All of that, to get to all of this.

I know I have zero regular readers left since I abandoned this blog 8 years ago, but I recently revisited this place to take a look back at my life.  I almost deleted the whole thing, all 12 years' worth of content, because I am such a different person now!  BUT then, I started thinking.  Being able to see the change in myself over all of this time is a true, real & raw testimony!  Something happened to me that rocked me to my very core (literally) and everything is different now.  And I mean EVERYTHING.  I am no longer the cynical, negative, foul-mouthed, confused and depressed girl you may read about in the archives of this blog.  I was so lost, so damaged, and so very sad all the time.  I am nowhere near perfect now, by any means, but my HEART has been changed. 

I am not a different person because of anything I did or learned. My change was, and is, supernatural.  I had an encounter with the Lord (unexpectedly) in July of 2020, while meditating (of all things), and it was so profound, that I shook and cried for 3 days.  I got on my knees, made a choice and surrendered to God, fully.  He came and got this lost sheep.  I was in bad shape, involved in New Age (yoga, meditation, etc.), lustful & perverted living, blasphemous in my speech, and steeped deep into darkness in every way; not to mention angry and stressed out most of the time.  All of that is GONE now!  Jesus Christ is no joke, my friends.  He is real, He is alive, and He is AWESOME!  I know, I know, you probably want to roll your eyes - another Jesus Freak is born.  But it's not like that.  I'm actually a changed person.  Don't worry, I haven't lost my sense of humor, but I tell you the truth, I have PEACE.  I have JOY for the first time in my life!  REAL peace & joy - not the fake, temporal kind. No, my life is not perfect, nor am I.  Everyone is on a journey of their own, but I'm telling you right now, it's serious business.  This world is sick and dying.  Have you seen the news?  I have no fear of any of it.  Because I know who my strength is.  I know whom I belong to.  Do you?

I read recently that "Dooce", a blogger that inspired me way back in 2003 (see my links on the sidebar), committed suicide in May of this year.  I did not know Heather personally, but I followed her regularly for many years, and her struggles with depression, anxiety and alcohol.  When I heard the news, I was profoundly sad.  It hit me hard.  It made me come back to this place (the blogosphere) where we all shared the details of our lives with the world.  Blogs are not always just words on page.  Take a look back at who I was.  If you want to talk to me, or ask me any questions, I'm here. I care.  I want this blog, and all this work of pouring out my soul, to mean something. Feel free to comment or email me at crazydogmama@gmail.com.

I do have another website (see previous post), but I'm still working on making some changes to it to reflect my full testimony and information about what I am doing now.  If you are reading this, and have gotten this far, it's no accident.  Our lives have a real purpose.  Many blessings to you.

-Cheryl a.k.a CrazyDogMama

I bought my own Domain!

I finally did it, I bought CRAZYDOGMAMA.com!  Go to: https://crazydogmama.com

I may make updates/changes here from time to time because there is SO MUCH CONTENT, so feel free to look around and read about the trainwreck that has been my life.  The new website is for product reviews and personal articles and will be different than this blog.  Not sure exactly the direction of it, but do come and visit!!

Love you all, and thank you for all the loyal years.

Cheryl a.k.a CrazyDogMama

What a Difference Time Makes

I looked back today at where my life was just 4 years ago.  I read my journal and went through my blog archives, and I was astonished!  Never in my wildest dreams (or nightmares) could I have ever imagined where I would end up.  The future is simply not predicable, I'm telling you.  You may have plans, but they just don't turn out *exactly* how you think they will, sometimes they turn out better and sometimes not, but in the end, they turn out just as they were supposed to.

I was severely struggling in my life; my marriage had ended; my dad had passed away and I was feeling lost and confused and walking around in circles.  Amazingly enough, I was trying to be positive about life and throwing my humor and sarcasm around to survive it, but I really lacked direction.  I got it together, though, and made some major changes, and I am such a different person now.  I'm still a little sarcastic, but in a much different mindset.  I feel like I have almost lived an entire life in 7 short years.  A big event was about to happen, my promotion and the move to California, which set so many things in motion that I was unaware of.

The Art of Not Giving a ***k

I just read the single most hilarious article of my life.  Seriously.  If you have an aversion to f-bombs, don't bother reading it, but if you find that cussing can be quite comic and cathartic, I urge you to read it RIGHT FUCKING NOW.  Don't drink anything while reading or I promise you it will come out of your nose within the first few paragraphs.  I don't give a fuck either way, but I needed a laugh and perhaps you do, too.  Aside from the humor, the article also has some pretty great insight and is worth the read.  Love it!  Enjoy!  I will be sending the author (Mark) an email telling him how much I appreciate his writing style.

Celebrating 2 Years!

I met Dale 2 years ago on February 20, 2013.  I had no idea just how much he would change my life!  He was there for me through the sickness and death of my mom, a major back surgery (soon to be another, gah!) and many other life-changing events.  He is a wonderful person, a good man, and I love him with all my heart.  He moved in a year ago and every day is fun, peaceful and kind.  I go to bed happy and wake up smiling.  We travel, we bought a camper and I'm doing things I never thought I would get to do!  Our lives have issues (who's doesn't?) but we build each other up and have each other's backs.  His generosity and big heart have given me faith in the human race again.  He has even made my dog, Maggie, a puppy again. Those two are adorable together!

I love you, Dale!  Thank you for making my life better and healing all the wounds!  xoxo

And then she found KRAV MAGA

Hello everybody!  I am now also writing in another blog called "And then she found Krav Maga", and here is the first post:

Hi!  My name is Cheryl, and I am a brand-new member at KRAV MAGA OC (Orange County) in California.  My goal is to share my journey with you into the world of Krav Maga, and maybe even entertain you a little, too.  As you read, perhaps you will be able to relate, or maybe you have had a completely different experience, but regardless of whether you are new like me, or are a seasoned veteran, we all have a story to tell, and our connection will be our passion to better ourselves in this unique and fascinating discipline!

So, a little about me.  I'm a 42-year-old woman (who is not afraid to reveal her age, ha!) who moved to Orange County about 4 years ago from Seattle, Washington.  Due to a series of traumatic life-changing events, I had become seriously overweight and unhealthy, and about a year ago my doctor urged me to find an exercise program I could stay consistent with.  I found out quickly I am not a person who enjoys treadmills, spin class or any type of mind-numbing repetitive gym routines.  After almost bursting into tears one day on the treadmill from sheer boredom, I went home and logged onto my computer in search of a solution.  Boxing.  Kickboxing.  Mixed Martial Arts.  Hmmm, THAT sounded interesting!  So, I promptly hired a personal trainer to help me.  I sucked at all of them.  Badly.  But, as time went on, I started to lose weight, get stronger and I realized I was actually having fun doing it!  Unfortunately, my trainer moved up to Torrance, CA, over an hour away, and so I found myself looking again, for a solution.  Enter Krav Maga OC!  It took me about 20 minutes to research what the heck "KRAV MAGA" was, and how to SAY IT.  I started asking around and although some people knew about it, mostly I got the "Krav what?" response.  I loved the fact that it seemed even more interesting than the standard Boxing/MMA stuff, and I have to admit I secretly found the words "combat tactics" exciting.  I was also super interested in learning self-defense - something useful while getting in shape!  Learning punches, kicks and other movements is fun and certainly a great way to get in shape, but what I was really looking for is how to USE them in a real-life situation, because you know, you probably won't have your boxing gloves on when the guy with the mask is mugging you at the ATM, nor will you be in your "workout" mindset.  I want to know how to instinctively MOVE and give myself a fighting chance!  There have been times in my life when I was in danger and these skills would have been invaluable to have.  Hopefully I will not have to use these skills to defend myself in the future, but I sure do want to be a bit more prepared if I do!  Do my friends think I'm crazy?  Maybe a little.  But my joining in sure has created a buzz in my circle and I am so excited to get started!

So there you have it.  I am not young.  I do not have six-pack abs.  I'm just an average girl looking for a more meaningful way of moving and challenging my mind and body.  I have a found a new passion!

If you are interested in reading more, here is the link:  http://andthenshefoundKravMaga.blogspot.com/

Freelancing

So, I have a brand-new life!  Again!  After my mom passed away last June from lung cancer, I really started to reevaluate everything.  I took a long road trip with my boyfriend all the way to Corpus Christie, Texas (I have never been able to travel before), my stepson moved in for 5 months before going to school in Chicago, and I quit my job in December!  Deciding to quit my job was a HUGE decision for me because I have been in the same industry, doing the same thing, for almost 20 years!  I have to say, it was the best decision I have ever made.  I was seriously burnt out and realized that I wasn't happy with my vocation.  I had a unique opportunity for the first time in my life to make a drastic change.  Being financially stable for the moment, I took the leap into freelance writing!  Writing professionally of course isn't something that happens overnight, but I am working my way slowly into some cool things and I am optimistic that if I just keep going and don't give up, I will find my niche. 

My office is now in my living room where I can work in my PJ's, drink coffee and take as many swimming breaks and naps as I want!  Well, actually, there haven't been too many breaks lately because I have been as busy as a one-legged man in an ass kicking contest, but seriously, it's cool.  I have embarked on finishing up the remodeling of the house, started doing "Krav Maga", an Israeli combat fighting discipline and, well, that's enough, isn't it?  I plan on blogging about my Arizona-New Mexico-Texas trip and the remodel, but for now just an update.  It's time for one of those naps!