The Team behind the Madness

This is not a one-woman show.

I swear, I'm not superwoman, no matter how much I pose like her, or daydream that I can crush the cars in front of me during traffic.

The website, the blog, social media, the travel, would never be possible if it weren't for the team at Sierra Delta, Southeastern Guide Dogs, or my own husband, Josh.

To give you some background on all of those names you probably have no idea about, here's the lowdown:

Sierra Delta is a non-profit veteran's organization that connects veterans with service dog-at no cost to to the veteran (I know! Amazing, right?). It's real, trust me. The team at Sierra Delta set me up with Leland, in less than 3 months from the first phone call with them. That's unheard of in the service dog world, especially for free programs-but, more on that another time.

Southeastern Guide Dogs is where Leland was born, went to Puppy Kindergarten, and Puppy College (Seriously-he's a degreed professional). Sierra Delta connected me with Southeastern Guide Dogs, who have their own Veterans' Program. If I could have vacationed at Southeastern's Campus, I would have-it's that great. After graduating, their whole staff, including the trainers, even down to the volunteers are dedicated to making sure that Leland and I succeed as a team together.

Now, for my husband. He married me while in service, and embraced the title of "Military Spouse" with his whole heart. After getting out of the military, he still embraces the support role, and isn't afraid to let us shine. Throughout my entire recovery, he's always been just a step or two away, letting me stand on my own feet, but always there if I need him. With all of the travel, packing, unpacking, holding bags, reminding me to eat, or holding handfuls of cheerios and dog kibble in his pockets, all of it, he's been the foundation, and boy, do I love him.

With all of these teams, how do I thank them? How do I shout it from the rooftops that they've helped so much, and push us to be at our very best? I'll tell you how; We live.

I'll thank them by going to the grocery store by myself, I'll thank them when I graduate with my bachelors degree, and I'll thank them whenever I do anything that I used to not be able to do.

So, for now, while I'm typing this, I'll settle with Thank You. Thank you thank you thank you. Words cannot possible show how thankful I am for this gift from them, and for their continued support.

-Stefanie and Leland