Puppies Behind Bars

She did it to me again last week. Oprah made me cry. For those of you who have been reading my blog since the beginning, you may remember this post I wrote in January about the talk-show queen making me a blubbering fool. Oprah is just one of those TV shows that, without fail, make me reach for a box of tissues. Same goes for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

Anyhow, I was eating a late lunch last Thursday when Oprah came on. The theme of the episode was amazing animals and our relationships with them, which on the surface doesn't seem that emotional. But just five minutes in, I was already tearing up! Actress Glenn Close was on the show to tell Oprah and viewers about this amazing and groundbreaking program called Puppies Behind Bars. I had never heard of the program before but I am now I firm supporter of it.

Puppies Behind Bars is a program in which incarcerated felons train puppies to become service dogs for the disabled, including wounded veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Most of us are familiar with service dogs that are used to assist the blind or others with a physical impairment. But I think what was so remarkable to me was to see that these dogs are also being used to help soldiers with what Glenn Close called an "invisible wound" and "the signature injury" of Iraq and Afghanistan: post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.

During the show, Glenn Close took viewers inside the Fishkill Correctional Facility in upstate New York. There, inmates—who have been convicted of violent crimes including abuse, robbery and murder—are given 8-week-old puppies and taught to train them. The puppies and the prisoners are together 24/7; the dogs even live in crates in the inmates' cells.

Prisoners at Fishkill Correctional Facility train their puppies.

What touched my heart was seeing how these adorable puppies are transforming lives. How these dogs are changing the lives of both convicted felons and war heroes. As any dog owner knows, dogs don't discriminate. Their love is for everyone.

Jesse, a 23-year-old inmate convicted of first-degree manslaughter, is training his third dog, Joy. He said his relationship with her and his other dogs has enabled him to love again.

"It had been so dormant in me for so long because of the cold place that I'm in that I didn't know that I could love again," Jesse said. "We all get to see how greatly these dogs affect the lives of the people they touch. And it's those same lives that we have touched also through these dogs."

For inmates like Edwardo Garcia, 33, the program is a second chance to do something good and worthwhile with their lives.

"This is our way of repaying a society that we took so much from," said Garcia, who is serving time for first-degree murder.

The part of the show that really got me though was when an inmate named Roberto Rodriguez was able to reunite with his puppy, Frankie, and meet the man whose life has been changed for the better with that yellow lab by his side. 

Though he is convicted of second-degree murder, Roberto, 33, does not appear to be a hardened criminal when interacting with his dog, Frankie. He is loving and affectionate and even a bit mushy, and he tells the Oprah cameras that it was difficult to say goodbye to Frankie. The pup went to Army Sgt. Allen Hill, who was hit by a roadside bomb just two months before completing his second tour of duty in Iraq. Hill suffers from traumatic brain injury and severe combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder. But with the simple command of "kisses," Frankie can snap Hill out of his violent, paralyzing flashbacks with just a few loving licks on his face. (To read more about Hill, check out this Q&A posted on Glenn Close's blog.)

Roberto reunites with Frankie and meets Sgt. Hill.

"Frankie has been there for me, she has been my rock," the sergeant said.

"I'm happy that she made a difference in your life," Roberto told Hill.

Hill's wife, Gina, said Frankie has started to bring her husband back to his old, fun-loving self.

"Frankie has brought my sons their daddy home," Gina told Oprah. "She has lit the light back in him that had been so dark for the last year and a half."

Hill takes Frankie for a walk.

Amazing, isn't it? I'm sure you can see now why I was a blubbering mess after watching the show. So tell me, what do you think of the Puppies Behind Bars program? Had you heard of it before? And, here's a tough question: do you think a dog's love can really change a murderer into a better person?

Photos via Oprah.com and Glenn Close's blog on Fetchdog.com

I heart Anthro (again)

If you know me well, and in particular if you are my mother, then you know that if I have an event to go to—such as a wedding—I just have to get a new dress for the occasion. This partly explains why my closet is bursting at the seams. Now, while I have been able to resist the urge to shop for a new frock in the past, I will admit that I almost always fall to temptation. I mean, what better reason to get a new outfit than a party, right?

Anyway, before Steph and Ryan's wedding, I went out looking for such a frock. Only, it wasn't so simple to find! My plan was to use the $50 Macy's gift card I got as a birthday gift from the boy's parents. But alas, after trying on about 10 dresses in the Macy's dressing room, I have learned my lesson once and for all: I no longer can wear junior-size dresses. As Shakira would say, these hips don't lie. And while I wouldn't really consider myself a busty gal, my bigger problem, pun intended, was trying to find a dress that sufficiently covered the "girls."

Realizing there was nothing for me at Macy's, I tried my luck at ANGL. I have bought tops and dresses there before (remember the blue one I wore at the bachelorette party?) so I thought I would find something no problem. Not so. I had the same issues trying to squeeze my curves into the tiny party dresses. By this point, the boy, who had come along with me to do some shopping of his own, was just as frustrated as me. Maybe even more so!

Some shops in the mall were getting ready to close and I was feeling defeated when I walked out of ANGL and saw Anthropologie. It was like the clouds parted. Thing is, I knew whatever Anthro had to offer would be a tad over budget, to say the least. I went in anyway, ransacked the store and worked up a sweat in the dressing room as I furiously tried on dress after dress as fast as I could (the store was closing in 10 minutes! Eeks!).

Luckily, the effort paid off. And Anthro saved the day. I found dresses that fit my curves AND were comfy and cute. Score! Though I only needed one, I decided to get two of my three faves. Then, in a sweet gesture, the boy bought me the dress I put back, saying 'You should have it because it's so hard for you to find a dress that fits!' Ha! Thanks, I think. But really, thanks.

The boy bought the one on the left. I wore the middle one to the wedding. The blue "Greek" dress, as I like to call it, was worn the next day to have dinner with the boy's fam at Duke's in Malibu. Silly glamour shot below.

While waiting to check out, I perused a table filled with jewelry. Convenient how they put that right next to the cash registers, huh? Well, I never buy jewelry at Anthro because some of the gems cost more than an item of clothing; but, of course, I was captivated by a pair of teardrop earrings that perfectly matched two of my dresses. So even though they were 48 bucks, I scooped them up. I immediately had buyer's remorse but I have probably worn them every other day since then to get my money's worth. And a co-worker complimented me on them, so I guess that makes it worth it, right? Say yes!

To spare myself (and my mother) a heart attack at the sight of exactly how much I spent at Anthro, I won't post it here. But let's just say I put it on my credit card. Right when I start paying it down, the balance goes right back up!

Wondering what I did with that Macy's gift card? Well, I was able to put it to good use still. What's a new dress without a new pair of shoes? Especially, when they are free shoes! (Ok, I had to pay about $4 out of pocket, but that's no biggie.) I have also worn these white strappy wedges multiple times since the wedding. They may make me nearly 6 feet tall, but if you're going to be a giant, you might as well be a giant with style.

So, confess. What was your most recent splurge? And are you in love with Anthro as much as I am?

Wedded bliss

At the wedding this past Saturday, I was a bundle of nerves. And here’s why:

• I saw, but did not speak to, an old flame. There was an opportunity to break the ice while standing in line for hors d’ oeuvres and I should have taken it, but didn’t. I am such a wimp.
  
• I chatted with an almost-boyfriend, if I can call him that. Maybe it would be better to say he was my date to senior prom? Or ever better to classify him as the “rebound” boy who, though we never even kissed, reopened my heart after the old flame broke it? You get the idea.
  
• And I randomly—surprisingly—bumped into (well really, he bumped into me) a crush from elementary/junior high/high school. The experience took me aback and made me an awkward mess. Seems those butterflies can still come back after even 10 years.
  

Ok, enough about my boy drama. On to the wedding.

It was a lovely wedding. Very personal and intimate. Stephanie looked beautiful in her dress and I think she was just glowing with happiness. It felt a little surreal to me that one of my longtime friends is now a married woman—a wife. But at the same time, I am very happy for her and Ryan, who I both consider good friends, and I can only hope that one day I find the same true, deep, lasting love that they have found in each other.

Here’s some photos from the day: (sorry, no pics of the guys mentioned above!)

The wedding at Cornerstone Church.

The reception site. Can you believe this is a backyard? Gorgeous.

The first dance.

With the happy couple.

With my friend Anna.

With my mom and dad.

Me and the boy.

Finally, because it probably took an hour to wrap, I have to share this photo of my wedding gift (which were a pair of floral throw pillows) to the happy couple. Orange and watermelon were their colors, so I wanted to jazz up the somewhat boring black and white wedding paper with tons of ribbons.

Though they can be a bit stressful, I do love weddings (I have another one to attend in September, in Canada of all places, yippee!). I count Whose Wedding Is It Anyway? and Say Yes to the Dress as some of my favorite shows! But even though they are celebrations of love and happiness and bring out the sap in me, I can't help but feel a little down after I come home and slip off my heels. I think, when will I get married? Who will I marry? 

Though I have tons of ideas of what my wedding dress, hair, makeup, reception site, etc. etc. should look like, I have no idea about who I will wed and when it will be. Yeah, yeah, I'm too young to worry about it and in time I will be able to fill in those blanks, but the truth is, with so many friends getting engaged or married lately, I have started to feel like the clock is ticking. Next year I will be 25 and when I was younger I thought, naively, that I would be hitched by then. But as I have come to realize, as we get older, we have to shift our expectations. One thing is for sure: Nothing ever goes as planned.

So, do you ever worry about these things, too? And on a lighter note, what would your dream wedding look like?

Making an entrance

If this doesn't make you laugh out loud, I don't know what will!

Too bad this didn't happen at the wedding I attended on Saturday (more on that later). I think I would have died laughing!

Hope you are having a good week so far. I am busy writing stories, but once I get a free moment I'll let you all know how the wedding went... Just wanted to send you a smile in the meantime.

P.S. Thanks for all the sweet comments on my new hair! You guys are the best.

Blondes have more fun? I think my position has changed...

This past weekend, I gave myself a mini-makeover. I finally got my hair cut—and colored! I think it's safe to say I am no longer a blonde anymore. Well, maybe in spirit, but not so much in appearance. It took a few days to get used to the "new me." I have been a blonde my whole life! Well, I didn't actually have any hair until I was two years old, but once my fuzz grew out, I was what you would call a toehead. But over the years, it slowly got darker and I started doing a color weave (blonde highlights all over) to maintain my blonde-ness. My new hair color is close to the dirty blonde that naturally grows out of my head, but we (and I mean my hairstylist) did a medium color weave of a brown that is two shades darker. Basically, this gives me a brunette look without the full commitment since I didn't dye my whole head, just pieces.

Anyhoo, check it out and tell me what you think! I have a little side-swept bang thing going on too.

It's funny because the most random people have noticed my new look. The city manager said to me after Monday's council meeting, "So, you're changing your look? We (the city council) were passing notes back and forth saying, look at Carissa's new hair." I was like, OMG, I hope not! How embarrassing! Haha. My editor also noticed. We were talking about my stories and mid-sentence he says, "Is your hair darker?" Yep. And when I went to do the police blotter on Friday, the lady didn't recognize me at first! 

I don't think it looks that different, but I was surprised when I went to my friend Stephanie's bachelorette party on Saturday (more on that in a minute)—the same day I got my hair done—and she didn't notice until I mentioned that I wasn't blonde anymore! I think she had more important things on her mind—like her impending nuptials—than my new hair color, but still. And my bestie didn't notice when I visited her at work the other day. Granted, my hair was pulled back, but come on people! This is big to me!

Also part of my mini-makeover? Painting my toes! The painstaking process reconfirmed my great disdain for doing my own pedicure, but at least I had cute pink toes when I went out with the girls Saturday night.

Ok, the Bachelorette Party. I am sure you are wondering what kind of craziness we got ourselves into. But really, we weren't that wild. We were actually pretty mild. See, Stephanie is not exactly the partying, dancing, binge-drinking kind of girl (not that I am all the time, but she is more tame than me...). Still, it was a fun night with the girls.

Jen (Steph's soon to be sister-in-law), me, Stephanie, Ashley (Steph's sister) and Anna (my friend since 3rd grade!)

Before I get into the details, let me first say that I arrived at Stephanie's house FIRST. It was like the Twilight Zone. I am NEVER the first to arrive to ANYTHING; I am a chronically late person. It is bad. So when I stepped into the house a few minutes after the meeting time and saw no one else was there, I was shocked! Stephanie and her mom were too. They know me well.

Once everyone arrived, we made our way to Musashi in Simi for a Teppan Yaki dinner. So so good. I love Teppan. It's dinner and a show. And I feel like you appreciate your food more because it is made right in front of you. My favorite part is when they bounce the egg on their spatula and light the onion volcano on fire (if you don't know what I am talking about, you must immediately go have Teppan right now!)

While they don't normally serve sake bombs, the server made an exception for us. It made quite a mess on our table, but it was a fun way to kick off the evening. Although, Stephanie got her party started a bit earlier, in the lobby. One of her co-workers pulled a tiny bottle of alcohol out of her purse and promptly poured it into the Bachelorette shot glass around Stephanie's neck. Down the hatch!

After a long dinner—when going out for Teppan, plan to spend about 2 hours at the restaurant—we raced over to Laugh Factory in Hollywood, only to encounter ridiculous traffic. We had tickets for the 10 p.m. All-Star Comedy show and were a bit nervous we weren't going to make it but we ended up getting there just in time and still got pretty good seats. The show was great. I am not too familiar with the all-star comedians who performed, but Maz Jobrani and Sebastian Maniscalco were hilarious. The night's comedian host, Al Del Bene, had me LOL-ing, too.

The best part of the night, however, was when surprise celebrity guest DAVE CHAPPELLE came on-stage. The whole place erupted in applause and cheers; people stood up and grabbed their cell phones to snap a photo—it was crazy! Honestly, I'm not a "Comedy Central" kind of gal but when he came out, I was just as excited as everyone else! I snapped some photos on my cell but they are pretty blurry. Just trust me, he was there AND he made fun of Stephanie a bit. That made the Miss Bachelorette's night for sure.

Outside the Laugh Factory on Sunset Boulevard.

Even though it was after 2 a.m. when we left—and Dave was still on stage, talking. Yes, we got made fun of when we walked, er, ran, out!—we went back to Steph's place for cake, which was shaped in the form of a certain male body part. Credit for that lovely baked good goes to Steph's sister, the maid of honor.

Overall, it was a fabulous and funny night with friends. Who could ask for more? The wedding is tomorrow and I still can't believe Stephanie, who I have known since 6th grade, is getting married. I'm sure I'll have photos (and maybe a new dress?) to share with you on Monday.

State of mind

Hello everyone! I'm back from my long, unannounced and unanticipated blogging vay-cay. So sorry for such a long absence! My editor was out of town from the 8th to the 15th and I was crazy busy with work and being stressed out. As a result, I was MIA on the blog post front. But then, a few days off turned into almost two weeks. And the last few days, I just couldn't will myself to write a post! But like I said, I'm back now.

To be honest though, it wasn't just conducting interviews and writing articles that kept me away. I feel like over the last few weeks I have been an emotional wreck, easily overwhelmed or upset, and not just about work. Mostly, it was about my personal life. Which is still a little bit too difficult to talk about in great detail on here. Basically, I have some difficult choices to make about where I want my life to go and what I want my life to be and, well, it's hard to let go even when you know you have to. Sorry if that's vague, but that's all I can give right now.

Anyway, while I was absent from the blogosphere, there was one week where I think, looking back on it now, I kind of had a nervous breakdown. Lots of crying, let me tell you. My chest was tight, my heart literally hurt, I felt like there was this weight on me and I couldn't breathe. Not to mention all the knots in my stomach. These feelings made it difficult to concentrate on work, which only added to the stress. A vicious cycle, you could say.

Somehow I got through that and I am feeling better this week. Not to say that anything has changed in my life but I am managing my emotions better right now. The thing is, who knows when that intense depression is going to strike again? I don't like living the way I am living right now. So things do need to change. I feel like I am waiting for the right time, but when is it the right time to make a major change? That's what I need to figure out and I am pretty sure the answer is going to be similar to the advice a person would give someone right before pulling off a Band-Aid: Just do it.

It's just not that easy, of course.

So that's my reason behind the silence. The funny thing is, blogging can be pretty cathartic, so really, I should do it more—not less—in times of turmoil. I'll have to remember that next time. I know I have the support of the handful of people who read this blog, people who I have never even met. And I am grateful for that. What I wrote just now is something I haven't even shared with a best friend. It's nice—albeit, a little scary—to have a place to reveal the corners of your heart and know that you won't be judged and you're not alone.

P.S. I promise the next post will be more lighthearted. I had a pretty good weekend and I new look that I want to share with you!

3 wise images, all via i can read

Pretty pretty pup

Hazel got a haircut today. (I am still* in desperate need of my own.) Instead of getting her bathed and trimmed by the groomers at Petsmart, we decided to take the little monkey to a new grooming salon in town called FUR. It is a crate-free salon that uses all-natural products. 

I actually first heard about the salon before it opened (and before we ever took Hazel to a groomer) from a subject I interviewed for a story. But I lost the card she gave me and out of convenience just took Hazel to Petsmart. But about a month ago, while parked outside a fro-yo shop with Hazel in the car, one of the salon's employees approached me about trying FUR. She told me that I would be horrified to see where Petsmart keeps the animals they groom and how they treat them. I'm not so sure if Petsmart is as bad as she made it out to be, but they didn't always do the best job on her haircut and Hazel was pretty upset when I picked her up last time. So that's why this time we went to FUR.

Overall, I'd say they did a pretty good job. And when I picked Hazel up, she seemed happy, so that's all that really matters. The only bad thing I could say is that it looks like they nicked her on her lower belly. There's just a tiny red dot on her tummy, which I didn't notice until we got home and I saw her lick it. But I don't think I will hold it against FUR. Just from my experiences with giving Hazel a bath or trimming the hair out of her eyes, I imagine that it is difficult to shave or scissor cut a dog. Still, I hope it doesn't happen again. I don't like to see my baby hurt, even in the slightest!

Of course, I had to take a photo shoot after I picked her up. Hazel looks so pretty, especially with her cute yellow bows! She was very excited to be home and raced up the stairs to our front door, turning around with a look that said, "Hurry up, Mommy!" Once inside though, she pretty much passed out.

Without further ado, for your ooh-ing and aww-ing pleasure, here's some more shots from our little photo op. 

It's exhausting being this beautiful.

*I looked through my archives and I said the same thing back in February after Hazel got groomed. Which means I really need to make a hair appointment, pronto!