Jan29

I Still Get Jealous

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I Still Get Jealous

Heyy everyone and TGIF! Have any of you ever gone through your social media pages and have just felt insanely jealous of people? This happens to Lil Red on occasion and it really grinds my gears. It’s one of those things where you see everyone and their brother on your friends list being happier, better, prettier, etc than you and it can really get a gal down. So what brings on these feelings? What can you do to remedy them? Take a listen to an ironic choice in music and then let’s discuss:

^^^ I had to!

This past week I saw that a girl who I went to high school with was studying abroad in France and Italy and it made me SO insanely jealous. That’s one thing that I would love to do and that I have mentioned frequently on the ol’ blog and to basically anyone who will listen. A thing about me is that when I want things, I want them ASAP. So to see someone who is my age essentially living my dream kind of killed me. It can be hard to see people doing something that you want so desperately while you’re sitting in Akron, Ohio being miserable. -__-

As soon as I became green with envy over this, I began to evaluate my life and what I was doing wrong. I was turning the pages in my mind of everything that I could be doing and that just made me feel even worse. I then made a mental list of everything that I do and all of the responsibilities I have and it felt like a slap in the face. I was doing what felt like a lot but I still couldn’t have this one thing that I really want.

My mental list ended up looking something like this:

  • Attending school full time at Tri-C.
  • Coaching figure skating for the Special Olympics.
  • Transporting both of my siblings who can’t drive multiple times per week.
  • Working as a freelance writer for different companies, artists, and musicians.
  • Doing consultations for individuals who would like to start their own blog.
  • Working for two different media companies on my social media pages.
  • Working for the Ohio Board of Developmental Disabilities to make sure that everyone is receiving the best care possible.

With all of these things stacking up in my day, I barely have time to breathe but it still didn’t seem good enough. But then I started to think about how I work my ass off every day and am doing so much to improve the lives of others. I reminded myself that it will be my turn to travel soon enough and that it would be all the more sweeter when it finally does happen. Then the mental list began to shift and it looked more like this:

Mental list take two:

  • I work hard at school and have gotten all A’s since I began college last year.
  • I bring joy into the lives of my skaters and their families.
  • I help improve the quality of life for others.
  • I get both of my siblings to where they need to be when they need it.
  • My freelance work has been really taking off and I have the articles, followers, and media companies that I work through to prove it.

Yes, it does suck when you want something that you simply can’t have. It also sucks even more when you see someone with what you desire so much. However, all I can do is keep on going because I am making great strides on my own even if I don’t feel that way sometimes. It can be hard to remember that at times but when I do it definitely helps easy my jealousy!

In the words of Nick Jonas, “I Still Get Jealous”, but that won’t stop me from continuing to keep on trucking and working hard! What is something that makes you jealous? What do you do to help with those feelings? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan28

300 Followers Giveaway!!

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Congrats to this sweet gal on 300 followers!

Stacey's avatarStacey Lee Beauty


Hello everyone!!

I have recently reached 300 followers on my blog! I cannot believe it! I know that 300 isn’t a massive number but I’m so proud of myself for doing something that I enjoy and of all the new friends I have made through this beauty blogging world. It really is amazing to be able to connect with people all over the world through a mutual love of beauty and lifestyle!

So, to show my appreciation for all the support and love that you all have shown to my blog and myself, I have decided to host my first giveaway! Yay! The winner will receive a Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette of their choice**! I figured since they are one of my favourite series of palettes, I would share one with you! The choices are between the Original Chocolate Bar, Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar or the Bon Bons Chocolate Bar.

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Jan28

Ice Skating Fun

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Hello everyone and happy Thursday! Last Sunday my darling boyfriend, Kyle, and I went ice skating at the Lock 3 skating rink in Akron, Ohio. I skated competitively for quite some time and now I’m a coach for the Special Olympics. Kyle and I have never been skating together before so I was so excited when he finally agreed to making a date out of it on Sunday afternoon. We bundled up, I gathered my skates (I’d rather die than wear rental skates), and then we hit the road for our date.

Once we got to Lock 3, we saw that the rink was pretty crowded. Lucky for us, though, it cleared up by the time we were done waiting in line to rent skates for Kyle, getting our skates on, and walking over to the rink. This was Kyle’s first time ever on ice skates and right from the get go he gave it a valiant effort, which I thought was so sweet. Walking to the rink which was about one hundred feet away proved to be a struggle, to say the least. To me, skating and walking around on skates is second nature so I never thought how difficult it must be to put these contraptions on your feet for the first time and then walk to the rink let alone skate on it!

Once we got on to the ice hand in hand we began our first trip around the rink. My poor Kyle got the worst rental skates on the planet and I felt so bad at how difficult it looked for him. The blades on each skate were so crooked but I didn’t have the heart to have us walk back to the rental shack, get new skates, and then have to walk all the way back to the rink. After a few times around the rink, the skates started to hurt Kyle which is pretty common with rentals. We then devised a plan that I would go skate for a while, he would watch and rest, and then we could skate some more together.

I happily took the opportunity to get some skating in for myself. When I’m coaching, I rarely get the chance to do any spins or jumps before or after the session so it felt so good to do some of these things on my own. Whenever I go skating at a public rink, I’m always so flattered by the people who stop to watch me do my thang. I was greeted to some applause after I pulled out of a spin and many a “good jobs”, “beautiful” and “well done” throughout the hour or so on the ice. My favorite compliment came from a teenage boy who was with a group of friends who asked me if I would stay on the ice and do a show after every one exited the rink for it to get zambonied. It was definitely an unexpected and very sweet compliment, considering the boy was surrounded by his gaggle of male friends!

After a few minutes of skating on my own, I always would return back to Kyle so we could take a journey around the rink together. After a while, we both decided that it was getting cold and that we should head back home. We got off the rink and I walked while Kyle waddled back to the rental shack to take off our skates. Taking our skates off and putting our shoes on felt so good that we used the term “pillow feet” to describe the walking on air feeling!

The real question that arises from this is “did going skating with your boyfriend really happen if you don’t have pictures”? The answer is NO, so to prove the validity of this post, take a look at some cute pictures of me and Kyle. My featured image photo is my favorite picture of us!

^^^ I love us!!

So there you have it, some weekend Ice Skating Fun with my beau! We had a blast and I hope we can hit the rink again sometime soon. What is your favorite winter sport? Who has never gone ice skating before? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan27

Sunshine Blog Award

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Sunshine Blog Award

Hi everyone and happy Hump Day! I hope all of you are having a fantastic day so far. Last week I was nominated for my first Sunshine Blog Award by the super sweet Valentina over at: valentinablingbling! Her blog is fabulous so make sure you check it out. I have so much fun whenever I get to make an award post and I’m so excited to answer all of the questions that Valentina has asked her nominees. Check out the rules to the Sunshine Blog Award and then let’s get to it!

The Rules:

  • You must thank the blogger who nominated you.
  • You must answer the questions asked by that blogger.
  • You must nominate another set of bloggers.
  • You must ask a few questions of your own to those bloggers.
  • You can’t nominate the blogger who nominated you!
  • Notify the bloggers you nominated about the nomination.

Q & A:

What is your favorite color?

Red (obviously) and black.

Does the color of your clothes reflect your mood for the day?

Right now I’m wearing black, grey, and burnt orange and it doesn’t really reflect my mood. I’m usually always pretty happy and to me these colors don’t exactly exude happiness. People probably think I’m super depressed because more often than not, I’m wearing all black!

What do you do when your mood is off the mark?

Take a bubble bath, eat comfort food, and binge watch shitty reality TV.

Why do you blog?

It’s fun! I love to write and have always been into journaling so lifewithlilred is essentially my online journal. I also like being able to communicate with all of my readers! Blogging is a great way to meet new people from all over the world and I love being able to say that I have friends in over one hundred and fifty countries!

What sort of blogs do you like to read?

Fashion, beauty, photography, and travel just to name a few.

How do you select the blogs that you follow?

Usually if you follow me, I’ll follow you back. But if that isn’t the case, I tend to follow the bloggers who I would like to interact with and are writing things of interest to me.

What does romance mean to you?

Enjoying the company of your significant other over things that aren’t necessarily “romantic”. On a post that will be coming up on my blog this week, I’ll be talking about when my boyfriend took me ice skating this past weekend. Kyle has never been ice skating before and I was a competitive figure skater for ten years. Needless to say, I was skating circles around him but just the fact that he put in the effort to take me and give it a try was super romantic to me!

Do you make New Year’s resolutions?

Nope! Never have, never will.

Do you enjoy changes in your life or do you shy away from them?

Yes and no. When things are going my way and life is good, I never want things to change. But when my life is super sucking, I say “bring it on” when it comes to switching things up. I tend to not mind changes as much when they’re minor but I do have a bit of a hard time with ginormous and unexpected changes.

Who and what would you take on a desert island with you?

A captain and a boat! 😉

Describe yourself in one word:

Red!!

My Nominees (I’m only doing three):

My Questions For You:

  1. What celebrity, dead or alive, would you pick to spend one day with?
  2. What was the name of your childhood pet if you had one?
  3. What was your favorite toy to play with when you were little?
  4. What is your number one pet peeve?
  5. What was the last TV show or movie that you watched?
  6. Describe your personality in three words.
  7. Are you an early bird or a night owl?
  8. Would you rather wear the same outfit or not wear makeup for a month?
  9. What qualities do you look for in a friend?
  10. Describe your favorite article of clothing in your wardrobe.

Thank you so much to my friend Valentina at: valentinablingbling for my Sunshine Blog Award nomination! I had such a blast answering all of your questions! How would you answer some of the questions that I asked my nominees? What are some of your questions for me? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan26

My Detroit Trip

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My Detroit Trip

Hi everyone and a very happy Tuesday to you! Last Friday I took a little road trip to Detroit, Michigan with my Uncle Ray as a favor to him. My uncle is a total car guy and he needed a wing girl so he could drop his car off at Monkey Wrench Racing to get some work done on his whip. I told him I was up for the journey and even though my day was filled with a lot of driving, it was still a lot of fun!

My uncle and I departed for our adventure around ten on Friday morning to begin the three and a half hour drive from Mentor, Ohio to Detroit, Michigan. The plan was to follow my uncle in the Little Red Love Machine for the trip there and then we would travel back to Ohio together. The drive to Michigan was relatively easy and we luckily had really good weather for the trip. The only snowfall we experienced was this random little flurry once we got into Michigan and that was it. I was really happy about that because the last thing I wanted to do was drive in unfamiliar territory in the snow.

I don’t really mind driving if I have things to keep me occupied so the trek wasn’t too bad thanks to my iPod, phone calls from my boyfriend, and occasionally waving to my uncle as I followed him. I was telling my boyfriend while we were chatting that the Detroit drive was an emotional rollar coaster because I had my iPod on shuffle. During the drive I was hearing everything from pop to screamo to rap and R&B so needless to say, I was an emotional wreck during some of the trip…Thanks a lot, Hawthorne Heights. -_-

Before I knew it, we finally arrived at Monkey Wrench Racing to drop Uncle Ray’s car off. We stuck around and chatted for a half hour or so and let me tell you, hearing all of the gents in the shop engaging in car talk with my uncle was like hearing an entirely different language. I didn’t understand one word of what they were saying but I’m glad my uncle had a good time with it! We also both got a free Monkey Wrench Racing t-shirt compliments of the crew so that was really nice. It’s in my color palette of black and white so I’m sure I’ll make use of it some day!

What killed me about my Detroit adventure was that once my uncle was done at the shop, we started making our journey back home. Haha, the break at Monkey Wrench Racing was much needed because I was essentially driving seven hours straight. -_- At least this time around, I was in good company because my Uncle Ray is one of my favorites! We’re very similar to each other so it was easy to fill our journey home with good conversation and laughter.

My Uncle Ray and I made a stop in Lakewood, Ohio to meet some of his friends for dinner. We went to a little Greek place called Our Friends and enjoyed a nice meal with my uncle’s comrades. It was so great to meet them and we all ended up having a really good time. My uncle ended up staying in Lakewood for a little while so I drove back to Mentor solo to have some quality time with my Aunt Mary Ellen before I made my way back to Akron.

I was so happy to spend some time with my Aunt Mary Ellen because I don’t get to see her as often as I would like. It was really nice to sit down, relax, and have a chat with her before I began my journey back home. My aunt and uncle are seriously the most perfect couple ever so any time with either of them is time well spent!

I would make the journey back to Detroit again for my uncle in a heartbeat because I’m one of the best people that I know of…But lucky for me, my uncle and his friends will be traveling back to Michigan to pick up his car once it’s done being worked on. I’m not complaining! All in all, it was definitely an adventure of a day and I’m so happy that I was in such fantastic company for it! ❤

My Detroit Trip was one of the best most random ways to spend a Friday that I can think of but I wouldn’t have it any other way! How was everyone’s weekend? Who has been on a road trip recently? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Interested in making a road trip to Cleveland? Let these videos inspire you to take the plunge and DO IT! #werenotdetroit 😉

Jan25

Monday Update: Forever 21 Haul Edition

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Monday Update: Forever 21 Haul Edition

Hi everyone and happy Monday! Last weekend my mom and I ventured to one of the bigger malls that my area of Ohio has to offer, Southpark Mall in Strongsville. We rarely go to Southpark and the last time that I went was years ago. The mall is absolutely gigantic and we went during the holiday season last time around so needless to say, it was quite overwhelming. Last week we went just to change things up a little bit and I died and went to Forever 21 heaven. Their store was huge! Take a look at my latest goodies from my most recent shopping trip:

^^^ I’m a fan.

As all of you know, Lil Red rocks all black everything more often than not so when I saw these edgy hoodie dresses, I knew that they had to be mine. When I used to work at an urban clothing store called Next, they carried the brand HBA (Hood By Air) and I was obsessed. I think that these hoodies are very reminiscent of HBA which is one of the many reasons why I like them so much. Plus, they were infinitely cheaper which was an added bonus! For both of these hoodie dresses I paid fifty dollars which is a quarter of the price of one HBA top. Score!

Usually I’m not one to gravitate towards hoodies or sweatshirts. I much prefer sharp sweaters, tops, or jackets. However, I really liked that these hoodies both went down below the normal at the hip length. The “Killin’ It” sweat dress went down to a little below my knees and the “In High Demand” zip up went down to my calves. This automatically made them way more edgy to me and it created endless styling possibilities.

The great thing about these hoodie dresses, asides from how cute they are, is all of the different outfits that you can wear with them. I tried the sweat dresses on over my black skinnies which worked really well but the possibilities are endless! I can’t wait to wear them with nothing underneath as a real dress or with a pair of opaque or sheer black tights. I also plan on wearing the “In High Demand” dress with the zipper undone to show off a cute pair of shorts and top in the summer. I really like pieces that you can wear all year round so that you can get creative with how you style it!

I’m so aware that these sweat dresses are really similar to each other but I couldn’t pick just one to save my life! I know that if I chose only one that I would be thinking about the hoodie that I left behind for forever. I’m also really glad that I did buy both because when my boyfriend and I went to the mall that he lives by, I popped in the Forever 21 there and they didn’t have either of them! That made me even happier with my decision.

I’ve worn both of my hoodie dresses multiple times already and I can’t get enough of them. I like that these pieces are both amazingly comfortable but they by no means sacrifice style while wearing them. The “Killin’ It” sweat dress is so fun and I had to laugh because I wore it on Thursday night when I was coaching figure skating for the Special Olympics and we just happened to be taking photos that day. I’m sure all of the pictures that I’m in turned out really swell since I’m rockin a hoodie with “Killin’ It” plastered across the front!

As I write this post I’m wearing my “In High Demand” zip up over a pair of black skinnies and a graphic baseball tee and it certainly spruces up the outfit! It also keeps me nice and warm because it’s very chilly in my neck of the woods today. I’m so pleased with my latest purchases and I can’t wait to wear them for many seasons to come. Thanks, Forever 21! ❤

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: Forever 21 Haul Edition! I hope all of you are having a wonderful start to your week so far. How was everyone’s weekend? Who has recently snagged some cute new clothes while shopping? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan23

Liebster Award #3

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Liebster Award #3

Hi everyone and happy weekend! I hope everyone is having a fabulous day so far. I got nominated for my third Liebster Award by the darling Camille over at mrsshern a couple of days ago and am so totally flattered! Her blog is a real gem so make sure you check it out. It’s always so much fun to participate in these blogging awards and get new people involved! Of course with all of these awards comes a set of rules for those who have been nominated to follow. Read the rules over and then see how I answered the questions that Camille asked to her nominees:

The Rules:

• Tag the person who nominated you and thank them.
• Answer the 10 questions you are given.
• Nominate 10 new bloggers and tag them.
• Give them 10 new questions to answer.
• Notify your nominees.

Q & A:

Describe your blogging style in best FIVE words?

Quirky, witty, sharp, insightful, and interesting (I hope!).

What is the best ONE beauty product you can’t live without? Why?

NYX’s Pure Red matte lipstick because it’s the perfect shade of red, the best matte lipstick I’ve ever used, and it completes the Lil Red look.

If you are to do a makeup look for ONE person for the rest of your life, who would it be and why?

Uhhhh….I don’t really know how to answer that question because I suck at doing makeup for other people. Haha, I guess doing stage makeup would be fun. I used to be really in to acting and I envied everyone who could do their makeup on their own.

What is the ONE best advice you would give your younger self when it comes to beauty? Why?

Let’s see…Probably to learn how to dye my hair at home because it would save you a fortune! The money I’ve saved from dying my hair with boxed color is insane.

If you are not a blogger, what would you be doing right now?

Working a shitty retail job. Blogging has given me an awesome way to earn some extra money while I’m in school full time at Tri-C.

What is ONE funniest beauty horror story you had?

Oh gosh, I don’t know. I don’t think I’ve ever had a real “horror” story when it comes to my makeup. However, last time I got my hair cut my amazing stylist gave me this awesome pompadour with twisted braids on both sides of my head. I was so happy with how it turned out but as soon as my boyfriend and I got home, I changed shirts from the cute one that I was wearing to a comfy t-shirt for lounging. By the time the t-shirt was on, my perfectly styled tower of hair had fallen and all that was left was a crunchy and hair sprayed mess. I was SO so pissed because it was one of those things that I should have seen coming a mile away but naturally I disregarded it!

What is ONE product that you keep inside your every day makeup bag that you don’t really use at all?

Hmmm…I don’t really have anything in my makeup collection that I don’t use. I hate clutter, so I try to be good about throwing away old makeup products or giving the things that I don’t want to my sister.

What is the first thing you do in the morning as soon as you wake up?

I hate saying this…But I check my phone! It’s like the millennials version of reading the newspaper and I hate myself for it!

What is ONE beauty routine you can’t live without?

Washing my face with a really good cleanser. I can’t stand the feeling of my skin being dull or dirty so skin care is a must for me.

What is your main goal as a blogger?

To make a living out of it! I’m so passionate about lifewithlilred and I’m working very hard every day to make it a success.

My Nominees (I’m only doing three):

My Questions For You:

  1. If you could spend a day with anyone in the world, who would it be?
  2. What is your least favorite color?
  3. Would you rather have bad breath or a piece of spinach stuck between your teeth all day?
  4. What is your favorite candy?
  5. What is your favorite store to go shopping at?
  6. What was your favorite toy to play with when you were little?
  7. If you could have one super power what would it be?
  8. Where is one place that you would like to travel to?
  9. What is your favorite fast food restaurant?
  10. What is your favorite thing to write about?

Thank you so much again to my friend, Camile, at mrsshern for the nomination! Liebster Award #3 was a blast to fill out and I am so thrilled to be nominated again! How would you answer some of the questions that I asked my nominees? What is everyone up to this weekend? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan22

Bath & Body Works January Freebie

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Bath & Body Works January Freebie

Hi everyone and TGIF! First things first, before we start to discuss my Bath & Body Works January Freebie, I have to mention my all star student status. I’m writing this as I take a homework break and I had the most terrifying test taking scenario ever that I managed to overcome…

I was taking a timed test and less than half way through, I realized that I really had to go to the bathroom. I mean it was bad. I couldn’t just walk away from the test though, so I did what any normal person would do…squirm around in my seat, speed through the test as quickly as possible, and leave the grade up to fate. Despite this major bathroom set back, your girl still managed to get a 100!! HOLLER. #starstudent #selfcontrol #blessed

ANYWAYS, now that we got that important announcement out of the way, let’s talk freebies! Just about every month, I get a coupon from Bath & Body Works for a free travel sized product to add to my hoard. Thanks to a shopping trip this week with my sister, I scored my January freebie which was a travel sized lotion of their scent A Thousand Wishes.

I always really enjoy my monthly trip to B&BW to snag my freebie and I have to say, I love the scent that I picked out. A Thousand Wishes is a super sweet holiday scent with hints of cranberry and vanilla that I just can’t get enough of. I’ve always been fond of cranberry fragrances – I live for The Body Shop’s seasonal cranberry scent, so I was pleased to find this cranberry infused goodie from B&BW. I like that A Thousand Wishes has an aroma that’s very soft and subtle because if there’s one thing that Lil Red hates, it’s an overpowering fragrance. And can we talk about how cute the packaging is?! LOVE.

Thanks to my B&BW freebie coupons, I’ve been able to have monthly sweet treats for myself and who doesn’t love that? I’ve also been able to avoid the awkwardness of not giving a gift to someone who got me a present this holiday season. I was simply able to put together a little something from my collection and be on my merry way without being labeled as a non-gift giving asshat. Thank you, Bath & Body Works! 😉

To get monthly freebies of your own, simply put in your email address or phone number next time you make a purchase at Bath & Body Works to get some coupons sent your way. You can also do some shopping and enter in your email address on their website! To keep the B&BW coupons coming, make sure you enter your email address or phone number each time you make a purchase or cash in a freebie coupon to keep all of your information up to date. You’ll be glad you did once you have a nice little hoard of your own!

b&bw

So there you have it, my Bath & Body Works January Freebie! What stores give away the best coupons or freebie items? What is your favorite B&BW scent? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jan21

ANIMAL LOVERS UNITE!!!

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ANIMAL LOVERS UNITE!!!

Hello everyone and welcome to a very important post on lifewithlilred brought to you by the amazing work of Ohio rescue group, Canine Lifeline. There is a sweet pup named Sapphire who desperately needs help here in Ohio. I am sending out the Bat Signal and asking all of my readers to meet Sapphire, read her story, share this post, and please donate if you can to help pay for her extensive medical care:

sapphire

Sapphire’s Story:

“Sapphire, the emaciated young stray dog, who came to us from the Mahoning County Dog Warden last Wednesday, was transferred yesterday from Macedonia Vet Clinic to the Akron Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center for an ultrasound since she continued to eat very little and appeared to be declining. Her white blood cell count was through the roof and continually rising indicating some type of infection but nothing definitive could be seen on x-rays. The ultrasound this morning showed some foreign masses in her abdomen so she underwent exploratory surgery there this afternoon. Fabric material was found in her stomach and intestinal tract. Her stomach had to be opened to remove this material. Her intestine had been perforated in 5-6 places from having this material in there for so long and was the source of the infection so 16 inches of her intestine were removed. The fact that she survived 2+ hours of surgery in her emaciated state is truly amazing but we had to try as it was the only thing that was going to save her. The surgeon told us that her prognosis is guarded at this point due to the risk of sepsis and will be touch-and-go over the next few days. We are grateful to the extraordinary staff at the Akron Veterinary Referral Center for taking such good care of Sapphire and giving her a chance at a happy and healthy life. Her vet bills are already in the many thousands of dollars so PLEASE consider making a tax-deductible donation to Canine Lifeline to help us save Sapphire. Online donations may be made on our website at www.caninelifeline.org or a check may be sent to Canine Lifeline, PO Box 25742, Garfield Hts OH 44125. THANK YOU!”

Other than visiting CLL’s website, you can also go to their Facebook page for additional information especially if you would like to get in touch with one of their incredible founders or volunteers. Please, please, please share Sapphire’s story and ANY donations are much needed and forever appreciated. Much love. -Sarah