Because they are a pretty big part of who I am
The weird thing about trauma exposure is that it can come back in unexpected, powerful ways. Even years after the trauma has occurred, and you have been mostly symptom-free, something can trigger a trauma response and you are nearly powerless to its might. Trauma affects the way our brains develop, how we behave, and how…
I saw her photos on Instagram and was immediately drawn to them. We had a lot in common, it seemed. We both owned chocolate labradoodles, had anaphylactic allergies, and lived in the Carolinas. The more I got to “know” Brynn Duncan, however, I realized that while we did have things in common, our lives were…
It has been almost one year since I nervously sat next to a crackling fire in my living room, about to be hypnotized for the first time. I was completely petrified, scared to let my psyche and willpower (or so I thought) be placed in the hands of another person. I wasn’t being hypnotized to…
I’m not a camping kind of girl. When I first met Isaac, I told him I loved camping. After we started dating, he quickly learned that my feelings towards camping were roughly on the same level as a trip to the dentist or a pap smear. They aren’t the worst things in the world, but…
Yesterday I read a tragic article about a 13-year old girl, Natalie, who died from anaphylactic shock due to accidentally ingesting peanut butter. After reading the first few sentences of the article, I grew angry with several questions racing through my mind. Why the hell didn’t they have an EpiPen on hand? Why did she…
Owning a dog seemed impossible to a girl with severe asthma, allergies, eczema — and not just a little anxiety. After all, I’d almost died several times from asthma attacks and anaphylaxis from food allergies. Doctors joked that I should live in a bubble or on a sterile boat in the middle of the ocean,…
Ever since I got Henri, my eyes have been opened to a whole new world of people I can’t stand. Animal shelter/adoption activists. Rather, SOME animal shelter/adoption activists. I don’t want to generalize. I love the idea of animal adoption. I admire the people who rescue animals and the people who facilitate these adoptions. To the…
On Friday, Isaac and I adopted (can you still call it adopting if you spent crap-loads of money at a breeder?) a puppy! We have been wanting a dog for a long time, but timing and my allergies just haven’t allowed it. After tying the knot, we figured it was time to add another member…
As the wheels of our plane touched down in North Carolina at the end of our honeymoon, I gave myself a mental high-five and said “you did it!!!!” I didn’t learn to surf. I didn’t learn to hula dance. I didn’t even go snorkeling in the tropical freezing cold Hawaiian waters. No, I was proud…
Last night, I doused my hands in moisturizer, slid a pair of cotton socks over them, and went downstairs to watch a movie with my fiance. It wasn’t until I was comfortably snuggled on the couch and resting my face on one of my sock-puppet hands that I realized how normal this was to me/us.…
The Other Courtney 