My Life

National Pet Memorial Day

Our little furry friends sometimes become such huge members of our lives and leave us with some of our best memories when they depart. They are more than just pets for some people, they are friends, children or just companions. They fill the void in our lives with love and loyalty. So it becomes even more difficult when we have to depart with them.
National Pet Memorial Day was established by the International Association of Pet Cemeteries and Crematories to commemorate the love and friendship of these lovely animals that have now left the world. Here are ways you can celebrate the National Pet Memorial Day and relive some old memories of your old friend.

Go Through Old Pictures

A great way to remember old times with your old pet is to go through your old pictures of them with you. It is more of a kick start to your brain to remember the good times you had with them. Usually, all we need is a little reminder to jog our memory and pictures do just that.
Collect all the pictures you find of your pet and make them into one large scrapbook so that whenever you need to go down memory lane with your pet, you can always just look up this scrapbook. You could also put a bunch of your favorite pictures of you and your pet on online social media platforms. Instagram and Snapchat especially favor pictorial content. With your posts, you could also encourage everyone in your friends to do the same and raise awareness for National Pet Memorial Day while you are at it!

Other Ways to Commemorate

There are a plethora of ways you can celebrate the memory of your furry friend. Planting a tree near on top of the grave of your old pet is away people keep the memory of their pet fresh in your mind. It does not necessarily have to be a tree; it could be any plant. The point of it would be to remind yourself of the times you had with your pet every time you look at the plant. The life force of your pet would also fuel the plant’s growth, so even in the next life, your friend is giving you some solace.

Donate to an Animal Rescue Organization

There are still countless animals in pounds around the world without a home of their own. These poor creatures are neglected and receive no love until and unless someone adopts them. What you can do is to donate to some of these animal pounds or organizations so that they can take better help of the animals.
If you cannot do so with money, then basic pet needs like pet food, water and blankets will do. You could also volunteer to help at the pound and spend some quality time with the neglected animals. This is honestly one of the best ways you could honor your best friend!

Reiki Healing

Reiki refers to a technique of Japanese origin, designed to reduce stress, promote relaxation and result in healing. It’s administered through the hands, predicated on the belief in an invisible ‘life for energy’ flowing through each and every one of us, an energy that results in our being alive in the first place. Should the ‘life force energy’ or a person below, the person is likelier to feel stressed out or to become ill; should this energy be high, the person is likely to be healthy and happy.

‘Reiki’ the word is composed of two words in Japanese, the first ‘Rei’ meaning ‘Higher Power or God’s Wisdom,’ the second, ‘Ki’ meaning ‘life force energy.’ Reiki is, therefore ‘life force energy guided by God’s wisdom.’

A Reiki treatment is a wonderful experience, making clients feel a glowing radiance flowing around them and through them. Reiki not only treats people’s physical bodies but their spirits and minds as well, addressing their emotional needs, producing a plethora of beneficial effects, including relaxation, resulting in peaceful feelings, feelings of well-being and security. A number of reiki clients have reported miraculous experiences and results.

Reiki is a safe, natural and simply technique offering spiritual healing as well as self-improvement, available for use by everyone. It has helped alleviate the symptoms of virtually all maladies and illnesses known to humankind, producing beneficial effects in each case. It can work concurrently with all therapeutic or medical techniques, helping to relieve the side effects and promoting recovery.

Reiki is simple to learn, the ability to use it not being taught in the normal sense, but rather transferred from teacher to student in the duration of Reiki classes. Reiki skills are passed on in the course of an ‘attunement’ conducted by reiki masters, allowing students access to unlimited supplies of healing energy, empowering them to improve their own health as well as others’, giving them the skills to enhance the general quality of life.

The use of Reiki does not depend on a practitioner’s intellectual abilities or degree of spiritual development, being, as a result, available to all who are willing to receive. Reiki has successfully been taught to a vast multitude of people of varying ages and from different backgrounds.

Reiki may be spiritual in its nature, but it is by no means a religion, possessing no dogmas, requiring no supernatural beliefs before you can learn how to use it. Reiki does not depend on any belief; it will work regardless of whether or not you believe it will. Reiki has a divine origin, coming from God. Therefore, people of all faiths use it, finding that it enriches their relationship with their existing religious beliefs in a visceral rather than intellectual way.

Reiki is a religion, but it still teaches us to act and live in ways that promote harmony with ourselves and others. Advanced Reiki practitioners promote the living of life based on ethical ideals, ideas that promote harmony and peace, ideals which are universal amongst nearly all cultures.

Learn more with Reiki for Beginners.

My Favorite YouTube Channels

As we all know, there are many YouTube channels. They teach you how to make a simple problem to your car to simple crafts you can do. Here are some of my favorites. 

Chris Fox

Bestselling author of 5,000 Words per Hour, Write to Market, and science fiction, fantasy novels, Chris is the best. I stumbled on him when I first decided to self-publish. His 21 Day Novel Writing Challenge had me hooked. I can’t tell you how many times I have watched the challenge. His latest video series, 12 Weeks to a Trilogy, he completed in May. It is now my favorite. Chris typically has a new video on Friday talking about the writing craft, marketing, and the publishing business.

Christina M. Dukes

I am totally into the Law of Attraction. When I saw a thumbnail of her smelling her money, my first thought was “What the heck?” Okay, I was a little more colorful, but you get my meaning. Christina generally has a live Facebook video on Wednesday. She covers topics such as what does success cost, a simple trick to manifest money instantly, and how to get rid of negativity in your life. If you need a Need a Life or Business Coach, check her out!

Jenna Moreci

Author of Eve: The Awakening, Jenna totally cracks me up with her colorful language. Her videos on topics like character development, plot generation and scene setting. My favorite videos are being able to handle self-doubt and criticism. I watched all her videos in a few hours, which led me to the next author I follow:

Kristen Martin

Writer of all things young adult, science fiction, and fantasy, her newest book, Shadow Crown will be out Oct 3. New videos giving would-be authors writing advice, motivations, as well as techniques to balance your writing life, are posted on Mondays and Thursdays. Kristen also offers first chapter critique.

Kim Chance

YA Author of Keeper, Kim has a passion for helping other writers. She posts weekly writing videos on her channel covering topics such as starting your novel, rookie mistakes and getting involved in the writing community.

PhillyDiva

I was never one to worry about fashion since all I did was work and my wardrobe consisted of jeans and t-shirts. Now that the most I work outside of my home is 20 hours a week (and don’t operate a forklift any longer), finding Ms. PhillyDiva was a blessing. Fashion & Beauty Enthusiasts Beauty/Fashion Vlogger & Blogger, her style includes finding iconic vintage pieces and combining them with present-day trendy pieces. Her hair videos are a definite plus. 

Wolters World

I accidently stumbled on this after finding a YouTube video about Rszesow (my husband’s hometown). He offers many travel advice on things you may like or even dislike when traveling to different countries. The do’s and don’ts, passport issues and cruises. The perfect channel for the would be traveler.

Our 2017 Trip

I truly can say that I totally enjoyed our time in Poland this year. Our first few days were spent in Wroclaw with my husband’s Aunt Czeslwawa, where his dad had already taken the bus there. We went to Wroclaw’s town center to do the tourist thing, his cousin Tomaz and wife, Magdalena cooked for us at their home (I’m in love with their house and especially the size of their shower) and his other cousin (Tomaz’s brother) Arthur and wife took us out to dinner the next night. Arthur and Kiki were getting ready to go to Malta, so I’m glad we were able to see them before they left.

We then went to Rszesow. The train station is right in between where Ziggy’s dad lives and our hotel, Best Western Plus Ferdynand Hotel, so we left our rental there for most of the time to save on parking. From now on, that will be our hotel when we visit.

Ziggy wanted to go to Morskie Oko, which is in the Tatra Mountains. It was a three-hour drive to get there, but worth it. Once we arrived, it turned out to be a 12.4 hike one way. The lake with the mountains in the background was beautiful. We took the horse and cart back instead of walking. Even though we were exhausted, I noticed we were a few feet from the Slovakia border. As a result, we crossed over to get my son a bottle of Absinthe.

It was then time to go to Starachowice, where Uncle Adam (who came by bus while we were in Morskie Oko) lives. His wife, Janina, was really intent on fattening me up. When she found out that my favorite food was fries, she cooked some up for me. When I say cook, I mean that I ate so many fries, I didn’t want to see any potato product whatsoever.

Ziggy has another Aunt (Jadwiga) who also lives in Starachowice. I really wished we could have stayed longer with her. She is 83 years young. Such a wonderful woman.

Even with everything, including not understanding 75% of what was being said, I wouldn’t change a thing. I am amped to go again. Now. My husband is gamed to start planning for next year. I’m on it. Of course, we need to wrangle the time off. Fingers crossed.

My Travel Essentials

Besides packing for our trip, there a several items that I feel that I cannot do without when my husband and I travel. I want to share with you exactly what we will be taking to Europe.

Eye Mask 

This is on the top of my list when we travel to Europe. We have stayed at some hotels where the curtains and blinds were thin. My eye mask  really helped me sleep, especially since we typically go to Poland with the six hour difference. You’ll also find that it will help you sleep on the plane and allow you to get over jet lag faster after a long flight.

Slash Proof Bag

Many tourist areas in Europe and elsewhere are full of pickpockets, particularly in congested attractions. One trendy item for travelers going to locations that are susceptible to theft and pick-pocketing is a bag or purse that has special attributes to prevent it. A theft proof bag is geared towards travelers for its capability to prevent or delay theft. The straps could be metal mesh lined to thwart slashing or they have RFID pockets to block the scanning of your credit cards and passport.

RFID Blocking Travel Wallet

Nowadays, there is a big with credit card fraud. Even in Europe. Even if you don’t plan on traveling, I believe it’s something to have regardless. The hassle and inconvenience of having to cancel your card while traveling can really put a damper on things.

Plug Adapter

I love our adapter. It comes with EU, UK, US and AU
plugs. Not only does it have four USB outlets, there’s room to plug in three more items with US plugs. I need those for my laptop and to charge the battery for my camera. It’s not for hair dryers, curling irons or flat irons, but the last hotels we stayed at, blow dryers were available.

Power Bank or Portable Charger

Our last trip, we took many pictures. We used our phones and the two cameras we packed. I don’t remember how many times we had a phone or camera that simply died because it either didn’t charge enough or we just used it too much. This next trip we will be traveling to many cities. Of course while my husband is driving, I’ll be on my tablet. I purchased two power banks. Even we charge with the car’s outlet, I am not taking any chances. We’ll be seeing relatives my husband hasn’t seen since he left Poland in 1981. Just carry it with your other electronics and rember to charge it at night.

Comfortable Pair of Shoes 

Since we always do a lot of walking on our trip to Europe, we make sure we pack a comfortable pair of shoes that we can walk all day in without getting sore feet.

Travel Laundry Detergent Sink Packets

This is necessary to have for frequent trekkers (I refuse to be a tourist), who don’t want to depend on costly hotel laundries. It contains just enough liquid detergent to wash a few items in the sink when traveling. I’ve made a bet with my husband that I wouldn’t pack as much as I usually do. This is how I plan to do it.

European SIM Card

This is something I really do not need. With my cell phone plan (not mentioning it), I have international service in the majority of Europe. A friend of mine uses European SIM card all the time and swears by it. It also has the same service as my phone service with the same countries. It’s a prepaid SIM card which includes 10 GB of mobile Internet in Europe on 4G networks. You also will get 2 hours calls, 1000 SMS, and you can tether your data. 

Guidebook

For most of Poland, my husband is my guide. I enjoy seeing things through his eyes. Other countries I rely on Rick Steves. Yes, I know. After my first trip abroad, I started watching every episode. I purchased my latest copies and can only hope that we get to all the countries before it’s time to update again.

Well, those are my must haves. I am so looking forward to this trip. I believe more than my husband is!