That is exactly what happened on Sunday as my husband and I were sitting outside for the first time this year. We have not seen warm weather in months and the temperature was hovering around 60 so we headed outdoors to enjoy the sunshine.

Our dog loves chasing stuff. By stuff I mean her rubber toys or her “chuck-a-duck.” As long as you are throwing the toy, she is chasing it and retrieving it. We have actually counted how many times she has retrieved her beloved toy until she has to stop and catch her breathe. We know she is tired when she lays down in the shade of the huge elm tree and her tongue is hanging down to the ground and she is panting away. It is actually kind of funny to see her tongue flying out of the side of her mouth as she goes tearing across the yard to retrieve the toy even though she is really tired. That is how much she loves chasing those things.

But, last year as we were sitting in one of our swings, she appeared from around the pool after we had thrown her favorite toy over and over again and had a crazy look in her eyes. Now, mind you, we have a pretty big yard and she is a miniature dachsund. Our yard probably looks 3 times as large to her than it would to a bigger dog.

Another thing that she loves doing is to chase all the different animals and such that show up in our yard. As the sun goes down, the animals start showing up–raccoons, bunnies, deer, frogs, snakes, ducks.

As she came nearer to us in the swing, we knew something was definitely wrong. We thought she must have found and licked a frog on the other side of the pool. She has done this before and it makes her mouth foam and she can not get enough water. Not a harmful thing, just weird to see her foaming at the mouth. She continually shakes her head back and forth to get rid of the taste. But this was not the case.

The symptoms she showed last year were: eyes glazed over (like she was looking right through you), trembling, shaking, wanting to be held, drunken walk, backing up and wobbling.

Now, when this happened again on Sunday, we knew this was just not a frog licking incident. My husband tried holding her and set her on the ground. She started making her way backwards, crouching as she went. I went over and picker her up and held her for approximately 5 minutes until the seizure started to subside (although information would tell you to let them be on the ground). The fear in her eyes was heartbreaking and I felt compelled to hold her. You can tell that they have no idea what is happening to them.

I called the veterinarian on Monday and she said it sounded like a seizure or epilepsy. She told me that her dog has them as well. There are different measures you can take to test what she has and how severe it is. Blood tests are a good indicator and depending on what they find, your dog could be on “maintenance” for the rest of their lives.

I don’t know the conclusion to this story…yet. She is due for her shots later this month and we will do some blood tests at that time. I will report back and update this post when I find out.

If your dog shows any of these signs or symptoms, be aware that it could be a seizure or epilepsy…not that they have licked a frog (or something else).

Be aware, stay calm and, most of all, show compassion and kindness when your dog is experiencing the seizure.

Very good question.

The short answer is this: Become a Leader by increasing your value to others and be more than willing to express that value.

“Ok, explain this” is usually the first response. So here goes.

First, I am going to list some of the traits of a Leader:

• Someone who is sought-after and pursued
• Radiate confidence
• Focus on achieving their goals and put a lot of energy into doing just that
• Rule Follower
• Put integrity high on their list of qualities they look for in other people and can not tolerate disrespect
• They love and protect those who matter to them and usually love themselves (i.e. are comfortable in their own skin)
• Positive energy and outlook on life
• Risk-taker (a la Donald Trump)
• Business naturally thrives

Now, if that list is not enough, here are some common qualities:

• An “abundance” mentality–refuses to live in a state of need but instead lives in abundance
• Criticism is not in their vocabulary
• Assertive and usually dictates the terms
• Leaders can give instructions and is willing to say no–knows that they can’t please everyone but it does not matter
• Usually respects themselves, their body and protect/serve those who follow them
• Confident and have a strong physical presence
• Socially powerful-they usually have a strong, confident voice and control the conversation
• Very protective of their time
• Outgoing, fun, and have high self-esteem
• Never seek approval or question their decision

Are you a Leader or a follower?  The more valuable you become to others as a Leader the more they will want to follow you.  Once you gain these qualities and traits, the more you will live in abundance and see yourself as that Leader.

I increase my value every single day by reading or learning something new.  I read blogs, books, listen to webinars and sharpen my marketing skills.  I participate in forums, social networking.

You don’t have to be Albert Einstein in order to bring value.  If you know even a little, you are ahead of others who are just beginning their journey.  Because you have that slight edge, you already know a little bit more than they do and that puts you in a position of power and value.

When you are seeking information, you may buy hundreds of products, CD’s, courses, etc..  Your goal is to find that one good idea or nugget of gold in each of those items.  If you are lucky you will find a handful.   Sometimes, you will find nothing.  That’s OK.

Think of it this way:  every time you do find that nugget, you are a little more knowledgeable than if you hadn’t purchased it!  One item is NOT going to get you to your goal of becoming a Leader.  I tell everyone that I feel as if I have the equivalent of a Masters or PhD. with everything I have learned.  It is like a jigsaw puzzle.  You will eventually have all the pieces and everything will fit together.

Here are a couple of items to read to get you started:

Back in September of 2003, Hurricane Isabel came roaring through here and we were almost forced to evacuate our home.  You see, we live on the water and when a hurricane comes through, not only are the winds horrific, it pushes the water inland and you end up with flood conditions.  We lost a HUGE tree at the back of our yard.

The tree is butted up against the bulkhead and therefore the roots only grew toward the yard.  When the winds came howling through here, along with the fact that we had water all the way up to our home, it didn’t take much for the tree to topple!  And when I say topple, it fell across our dock and landed on the boat lift (for some reason we had decided to move the boat around on the trailer to the driveway the night before?!?).  We lost other trees and crepe myrtles, etc. but nothing like that huge tree.  The other tree’s roots (not quite as large as this one) were lifting out of the ground but it never toppled.  Hmmm???

So, when I say we have weather here, I am not kidding.  We have something called Nor’easter’s which are almost as bad as the hurricane.  They force the water up into all of the tributaries, canals and waterways and the flooding occurs at those times as well.

Now, last weekend, we had about 10″ of snow.  I knew this would be a cold winter from the moment I saw the leaves turning colors in the early Fall.  The leaves normally do not turn colors here until around the week before Thanksgiving.  This year, they had all turned and mostly dropped off the trees by the time the holiday rolled around.

The snow is really pretty to look at when you don’t get to see it too often.  I know people up north, where they receive snow all the time, think we are a bunch of cry baby’s down here.  But, when you don’t experience snow very often in an area like this, it brings the world to a standstill.  In fact, the kids are still out of school for heaven’s sake!  (Okay, that’ s going a little overboard).  No reason for that!

It is nice, though, to stay in your nice, cozy warm home and sit by the fire.  We made a big pot of chili on Saturday and just enjoyed the lazy day.  Of course, the kids were out all day in the freezing cold but, I remember doing that as well.  How did we stay out there all day in that?

Enjoy the pictures!  Let it snow!  Let it snow!  Let it snow!

I started digging around for old photos and found a few that I had sent to her from a few years back.

Photos hold so many memories for you and you don’t even realize until you gaze upon them once again.

My daughter was born premature…28 weeks.  That was almost 30 years ago this year.  The few polaroids that were taken by the hospital staff are the only memories we have of the NICU stay for the first three months of her life.

But, the camera never stopped after that.  I have almost twelve albums of pictures…about one album per year.  What I would like to do, though, is to be able to share all of those photos with friends and family.  Plus, any time my daughter wants an old photo of herself, she can go to the site and dig around and see what she can find!

I have found a great product at SmugMug:

Many consumers are leary of the free photo sharing sites, anything that is free, surely has a catch. For a modest fee, you can upload, arrange and share unlimited photos (videos) on your own personal website. Is it secure? SmugMug is like Fort Knox for your photos, all safe and sound. It is like photo insurance, every photo is saved and backed up in multiple data centers across the USA. Just over five years old, SmugMug hosts almost 300 Million photos.

SmugMug has NO Ads, Pop-ups or SPAM and your visitors will never have to register to see their photos. You want prints?! At your service directly to your home!  They offer over 26 different sizes in 3 different finishes or you can print on products as shirts, puzzles and mugs.

Here are a few tips to make that resolution a reality:

• Commit.  Sign your resolutions and keep it placed in front of your workspace every single day.  This will keep you on track in case you need a reminder of where you want to be by the end of the year.
• Realistic.  Come on now, be realistic for heaven’s sake.  The reason people do not stick to resolutions (or goals for that matter) is the fact that they set the bar too high.  If you now make $100/week, set you new goal for $100/day or $1000/week.  Break it down to see how much you would need to accomplish every day to meet that goal.
• Brainstorm.  Really put some thought into this.  If you want to stick with the goals, they need to be attainable.  Small increments are best.  How much time do you have every day to work on your goals?  Are you going to work days, evenings, weekends?  Do you have all of the materials/resources you need to accomplish each of your goals?  Write down anything and everything that comes to mind and then narrow the goals to something you feel comfortable.
• Put it in writing.  Do not TYPE your goals!  Actually sit down with pen/pencil and paper and write out your goals.  This will make them appear more real to you.  This will also increase your commitment to those goals.
• Create your goals.  Create the list from your brainstorm session above.  Put your goals in order of importance and then break them down into steps.  Again, this will make them more achievable.
• Set deadlines.  Set clear, attainable deadlines.  Don’t set yourself up for failure.  If you don’t meet a deadline because of extenuating circumstances, don’t beat yourself up.  Re-prioritize and set the goal in motion again.
• Reward yourself.  Pat yourself on the back every now and then and reward yourself.  Give yourself an unexpected day off to do something for yourself.  Set up a day with the family to go on an outing.  Do anything that would make you feel as if you have been rewarded for a job well done.

I wish you luck and success as you set your goals for the coming year.  Let us know your goals so we can share and pass on any inspiration to our readers!

Welcome, and I hope you stop in often for a visit. Sit back and learn, laugh and just say hello so that I may get to know you as well.

Dianne