Friday, July 26, 2013
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Foreward for "The Cat That Went To Homecoming"
Pet Partners® is proud to have played a role in Julie Otzelberger’s
coming-of-age novel, The Cat that went to
Homecoming. Written from the
perspective of a bullied teenage girl named Ellen, the story describes many
positive changes that occur during the summer that Ellen begins her journey
toward becoming a Pet Partners therapy animal team with her cat Hershey.
Do you like stories where the ‘good guys’ get revenge on the
‘bad guys’? If so, this isn’t the book you’re looking for. The Cat that went to Homecoming is
instead a novel where compassion and maturity triumph. That doesn’t mean the story is dull —
actually, quite the opposite is true!
The Cat that went to
Homecoming addresses many serious social issues including family
separation, bullying, homophobia, social isolation, and depression. The compelling story is also about fun, friendship
and forgiveness. The transformations
throughout the novel are not always a direct result of Hershey’s affectionate
personality, but Ellen does gain self-confidence as she gets involved with Pet
Partners. This strength helps her
overcome many other problems in her life.
Pet Partners was established in 1977 as Delta Society by
several veterinarians and a psychiatrist who recognized the importance of the
human-animal bond. They proposed and
funded initial research that proves the health and emotional benefits of
interacting with pets. Now recognized as
a legitimate field of study, Animal-Assisted Therapy continues to be researched
and taught within major universities.
As the organization evolved, it launched one of the first
visiting animal programs in 1990. Volunteers
team with their calm, affectionate pets to provide comfort, motivation and
entertainment to residents of nursing homes, hospitals, schools, and other
facilities where animals are not typically allowed. Major health care organizations now consider Pet
Partners to be the gold standard. We
currently register over 11,000 therapy animal teams across North America. Although the majority of registered therapy
animals are dogs and cats, Pet Partners also registers horses, rabbits, birds
and other domesticated species.
Ms. Otzelberger told us that the character of Hershey is
based upon her own cat Bear. She and
Bear recently became a registered Pet Partners therapy animal team and are
already experiencing what other teams report to us daily; that visiting people
in facilities where pets cannot be kept is just as beneficial for the therapy
animal handler as it is for the person visited.
Most high schools now require a certain number of community
service hours from students. If you have a special pet — and if it makes
you happy to bring joy to other people — you’ll be interested in reading about
the steps Ellen and Hershey take together to become a registered Pet Partners
therapy animal team. Of course, you’ll
enjoy a lot of other things about this novel too; the main characters will seem
like good friends and you’ll be hoping that Ms. Otzelberger writes another book
about Ellen and Hershey soon!
Paula
Scott-Ginn
Pet Partners
Marketing Coordinator
Bellevue, WA
July 2013
Friday, July 19, 2013
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Friday, July 12, 2013
A very short story from my early days
Just a little something I wrote when I was in high school. It's fun to look back at your old work and see what the world looked like to you back then.
Kids around the world were rocking out to the music of Def Leppard, married couples were making love, Mothers were reading stories their young, and some people just got paid for their labors. Tonight was a special night for many people, it was Friday night! No work tomorrow morning! No school! Let's party ya'all!
But for the old woman in apartment 17, it was no big deal. The creaking of her rocking chair was the only sound in the room. As she sat and stared at the walls surrounding her, she thought about the teddy bear she had as a child.
The bear that she hugged to sleep every night was traded in for a husband. He had died many years ago, but the memory of him lived on. She reminded herself daily that she would join him in heaven some day and they would be together forever.
She forgot all about the slinky silk evening gowns and high heeled shoes of her past that were traded in for housecoats and slippers. She forgot that she could once walk to the kitchen without her cane. She stopped counting wrinkles two decades ago and forgot what she looked like without them.
But she could not forget about the teddy bear, and all she could think about on that Friday night was whether or not that bear would be waiting for her in heaven.
Kids around the world were rocking out to the music of Def Leppard, married couples were making love, Mothers were reading stories their young, and some people just got paid for their labors. Tonight was a special night for many people, it was Friday night! No work tomorrow morning! No school! Let's party ya'all!
But for the old woman in apartment 17, it was no big deal. The creaking of her rocking chair was the only sound in the room. As she sat and stared at the walls surrounding her, she thought about the teddy bear she had as a child.
The bear that she hugged to sleep every night was traded in for a husband. He had died many years ago, but the memory of him lived on. She reminded herself daily that she would join him in heaven some day and they would be together forever.
She forgot all about the slinky silk evening gowns and high heeled shoes of her past that were traded in for housecoats and slippers. She forgot that she could once walk to the kitchen without her cane. She stopped counting wrinkles two decades ago and forgot what she looked like without them.
But she could not forget about the teddy bear, and all she could think about on that Friday night was whether or not that bear would be waiting for her in heaven.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
DIET: the four letter word
When used as a noun, the word diet simply means "The kinds of foods that a person, animal, or community habitually eat." It's when its used as a verb that the word diet becomes a dreaded four letter word! Restricting oneself to small amounts or special kinds of food in order to lose weight.
I've tried every "diet" out there over the years: low carb, grapefruit, cabbage soup, 1200 calorie. I've tried diet pills, vinegar, water pills, magical coffee beans and strange supplements all promised to aid in weight loss. None of them were successful because even if I did have weight loss success, I still went back to my old habits and portion sizes once the weight was off.
I did end up having gastric bypass surgery in 2010. I have lost the weight and am maintaining at my current weight, give or take 10 pounds. But, just like the pills and diets and magical beans, gastric bypass isn't the cure. People can gain weight back after the surgery. If they slide back into their old habits, they stretch that new stomach out and are able to eat more. I could very easily get back to my former size, which terrifies me.
The reason I'm even bringing this up is because I want to let all the young ladies out there who feel like they need to lose weight to know that the pills and special diets should be avoided. Your best bet is the Weight Watchers plan, which is essentially portion control. Now I know that a 14 year old girl with a weekly allowance cant afford to join Weight Watchers. That isn't realistic. But if you control your portions and fill up on fruits and veggies, you can do it alone. My WW leader shared a tip with us at my last meeting that I want to share: fill half of your plate with vegetables, the other half split between protein and grain.
Also, you should avoid soda. If you are not a fan of drinking water, I suggest you try the Crystal Light or Mio types of drink mixes Soda, whether it be diet or regular, has carbonation in it which does inflate your stomach. Over consumption of soda will stretch your stomach, and a bigger stomach means you can eat more. If you overeat, your stomach becomes accustomed to the larger portions and then when you try to reduce your food intake, your stomach "freaks out." It sends a message to your brain that you wont be full unless you eat the amount it is accustomed to, so your brain tells you you're still hungry. The cycle of overeating continues.
Don't think of the word DIET as a four letter word, think of it as the noun it was meant to be. Your diet should be what you consume to survive, not what your restrict yourself of to lose weight.
I've tried every "diet" out there over the years: low carb, grapefruit, cabbage soup, 1200 calorie. I've tried diet pills, vinegar, water pills, magical coffee beans and strange supplements all promised to aid in weight loss. None of them were successful because even if I did have weight loss success, I still went back to my old habits and portion sizes once the weight was off.
I did end up having gastric bypass surgery in 2010. I have lost the weight and am maintaining at my current weight, give or take 10 pounds. But, just like the pills and diets and magical beans, gastric bypass isn't the cure. People can gain weight back after the surgery. If they slide back into their old habits, they stretch that new stomach out and are able to eat more. I could very easily get back to my former size, which terrifies me.
The reason I'm even bringing this up is because I want to let all the young ladies out there who feel like they need to lose weight to know that the pills and special diets should be avoided. Your best bet is the Weight Watchers plan, which is essentially portion control. Now I know that a 14 year old girl with a weekly allowance cant afford to join Weight Watchers. That isn't realistic. But if you control your portions and fill up on fruits and veggies, you can do it alone. My WW leader shared a tip with us at my last meeting that I want to share: fill half of your plate with vegetables, the other half split between protein and grain.
Also, you should avoid soda. If you are not a fan of drinking water, I suggest you try the Crystal Light or Mio types of drink mixes Soda, whether it be diet or regular, has carbonation in it which does inflate your stomach. Over consumption of soda will stretch your stomach, and a bigger stomach means you can eat more. If you overeat, your stomach becomes accustomed to the larger portions and then when you try to reduce your food intake, your stomach "freaks out." It sends a message to your brain that you wont be full unless you eat the amount it is accustomed to, so your brain tells you you're still hungry. The cycle of overeating continues.
Don't think of the word DIET as a four letter word, think of it as the noun it was meant to be. Your diet should be what you consume to survive, not what your restrict yourself of to lose weight.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Amanda Hocking
Amanda Hocking is a terrific example of how self confidence and perseverance can lead you to achieve your dreams. She is a self published author of young adult paranormal romances, and despite the over saturation of vampire and zombie stories in the world today, she has successfully sold over a million of her nine books. This is almost unheard of from self published authors! She inspires me....what more can I say. To have so much confidence and go it alone like she did is awesome. She deserves our respect. You go girl!
Friday, June 28, 2013
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
My first blog ever
My young adult novel "The Cat That Went to Homecoming" is being published by Fire and Ice Young Adult Books in February 2014 and I am so exited to share my story with the world. Before I queried publishers and agents, I asked several family members and friends to "edit" my manuscript for me. Their advise and criticisms were greatly appreciated and helped me to get the point I'm at now. A special shout out of thanks to my Mom, Barbara Parrott, my BFF Kathy Schulz, and my good friend and grammar nazi Sharon Hust!
The question I got the most from these "editors" of my work was, "How much of this story is about your life?"
Many of us have experienced bullying in one form or another. I am no stranger to the effects bullying has on a person and how it shapes their lives. I am a 46 year old woman, and I STILL could not get out on the dance floor at my stepson's wedding on May 25th 2013 because I still fear that people will laugh at me. My life long struggle with low self esteem started in grade school and because I never stood up for myself, I never overcame my insecurities.
I had weight issues all of my life, that was the biggest reason my classmates bullied me. It isn't fair to judge a person based on their dress size! I think its wrong for employers to charge people with high BMI's more money for their insurance premiums, and I think the BMI charts are all bogus to begin with!
I underwent gastric bypass surgery in January 2010. I made the decision and went for it and I am a happy and healthy example of gastric bypass success. I had no complications, and lost over 120 pounds. Not everyone who undergoes this surgery has as easy a recovery as I did. To say I "took the easy route" is completely wrong! There was nothing "easy" about it! Despite having lost 120 pounds, I'm still the same person. The dress I wore to my stepson's wedding is the smallest size I've ever worn in my life, but I still couldn't bring myself to dance in front of people.
I'm also a registered AAT handler with Pet Partners. My cat, Bear, and I work with hospice patients. We do other work, such as visiting college students during finals to help "de-stress". I find my work with Bear to be so rewarding and good for my soul.
In answer to the question, "How much of this story is about your life?" I'd have to be honest and say "Parts of it are based on true events". But it's just a story I made up, a work of fiction that I hope will help any young girl who reads it to find their self esteem, to stand up for themselves so that they can one day dance at their child's wedding with no inhibitions.
The question I got the most from these "editors" of my work was, "How much of this story is about your life?"
Many of us have experienced bullying in one form or another. I am no stranger to the effects bullying has on a person and how it shapes their lives. I am a 46 year old woman, and I STILL could not get out on the dance floor at my stepson's wedding on May 25th 2013 because I still fear that people will laugh at me. My life long struggle with low self esteem started in grade school and because I never stood up for myself, I never overcame my insecurities.
I had weight issues all of my life, that was the biggest reason my classmates bullied me. It isn't fair to judge a person based on their dress size! I think its wrong for employers to charge people with high BMI's more money for their insurance premiums, and I think the BMI charts are all bogus to begin with!
I underwent gastric bypass surgery in January 2010. I made the decision and went for it and I am a happy and healthy example of gastric bypass success. I had no complications, and lost over 120 pounds. Not everyone who undergoes this surgery has as easy a recovery as I did. To say I "took the easy route" is completely wrong! There was nothing "easy" about it! Despite having lost 120 pounds, I'm still the same person. The dress I wore to my stepson's wedding is the smallest size I've ever worn in my life, but I still couldn't bring myself to dance in front of people.
I'm also a registered AAT handler with Pet Partners. My cat, Bear, and I work with hospice patients. We do other work, such as visiting college students during finals to help "de-stress". I find my work with Bear to be so rewarding and good for my soul.
In answer to the question, "How much of this story is about your life?" I'd have to be honest and say "Parts of it are based on true events". But it's just a story I made up, a work of fiction that I hope will help any young girl who reads it to find their self esteem, to stand up for themselves so that they can one day dance at their child's wedding with no inhibitions.
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