Counting On

For those of you that know me or follow me on social media, you probably know that there have been two major dates that I've been counting down to and counting up from. Well, I'm here to tell you that the countDOWN is officially over! As of last Saturday, January 13th at about 1:30pm, I am now officially MRS. Courtney Williams. That's right! Zido and I walked down the aisle to the man of our dreams and walked back with a husband (and a dad!)

Our pictures should be ready in a few weeks, but until then, we received a few sneak peeks from the big day. Our photographer, Taylor Rose Photography, was an absolute and total Godsend. From the very first time we met her, we knew she was the perfect woman to capture our big day and some of the major days leading up to it with an engagement session AND a bridal session. Seriously, if you're getting married, check her out. She. Is. Amazing.

Now the thing to remember as an engaged couple is that no wedding is perfect. Ours had a song malfunction which made me walk down the aisle to silence, we had a unity cross that just did NOT want to get built, we had another song malfunction that made us not too sure when to leave the chapel, AND I got an alert that night which caused the reception to end about 30 minutes early! BUT, because of the imperfection, we had an absolutely perfect day that we shared with our friends and family. It was the ultimate day of displaying the love God has given us and celebrating the amazing journey we're now on.

Huge shoutout to Hitchcock Creative for the perfect invitations and programs!

Flats...because I can trip barefooted....

I cannot thank our friend, Danielle, and her service dog, Rollo, enough for creating the absolute most perfect bow tie and cufflinks for my main dog

Yeah...my husband's fun to look at... :)

The other major date that I've been counting UP from has been October 25, 2014 which was the day of my last episode. While our wedding was absolutely perfect and everything we could have dreamed of, it didn't come without some hardships. Only my parents, siblings, and Zack know about this, but I want to be sure that my followers can truly see what life with a service dog and a medical condition is like. At about 3pm on January 12th, my count-up restarted.

Weddings and wedding planning are by far one of the most stressful events someone can go through. Even though we had a year to plan and an incredibly supportive set of parents and friends who helped us every step of the way, there were still some stressers that just could not be avoided. Now, unfortunately, one of the only things we know for sure about my condition is that it's stress-induced. As I mentioned a while ago, happy stress, bad stress, and shock lead my body to overcompensate by just shutting down. The day before the wedding, there was a perfect storm of, to be quite honest, totally normal stresses that would make the average person just lay down for a bit and keep going. The other thing to note is that my way of handling the random disappointments or stresses of life is often times through crying. I cry when I'm happy, I cry when I'm sad, I cry when I'm confused and frustrated, I cry when Zido does something that's so cute I just can't handle it. Well, at this particular moment, I had already been upset at two events and was close to tears. When the third event happened very shortly after, it all turned. I was sitting on a bed with Zido and my sister and the buildup of everything quickly led me to hyperventilating. No, Zido didn't alert before this, but there was honestly nothing to really alert to. My body went from upset to catastrophic in a matter of seconds, but as soon as that shift happened, Zido was on it.

I was trying to catch a breath, but at the beginning of an episode my muscles start to stiffen. Your diaphragm is a muscle, so breathing becomes incredibly difficult. At this point, Zido had gotten in front of me, jumped up to his back legs and landed his front legs on my shoulders to force me to lay down before he began licking my face. For some reason, my hands, arms, feet, and legs become catatonic-like and are unable to be easily moved, but are incredibly painful. As my sister and parents began massaging each of the body parts, Zido went from laying on my abdomen, creating a kind of heated pressure blanket, to licking my face, to laying his head on the leg that was hurting the most. At one point, my family saw that both arms, both hands, and one leg were relaxed, however Zido would not get off of my right leg when they tried to call him. My parents looked and saw that he was laying on my ankle, which was still stiff and incredibly painful. Once they were able to get it to relax, Zido finally moved and came up to lay by me.

I was able to rest for a little bit, but still had to get to the church for our rehearsal. It was an incredibly disheartening moment for me because it was a smack in the face that this condition isn't going anywhere. It may have been 1,175 days since my last episode, but it's still there lurking. I've never wanted to be someone that looks for pity or who flaunts having a medical condition, but the reality is that this thing is sticking around.

HOWEVER,

the blessing of knowing that there is an army of support behind me and the most amazing service dog beside me gives me the hope of knowing that it's going to be okay. I may be back down to day 9 of being episode free, but hey, that's 9 days of health and freedom!

I want to thank everyone for all of the amazing love and support as I've stepped into this new role as a "wife" (seriously, what?) and I'm really looking forward to all of the adventures and stories that are to come. As always, feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions or topic suggestions!

Love and blessings,
Zee and Me

These Are a Few of Our Favorite (and Not so Favorite) Things

Hello everyone and Happy 2018!

Recently (as in last night) a friend asked if I was thinking of keeping up with this blog. I told her that I really wanted to, but that it had just been so long since my last post that I wasn't sure if it was even worth it. She told me that time between posts doesn't matter; what matters is to just do it! So, Erin, thank you because we're back and ready for a new year!

The topic I'd like to get at today is a fun but crucial one from my partnership with Zido: safe toys and not-so-safe toys. I never really thought about dog toys until I was in training with Zee and they taught us about what our dogs can and can't have. I worked it into our daily lives, but found that when I would mention them to friends and family, they were shocked! Almost every time I bring up a toy that I try to keep away from Zido, someone says "I never thought of that!" Some of the toys I mention may come as a surprise, but together let's keep your dogs safe, happy, and healthy.

**Fine print: I'm not a toy or dog expert. I'm a Zido expert, and you are the expert of your dog. Take the advice you want but please talk to your vet or dog professional before making ANY toy, food, or treat changes. They'll help you with the process of finding what works for your furball**

**Larger fine print: No matter what toy your dog is playing with, they should ALWAYS be supervised. I know how tempting it is to want to just give them a bone so they'll stay out of your way, and I'm not saying you have to stare at them the entire time they're gnawing away. Just keep them in the same room as you so you can hear or see if anything starts to go awry.**

The Naughty List

1. Rope Toys

The first toys that I keep far far away from Zido are any toys that have rope, but it stinks because they tend to be the cheapest and can be found anywhere. They're awesome for tugging and gripping, but as you may expect, they start to shred. Those tiny fibers can either get caught in their teeth and harm their gums, or get swallowed and wrap around intestines. When someone gives us a toy that has rope elements to it, there's no reason the whole toy should go to waste. I'll just snip off the rope before giving it to him.

If you know me, you know how hard it was to say no to this sloth toy...but the rope around its body would have been impossible to remove and too dangerous for him to play with

2. Chewing on Tennis Balls

Zido LOVES tennis balls. He loves catching them, squeaking them, throwing them for himself (weird but adorable...) and don't even get me started on if we throw more than one for him. So, overall, tennis balls are a great and cheap option for these guys, but I take it away once he starts chewing on it. I had no idea about this until we were in our Team Training class, but tennis balls have similar fibers to rope toys. While the fibers don't necessarily wrap around their intestines, they do hurt their gums. Think about it - the hair on a tennis ball is essentially a ton of tiny little pieces of floss. When a dog sits and chews and chews and chews, those tiny floss bits start to eat away at the lining of their gums, leading to potential dental issues. Basically, while ropes are an immediate no-go, tennis balls are more of a supervised toy that should be removed once the dog is no longer just catching or squeaking it.

3. Rawhide Bones

Rawhide bones are another one of those toys that are incredibly cheap and available EVERYWHERE. They seem like a great option for a fun little treat for your dog, but unfortunately they are ones that we stay away from completely. The problem with a rawhide is because they aren't necessarily the highest quality, they can become mushy very quickly once the dogs start chewing. When they become mushy, they then become incredibly pliable, giving the dogs the ability to mold them into sharp edges or accidentally swallow whole pieces. The upcoming "Nice List" will give some of our favorite alternatives, but anytime your dog is gnashing away on a good bone, you'll want to keep an eye on their productivity. Once sharp edges show up and especially if you hear a piece crack off, go take a look at it and decide if you think play time is over for the time being.

The Nice List

While it may seem like I've just eliminated the most popular dog toys from our shopping cart, there are still plenty of other amazing toys out there that I know our little guys will love! Here are a few of Zido's favorite:

1. Tuffy Dog Toys

These toys can stand up against Zido The Ultimate Chewing Champion. They're strong, fun, and easy for either you or other dogs to hold onto. We like to get these as a replacement for traditional rope toys because they're tough (hence the name), they're easy to find, and they don't shred. Two of Zido's favorites are the shark and the lobster. Zido rating: 2 dewclaws up

2.. JW Dog Toys

These fun squeaky toys are a great alternative to tennis balls! They still bounce, they squeak, and they're smooth so no floss fear! This brand has a ton of different styles of toys and so far all of them have been a major success with the Zeester.

3. Antlers

Instead of rawhide bones, antlers are a super fun (albeit slightly expensive) chew toy for your dog. They're super tough and the marrow in the middle tastes delicious. If you know any hunters, you can always ask them to bring home any antlers they may find on the land. Some toy companies, like Nylabone, also have synthetic antlers that have all of the flavor and durability of a real antler, but with a slightly cheaper price tag.

I'm excited to be back up here and to start off the biggest year of my life (my wedding is in 7 days!!!) Feel free to leave a comment with any other topics you'd be interested in and thank you all for sticking with us!

Love and Blessings,

Zee and Me

Sick Bubba

So far on this blog, I've shared many positive and fun aspects of life with a service dog, as well as the dramatic daily interactions. But today's post is more about the day to day reality of my life with Zee. Unfortunately, I'm home sick for the 2nd day this week but for the first time it's not me who's sick. Zido's had an upset tummy for a few days and I took him to the vet when I found blood in his stool. The vet said on Monday that there doesn't appear to be any foreign objects or worrisome lumps so he gave me some meds to help with the colitis he's showing. We took Tuesday off and were able to go back to work yesterday, but by the end of the day, I could tell he wasn't doing very well. His personality was pretty down and he would lay down as soon as we were standing somewhere for more than 5 seconds. His appetite is still there (but let's be real, he's a lab. I'm pretty sure if we removed his stomach, he would still have an appetite...) but what's really worrying me is that he won't drink much water. I've been giving him ice but he's ducking away when I try to give him any normal water. We've been to the vet again today where they're testing him for other bacteria or foreign bodies, so I'm praying for fast results and an even faster recovery! They've also given him some fluids so I don't have to be too worried about dehydration. We're so blessed with the vet that we have because they take the whole picture into account. They don't just see a sick dog. They see a sick lifeline who's health affects more than just the dog. It impacts the partner's ability to go to work and the dog's ability to do his job.

Having a sick pet is already pretty heartbreaking because they're so innocent and you can't talk to them to figure it out. Having a sick service dog is almost devastating because he puts up such a stoic front when I know he just doesn't like showing me he's sick. His whole life is dedicated to making me healthy, so he's not used to being the one who needs help. Life with a service dog is an endless guessing game of "What are you trying to tell me?" It's staying home from work because the other half of you is sick. It's spending whatever needs to be spent to help him. It's being there for him like he's always been there for me. I wish I had something happier and peppier to share, but for now I'm just a worried mom. Please send up prayers for a fast recovery and good rest for my little man!

I'm hoping he feels better soon, because we have a big weekend ahead of us! On Saturday night, Zido and I will have the honor of sharing our story at CPL's annual Unleashed and Uncorked event! We're always so excited to give a personal testimony of the wonders of service dogs and what better venue than a fancy event where we get to play dress-up? Information for the event can be found here, so check it out! I can't wait to share with you all about it afterwards!

Love and blessings,
Zee and Me

7 Ways My Dog is Preparing Me for Marriage

Hi everyone! It's been quite some time since the last time I wrote, and there have been some MAJOR changes in my life. Remember that guy who sat with me through an alert and brought Zido a treat on our first date? Well I'm the lucky lady who gets to soon call that guy my husband! That's right! Zack, Zido, and I are tying the knot in early 2018! I so desperately want to share the proposal story, but I know that's not why you all are here. Long story short, the day before my birthday, Zack took me to dinner and then to the gazebo where he asked me to be his girlfriend. He distracted me with something he supposedly had on his phone and when I looked up, he was kneeling with the most beautiful ring in his hand. He said "Courtney, I love you so much and I'm not going to say a lot because I know you won't remember this," (side note true story: I don't remember a word he said after that...he had to remind me on our drive home...) "but I love you so much and I think you're so beautiful and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?" In the gazebo, I was squished behind a little Christmas tree and Zido was awkwardly between Zack and me, so I did everything in my power to jump over my service dog to get to Zack as I VERY emphatically said "Yes! Oh my gosh yes!"

Okay I guess long story not so short...but hey can you blame me?

PC: Christine Florence Photography

PC: Christine Florence Photography

PC: Christine Florence Photography

PC: Christine Florence Photography

PC: Christine Florence Photography

Zack and I will be engaged for a little over a year by the time we get married. We're taking this year to get as ready as we can for a journey no one can truly prepare for, but it's been hitting me lately how my years with Zido have continued to grow me as a single woman and as a new wife. I know I'm not married and I don't have a true understanding of what a marriage is until I'm in one, but here are 7 ways I'm using these years with Zido to prepare my heart and my mind for the strongest commitment I'll ever make:

1. Truly unconditional love. Dogs have often been said to be the epitome of unconditional love for their people. No matter how the person leaves the house or what the person says, dogs are always quick to forgive and quick to love. There will be (and have been!) times when Zack and I say something we don't mean or do something that hurts the other, but to be willing and able to truly forgive and grow from it with each other will lead to a marriage that grows us as individuals, as a couple, and as followers of Christ.
2. You before me. "What's yours is mine, what's mine is mine" is a funny little saying I learned at a young age and as the baby of the family, I definitely took that to heart...sorry big bro and big sis....but bringing that into a marriage is a poisonous recipe. No matter how tired he is or how hungry he is, Zido will ALWAYS alert me. He sleeps, for sure, but he never lowers his guard. He's woken up in the middle of the night to tell me something is wrong. He has immediately stopped playing when he sensed my heart rate was too fast. He does what he knows I need simply because he loves me and is committed to me. When I become a Williams, I need to be willing to sacrifice sleep, hunger, fun, time, and more for the growth of our marriage. I'm not saying I need to erase my wants and desires for those of Zack, but I need to put his needs and our family's needs above my own. I can't let my guard down for one moment. Just like a distraction can lead Zido to missing an alert with a potentially deadly result, so can a distraction from the vows we take lead to a deadly wedge in our marriage.
3. Truly become one. After almost 3 years with Zido, I honestly could not tell you what it would be like without him at my side. Last year, he had his teeth cleaned and I had to leave him for the short procedure. During those 45 minutes away, I felt like my left leg had suddenly disappeared. I never fully realized how much of a part of me he is until he was apart from me. After those vows are said, Zack and I are a team. There's no other way around it. We will have willingly stood in front of our closest family and friends to declare before them and God that we choose only each other for the rest of our earthly lives. Do team members fight? Yepp. Do team members always agree with each other? Nope. But in the end, do the team members have each others' backs when they're on the field? Always. I will always be on Team Zack whenever we're on the field of life (okay this is getting cheesy but you get the picture, right?) Sometimes that could mean we're each other's coach, other times we're the cheerleader, most of the time I'm sure it's going to feel like we're just lobbing a Hail Mary down the field hoping for the other to back us up. The point is, a team is only a team if they get rid of the "It's only about me" and realize "It's all about us"
4. Don't expect rewards. There are many things Zido does for me that he will look at me afterwards with those eyes that say "Okay mom...your turn. Treat me." And I will give him a click, a treat, and a good boy. I'll reward him for a job well done. However, there are certain things he does that are so integrated into the DNA of his being that he can't help himself but do them and never expects a praise for them! Not once has Zido looked at me after an alert, begging for a treat. He does it because he can't imagine not doing it. When people ask how he can smell my heart, the only answer I have is "Scientists have no clue. They think it's a smell, but they're not certain!" Alerting me is such an integral part of who Zido is that he can't help himself but alert. We need to come to marriage with the same mindset! I need to love Zack so fully and so completely that it doesn't always make sense, but it's just such a part of my heart that I can't help but show that love with no expectation of tangible rewards.
5. Work work work work work. (Did anyone else sing Rihanna with that?) Okay so I've mentioned the ooey gooey lovey dovey stuff, but let's be real. Marriage is work. A TON of work. It's constant trial and error, tensions, actions and repercussions, communication, challenges, fighting, forgiving, loving, choosing, and a million other "ing" words. I can't expect that if I don't work with Zido on his skills, or if I never train him on new things, or if I just leave him off harness for a few days that he's going to bounce back and do everything I ask him to do because he should just know it. No. I need to challenge him as he challenges me. I need to figure out what ways of communicating work for him so he truly understands what I'm trying to tell him. I need to CHOOSE to love him even when he's not doing a thing I ask him to do. I need to never expect he can read my mind. I need to spend time with him. I need to listen to him. I need to guide him as he guides me. I need to do what I can to help his growth as the service dog he's called to be. I need to never stop trying. Now thinking about that in regards to a dog is pretty easy because, I mean, he's adorable. And like we already said, he's going to naturally love me unconditionally. But how do I do that with another human? Don't get me wrong, he's pretty stinkin' adorable too. But unlike Zido, he can talk back and he can call me on stuff. I need to come into marriage with the same mindset that this whole marriage thing isn't going to just happen because, you know, a lot of people do it. This whole marriage thing happens when 2 people are willing to choose each other above and in spite of all else.
6. It's a partnership, not a job. I made the decision early on in my time with Zido that when people ask if he's in training or what he does, I tell him "He's my partner. He helps me with a medical condition." I feel like it's so important to bring to the marriage table that we're a partnership. We're not forced into this and we're not supposed to just "make it through the day." We've already mentioned the whole team thing, but Zack and I have to be a real partnership of support. It's definitely not going to come easy and there are going to be days where the work feels more like a job, but no matter what outside forces try to work against this, we are a packaged partnership. 
7. Find a support system! I'm so incredibly blessed to have a group of about 6 or so other men and women in the area I live that have dogs from CPL. We try to get together for the dogs' birthdays and have just recently attended what will hopefully become a training/skills building class every other month! This group is a safe place to come to and say "I have no idea what's going through his mind. Why won't he just listen to me?!" This last time, I was able to tell them about a habit Zido has started doing while we're at work and they gave me the super simple idea of giving him a chew toy if he ever feels bored! I have no fear of him missing an alert, even if he has an antler to chew on, but I never would have come to that without the advice of my support system. Marriage is the same! Shoot, ANY relationship is the same! I'm blessed to be a part of a weekly bible study with women in all stages of life. We know that no matter what, we can come to one another for advice, comfort, fun, and just to hear an outsider's perspective! Zack and I have also been intentional in trying to find matured married couples who can help guide us in this transition and who we can come to with questions, fears, joys, celebrations, hurt, anger, and all of the other emotions that marriage brings. We also have the blessing of 2 sets of parents who have been together our whole lives that we can look to. They know us better than we know ourselves, so I know they can give us honest advice for who we are!

There are SO many other aspects of a service dog partnership that relate to marriage. Like the fact that when other people have said to me about Zido (true story!) "Wait why do you get to pet him and I don't? That's not fair!" My response "....uh....because he's mine?" Maybe as we get closer to the wedding, I can share some more but for now we'll keep it to these.

I always have the intention of starting back up on my writing, but you'd be surprised at how hard it is to come up with read-worthy material! If you have any questions or topic suggestions, please feel free to comment them below and I can take a look at them!

Thank you all for the support you've shown me as I've started my partnership with Zido and for all of the love Zack and I have been shown during this entry into the biggest journey of our lives!

Love and blessings,

Zee and Me (and the other Z!)

New Job and Pooping Cows

   Hello faithful readers and first-time friends!

   I'm SO sorry it's been a bit since my last post. I fully intended to get a video up here but then.....I started a job!! I'm happy to announce that I am a Production and Subscription Assistant at the Society for Neuroscience in Washington DC! I've been here for almost two months now, and I'm absolutely loving it. The entire organization is amazing with Zido and has gone above and beyond what I thought an employer would do. Before I even started, I was asked for any information I had on how my colleagues could prepare themselves for having a dog in the office and if there was anything I would like them to know about service dogs! Well, you all can imagine how exciting THAT was for this girl.

Zido's favorite part of the job? Looking out our window at the street below

   I'll go into more detail about my job at a later point, but for this post I wanted to talk about a really fun opportunity coming up at Canine Partners for Life this September!

   On Saturday, September 17 from 1pm-5pm, CPL will be hosting a FREE Open House on their campus at 334 Faggs Manor Rd Cochranville, PA 19330. When you get there on the day of the event, you will receive a CPL passport that takes you on a journey around the organization that has absolutely changed my life. You'll be able to see several service dog demonstrations, hear other recipients' stories, tour the kennel that the dogs live in during their 2nd year of training, and visit booths with vendors who share the mission of CPL. There will also be food, games, face painting, live music, shopping, and my all-time favorite puppy kissing booth.

   In October of 2014, I went to the Open House and had an absolute BLAST. Not only did I get to meet other recipients and learn more about the entire organization, but it was also the last time I saw Zido before our team training.

Zido and I holding hands at the Open House

   Now, you're probably still wondering about the title of this post...the most exciting and ever-popular part of CPL's annual Open House is the portion of the event known as Cow Bingo. Cow Bingo is the ultimate game of chance that teaches patience and endurance as you wait for Good Ol' Bertha (that's not really her name, but I mean come on...) to "doo" her business. Basically, before the event begins, each participant can buy a square (or more!) and if Mother Nature calls on your square, you win $5,000! Seriously. This is not a joke. Cow poops = You win. And if you think for one moment that this isn't as serious as the Super Bowl, then you have another thing coming. People bring lawn chairs, blankets, and games while they sit and wait for the cow to...well you know. Tickets are $10 and the squares are randomly assigned, so go buy your tickets now! Also, you don't even need to be present to win! So whether you live in Virginia or Alaska, you can win cow-poop money. #goals.

   This is one of the few times I will ever promote an event on this blog, but I really think any and all of you should check it out. How many times in your life can you seriously say, "Yeah I'll have to call you back later. I'm waiting for a cow to poop."

Stay tuned for a video update coming up soon!

Love and blessings,
Zee and Me

Zido Goes to Preschool!

   There are many many blessings and perks of having a service dog. I mean, aside from the fact that he has kept me conscious for 580 days, he also provides constant support, never-ending laughter, wake-up kisses, safety, happiness, peace, love, cuddles, smiles, and goodnight tail wags, just to name a few. Of course, there are always trade-offs so along with these blessings come many frustrations.

   For example, just yesterday I had to take my friend, Sam, to a testing center. She's from California but will be living with us this summer as she scopes out jobs in Washington DC. She hasn't bought a car here yet and I had no issues with bringing her to the test, waiting two hours, and bringing her back. I was looking forward to the quiet time with my cross-stitch and my Zido.

   Unfortunately, while I was waiting, we ran into an issue. The guy that worked there acted as if he had never seen a service dog and said he couldn't "believe the building would allow pets." I patiently told him "Oh he's not a pet, he's a service dog." He then went back to his desk (mind you, I'm sitting RIGHT next to him and can hear him mumbling to himself...) when about 15 minutes later he received a call. No one had walked by us, so you can imagine my surprise when I heard him say "I guess it's a service dog...they got here about 10...I don't know I guess she has nothing better to do." Again, I'm RIGHT freaking next to him (behind this whiteboard that was sitting in front of his desk) and I'm furious. First of all, was someone watching me on a camera? If so, I hope they were enjoying my dog laying utterly silent at my feet while analyzing the details of my peacock cross-stitch...and second of all, seriously dude? I'm RIGHT HERE!

   After taking a few breaths and reminding myself that this man is just ignorant when it comes to service dogs, I approached his desk and said "Excuse me, who were you just speaking to?" He whipped around and said, "The CEO" to which I replied "Okay, well I can hear everything you just said and I don't appreciate being talked about, so if he has anymore questions I'm happy to talk to him." With a nice little deer-in-the-headlights look, he said "Oh okay no he just didn't know you were allowed to have a pet in here." I took yet another deep breath and said, "Again, he's not a 'pet', he's a service dog and is working for me. And by the way, it's very rude to say that I have nothing better to do. I'm here with my friend who's taking a test and I'm waiting until she's done. So again, if your CEO has any further questions, tell him I'm happy to speak to him." And walked away.

   The sad reality is that as a partner with a service dog, these situations are not all that uncommon. Through them, we learn different ways to combat the difficulties. Aside from speaking to the individual in the moment that the event occurs, I also take advantage of the fact that my mom is a preschool teacher at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church and School. I believe that the BEST time to start learning anything is while a child is still young, so once a year I go into her classroom and give a service dog presentation for the 4-year-olds.

   Now, let me tell you, there is NOTHING funnier than a bunch of 4-year-olds not only guessing how old I am (I'm 22...they guess either 12 or 48...) but also hearing what they think his harness is for. We like to start the presentation with those kind of questions just to see what they think! My favorite answer? Last year when we asked what they thought his harness was for, this little boy raised his hand and in a VERY matter-of-fact way said, "It's his jetpack."

   The presentation serves three basic purposes for the kids. Primarily, I make sure they understand that it doesn't matter if it's a service dog or not! They should NEVER walk up to a dog and start petting it. Secondly, I want to teach them how they should act when they are around someone with a service dog. We tell them that they just have to act like the dog isn't even there and always talk to the person, not the dog. This is something I run into almost everyday where people only see the dog next to me and forget that there is a human being connected to it. Hopefully, this plants the seed of respect in their young minds and then they can bring it to any of their circles of influence to teach others! Finally, we like to do little demonstrations of what Zido does for me. Here are some pictures of this April's group of students and the skills Zido showed them:

We love meeting our new friends and showing them how well Zido can lay there quietly

Showing them how he can sit, lay down, and stand helps remind them of their own dogs at home

This is when we show how well he stays while I walk away. Even when they're making noises, he's able to focus on me

And then of course he gets a treat when he comes to me

Yeah...Zido loves his treats...

This wasn't a real alert, but I like to have him sit on me so they can see what an alert looks like!

The kids LOVE this one: he's helping me take off my socks so I don't have to bend over

They love seeing how gentle he is with my toes

This one is their favorite: he's jumping up to close the door for me! Such a gentleman :)

This is called a go-pay. I don't use it too much, but it's always important to keep his skills up!

We like to end with his LEAST favorite...carrying a plastic baggie

The children like to see him walk next to me while he carries it across the room

As any gentleman would...

   It's so humbling and absolutely amazing to see how their eyes are opened to the world of dogs. They probably won't remember my name or even Zido's name by the time they're older, but at least the seed is planted. It sounds cheesy, but these kids really are the future of our society and if we can teach them how to handle interactions with people who are a little "different" than they are, then hopefully society will learn the same.

   Up next on Zee and Me: Video Update!

Love and blessings,
Zee and Me

Big Things Are Happening...

   So it's been a bit since the last time I wrote for you all! I want to thank Miss Michelle for sharing her story of sweet little Keona and I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. It's always nice to hear another person's journey and be able to witness the amazing addition dogs make to this world.

   The main reason why I wasn't able to write on here was my end-of-the-semester final exam schedule! As you all can imagine, it's not exactly the most relaxing time in a student's life. Basically, my life consisted of wake up, shower, get dressed, study, school, take care of Zido, try to eat, get home, sleep, repeat. Also, mix in with that the job applications and interviews and you have yourself a certifiably exhausted Courtney. But in other news.......

ZIDO AND I GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE!

   That's right! Zee and I are officially graduates of George Mason University! After four years at the school that changed my life, I had the privilege of crossing the stage with the dog that changed my life. There's nothing quite like waiting in the tunnel at the Eagle Bank Arena (formerly and forever in my heart known as the Patriot Center), hearing the voices of the classmates you've been with for four long years cheer and chant as we prepare for the gate to slide open. Soaking in the cheering of our loved ones on the other side and finally filing into the arena was the most surreal feeling I've ever had.

   After what seemed like forever and a split-second all at the same time, the speeches were done and it was time to head up to the stage. Before coming in, we were given a card to write our names on and had to include the phonetic spelling for the announcers. At the urging of my neighboring graduates, I snagged a second card and wrote "Zido Simmons -- Z-EYE-DOE (sounds like Fido)." When I was next in line, I handed Dr. Muir my cards and whispered, "The top one is me. The bottom is my dog." He winked and said "You got it."

   What followed was the most emotional moment of my entire night:

To hear both of our names called along with the response from the crowd was so overwhelmingly amazing that I had to take a moment after getting back to my seat to catch my breath and fully comprehend the support in that building. It's been a week since that night and I still get goosebumps thinking about it.

   To prepare for the night, I made sure Zido was just as decked out as I was! I decorated both of our caps and was blessed to borrow a green dog graduation cap and gown from Danielle and Rollo in Georgia. I had a tough time deciding what to say on the caps, but settled on a FRIENDS reference for mine (since I've watched the entire series 2 times...no shame...) and an incredibly true statement for Zido's:

Can you guess whose is whose?

   I was so blessed to have my sister fly in from Georgia and Miss Michelle fly in from Arizona for the big day! I seriously could not have imagined graduating without the two of them in the audience. Since I had Zido, the coordinators of the graduation had me go a little bit away from the rest of the crowd so I could get to an outside seat. It worked PERFECTLY because my family just so happened to choose a section right next to the floor, so when I walked back from the stage, I was able to pass by and give them hugs and kisses.

   I also want to give a huge thank you to one of my best friends, Ally, my small group co-leader, Amanda, and her husband/Director of Student Ministry at New Hope Church/one of my dearest friends, Tommy, for coming to the graduation to cheer Zido and me on! And of course to my parents, my brother, and Zack for supporting me throughout these four years and for coming to every award ceremony and graduation! I couldn't do it without any of them.

   The entire night seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye, but before I knew it, the dean was announcing us as the "Class of 2016!" School is OFFICIALLY out of session! I'm so thankful for the love and support my friends and family have given me throughout my time at school. Because of them, and the protection Zido gives me on a daily basis, I was able to graduate summa cum laude with a 3.99 GPA (dang COMM 300: "Rhetorical Analysis" from my spring semester of sophomore year with that stupid A-.....)  While my journey at Mason is over, my life is really just beginning. I will now be heading into the world with a Bachelor of Arts in communication with a concentration in media production and criticism and a minor in criminology. What I'll do with that...we shall see!

   I'm so thankful for my time at Mason and for the friends I made. It hasn't hit yet that I'm done with school (until my master's of course), but I trust that with Christ, all things are possible!

   Here's a few more pictures from the big day! Up next on Zee and Me: "Zido Goes to Preschool"

All decked out and ready to go...but first...let me get some kisses...

Can't forget George!

And of course this handsome man :)

My friend, Lori, and I right after we filed in!

Love and blessings,
Zee and Me