Dripping with Happiness

Mornings are the hardest part, because it's the start of the day that takes us away from each other. So we lie there with baited breath, knowing what the outcome will be. The clock stealing what little time we have left together. Olive thuds into bed next to me and we lie there even longer. Alarms go off and we rise from our bed; grudgingly removing the covers.

But all I want to do is stay in that moment; to feel the warmth of his body to the right of me - my arm holding him close. I want to feel Olive's little breath upon my face because she has shoved her fluffy self in between my chest and the inside of my left arm. I want to stay in that moment forever, because it feels like home. Safe, warm, and dripping with happiness.

Instead we reluctantly get dressed, wash our faces, brush our teeth. We feed the rabbit, make coffee and go our separate ways. Each departure sealed with a hug and a kiss.

Our shrine, I mean bookcase...

Alex & I have a bookcase that was given to us by my parents. So when we moved in together, we loaded that thing up with our books, random oddities and other items that represent us. Alex likes to joke around that it's our shrine, and honestly, I couldn't agree more. It's just perfect.

the Beach

Yesterday Alex & I went to the Beach. It wasn't your typical beach though, it was actually a giant ball pit, and it was awesome! It was created by Snarkitecture. I found out about this free event through social media (go figure) and knew that I would seriously regret not going. So we drove to the Amalie Arena Center in Tampa to experience the ball pit for ourselves. We had a blast too. Not only was it free, but we were also given ice cream while we waited to enter!

It was pretty crazy to walk into an arena full of clear balls.

My Skincare Routine

My skincare routine hasn't changed much since I was in my twenties. I still use anti-ageing cream (you can never start too early) and nowadays I make it a point to religiously wash my face every morning and every night. However, the products that I use have changed a lot over the years. I try to focus on cruelty free, all natural products, essential oils and an all around more gentle approach to my skincare. I figured it would be fun to share with you some of the products that I use.

Destiny's Boutique
Charcoal Facial Bar Soap
I just recently bought this charcoal bar soap. My search for a natural face wash that didn't have alcohol  in it was becoming difficult. Then I came across this charcoal soap and I have to say, I'm pretty impressed. This soap leaves my skin feeling clean and not dried out like the other face washes I was using. Best of all, it's all natural, cruelty free and alcohol free.

Acure Eye Cream
Superfruit+Chlorella Growth Factor
I found this eye cream at Target a year ago and I've loved it ever since. I use this around my eyes and I can feel a definite difference after I use it. This eye cream is unique in the fact that it has edelweiss stem cells and chlorella in it that helps stimulate the growth of collagen and reduces wrinkles.

Oliology Vitamin E Oil
Theraputic Grade
This stuff is amazing. Instead of using face lotion I apply this onto my face and it leaves my skin feeling hydrated. Surprisingly, it isn't greasy because it dissolves into the skin. I use this every morning and night after I've washed my face. Best of all it boosts collagen production.

Aside from these products, I always try and make sure to put good things into my body. Like lots of water, fruit high in antioxidants, less sugar and less dairy. Staying out of the sun helps a lot too!

Olive & the Chamomile Flowers

Little Miss Olive Gooseberry has a slight obsession with chamomile flowers - I'm always happy to oblige.

Olive Conquered GI Stasis

This past weekend was terrible.

On Saturday morning Olive started to show the beginning signs of GI Stasis. I initially noticed that something was different when she didn't eagerly greet me in the morning when I scooped out her breakfast pellets. She was acting somewhat antisocial, and even though some days she doesn't come out of her cage for hours, I knew something was different. She was acting strange and so unlike herself. She wasn't eating and I didn't really notice her pooping either.

I already knew about GI Stasis, so I spent most of the day trying to feed Olive anything I could think of - mint, basil, chamomile flowers, etc. She barely ate them and I could tell that she was miserable. By the time Alex got home from work I voiced my concerns. We tried feeding her a few more times and at around 10pm we decided to call her vet. They told us to syringe feed her pineapple juice so Alex & I went to the store and brought home a pineapple that Alex cut up and somehow managed to get enough juice from it. We fed it to Olive and I still wasn't convinced. I called the vet back and got the address of the closest emergency vet.

Alex & I drove an hour to the ER and got there at midnight. I was frantic and in tears - fearing the worst. I knew how quickly this condition could progress and, if left untreated, it could end in death. I was beside myself - so nervous that I wouldn't even let Alex drive because I had to feel as though I was in control of at least something. Once we got there the vet immediately saw Olive. They weighed her, asked about her symptoms and tried to take her temperature - which was unsuccessful because Olive jumped off of the table and into my arms. It was at that moment that I started balling. I had never seen her that scared. I looked at Alex and all I saw was worry.

They took her in the back and I was crying and shaking so hard that I didn't know what to do with myself. Olive had GI stasis and I just wanted her to be okay, to make it through - because I didn't know what I would do without her. Alex was great at consoling me, holding me and staying positive. I needed it too. I needed his logic. The doctor came back in an hour later. She had given Olive Sub-q fluids on the back of her neck for hydration and syringe fed her Critical Care. She then told us that we had two options: We could leave her there over night for more Sub-q fluids and syringe feedings or we could take her home and syringe feed her ourselves - every six hours.

I was so scared in that moment. I didn't know if I had it in me to properly take care of her. I left the decision up to Alex and he decided it would be best if we took her home. He pointed out that leaving her in a strange place would only make things worse. She wasn't dehydrated (she was still drinking and peeing), so another round of Sub-q fluids wasn't necessary. She needed us and we could figure out the right way to do things - especially with directions from the vet.

We took Olive home and at 8am the next day we syringe fed her the Critical Care. She hated it. The mix was too thick for the syringe (no matter how much water we added to it) and we had to press down too hard in order to get anything out and into her mouth. But after a few feedings, she started to recover - she was pooping and eating a few things here and there. Monday afternoon we gave her the last syringe feeding, since she had eaten some pellets and had steadily been consuming hay. We figured that continuing to give her the Critical Care ever six hours was simply prolonging everything. We felt as though the Critical Care was leaving her too full to consume anything else. On Monday she slowly ate her small scoop of pellets and salad.

Once Tuesday morning rolled around Olive eagerly greeted me outside of her cage when I went to feed her the pellets. She ate dinner that night and even hopped into bed with us for some much needed cuddle time. I'm glad to say that she's recovered from the ordeal and I am incredibly relieved. I really don't know what I would do with out that bun of mine and I am over the moon because she is finally okay.