling not only myself but the doctors, I did want meds. And I wanted them now.

I started texting Nicole.

We talked about how we both feel the need to snack while feeling this way, which, I never understood before but it made perfect sense to me last night that maybe if I ate pancakes or some kind of heavy food, it would "fill the void" and make my stomach feel better. It doesn't work. At all. She also told me to take deep breaths, focus on my breathing and try to calm down. She asked me if I knew what caused it, and if my husband was home. Which, that's the million dollar question it seems like; "what's causes it?" and I NEVER know. It's the most frustrating thing. I literally feel like the luckiest girl in the world, that my life is pretty damn near perfect. So why would I have anxiety? Or panic attacks??

Nicole didn't offer me meds.

And at first I didn't understand why that wouldn't be the first thing she said. But once it was all said and done, I knew why. It's because she's an amazing friend. She wants to help me fix it, to get through it and figure out what's causing it so that I don't have to go through it again. It was literally a prime example of one of those situations where you don't understand right away but you'll be thanking them later. So thank you Nicole, for being such a great friend.

I then called my husband, Riley. By then I was crying, feeling scared and hopeless. But, even though at work, he guided me through some breathing techniques and told me to listen to this particular track on his computer. When I opened it, I had no idea who I was about to hear, but once the audio started I knew exactly who it was; our lifelong pastor and the man who married us, Arbee. It was a recording of this one Sunday at church. It was a healing message and in the background of this seriously anointed message, was Jeff, playing guitar. Almost immediately after hitting play I started feeling calmer, more at peace.

While on the phone with Riley, I actually learned something about him. He sometimes has little panic attacks as well. (I know, you'd think I know this about my own husband!) but that just goes to show how well he handles them. I asked him what causes anxiety for him and how he gets through it. He told me that over all these years, anytime he's struggling with anxiety or just needs to feel motivated, he puts on this track of Arbee and Jeff and he just sort of, glides through it.

I never knew!

Then I called my mom.

It was almost like auto-pilot, she jumped to the rescue and started doing all of the things she knows would help me. Starting with praying. She helped me with some more breathing techniques, taught me some energy medicine, she even distracted me a little by talking about some of her projects :) by the end of my conversation with her, I went from a 9.5 to about a 2. It was amazing.

I'm learning that I can talk about it now, admit it, and that I'm not alone and I'm not a freak.

And that, after last night, I realize that natural remedies CAN and DO actually work.

Last night I learned that I dont NEED Xanax or Klonopin to deal, I came through to the other side of this naturally. And it felt marvelous.

I also learned, like really learned that we need to take a good hard look inside ourselves, and around us in our environments to really figure out what the root of the problem is. There is something that's causing this and we don't have to just suffer through this agony and fear. It can be fixed.

What are your stressors?

How can you remove either it from your life, or you from the situation?

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Spring and Summer 2014 Fashion.

As the sun starts showing it's face and we roll out of our wintery beds this Spring and Summer 2014 so does a whole new world of fashion. So brush off the Seasonal Affective Disorder and enjoy the research I've put together!

I spent a good while reading online; scouring Vogue, Glamour, Cosmo, Grazia (here in Italy), and Vogue Italia for what's hot this season and here's what I've come up with:

Hair:
~Mixed Textures