Yipes! Look at all the STRIPES!

If you are a fan of Mike Rowe and the show Dirty Jobs, he did an episode on the people that run a place called Sharkarosa Wildlife Ranch located in Pilot Point. Here is a snippet of what it was like being a Nanny to some Joeys.

This educational facility focuses on creating engaging experiences for the entire family with endangered wildlife. From the Safari Tram Ride to the animal presentations, you not only get close enough to smell them, you can touch many of them too! For a child like Emma that started off being so tactilely defensive, this place was a good place for her because it fosters an every growing curiosity. And with her newly found and ever growing confidence, she is trying to become more engaged with new environments every day. I was so excited to see what she would think of all the animals that she enjoys seeing on flash cards and in books.

We arrived shortly after they opened, and made a quick stop at the pavilion where the animal presentations take place before we went straight to the Joey pen you see on the video above. We watched two very adorable youngsters hop around and nibble grass while they explored their enclosure. Then we looked at the pen where all the adults were.

Next, it was time for the Safari Tram Ride - certainly the highlight of our visit for Emma. This thirty-five minute ride takes you through pastures where camels, horses, pigs, zebras, emus, endangered deer, zedonks, and zorses come up to the Tram to enjoy feed in the buckets on the sides so you can see them up close. They tell you which animals you are free to touch and which ones to admire with your eyes instead. Emma was happy to touch any animal that she was allowed to admire with her hands that let her. She even made some friends with some of them.

In case you need some translation, Emma was saying "bye" and "see you later, zebra" to her new friend. She was very set on that one particular zebra. I'm sure she would have loved to take it home, but we let it stay with it's friends. (Mommy did end up getting her a little zebra of her very own though. She named it Stripes and loves giving it hugs.)

After the Safari Tram, we stayed for some of the animal presentations, had our picture taken with a sweet young Joey, and enjoyed some sno cones. At that point, it was time to head home for lunch and nap time. It was a wonderful morning and one that I'm sure she will remember. I know I will.

WALKing to a Different Tune

Last year, for the Houston Hydrocephalus Association (HA) WALK, Team Emma Lee raised $1,355. Our goal was $957 - the number of days old Emma would be the day of the WALK. I was overwhelmed that we had so much support and thrilled to have done so well our first year.

Team Emma Lee had an astonishing year this year. Now, in our second year in participating in an HA WALK, we had a goal of $1,328 - again the number of days old Emma would be the day of the WALK. Only this time, I was also Co-Chairing the inaugural DFW WALK. Because the WALK would be local, I also had a goal of having four others join the team and attend the event with us. For the entire team, I set a goal of $3,000 - the number of years old Emma would be the day of the WALK. I was hopeful that we would again reach our goal, but I had no idea how far we would exceed it.

When all was said and done, Team Emma Lee was tied for third place for the number of team members: TWENTY-ONE! I was so thankful that so many wonderful friends and family were there to support her this year. Not only did we have one of the teams with the most members, but Team Emma Lee took the trophy for the most money raised by any team. We not only exceeded our Team goal of $3,000, we nearly tripled it with a final number of $8,743!

The entire WALK had over 500 people in attendance and raised over $54,000!!! When the goal was originally set for $18,000, it was amazing to see our group triple that goal as well. I would like to personally thank the other two Co-Chairs and volunteers - this event would not have been possible without all of them. We had an amazing group of people that really pulled together and got everything done despite the minimal setbacks we had on the morning of the WALK.

I'm already excited about the WALK next year. It will be nice to do this again after having one event under our belt. We learned so much and plan to have an even better event next year!

Hydrocephalus Awareness Month #HAM2014

This year, September is an even bigger deal for us than it was last year. A year ago, the goal was to try to raise awareness during Hydrocephalus Awareness Month (#HAM2014) and get the word out to our local community that this condition is more common than one might think. One way we did that was to have an article published in the Cross Timbers Gazette telling Emma's story. The article was a big step for both of us, and one in the right direction.

This year, now that I am also a Co-Chair of the inaugural DFW Hydrocephalus Association WALK happening on Saturday, September 27th, it is even more crucial that we reach as many people as possible. This year, we are not only raising awareness - we are also raising money to fund research to find a cure. Our goal when planning the event originally was to raise $18,000 and have 200+ walkers. As of today, we are already over both goals with a total amount raised exceeding $33,000 with just over two more weeks to go! If you're interested in donating, please click HERE.

When I started looking for ways to try to reach more people, I remembered the wonderful people at the Cross Timbers Gazette and contacted the man that wrote the original article on Emma last year. I asked if they would be interested in doing a follow up piece to help us and he was delighted to support us! The article from this year can be found here.

In keeping with #HAM2014, here are some facts about hydrocephalus put out by the Hydrocephalus Association (HA).

Just remember - any one at any point in their life can be diagnosed. Help us raise awareness and share!

DFW HA Community Network - dallas.ha.sg@gmail.com

DFW HA WALK - dfw.ha.walk@gmail.com