Diagnosed with MS at 29, Alison rebuilt her health through holistic wellness and now feels stronger in her 40s than ever before. She shares her journey to inspire others to discover the power of nourishing choices, resilience, and hope.
I feel it is my responsibility to all of you to share what I have learned about reverse osmosis (RO) water through my own personal experience. Recently, a friend shared that they have been having health issues and that they only drink RO water. This is when I knew my story with reverse osmosis water was needed. I experienced numerous health issues after consuming primarily reverse osmosis water from January 2021 – September 2023. In the beginning, I had no idea that my drinking RO water without proper essential minerals was the culprit of many of my new health issues; fatigue, muscle cramps, headaches, neuropathy and weakness throughout the right side of my body. When these issues were surfacing, I assumed it must be symptoms of my multiple sclerosis, as they presented similarly in my body. I was seeing my acupuncturist, continuing to eat clean foods, seeing my chiropractor, trying to figure out why I was feeling weaker with less mobility as the weeks and months went on. My husband and I were headed to a friends wedding for the weekend. To say I was intimidated by the upcoming event is an understatement. I assumed my condition would continue to worse with not following my daily routine, staying up later than usual, engaging in lots of stimulation with people and events. The opposite wound up occurring, each day we were gone and I was drinking water from the hotel where we were staying for three nights, I felt better than I had in months. Once we got back home, after just one night of drinking RO water I started feeling terrible again. I met with my functional medicine doctor that week and he asked me what type of water did I drink. I answered, reverse osmosis water 98% of the time. I work from home and live on a farm with well water with a RO system. Through my research I discovered our RO system was not installed with a final stage of remineralization, which seems to be quite common for homes to not have this final filter stage. When my FMD asked me if I added minerals back to my water, I replied I do not. He immediately told me to look into adding essential trace minerals to my water. The word ESSENTIAL tells you everything you need to know, our body must have these to function. Fast forward to later that week, I decided to stop drinking RO water and started guzzling spring water. I even had a nurse come to our house with a mobile iv to rehydrate my body with all the minerals I had been lacking for a very long time. My husband and I left on a ten day road trip to rehydrate and nourish my body via hot springs. Every day we were gone, I continued to drink spring water and I felt better and better. My recovery did not happen overnight, it took days, then weeks, then months to recover completely. I am sharing my story to educate folks not just about the benefits of reverse osmosis water, but the dangers of reverses osmosis water if we do not add back the essential minerals that were removed during purification. This is an example of one product of essential trace minerals that you can add back to your water. 
Reverse osmosis filters water by using pressure to force water molecules through a semi-permeable membrane, which has tiny pores. This membrane allows smaller water molecules to pass through, but blocks larger dissolved solids, contaminants like salts, heavy metals, minerals, and micro-organisms. This is great for so many of us that do not have access to clean drinking water. Some systems may use additional post-filters to remove any remaining tastes or odors, or to add back healthy minerals. The addition of healthy minerals is not a standard in most grocery stores or homes. I also discovered that not only are these essential minerals being stripped through reverse osmosis, our body looks to where they can find these minerals in other ways which does include your food and supplements, but that also means that your body will leach these minerals from your bones over time. These is extremely detrimental. This is the issue that I am wanting to bring to people’s attention. Long term consumption of demineralized RO water without dietary compensation can potentially lead to mineral imbalances and health issues.
Some of these health issues are the following:
I am not telling anyone to not drink RO water. This is a type of filtered water that is accessible around the world and is beneficial in many ways once it is also remineralized. The fact that we can change salt water into safe drinking water is a win for humanity in many ways. RO water indeed filters out harmful contaminants like “forever chemicals” like PFAs, nitrates and sulfates, chemicals like chlorine and pesticides, heavy metals like lead and arsenic. While this is extremely important, we also cannot dismiss not adding minerals back into reverse osmosis filtered water, our health and well being is at stake. I have given you information of what I have been discovering through my research on reverse osmosis water, please make your own choices about what you will do with this information.
Backing concerns, the World Health Organization (WHO) has cautioned against the excessive use of RO filters. In a statement dating back to 2019, WHO highlighted the detrimental effects of consuming water devoid of essential minerals. Dr. Anil Arora, head of gastroenterology at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, suggested opting for boiled water post-filtration to eliminate impurities like nitrates, as boiling effectively eliminates harmful microorganisms.
Adverse Health Effects & International Precedents
Drawing attention to international precedents, Dr. Aora mentioned the adverse effects observed in Czechoslovakia and Slovakia after 5 years of mandatory RO water consumption. Complaints of muscle fatigue, cramps, body aches, and memory loss surfaced due to mineral deficiencies. WHO guidelines recommend specific mineral content per liter of water to maintain optimal health.
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9241593989
Even if you are not a morning person, it is important for numerous reasons to find yourself a morning routine that works for YOU. Treat your morning as your sacred space, your temple, your church. Lucky for me I am a morning person, always have been besides those early school mornings as an adolescent. Morning routines help to increase productivity and focus, encourage healthy habits, and reduce stress. Incorporating mindfulness first thing in the morning allows you to connect with yourself giving you a confident mindset of accomplishment for the day ahead.
Discovering a morning routine also allows you to practice consistency. This type of daily routine will support habit formation for achieving goals. Consistency provides stability and predictability. How would you like to greet your day? How do you set yourself up for success for the day? It may be a meditation practice, a walk or jog outside, reading a book with a cup of tea or coffee, stretching and/or yoga, a breath technique, a fitness session. I understand not all of us have the luxury to start our day exactly how we would like every day. We can create more time for ourselves in the morning, even setting your alarm 15/20 minutes earlier than it currently is to have a moment for yourself before the rest of your household wakes up. I challenge you to not sign on to social media, or check your email/texts, be with the quiet before the hustle of the day begins, take this time for YOU.
Currently my morning routine consists of starting with attending to my personal hygiene, I LOVE using my stainless steal tongue brush to remove bacteria and plaque that accumulates overnight on my tongue. Next, a large glass of water with my two Good Phyte Immunity capsules (enzymes and iron) and 2 Seed capsules (pre/probiotic). On to my meditation practice, welcoming my mental self to the day and focusing on my breath. After meditation it is to time to welcome my physical self to the day with a light practice of yoga and stretching. Many days I will practice an additional yoga session focusing on power/strength or a relaxing/restorative practice before bed. Once I have connected with my self; body, mind, and soul, I move on to greeting the day of all my loving beings. This consists of opening up the chickens and feeding them, feeding all 3 pups, Sophie, Suzy and Sally, our cat Oscar, attending to the mules Missy and Blondie year round. In the warmer months we are blessed to have a magical garden! I get to attend to my vegetables and plants during the summer months, how lucky we are! Once I come inside to start a protein, veggie rich breakfast for my husband and I, I make myself a hot matcha tea with collagen peptides. I look forward to this every morning!
While working with a client, I was reminded of how important it is not only to set goals for yourself, but to also write these goals down. At the beginning of the year, I decided to use a daily habit tracker for myself, what a difference this made for me implementing new habits consistently. Each day I check off the boxes of the goals and habits I attain each day. Some days I check them all off, and some days I only check one off. None of us are perfect, and in my opinion we should not be striving for perfection. What is important is showing up for yourself every day in a consistent manner. When I see the week unfolding and see those check marks grow, it motivates me to continue with the daily habits I am implementing. Examples of daily habits that I may track: 15 pushups, 100+ounces of water, meditation, no dessert, 10k steps, gratitude journaling, yoga, no food after 8pm. Below is an example of a habit tracking handout. Customize it to work for YOU! I have also found daily habit trackers to be available in most daily calendar planners.
At the start of each year my husband and I both take time on January 1st to write down our intentions for the upcoming year. We then share these intentions with each other and purposely keep these handy so we can see and read them throughout the year, We have found this to be important because as we all know, life gets busy as we move from day to day, week to week, month to month quickly, and creating and sticking to new intentions and achieving our goals is challenging. When I can see and read these from time to time, it is a good reminder for me throughout the year. Writing goals provides clarity and focus. Dreams and thoughts in your mind become real, tangible items to achieve. Seeing this goals written down and reflecting on them regularly reminds us to stay on track.
Throughout my coaching experience I have been taught the concept of implementing SMART goals. SMART is an acronym for: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound. Following SMART goals generally increases the likelihood of success. They are used to help set and guide goal setting. This is another example of how writing helps to support us in achieving our goals. In order to understand our progress in achieving a goal, it is important to write down and track our efforts.
Lastly, but not least important is journaling. This may mean different things for different people. I encourage gratitude journaling for my clients to enhance mindfulness. Some days we are down in the dumps, life happens and it it is not always in our control. I have found that starting and ending my days journaling about gratitude shifts my perspective. Even when we feel like we did not accomplish what we wanted in the day or are feeling sorry for ourselves, taking a moment to write down a couple of sentences of what you are grateful for goes a long way. It may be as simple as saying you are grateful that you woke up today. You are grateful you have a roof over your head. You are grateful for your pets and family. You are grateful to be able to move your body. Feel free to use these gratitudes when you journal, and play around with gratitudes that are specific to you as well! Journaling opens our creative pathways and provides a space for self expression. It also may help to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. By reflecting on our thoughts and feelings, we may find a deeper understanding of what motivates us and what our behavior patterns are. Aim for daily journaling, even if just for a few minutes each day. Choose a time and place when you feel relaxed and can focus on writing without distractions. Journaling is not supposed to be perfect, or striving for an A, it is more about honesty and self expression. I enjoy writing in a particular journal that I purchased at a local bookstore. Taking just a few moments each day in reflection has supported me to grow even more on my health journey.
Over the years I have incorporated yoga into my daily life, it truly is nonnegotiable. I LOVE yoga for many reasons. Yoga is an incredible and beautiful practice. I look forward to starting my mornings with a meditation and yoga practice. I enjoy connecting with my body, turning inward before entering into the day. The flexibility, strength, and balance that I find from my yoga practice sets me up strong for the day. Yoga allows my body, mind, and spirit to connect, to feel grounded. I have noticed the difference in the past when I was not consistent with my yoga practice. Yoga supports me to live my life with intention. This intention is important for me to show up in life for myself and to the world in a loving and compassionate manner.
Living with multiple sclerosis, it is always important to me to strengthen my balance and work on neuroplasticity, yoga has been a great tool for this. Days and weeks where I have not been physically or mentally well I still turn to yoga. There are so many poses and practices that one can incorporate even if the traditional flows are not in your wheelhouse. Floor poses and stretches are just as important as advanced moves, they build your foundation. In order to remain consistent with my daily practice of yoga, I do not expect myself to complete a 30 or 60 minute flow to feel successful. Instead, I commit to at least 10 minutes of yoga every morning after meditating. If the day allows for me to have a longer session, or incorporate a second yoga session later that day, awesome, and if not I am grateful that I was able to fit in at least ten minutes for the day. Trust that you are exactly where you need to be each moment.
I go back and forth to attending yoga classes in studios. It can be wonderful to practice with other like minded students and feel the energy that exists in a class. I also struggle with making it to a scheduled yoga class at times. These days I find myself having a home practice and working with teachers via Peloton or YouTube, this allows me to fit classes into my schedule. In the warmer months I love to practice outside. We live on a beautiful farm in the foothills of Colorado, and the peace I feel when I practice outside with the sun shining on me, birds singing, the breeze blowing is incredible. In stillness and peace we are able to reconnect with ourselves
As I dive deeper into my yoga practice, I have learned that yoga is more than a pose, it inspires life. Conscious living is a way of life that I strive for everyday through intentional breathing, expressing compassion to myself and others, mindfully eating, and responding to life vs. reacting to life. I have never gone through yoga teacher training, though I have taken yoga education classes to support my personal training certification. As I continue to expand my yoga practice, I would like to dive deeper into understanding yoga philosophy, this incorporates the eight limbs of yoga.
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual practice that originated in India thousands of years ago. The word yoga is derived from the Sanskrit root yuj, meaning “to yoke,” or “to unite”. The practice aims to create union between body, mind and spirit, as well as between the individual self and universal consciousness. Such a union tends to neutralize ego-driven thoughts and behaviors, creating a sense of spiritual awakening. Give yoga a try if you haven’t already. If you are already a yogi, continue to expand your own practice in ways that you did not imagine were possible.
Fasting, many people do not love hearing this word, or look to incorporate it into their regular life. It should not come as a shock that there are countless benefits to fasting. Whatever type of fast you decide to do, it is extremely important to stay well hydrated during your fast. This includes upping your water consumption prior to beginning your fast for at least 3 days. Many clients will seem intimidated by a fast for their first time, claiming they will be hungry and not able to do the fast. I tell my clients that most of the time when one feels “hungry” it is more likely that they are dehydrated and need to drink more water. If you are pregnant, take medications, or have diabetes type 1, please check with your doctor before attempting a fast.
Let’s break it down to a few different types of fasts. A water fast, where one only consumes water for a period of time. A bone broth fast, one of my favorites, is when one consumes water and bone broth. I enjoy a bone broth fast since it allows your body to have nutritious support from the bone broth while you are abstaining from food. A juice fast is consuming water and pressed juices (not smoothies). The length of time to fast is up to the individual but every hour you continue to fast, your body indeed benefits! Intermittent fasting has become popular in recent years. This is a great option for many folks who are intimidated by a longer period of fasting. 16/8 is an example of intermittent fasting, this means you fast for 16 hours and you have 8 hours of eating available to you within a 24 hour period. I do suggest that all participate in a 12/12 fast daily. This period of 12 hours fasting is technically a “digestive rest”. It is important for your body to have rest time. Another example of intermittent fasting is the 5:2 approach. This involves eating regularly for 5 days, and limiting the remaining 2 days to a total of only 500 calories each day.
0-4 Hours (Anabolic Phase):
4-16 Hours (Catabolic Phase):
24-72 Hours (Prolonged Fasting):
Beyond 72 Hours (Starvation):
My husband and I enjoy a longer fast multiple times throughout the year for a multitude of reasons. When I am not feeling connected with my mind and what I am consuming it is time for a fast. Fasting allows me to realize when I reach for food, is it because I am hungry, or is it purely out of habit or boredom. Whenever I am in need of a “reset” I do a 40-60 hour fast. This seems to be when we get back from a vacation and we have indulged in foods we generally do not consume. When I feel bloated or “thick” I like to fast to get a handle on what I am consuming while dropping a few pounds. This helps me to continue to make heathier choices in the future once I have gone without food. It is important to plan and be prepared for your first meal after a fast. Whole foods with protein and healthy fats is essential. I generally like to break my fast with a glass of water, eggs, sautéed kale, and sliced avocado.
Fasting benefits may include:
Fasting is common around the world in many religious communities and has been practiced for centuries. Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism all practice some sort of fasting throughout the year. Many religions consider fasting a way to connect with the divine, a way to express humility, and focus on spiritual matters. The act of fasting can be a form of self discipline and self control.
Whatever the reason may be for you to try fasting, you can see from above that there are many benefits to fasting. This is a not a new age idea, millions of people have been practicing the act of fasting for eons. Give one a try and see how you feel! I also offer a 10 day program, REFRESH, that kicks off with a guided 40 hour bone broth fast. Reach out if you have interest in my program, or just have general questions in regards to fasting. Happy healing!
When I received the call confirming my multiple sclerosis diagnosis on April 1, 2010, my immediate reaction was wondering if the neurologist was playing a bad April fools joke on me, he was not. I was 29 years old and recently had broken off my engagement when I started experiencing vision issues. Since I wear contact lenses on a regular basis, I assumed that my prescription needed an adjustment not anything more. I went to the local eye glass shop and the optometrist did her evaluation of my eyes. She instructed me to make an appointment with an ophthalmologist as the vision impairment seemed to be more than just adjusting my prescription. I made an appointment with a local ophthalmologist in Boulder and did not think twice about the upcoming visit. For those of you unfamiliar, as I was, the key difference between an optometrist and an ophthalmologist lies in their scope of practice and level of training. Optometrists are primary eye care providers who focus on vision care, prescribing glasses and contacts, and managing common eye conditions. Ophthalmologists, on the other hand, are medical doctors specializing in eye diseases and surgery, able to treat a wide range of eye conditions. I went to my appointment with the ophthalmologist, and as I sat on the stool reading letters on the wall, having my eye balls inspected in detail, he stated that he felt I was suffering from optic neuritis. I had never heard of this before and figured it was a condition and he would tell me what I needed to do to make it better. I was not ready for him to say, this may be a symptom of multiple sclerosis, you should make an appointment to see a neurologist. Whoa, back it up! How did I go from thinking I needed a new prescription for my glasses to my possibly having an autoimmune disease, multiple sclerosis?! Ironically, I was familiar with this disease. When I was growing up, my mom was a social worker and I remember one patient she worked with having multiple sclerosis. We participated in Walk MS in the mid 90s, little did we know that 15 years or so later I would be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
For those of you unfamiliar with multiple sclerosis (MS), it is an autoimmune or immune mediated disease that attacks the central nervous system. The central nervous system (CNS) is comprised of your spine, brain, and optic nerve. When one has MS, the immune system attacks the myelin sheath, the protective covering of nerve fibers, within the CNS. This damage disrupts the communication between the brain and body leading to a variety of symptoms. MS may be a progressive disease over one’s lifetime, and it may even progress in a matter of days, weeks, months. Being given this diagnosis at 29 with no other prior health issues, proved to be quite a shock. With the support of family, friends, and doctors I navigated the steps with my diagnosis. For years, I followed the traditional path of meeting with neurologists that specialized in MS, and going on a disease modifying therapy (DMT). I tried one medication for the first three years, I seemed to do alright mostly during this time. Then I started going downhill with the disease in 2013, having heavy fatigue, brain fog, and tore my ACL skiing. That spring my doctor and I decided I should try a new DMT that had recently been approved by the FDA. I did quite well mostly on this new medication for 9 years, though I never accepted being on a daily medication indefinitely. I had yet to learn about the importance of lifestyle and how it affects our mental, physical, and emotional states of being, this would come.
January 2020, right before COVID hit, I decided to start trying to heal myself from the inside out. I discovered so many people who had been researching how to heal yourself from MS naturally, holistically, without medication. This clicked with me and I threw myself into the ring. My husband and I started to follow a strict nutritional ketogenic diet for 6 months, within 2-3 months I had noticed significant positive changes and felt like myself again. Fast forward to the fall of 2022 when I decided to stop taking any DMTs and continue to heal and support my body through holistic and homeopathic modalities. It is amazing what our bodies are capable of when we give it what it needs. Healthy clean food, movement, strength training, detox from toxins, limit stress, meditation, stretching, laughter, community to name just a few essentials to have a thriving lifestyle. I became a health coach throughout this journey because I want to help others heal themselves and support themselves now and in the future no matter what they may or may not deal with in the present. I want to encourage people and support them knowing they have the power to improve their health each and every day. It may not always be drastic measures depending on your situation, but consistency is a key factor that I have discovered along the way. I have learned so much in my health journey and I look forward to seeing what I continue to learn and discover. 15 years ago I was diagnosed with MS and I can honestly say that I am thriving in life. I look forward to seeing what the next 15 years hold!
FODMAP stands for Fermentable Oligosaccharides Disaccharides Monosaccharides And Polyols . These saccharides and polyols are short-chain carbohydrates that if poorly digested, ferment in the lower par of your large intestine. This fermentation process draws in water and produces carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and/or methane gas that cause the intestine to stretch and expand. The result is strong pain, bloating, visible abdominal distension. What exactly are these foods that contain these carbohydrates? I will attempt to break this down throughout the blog.
Over the years, I have come across many folks that struggle with abdominal pain, gastrointestinal issues, bloating, gas to name a few. They have tried improving their diet and do not necessarily find relief. This is when FODMAP was brought to my attention. FODMAP foods are generally “healthy items”, but certain individuals struggle to digest these FODMAPS properly, leading to many of the symptoms mentioned above. Following a low FODMAP protocol is essential for providing relief to some clients. The good news about following this protocol is that it is temporary. Once you have taken the time to eliminate high FODMAP foods, you may then slowly introduce one food item at a time and see if that food gives you symptoms. We eliminate high FODMAP foods so we can stabilize our gut, allow it to heal, then slowly introduce possible problematic foods and see if symptoms arise.
To ease IBS and SIBO symptoms, it’s essential to avoid high FODMAP foods that aggravate the gut, including:
Instead, base your meals around low FODMAP foods such as:
Follow a low FODMAP protocol which is a three-step elimination diet as cited by John Hopkins Medicine, see below:
“We recommend following the elimination portion of the diet for only two to six weeks,” says Veloso. “This reduces your symptoms and if you have SIBO, it can help decrease abnormally high levels of intestinal bacteria. Then every three days, you can add a high FODMAP food back into your diet, one at a time, to see if it causes any symptoms. If a particular high FODMAP food causes symptoms, then avoid this long term.”
Throughout my research on FODMAP, I came across a university in Australia, Monash University. In 2005, researchers in the Department of Gastroenterology at Monash University identified a group of short-chain carbohydrates found in food that are either poorly absorbed in the small intestine or impossible to digest. The Monash team named these carbohydrates FODMAP. The university was the first to identify and research these foods in this nature. Thanks to Monash University’s extensive work in this area, people can take their gut health back into their own hands by managing their symptoms through diet and improve their overall quality of life.
As you do your own research on FODMAP, you will discover there is no black and white with food choices. The best way to discover which foods work and do not work for you, is the elimination diet, then journal your symptoms or lack their of when you reintroduce the eliminated foods. Best of luck on your health journey! I am always here to support and coach you, reach out for a FREE discovery call if you would like to explore my services further!
REFRESH is a program I created in 2024 for folks that are looking to do a “refresh” for their body, mind, and soul. I like to think of REFRESH as not only a mini reset or a detox, but more of a program that provides you with the tools for a lifestyle shift. Throughout the ten day program we focus on nutrition, fitness, and mindfulness. All three of these components are essential to living and enjoying your healthiest and best life! This program was created to support others and help them understand how the choices they make in daily life, does affect their overall health.
Throughout my own personal health journey I did not always incorporate all of these components, nutrition, fitness, and mindfulness, I primarily had focused solely on fitness. I do believe that my fitness regime throughout my 20s and 30s was essential to keeping my body strong in spite of my multiple sclerosis diagnosis in 2010. Since I became a certified personal trainer I learned the importance of strength training along with cardiovascular activity. Adults should be striving for 2-3 days per week of strength training and 150-180 minutes of cardiovascular activity per week. Strength training increases our resting metabolic weight, and even after you have completed your strength workout you will continue to burn calories as the day continues.
As the years went on I was still looking for ways to improve my overall well being, brain fog, and decrease inflammation. This is when I discovered the next step in my health journey, nutrition and how important it is to understand what we consume each and every day and how that affects our health in positive and negative ways. I changed the way I ate in 2020 and within 3 months I felt an incredible shift in my body. The decrease of inflammation in my body was obvious, any orthopedic pain that I had struggled with for many years had vanished. On top of those amazing improvements, my overall mood had improved and my skin looked better than it ever had. I continue to follow a paleo lifestyle and love it! I highly suggest to look into different nutrition models out there and see which would fit your lifestyle best. When in doubt, eat the rainbow!
Last but not least, I tapped into meditation and breathwork in 2022. This was life changing for me. I had always heard that there were benefits to meditation, and I had tried it a few times many years ago, but I did not feel much difference in my mood or life. In recent years what I discovered is that having a daily meditation practice, and it does not have to be for very long even just 5 minutes, doing it daily makes a BIG positive impact on our well being. I have found meditation to help me with my patience, staying present, and my reactions/responses to situations and people. I like to use a mantra along with breathwork when I meditate. A mantra is a positive affirmation that you repeat to yourself. There are many breath techniques available like the 3-9-6 or box breath method.
I offer REFRESH periodically throughout the year to small groups. I would be happy to include you in my next program! Feel free to reach out to me directly if you are interested in learning more about the program.
I never understood the bond, the relationship, that people have shared with animals until I met Suzy. Suzy came to us, my husband Dave and I, the summer of 2020, little did I know this little fluff nugget would be the light of my life for the next few years. 
Suzy is a Colorado mountain dog, white fur with grey markings on her butt, side, tail, head and neck, I especially love her third eye. She has deep beautiful, brown eyes that can connect to your soul. That’s exactly one of the reasons why I connect so deeply with Suzy, she is my heart and soul, she feels all of me and connects to me deeply. Suzy has a sweet, kind, chill, loving, fun demeanor, so many words to describe the SUZ!
I 
I am grateful that Suzy has had an amazing life on the Pharm. She was born here, still has her grandmother Sophie living by her side, and her daughter Sally in tow. Sal and Suz are best of friends these days, they love to guard together, play together, lay around together, it is so special. Lately I catch the three of them playing around outside together, I absolutely love it and them!!
Davey and I have built a beautiful life here on the pharm with many magical beings that come and go. Suzy not being here for a full life is tragic, it truly is. She is only 4 and we were told today by the neurologist that Suzy has cancer. How is this possible we ask ourselves? How come Suzy will be taken from us too soon? She is an amazing dog, the best we have ever met. There is no replacing this bond or love that we share with Miss Suzy, mama suz, baby suzy…… She and I do not waste any days together, we always get out for our walks, I sing to her, we lay together, always give her yummy treats (little piggie) generally we just love on one another every day. I will not stop doing this, and I will also not stop living my life or caring for our other animals. Suzy has taught me many things already in just four and a half years. Staying present, life is precious and unknown, to be loved and to love is truly a gift, I am so grateful for Suzy and her never ending love and loyalty to me. Her tail wags so excitedly whenever she sees me come into a room or drive down the driveway. She loves pushing her snout up towards you for some love. She loves to press her butt into you for some butt scratches. She loves to flop on the floor and be pet rather than sitting up right. One of her favorite positions which all the dogs seem to possess, is laying on her back with all 4 paws pointed towards the ceiling, then she curves her body into a C shape. So many things to say about the Suz, she is a one of a kind dog, she is a loving soul, and she is damn strong, also has endless love and support from her parents, and her best friend me. Suzy I have loved you since the day I met you and I will love you always, never will you be forgotten.
What a fabulous vacation my husband Dave and I enjoyed over Thanksgiving! We were grateful for one another and the time we spent together traveling in Argentina. We spent the majority of our trip in northern Patagonia, Bariloche Argentina. This picturesque town reminds you of a European mountain town littered with chalets and delicious food. Northern Patagonia is also known as the lakes district. A beautiful area with the Andes Mountains for your backdrop and numerous lakes in the foreground. We enjoyed all the outdoor activities while we were visiting. Hiking, white water rafting, and trekking were some of our adventurous highlights!
Not only did we enjoy all the outdoor activities, but we also enjoyed the indoor activity of dining! This was truly a treat for us, as we generally eat paleo back in the United States. While in Argentina we enjoyed all the things, gluten, dairy, you name it! I have heard from folks over the years that eating flour in Europe is not inflammatory like here in the states, the same goes for Argentina. We ate whatever we desired for the week in Bariloche and had zero issues. Typically, if I were to enjoy more than one meal that included gluten or dairy, I would not feel well and my skin and joints would be telling me that food choice should have been a no.
It was truly a treat to be able to sample all the beautiful cuisines that were served in Bariloche. Grilled meats and vegetables are their staples, typically served at restaurants called parrillas, these are the types of foods we generally eat on a paleo diet already, but the many different types of meat along with them being grilled over a fire really sets their food apart. Chimichurri is a delicious condiment used on steaks and whatever else you would like, similar to a pesto and it consists of herbs and olive oil. We were able to purchase a bag of herbs from the local spice market and we plan to make our own chimichurri in the states. Two of my favorite items that we indulged in, that I would not have if we were in the United States were their empanadas and provoleta de vaca (grilled cheese in a cast iron pan). Our favorite restaurant from our trip was Alto el Fuego, 5 stars, zero complaints and if you find yourself in Bariloche, you MUST visit this restaurant!
Bariloche is also known at the chocolate capitol of South America, and they were not exaggerating! Our favorite chocolate was from a shop called Rapanui, highly recommend! Folks tend to eat quite late in Argentina, 10/11 pm for dinner, so it makes sense that there are not a lot of restaurants that offer your typical breakfast. We did find this beautiful, delicious spot called Bruncherie. They made everything in house, and had dairy alternative milks along with sourdough breads, yum!
We highly recommend checking out Argentina for your next international adventure! You can eat your way through the country, and work it off with all the outdoor activities available. Reach out to me directly if you would like more recommendations on what to do and where to eat in Argentina!