Inspirational People

I was asked to write a post about someone who I believe is an inspiration. I've written before about Real Heroes here and here. Today's post is about two things inspirational. One person, another real hero is my friend Susan.

Yeah, she's gorgeous

I met Susan when we first moved here to Mayberry 10 years ago. She was the coach of 16's soccer team (at the time, 16 was 6!). In addition to her mad soccer coaching skillz, she was also a mentor at the elementary school and responsible for helping to create several programs for the kids there including an afternoon runners club to keep kids active and a club for the kids to have fun on Friday nights.

Always thinking of others before herself, Susan is one of the most generous people you will ever meet. She is Mom to two amazing and beautiful young women who are following in their mother's footsteps with their kindness and generosity.

Susan and I during a Tough Mudder race in 2014

Susan is the co-chair of a 5K which raises money for athletic programs in our area, and she recently participated in a 100 mile race to raise money to help the folks in Flint, MI dealing with the water crisis. Last week, however, Susan went above and beyond when she loaded up a truck full of cleaning supplies, water, food and clothing and took it, along with her daughters and my daughter to the southern part of West Virginia, which was devastated by floods the week before.

They brought dehumidifiers to those who desperately needed them, and they put in long hours of labor at a hardware store that had lost almost everything. My daughter and hers were able to appreciate all that they have and to see the loss and devastation suffered at the hands of Mother Nature was most definitely eye-opening for them.

Susan plans on making another trip down to assist with rebuilding the flood-damaged areas, and my daughter was so moved by the first experience that she's definitely signed on for a second trip. Susan just radiates the things I want my daughters to be: kind, generous, compassionate, loving and above all, selfless.

The other inspirational thing I'm writing about today is the premiere of the show Born This Way. The second season of Born This Way premieres on Tuesday, July 26 on A&E. The show features some amazing young adults born with Downs Syndrome and facing life's challenges with grace, courage, determination and love.

You can watch a clip of the season premiere here:

Tell me about someone who inspires you!

**I was compensated for this post but all opinions are my own.

A&E's new show DOGS OF WAR....A sneak peek!

Hubs and I were watching something on the tube last weekend and we saw a preview for a new show on A&E called DOGS OF WAR and I turned to him and said "That looks like something I'd really want to watch!" He shook his head and went back to watching whatever show we had on. That's sort of his way of saying "Yes, Dear." Whatever. Flash forward to later in the week, I received an email asking if I wanted to watch the premiere episode before it airs tomorrow, Veteran's Day (Tuesday, 11/11 at 10:00 p.m. EST on A&E). YES!!! YES I DID!!

They just asked if I would please give it a fair review, which I'm about to do. If you'd like to see a preview of the new show, DOGS OF WAR, watch it here. Then scroll down for my review.

My family all got together on Saturday evening and watched the premiere episode and 3/4 of us enjoyed it. You can guess which 1/4 of us thought it was 'okay, but I'm not sure how they're going to make a series out of it.'

The show features Iraq war veteran Jim Stanek who has returned home from the war suffering from PTSD. He has heard that therapy dogs are extremely helpful to veterans in his situation, but what he didn't realize was the cost (anywhere from $10-$60K) and the amount of time it takes to be paired with a therapy dog. He starts his own non-profit organization called Paws and Stripes, in which he rescues dogs from kill-shelters, and pairs them up with veterans in the same situation that he was in when he came home from the war.

The first episode tells the story of Army PFC Michael Spillar. Michael suffers not only from PTSD but a laundry list of physical ailments and psychological issues such as sleepwalking, tremors, anger issues and night terrors. Upon their first meeting, Jim and Michael bond over finding out that they were both in the 82nd Airborne Division. Jim knows how badly Michael needs the assistance of a therapy dog and makes it his mission to pair him up with just the right one.

The cameras follow Michael and his family as they take a trip into their little town and every sound he hears and every experience that Michael goes through is jaw-clenchingly hard for him. He says at one point "I'd rather have my leg just blown off, to show that something's wrong with me." PTSD isn't something that you can see like a rash or a cut.

Jim goes to the dog park at the Humane Society to watch the trainers at work with several dogs, hoping that one of them will be a perfect fit for Michael. It is at this point that I realize that I'm so much happier watching a show where someone truly cares about rescuing a dog from a shelter AND helping a vet see his way clear with the use of a therapy dog. I'd rather watch something like this, with a positive outcome for everyone involved than to watch people stranded on an island plotting against one another for a million dollar prize.

I won't give away what happens or whether or not Jim finds a good matching therapy dog for Michael, you'll have to tune in and see for yourself. But I will tell you this: I really enjoyed watching this premiere episode and will be tuning in again when the show moves to Sunday nights at 10:00 p.m. EST on A&E starting next Sunday 11/16.



*Disclaimer: I was not paid for this post, but they are sending me some cool DOGS OF WAR bandanas for my dogs. Both dogs are happy about the free swag, but that in no way influenced my review.