California Wildfires

    

I just wanted to keep you updated with the situation out here, we have several devastating wildfires in our area and the last few days have been quite challenging for us and so many people around us who may have not been as fortunate as we are and lost their homes.

On Thursday evening I got text messages that our barn is getting evacuated because the fire is getting closer. I have been told my horse would be transported to Pierce College but after waiting there for more than 2 hours I got really worried.

I have been told to stay there and not drive towards the fire because I would not get through, so I called my husband and he took me in his car and we flew down the Freeway, he convinced the police that we needed to find our horse we and simply ran up to everybody asking if they know Burt and know where he is. People were running around trying to get out – there were Horses and trailers everywhere, Police, Fire Fighters…… chaos.. finally we found him in the back yard of a house.

We took him and again ran around asking everybody with a trailer if we can get a ride to Pierce College, the local Emergency Shelter for Horses. The people in Agoura Hills and Malibu are amazing, most of them have animals, lots of Horses and Dogs out there and everybody was trying to do their best to stay calm and help everybody.

We were able to get Burt lifted out to Pierce College, the shelter was full by that time, no more corals and boxes available so we had to leave him roped on in the arena. Thankfully he was able to be next to his buddy JJ – his neighbor horse at the barn, so he was not all by himself.

The next days were exhausting – we tried to be with the horses as much as possible, walk them – my car is a huge mess, I have 2 hay bales in my trunk to feed him, lots of carrots and apples and basic necessities. The weather is very uncomfortable, huge winds, cold at night, my skin on my hands and on my face are cracked open and on top of it Dmitry and I both felt under the weather, plus we had showcase at our studio last night.

Being a dancer for all my life has trained me well to deal with overwhelming situations – we never give up and we always get the job done no matter what. We know that the show must go on.

Dmitry was able to get to the barn today, some structures are completely gone, some are ok. Burt’s stall was on fire, all the mats are melted into the ground, but for some miraculous reason his blanket is still hanging up as if nothing happened….

Rebuilding has started and we are hoping to be able to bring back the horses soon.

Thank you to all helpers and volunteers, everybody has been above and beyond to rescue all the horses and animals, people have really come together here.

Thank you to our fire fighters, this is overwhelming and you do whatever you can with superhuman effort.

Love and prayers to everybody affected, especially to all people who lost their homes.

xo BB

 

 

Christmas Weekend

Both T-shirts: Sammydress c/o; Jeans: Blush Boutique Encino; Sneakers: Michael Kors (old), similar here and here; Lips: Chanel Rouge Coco Gloss; Earrings: Sammydress c/o;

 

Happy Christmas Weekend!

Are you ready for Christmas? Honestly – no I am not – but I will be tomorrow. I have all my errands mapped out and I am planning Christmas Dinner. So I will join the craziness and hit the stores to get all my groceries.

This year is special because little Coco almost left us a few weeks ago, but he is feeling much better right now and I am spending as much time as I can with him.I don’t know how long he is going to be around, so I will make sure he gets lots of presents and enjoys himself and feels loved.

Thank you to Sammydress for bringing you this post.

I hope you are having a great Saturday,

xo BB

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Are you ready for a new pet?

Today is one of these tough days for a pet mommy. My little Chihuahua boy Coco started to feel bad and I brought him to the vet, turns out he has a mass in his intestines and needs surgery. Here is where all those tough decisions start, what are the chances, should you put the dog through this or just let him go, it costs lots of money and so on. And obviously you do not have so much time to think, decisions come at you fast….

Everyone knows that I have a big heart for pets – I personally have 2 cats, 2 dogs and a horse. I call it my little zoo 🙂 And they are all so cute. The holidays are approaching and I know that many people will  give pets as presents, I myself got a cat as a Christmas Present from my parents when I was 13 years old. But what does the reality look like in the long run to be a pet owner? Are you ready for it?

Here is my list on what to think about before considering owning a pet:

  1. A pet is a living soul and will depend on you and your care. Can you commit to it for the next 10 – 15 years (cats and dogs) or longer (my horse is 23 now)?
  2. Will your pet fit your lifestyle? Are you OK with it, that accidents happen and there will be a mess on your carpet or something will be chewed up (Max ate my new Prada shoes!!!!!)
  3. Will you be able to walk with it or exercise it or will you be able to arrange for that?
  4. Do you have patience for them, they are little characters and have their quirks. Yelling and scolding at them upsets them and does not change any behavior – it just scares them.
  5. Are you ok with considering them when you are traveling? Have you thought about what to do with them when you are gone or are you willing to take them with you? Traveling with a pet usually takes some preparation time.
  6. Life has ups and downs, are you willing to take care of your pet even if your own life gets tough? When I moved to California, nobody was left behind (2 cats, 2 dogs – and yes – the horse) – even so I did not exactly know how this all would work – I made it happen.
  7. Are you prepared for great joy and great heartbreak when they leave? Let’s face it – they just do not live as long as we do – and there is nothing we can do about it.

Little Coco went through surgery to remove his tumor, he is doing good, he just has to start to eat now. I hope he can come home soon.

I hope you are having a good weekend, I will keep you posted about the little guy,

xo BB