July 29, 2008
I don't want to get into it.
We're moved. If you can call it that. It is going to be quite a while before I feel up to writing about this whole experience. Put it this way, we've been in tears daily. Every single thing that could go wrong...has gone wrong. Things are still going wrong. We were under the impression that once we signed, everything would get better from there. What the hell ever! We are beyond stressed and overwhelmed and are ready to leave everything behind, claim bankruptcy and move to Mexico. That is just how badly this whole thing has gone. The End for now.
July 22, 2008
Quick update.
It's 1:38AM and I can't sleep. I am seriously stressed. We didn't close on the 18th as planned. As of right this minute we don't even know if the house is actually going to be ours'. There have been so many curve balls pitched at us by this "lender" and I am beginning to think he is screwing with us. We made it over 3 MAJOR hurdles only to be told TODAY that we must sign automatic withdrawal forms for our mortgage payments to come out the 25th of each month. September's payment comes out August 25th and so on. One problem. I only get paid on the last day of the month. There isn't money in the bank to cover the payment on the 25th. PLUS he told us we wouldn't have a payment at all for August so we had planned on using that money to help with closing costs. He says they can't change the date but he'll ask the president of the company if he will make an exception. SOOO if he won't, we've taken the day off tomorrow to look at apartments. Lovely. So freaking screwed!
What kind of place doesn't give you an option on what date you have a large payment automatically deducted from your acct???
Bad news on my aunt as well. We just found out that she is in end stage kidney failure. Due to her cancer I don't believe she is eligible for a transplant :( I am so devastated! She had her first chemo treatment today. Something she didn't want to do, she doesn't want her body torn apart by chemo. The dr's told her she wouldn't make it without it because her kidneys are just giving up. I don't know what's next. Dialysis? That will be torture for her. 7 hours a day, 5 days a week. I just want to go through it all for her and spare her the pain. Her God, the one she has followed her whole life, the one she worships and trusts and loves and prays to, needs to step in and do something for her. She is a true follower of Christ and this is what she gets in return? Another reason I can't bring myself to believe that there truly is a loving God.
Off to try to get some rest. I can't turn my mind off.
What kind of place doesn't give you an option on what date you have a large payment automatically deducted from your acct???
Bad news on my aunt as well. We just found out that she is in end stage kidney failure. Due to her cancer I don't believe she is eligible for a transplant :( I am so devastated! She had her first chemo treatment today. Something she didn't want to do, she doesn't want her body torn apart by chemo. The dr's told her she wouldn't make it without it because her kidneys are just giving up. I don't know what's next. Dialysis? That will be torture for her. 7 hours a day, 5 days a week. I just want to go through it all for her and spare her the pain. Her God, the one she has followed her whole life, the one she worships and trusts and loves and prays to, needs to step in and do something for her. She is a true follower of Christ and this is what she gets in return? Another reason I can't bring myself to believe that there truly is a loving God.
Off to try to get some rest. I can't turn my mind off.
July 15, 2008
A few house pics
The Amazing Kitchen! All stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and a 3 seater bar.
Kind of hard to tell from the picture but this is the master shower. All stone and really nice!
My favorite part of the house. The dining room which you enter through french doors right off the kitchen.Just wanted to share a few pics of the new house. We're 3 days away from closing and now they have a new "bump in the road" so keep your fingers crossed that it all works out because we have no money and no place to go if it doesn't.
July 12, 2008
Time is running out.
We close on the house on Friday. Our lease here at the apartment is up on July 29th which means we HAVE to be moved out and the apartment has to be cleaned from top to bottom by the 29th at noon. So how have I been spending my days, you ask? Sleeping. I have never been so unmotivated in my life. I feel terribly embarrassed! It isn't because I am just being lazy, it is because I don't feel well. I promise. I even missed out on the final walk through on the house today. I was in too much pain to get up and get ready to go. I hope that wasn't a mistake. Hubs did go and said everything was fixed to our liking.
I have personally packed 4 boxes. 2 boxes of scrapbooking materials and 2 boxes from my closet. I guess you could say I am not doing my part. BUT I have been working. I did miss 2 days of work this week but 1 was for our anniversary.
Speaking of our anniversary, it was July 9th. We have been married for 4 years and together for 9 years. Amazing, considering I am only 27. Hubs took the day off to spend the day with me. I had been suffering from a horrible migraine for 5 days beforehand so I was a little weary. We decided to go to the Casino and have lunch at their buffet. We are NOT gamblers and had never even been before. Neither one of us like throwing away our money and having nothing to show for it.
So we had a wonderful buffet lunch which included this heavenly dessert buffet bigger than our new kitchen! Everything imaginable was there and I wasn't going to leave without tasting absolutely everything I wanted to! :) To Hubs horrid embarrassment, I proceeded to bring back about 8 plates of dessert (some had multiple desserts on them), one bowl of ice cream topped with m&m minis, caramel sauce and homemade whipped cream AND a rootbeer float. I only ate 2-3 bites of each thing, I am not a pig after all :) It was heaven I tell you!
Oh don't worry, I ate regular food too. I had 3 pieces of bbq salmon (SOOOOO yummy!), a'gratin potatoes, butter and chive mashed potatoes, buttered brussel sprouts, fried okra, buttered broccoli, cornbread with honey, one yeast roll, one parmesan roll, 1/2 a piece of 4 cheese pizza, some nachos with queso, guac, sour cream, bean and corn salsa, lettuce and tomatoes on top, a bowl of cantaloupe, some crab salad, some fried potatoes and I think that might be it. Wow, it seemed like I ate alot more than that :) I love buffets, can you tell?
What? You want me to tell you about the desserts too? OK...there was a chocolate cream pie, strawberry shortcake with the best damned homemade whipped cream I have ever had in my entire life!!! Then I had 3 chocolate strawberries (which I only ended up eating 1 of), 2 pieces of meringue candy, a pretzel stick in chocolate, a piece of chocolate espresso cake, some strawberry swirl cake (they didn't actually label the desserts), a cup of chocolate mousse, some tiny handmade chocolate with a cherry on top, a layered brownie and cheesecake of some sorts, a raspberry cheesecake and I do believe that was it. And at one point, I asked Hubs to go up there with me so he could help me carry it back. Even as embarrassed as he was, he did it for me :) Good ol' Hubs.
At one point I was getting one of my first plates of food and one of the buffet chefs behind the counter saw my face full of smiles and said "How are you doing today happy girl?" That was kind of embarrassing. I guess I couldn't hide my overwhelming excitement due to the food heaven surrounding me.
After at least an hour at the buffet I tried to get Hubs to sit there with me for another hour so we could get hungry again but he insisted that I was the only one who would get hungry again for quite some time. So we left and went into the casino, with visions of big money dancing in our heads.
We had decided to only spend $20. We're broke, buying a house and need all the money we have but we figured we would try on our lucky day. We played penny slots, nickel slots, quarter slots and 1 dollar slot. Between us we won about $6 but we gambled it away and walked out of there $20 poorer than when we had arrived.
Now let me ask you something. How in the world is gambling fun? Even when we won, we won no more than $2.50 and the money was sucked from our hands faster than I can eat a cookie (and let me tell you, that is pretty damn fast!). How is that fun? And we were there at noon on a Wednesday and there were a ton of people there too. We just don't see the appeal. Thankfully, because I couldn't handle it if Hubs decided he had a thing for gambling.
Anyway...I held onto Hubs arm all day, we talked and smiled and laughed like we were dating and had a really really good day! Granted we made it home by 3:00 but he did one of my favorite things and lay in bed for the rest of the day and we watched 6 Feet Under and another movie I can't quite remember. Overall, it was a great day! Best of all? The next day Hubs emailed me to tell me how much fun he had AND to tell me that he kept smiling when he thought about me and my desserts :)
I think the buffet employees might remember me for a while :)
I have personally packed 4 boxes. 2 boxes of scrapbooking materials and 2 boxes from my closet. I guess you could say I am not doing my part. BUT I have been working. I did miss 2 days of work this week but 1 was for our anniversary.
Speaking of our anniversary, it was July 9th. We have been married for 4 years and together for 9 years. Amazing, considering I am only 27. Hubs took the day off to spend the day with me. I had been suffering from a horrible migraine for 5 days beforehand so I was a little weary. We decided to go to the Casino and have lunch at their buffet. We are NOT gamblers and had never even been before. Neither one of us like throwing away our money and having nothing to show for it.
So we had a wonderful buffet lunch which included this heavenly dessert buffet bigger than our new kitchen! Everything imaginable was there and I wasn't going to leave without tasting absolutely everything I wanted to! :) To Hubs horrid embarrassment, I proceeded to bring back about 8 plates of dessert (some had multiple desserts on them), one bowl of ice cream topped with m&m minis, caramel sauce and homemade whipped cream AND a rootbeer float. I only ate 2-3 bites of each thing, I am not a pig after all :) It was heaven I tell you!
Oh don't worry, I ate regular food too. I had 3 pieces of bbq salmon (SOOOOO yummy!), a'gratin potatoes, butter and chive mashed potatoes, buttered brussel sprouts, fried okra, buttered broccoli, cornbread with honey, one yeast roll, one parmesan roll, 1/2 a piece of 4 cheese pizza, some nachos with queso, guac, sour cream, bean and corn salsa, lettuce and tomatoes on top, a bowl of cantaloupe, some crab salad, some fried potatoes and I think that might be it. Wow, it seemed like I ate alot more than that :) I love buffets, can you tell?
What? You want me to tell you about the desserts too? OK...there was a chocolate cream pie, strawberry shortcake with the best damned homemade whipped cream I have ever had in my entire life!!! Then I had 3 chocolate strawberries (which I only ended up eating 1 of), 2 pieces of meringue candy, a pretzel stick in chocolate, a piece of chocolate espresso cake, some strawberry swirl cake (they didn't actually label the desserts), a cup of chocolate mousse, some tiny handmade chocolate with a cherry on top, a layered brownie and cheesecake of some sorts, a raspberry cheesecake and I do believe that was it. And at one point, I asked Hubs to go up there with me so he could help me carry it back. Even as embarrassed as he was, he did it for me :) Good ol' Hubs.
At one point I was getting one of my first plates of food and one of the buffet chefs behind the counter saw my face full of smiles and said "How are you doing today happy girl?" That was kind of embarrassing. I guess I couldn't hide my overwhelming excitement due to the food heaven surrounding me.
After at least an hour at the buffet I tried to get Hubs to sit there with me for another hour so we could get hungry again but he insisted that I was the only one who would get hungry again for quite some time. So we left and went into the casino, with visions of big money dancing in our heads.
We had decided to only spend $20. We're broke, buying a house and need all the money we have but we figured we would try on our lucky day. We played penny slots, nickel slots, quarter slots and 1 dollar slot. Between us we won about $6 but we gambled it away and walked out of there $20 poorer than when we had arrived.
Now let me ask you something. How in the world is gambling fun? Even when we won, we won no more than $2.50 and the money was sucked from our hands faster than I can eat a cookie (and let me tell you, that is pretty damn fast!). How is that fun? And we were there at noon on a Wednesday and there were a ton of people there too. We just don't see the appeal. Thankfully, because I couldn't handle it if Hubs decided he had a thing for gambling.
Anyway...I held onto Hubs arm all day, we talked and smiled and laughed like we were dating and had a really really good day! Granted we made it home by 3:00 but he did one of my favorite things and lay in bed for the rest of the day and we watched 6 Feet Under and another movie I can't quite remember. Overall, it was a great day! Best of all? The next day Hubs emailed me to tell me how much fun he had AND to tell me that he kept smiling when he thought about me and my desserts :)
I think the buffet employees might remember me for a while :)
July 8, 2008
Overland Park, we have a problem...
I don't know what is wrong with my Cody Bear. He has never done this before. I am shocked, I am freaked out and I am worried. What is going on, you ask? He has started to hump his brother Cooper. Now I know that this is a normal thing for dogs. BUT it usually is something that starts early on. Cody is 3 almost 3 1/2. He has always humped blankets which he balls up and puts underneath him. He loves one blanket in particular, a KU blanket, we call it his girlfriend. Well, he has never humped anything else in his life. Nothing, nada, no one. So imagine my surprise when I see him mounting Cooper from behind yesterday as we watched a movie. At first I thought I was just imagining it and they were just playing around like they do. They jump all over each other all day long. But then I saw it...the back and forth action, the front paws clutched beneath Cooper's stomach. Did I yell? Did I say "no!"? Nope...I calmly said "look what Cody is doing to Cooper." to my husband. He freaked out and thought I was weird for not stopping it. I just wanted him to see it so he knew I wasn't making it up. After he saw, I told Cody to stop. He did. Then he started again. Like he had found a new toy that he couldn't stop playing with. He mounted his brother again. Cooper had this look on his face like "whatcha doin Cody?" Not too bothered and not too worried about what was going on. Just happy that they were playing. This time I clapped and told him more sternly "NO!" He stopped. He heavily panted for a few minutes while I got back into the movie and then he did it again. Just walked on over to Cooper, put his paws on his back, and started humping. "NO CODY NO!" I yelled. That time it worked. He hasn't tried it since. But my question is, why the sudden urge? He is neutered, they both are. Is this what they do to pass the time when we're at work? Cooper sure didn't seem to mind. Oh boy. I do not like this. They say it's a dominance thing but Cody is clearly alpha, always has been and Cooper submits to him all day long so why would he suddenly feel the urge to show his dominance in this way? Any ideas?
July 6, 2008
My new look!
So how do you like it? It looks fabulous, if I do say so myself LOL! I won a free blog design from Lauren at www.restored316designs.com and she did everything I asked for and more. If you are looking to have your blog re-done, definitely check her out! Thanks so much Lauren.
This is going to be very brief. I have been feeling just awful this week. Worse than I have felt in at least a month if not more. I don't know what is up but it is really bad timing with the move and everything. I have had a migraine for 2 days, the inside of my nose burns, my eyes ache, I am in a ton of pain and my stomach is hurting like crazy. I feel so badly for Frank. He has just been chugging along packing and getting things ready and most of my free time is spent in bed. I'm such a lame wife. :( And then my boys, they have both been acting funny so I took them in to have their kidneys tested again. I figured since it is claim time (litigation against Menu Foods for pet food poisoning) I needed to know exactly where we stand levels wise. I should find out tomorrow. I pray it is good news because when I took them in Dr. Daly made sure to tell me, AGAIN, how freakin lucky I am that Cody hasn't died yet with his levels the way they are. :( :( :( I just don't want to talk about it or think about it right now.
I have been spending hours pouring over decorating sites/blogs while on my sick bed. Do you have any to recommend? I need ideas. Cheap ideas since Frank seems stuck on the fact that we have no money for decorating. Stinking thinking I tell you.
This is going to be very brief. I have been feeling just awful this week. Worse than I have felt in at least a month if not more. I don't know what is up but it is really bad timing with the move and everything. I have had a migraine for 2 days, the inside of my nose burns, my eyes ache, I am in a ton of pain and my stomach is hurting like crazy. I feel so badly for Frank. He has just been chugging along packing and getting things ready and most of my free time is spent in bed. I'm such a lame wife. :( And then my boys, they have both been acting funny so I took them in to have their kidneys tested again. I figured since it is claim time (litigation against Menu Foods for pet food poisoning) I needed to know exactly where we stand levels wise. I should find out tomorrow. I pray it is good news because when I took them in Dr. Daly made sure to tell me, AGAIN, how freakin lucky I am that Cody hasn't died yet with his levels the way they are. :( :( :( I just don't want to talk about it or think about it right now.
I have been spending hours pouring over decorating sites/blogs while on my sick bed. Do you have any to recommend? I need ideas. Cheap ideas since Frank seems stuck on the fact that we have no money for decorating. Stinking thinking I tell you.
July 1, 2008
Guess What?
I made it to work every single day last week AND worked an average of 4.5 hours each day. I haven't done that in months, maybe even a year. I am trying my hardest so that Hubs is more at ease with the whole house buying thing. On the other hand, I am so exhausted that I come home and hang out in bed with the boys. So nothing is getting done around here. Nothing. Hubs has been packing, I have been sleeping. But if I am going to keep working like this, I need to rest when I am home. He will have to understand and so far I think he is understanding.
News about the house? Well the inspection did not go great. They found termites, a huge water leak that had happened SINCE we had seen the house, a water leak in the dining room which was hurting the brand new hardwood floors, a fire hazard in the attic and numerous small other things. Frank was freaking out thinking this was it, the house wasn't happening. Then the seller showed up. I can't tell you how great that was because right then and there he told Frank and I that he would take care of all of it. Still, Hubs didn't believe him. So we drew up the contract of what we wanted fixed (remember, they told us they wouldn't be fixing much of anything because they had already come down on the price so much) and they came back and said, just like he told us, they would fix everything! Isn't that awesome? So now Frank says "well we still have to hope all the paperwork pans out." OMG! First it was "well we still have to see what the inspection finds" and now it's paperwork. I swear. Even when we are living in the house he is still not going to think it's ours'. I love him and his stinking thinking though.
News about the house? Well the inspection did not go great. They found termites, a huge water leak that had happened SINCE we had seen the house, a water leak in the dining room which was hurting the brand new hardwood floors, a fire hazard in the attic and numerous small other things. Frank was freaking out thinking this was it, the house wasn't happening. Then the seller showed up. I can't tell you how great that was because right then and there he told Frank and I that he would take care of all of it. Still, Hubs didn't believe him. So we drew up the contract of what we wanted fixed (remember, they told us they wouldn't be fixing much of anything because they had already come down on the price so much) and they came back and said, just like he told us, they would fix everything! Isn't that awesome? So now Frank says "well we still have to hope all the paperwork pans out." OMG! First it was "well we still have to see what the inspection finds" and now it's paperwork. I swear. Even when we are living in the house he is still not going to think it's ours'. I love him and his stinking thinking though.
June 27, 2008
Somebody please pinch me...
It feels like a dream. I hope it isn't. We have an inspection on the house we are buying today. We are actually buying a house. We're going to be big people, adults, homeowners. Oh my gosh. What a big step this is.
It's a beautiful house, the house we both fell in love with. Unlike the other houses we made offers on, I didn't have to talk Frank in to liking this one. We both felt that this house was "the one" yet he is freaking out about it now. He is a doom gloom thinking kind of guy and sometimes it makes it alot harder on me and my health because he can be so negative. I have told everyone and their aunt that we are buying this house, he on the other hand is waiting until the inspection comes up clear to share the news with anyone, including our daughter who is patiently awaiting the news. Stinking thinking is what I call it. And his stinks the worst.
So here is a picture of the house.
June 19, 2008
Backwards Introduction
I realized that I never really introduced myself. Not that I actually have any readers but for anyone who may just stumble onto my blog...here is a little bit about me.
I am a 27 year old female of Caucasian ethnicity. I am married to a 35 year old, wonderful man named Frank. We have a 10 year old daughter named Kaylee and 2 male shih tzus (dogs) named Cody (3) and Cooper (2.5). Together, we all reside in Overland Park, KS which is a large suburb of Kansas City. Kansas really isn't all that bad and it's definitely different than most people imagine. We live amongst million dollar mansions, in one of the richest counties in KS. However, we live in an apartment home, which is like a town home. We hate the KS weather and it's unpredictability but the area is nice and clean and most importantly, safe.
I work with student loans. I help students who are having financial difficulties, postpone their payments on their federal student loans. My husband works with computers. I get confused when I ask exactly what he does, so I'll leave it at that but I will add that he is pretty high on the totem pole. Not just a techie who answers to everyone else. He is very good at what he does but he no longer enjoys it and is trying desperately to find another ob but the market is so bad that he can't find anything without taking a $10,000.00-$20,000.00 pay cut. With prices the way they are, a cut like that would be impossible.
Unfortunately, I live with lupus and it affects every aspect of our lives. If I didn't have lupus, I would be able to work like a normal human being, bringing home money and contributing a great deal to our finances. But it doesn't work like that. I miss work all the time, I never know when I will be sick and therefore it all rests on Frank's shoulders. And believe me, he feels the weight.
On to happier things...I have a 9 1/2 year old sister, Kennis and an 11 year old brother, Taylor. I also have an 18 year old sister, Rachael. We are all very close, much closer than most siblings and yet we don't see each other very often. Rachael lives in Springfield, MO as does the majority of my family and Kennis and Taylor live here in town with their dad who inundates their schedules with numerous sports and other activities so that they never have time to see the family or their mom. It is a very difficult situation, I'm afraid.
I only started reading blogs a few months ago and I must say I am rather addicted. I believe I have over 300 blogs in my favorites list. The blogs I enjoy the most are medical blogs (nurses, doctors etc...), veterinary blogs (vet techs, vet students etc...), animal blogs, dog blogs, giveaway blogs and any other blog I come across that catches my attention. Other people's lives are so much more interesting than mine!
I am a pescetarian (a vegetarian who does eat seafood) and my husband is on the road to being a vegetarian. He loves meat but is having a harder and harder time eating it after everything he has seen and read. I love him for that. He just isn't the type that you would expect to give up sausage, bacon and hamburgers because of animal cruelty. I mean, just because he is this big, tough guy, but he has a heart and a conscience. We've learned alot together about animal cruelty in the past few years. I won't go into it now though.
I drive a Toyota Corolla and the hubs drives a Land Rover Discovery which is killing us. The Land Rover is a gas guzzler and hubs doesn't even drive with the a/c on. But it is such a nice car, classic to look at and it is a big car which is something that hubs, at 6'1 needs. Plus he deserves to drive a car that shows his success. However, with gas prices where they are right now, we have been doing all of our driving in the Corolla.
I think I have introduced myself pretty well. If you're curious about anything else, please let me know and I'll do my best to enlighten you.
Oh and pretty soon I will add some of my favorite blogs to my blog list BUT there are so many I don't know how to choose. Send me a link to your blog so I can check it out :) The hubs' is franknbeanz.wordpress.com Check him out. He just started and is a damn good writer. Just don't listen to anything he says about me...unless it's good of course :)
I am a 27 year old female of Caucasian ethnicity. I am married to a 35 year old, wonderful man named Frank. We have a 10 year old daughter named Kaylee and 2 male shih tzus (dogs) named Cody (3) and Cooper (2.5). Together, we all reside in Overland Park, KS which is a large suburb of Kansas City. Kansas really isn't all that bad and it's definitely different than most people imagine. We live amongst million dollar mansions, in one of the richest counties in KS. However, we live in an apartment home, which is like a town home. We hate the KS weather and it's unpredictability but the area is nice and clean and most importantly, safe.
I work with student loans. I help students who are having financial difficulties, postpone their payments on their federal student loans. My husband works with computers. I get confused when I ask exactly what he does, so I'll leave it at that but I will add that he is pretty high on the totem pole. Not just a techie who answers to everyone else. He is very good at what he does but he no longer enjoys it and is trying desperately to find another ob but the market is so bad that he can't find anything without taking a $10,000.00-$20,000.00 pay cut. With prices the way they are, a cut like that would be impossible.
Unfortunately, I live with lupus and it affects every aspect of our lives. If I didn't have lupus, I would be able to work like a normal human being, bringing home money and contributing a great deal to our finances. But it doesn't work like that. I miss work all the time, I never know when I will be sick and therefore it all rests on Frank's shoulders. And believe me, he feels the weight.
On to happier things...I have a 9 1/2 year old sister, Kennis and an 11 year old brother, Taylor. I also have an 18 year old sister, Rachael. We are all very close, much closer than most siblings and yet we don't see each other very often. Rachael lives in Springfield, MO as does the majority of my family and Kennis and Taylor live here in town with their dad who inundates their schedules with numerous sports and other activities so that they never have time to see the family or their mom. It is a very difficult situation, I'm afraid.
I only started reading blogs a few months ago and I must say I am rather addicted. I believe I have over 300 blogs in my favorites list. The blogs I enjoy the most are medical blogs (nurses, doctors etc...), veterinary blogs (vet techs, vet students etc...), animal blogs, dog blogs, giveaway blogs and any other blog I come across that catches my attention. Other people's lives are so much more interesting than mine!
I am a pescetarian (a vegetarian who does eat seafood) and my husband is on the road to being a vegetarian. He loves meat but is having a harder and harder time eating it after everything he has seen and read. I love him for that. He just isn't the type that you would expect to give up sausage, bacon and hamburgers because of animal cruelty. I mean, just because he is this big, tough guy, but he has a heart and a conscience. We've learned alot together about animal cruelty in the past few years. I won't go into it now though.
I drive a Toyota Corolla and the hubs drives a Land Rover Discovery which is killing us. The Land Rover is a gas guzzler and hubs doesn't even drive with the a/c on. But it is such a nice car, classic to look at and it is a big car which is something that hubs, at 6'1 needs. Plus he deserves to drive a car that shows his success. However, with gas prices where they are right now, we have been doing all of our driving in the Corolla.
I think I have introduced myself pretty well. If you're curious about anything else, please let me know and I'll do my best to enlighten you.
Oh and pretty soon I will add some of my favorite blogs to my blog list BUT there are so many I don't know how to choose. Send me a link to your blog so I can check it out :) The hubs' is franknbeanz.wordpress.com Check him out. He just started and is a damn good writer. Just don't listen to anything he says about me...unless it's good of course :)
June 8, 2008
Money is going to kill me, or lack of it anyway.
So how is everyone doing it? Gas prices, food prices, just where are we supposed to get the extra money to cover these rises in costs? I am so stressed all the time now because of money. Hubs is stressed all the time over money. It's like everyday is run by how much everything costs. Can we go to the park today? Nope, too far away, will take up too much gas. Can we go out to eat today? Nope, prices have gone up and besides we need the extra money for gas. We need groceries. Well we have to cut back since everything has gone up. Cut back on milk, cut back on meat. Cut back on cereal. I am at my wits end. Any advice on ways to cut back?
On top of all the stresses we are dealing with as far as money is concerned, Cody ripped his rear dew claw today. My poor baby. We didn't hear it happen or see it happen and he is always with us so it is odd that we didn't notice. Hubs picked him up and was playing with him on his back as usual. Cody was getting snippy and acted like he was in pain. On closer inspection (thank you hubs for looking closely) he found Cody's nail bleeding and hanging on for dear life. My first reaction was to clean it and take him to the vet tomorrow. Upon further inspection I noticed it had just happened and was bleeding alot. Every time I touched it he cried. I tried to wrap it but that lasted all of 3 minutes before he had the wrap in his front paws chewing on it like a chewie. So that was it. I called our local vet who is open on Sunday and asked if we could come in without an appt. They told me to bring him in and drop him off and they would call me with an estimate. Great.
I drop Cody off with specific instructions that due to his chronic kidney disease, I did not want him anesthetized unless absolutely necessary. I get a call 15 minutes after I left the vet. "Mrs. Bruce? Hi. This is Dr. Neira. I got a closer look at Cody's dew claw and unfortunately it looks as if he tore it all the way below the quick. It needs to be removed and he needs to be sedated for that." I ask if there are any other options due to health risks and sedation. She said that local anesthetic doesn't work in the area they are dealing with and his anesthesia and meds both are more expensive due to his kidney disease. So how much is the damage? $255 not including all the follow up stuff. AND the kicker is the nail will grow back so this could happen all over again! Removing the entire dew claw would consist of removing the bone which is the same as de-clawing a cat which we all know is horrible torture, the same as amputating a human's fingers down to their first knuckle. Not an option.
Cody woke up safely. We picked him up at 4:30 and he has been passed out every since. He lifts his head to look around every hour or so and then goes back to sleep. I took some pictures which I will post as soon as they have been transfered to the computer.
I feel so badly for my little baby. He moans and looks at me with these eyes like "what happened?" I am in mommy overdrive.
Please keep him in your thoughts. I am scared that the sedative and meds and stress might cause his kidney disease to further act up. I pray not.
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Lupus Sunday
Woke up at 10:30. Felt exhausted and achey. Fed my sister breakfast then we did some Father's Day arts n crafts. Fed the clan lunch. Decided against taking a shower since I was going to clean and get all sweaty. I cleaned out our armoire which we will hopefully sell at the upcoming garage sale. Took me 3 hours to clean that out. In the middle of that, with stuff strewn all over the dining room, on the floor, on the table, on the chairs...is when I had to stop and take Cody to the vet. Got back and finished the armoire. Laid down with Cooper since we was unsettled wondering where Cody was. From that point on, I really didn't pay much attention to my pain or exhaustion. I was running on adrenaline. S0 not much of a report on today's lupus happenings.
As of right now, it's thundering, lightening and raining. We are all 4 of us in bed, everyone passed out except for me. Frank has a pillow over his face, Cody is laying between us in a fetal position with his head under Frank's arm. Cooper is asleep at my feet. I love my family. It's times like this that I smile and just want to watch them all sleep. No king size bed for us.
On top of all the stresses we are dealing with as far as money is concerned, Cody ripped his rear dew claw today. My poor baby. We didn't hear it happen or see it happen and he is always with us so it is odd that we didn't notice. Hubs picked him up and was playing with him on his back as usual. Cody was getting snippy and acted like he was in pain. On closer inspection (thank you hubs for looking closely) he found Cody's nail bleeding and hanging on for dear life. My first reaction was to clean it and take him to the vet tomorrow. Upon further inspection I noticed it had just happened and was bleeding alot. Every time I touched it he cried. I tried to wrap it but that lasted all of 3 minutes before he had the wrap in his front paws chewing on it like a chewie. So that was it. I called our local vet who is open on Sunday and asked if we could come in without an appt. They told me to bring him in and drop him off and they would call me with an estimate. Great.
I drop Cody off with specific instructions that due to his chronic kidney disease, I did not want him anesthetized unless absolutely necessary. I get a call 15 minutes after I left the vet. "Mrs. Bruce? Hi. This is Dr. Neira. I got a closer look at Cody's dew claw and unfortunately it looks as if he tore it all the way below the quick. It needs to be removed and he needs to be sedated for that." I ask if there are any other options due to health risks and sedation. She said that local anesthetic doesn't work in the area they are dealing with and his anesthesia and meds both are more expensive due to his kidney disease. So how much is the damage? $255 not including all the follow up stuff. AND the kicker is the nail will grow back so this could happen all over again! Removing the entire dew claw would consist of removing the bone which is the same as de-clawing a cat which we all know is horrible torture, the same as amputating a human's fingers down to their first knuckle. Not an option.
Cody woke up safely. We picked him up at 4:30 and he has been passed out every since. He lifts his head to look around every hour or so and then goes back to sleep. I took some pictures which I will post as soon as they have been transfered to the computer.
I feel so badly for my little baby. He moans and looks at me with these eyes like "what happened?" I am in mommy overdrive.
Please keep him in your thoughts. I am scared that the sedative and meds and stress might cause his kidney disease to further act up. I pray not.
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Lupus Sunday
Woke up at 10:30. Felt exhausted and achey. Fed my sister breakfast then we did some Father's Day arts n crafts. Fed the clan lunch. Decided against taking a shower since I was going to clean and get all sweaty. I cleaned out our armoire which we will hopefully sell at the upcoming garage sale. Took me 3 hours to clean that out. In the middle of that, with stuff strewn all over the dining room, on the floor, on the table, on the chairs...is when I had to stop and take Cody to the vet. Got back and finished the armoire. Laid down with Cooper since we was unsettled wondering where Cody was. From that point on, I really didn't pay much attention to my pain or exhaustion. I was running on adrenaline. S0 not much of a report on today's lupus happenings.
As of right now, it's thundering, lightening and raining. We are all 4 of us in bed, everyone passed out except for me. Frank has a pillow over his face, Cody is laying between us in a fetal position with his head under Frank's arm. Cooper is asleep at my feet. I love my family. It's times like this that I smile and just want to watch them all sleep. No king size bed for us.
June 7, 2008
Lupus on Saturday
Today was a hard day. I'm not sleeping very well so I was exhausted. My sister was being dropped off at 10am so I got up at 9:45 so I would be awake when she got here. My throat/ears/head have hurt all day.
Our day started at 1:30 when we met our Realtor to look at a few houses. 5 to be exact. And I think we found the perfect house for us. Well of course not "perfect" but the best we have come across. 3 hours in the scorching heat, looking at old, dirty houses, breathing in paint fumes and dank smokey carpet, really wore me out. One of the houses had 5 bedrooms and a pool complete with slide and diving board. It was full of dark green/brown water. I would not want to empty that pool. Can you imagine what you might find down there? Dead animals, dead people? Ugh...
Anyway, came home and took a 2 hour nap. A much needed, much enjoyed nap. Ate some dinner. Watched a movie with hubs. Took the boys on a walk, come to find out Frank had already taken them on one today. We brought Coop home after one lap and took Cody for a longer second lap. I hope they sleep well tonight. I know I will.
I'm achey and over done. This house hunting stuff is wearing me out and it's not close to being over. Let's say we put in an offer, then there is packing, the garage sale this weekend, moving, Justin's wedding in August and then unpacking the new house. How am I going to get through this? I don't even feel up to doing the laundry tomorrow. I need strength. Now where can I get some?
Our day started at 1:30 when we met our Realtor to look at a few houses. 5 to be exact. And I think we found the perfect house for us. Well of course not "perfect" but the best we have come across. 3 hours in the scorching heat, looking at old, dirty houses, breathing in paint fumes and dank smokey carpet, really wore me out. One of the houses had 5 bedrooms and a pool complete with slide and diving board. It was full of dark green/brown water. I would not want to empty that pool. Can you imagine what you might find down there? Dead animals, dead people? Ugh...
Anyway, came home and took a 2 hour nap. A much needed, much enjoyed nap. Ate some dinner. Watched a movie with hubs. Took the boys on a walk, come to find out Frank had already taken them on one today. We brought Coop home after one lap and took Cody for a longer second lap. I hope they sleep well tonight. I know I will.
I'm achey and over done. This house hunting stuff is wearing me out and it's not close to being over. Let's say we put in an offer, then there is packing, the garage sale this weekend, moving, Justin's wedding in August and then unpacking the new house. How am I going to get through this? I don't even feel up to doing the laundry tomorrow. I need strength. Now where can I get some?
June 6, 2008
Lupus today
OK so today wasn't the greatest day lupus wise. I woke up at 9:30 to Cody whining at me to wake up. I told him I still needed to sleep and rolled over and slept until 10:30. I had to meet Frank at noon to look at a house so I DID get up and get ready.
I've had a killer migraine all day and it hasn't let up no matter how many meds I take.
Pain wise I'd say I'm at about a 5. So pain wise it is a very good day.
This Paxil makes me eat more though and that is not good. I find myself wanting to munch all the time.
My energy level is through the floor today. I have downed two coffee drinks and still feel no relief. My eyelids are drooping and I'm having a hard time staying awake.
I did make it to work for 3 hours. Just enough time to make my migraine worse.
I walked the boys, watched two movies with Frank and now it's bedtime.
So that's it for Friday, June 6th.
I don't usually do this but...
As someone who is always looking for a way to make some extra money, I wanted to pass this along. The website is called dealbarbiepays and so far I have made $54.00. You can't cash out until you reach $20 but the extra money is nice. Too bad I have had to put it toward our bills :) Just know, only one person per household/workplace etc...can have an acct. They check ips and ban duplicate accts. Anyway, to use me as a referral go here:
dealbarbiepays
Let me know if you sign up!
dealbarbiepays
Let me know if you sign up!
June 5, 2008
For the next week...
I am going to keep track of what my life is like with lupus. Obviously I have been doing that already but I am actually going to make a mental note of what I do and how I feel all day long. Starting tomorrow. I just want to see exactly what my ups and downs are in just one week. Stay tuned...
Random things about me
I found this on another blog and thought it looked fun. So here goes.
27 Questions
1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what did you think? “My face looks nice and clear today. Wow, that spot from the tanning bed looks better. Why are my arms so fat? And my stomach…ugh. Why can’t I just tone up? Look at my clothes, I need new clothes. I just don’t look good anymore. Oh! I am going to be late. Better get going…”
2. How much cash do you have on you? None currently on me because I am in bed.
3. What’s a word that rhymes with “TEST”? Nest
4. Favorite planet? Earth
5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell phone? Walgreen’s Pharmacy
6. What is your favorite ring on your phone? Vibrate. All the others drive me nuts.
7. What shirt are you wearing? A salmon colored, cowl neck tank.
8. Do you “label” yourself? I label myself as a wife and as a mother. A daughter and a granddaughter. A niece and a sister.
9. Name the brand of shoes you’re currently wearing now: None, I am currently in bed. The shoes I wore today were from Target.
10. Bright or Dark Room? Dark
11. What do you think about the person who took this survey before you? I think that Misadventurous Melissa is funny, witty and an amazing dog mom!
12. What were you doing at midnight last night? Ha ha! Having some middle of the night fun with hubs!
13. What did your last text message you received on your cell say? “Meet me here at 12:15.”
14. Where is your nearest 7-11? 119th and Quivira. 10 minutes from me.
15. What’s a saying(s) that you say a lot? “Can’t never did anything.” And “A bored person is a boring person.”
16.Who told you they loved you last? My husband.
17. Last furry thing you touched? My doggies
18. How many days of work did you miss this week? One. So far. It’s Wednesday.
19. How many rolls of film do you need to get developed? One underwater camera. Other than that we always use digital.
20. Favorite age you have been so far? 23
21. Your worst enemy? Lupus
22. What is your current desktop picture? Bright, colorful flowers.
23. What was the last thing you said to someone? “Cooper why are you kicking Mommy?”
24. If you had to choose between a million bucks or to be able to fly, which would you choose? A million bucks.
25. Do you love someone? I love my husband. I love my doggies. I love my daughter, my mother, my sisters, my brother, my grandma, my great grandma, my aunt, my uncle, Alvina, Gene, Jay, Kris, Jaymie, Brandon, Bryce and Hunter, my god mom, my god dad and all my god family. I love my mother-in-law, my brother-in-law, my sister-in-law and my niece. Have I forgotten anyone?
26. The last song you listened to? “Saving all my love for you.”
27. Carmen Electra or Pam Anderson? Carmen Electra
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11 Random Things About Me:
1. I Lived in an attic for a couple years as a kid. Complete with ladder.
2. I Moved 15 times before I went away to college.
3. I had 2 childhood best friends who I later attended high school with where they were practically enemies/strangers.
4. I failed math all 4 years of high school and attended summer school for it every summer. Once I made it to college I aced 2 semesters in a row.
5. I am obsessed with the internet. I read blogs/gossip websites/etc…everyday. It is 11:50pm and I lay here in a drug induced stupor (legal, prescription meds), eyes barely open, just trying to read a little more.
6. I was raised very religious. I attended Christian school from pre-school-5th grade and again from 7th-8th grade then attended Catholic school 9th-12th. I no longer believe in God.
7. I used to hate animals. That is so embarrassing. I didn’t want to hurt them or anything, I just thought they were dirty and I avoided them. Now I preach to everyone about animal rights and protection, give to all the animal charities, volunteer at the local no kill shelter, foster animals in need and have 2 dogs whom I love absolutely to death!
8. I like to read erotica but do not enjoy watching porn.
9. I am very interested in very rare diseases/disorders/birth defects. Two I like to read up on are Primordial Dwarfism and Conjoined twins. Medical marvels if you will.
10. I love watching “A Baby Story” and other baby/family shows even though I do not want a baby of my own.
11. I could spend my day watching just about any kind of reality tv imaginable. I just love reality shows. I don’t even remember what life was like before reality tv and I hope we never go back.
June 2, 2008
My boring life
Well a few new things are going on. First, the hubs and I are house hunting. We thought this would be fun but 2 days into the "hunt" we are exhausted, disappointed and already losing hope that we will find what we want, in our price range, within the 8 weeks we have. Not too much to ask right? :) We have looked at 7 houses so far. One I really loved but there were some things that made it not right for us. Hardly any closet space, only one bathroom (unless you count the room in the basement with one toilet perched 3 feet in the air) and it sits on a busy street which is dangerous when you have dogs. Other than that, I loved it. But hubs doesn't want to settle. After 2 days of looking he is ready to throw in the towel and just go back to looking at rentals.
House buying is scary. How do people afford to fix everything themselves? We have rented forever and the amount of things we have had break in the last 9 years really scares me. I never thought about it before but now that I am contemplating having to pay for all of it...now I see how it all adds up.
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I finally was able to come off of an evil prescription drug that I have been unable to come off of for over 4 years. How was I suddenly able to come off of it? My doc prescribed a new drug to replace the old drug. I was scared as hell and waited until the weekend to try it. Usually if I am a couple hours late taking the evil drug, I become sick. Well 2 days have come and gone and I am fine. Absolutely afreakinmazing!! I can't tell you how happy I am! Now this new drug is also hard to come off of but I have taken it before and don't remember having trouble coming off of it. So hopefully it won't be a problem when the time comes.
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I realized that I haven't written hardly anything about my boys Cody and Cooper. That strikes me as completely odd since they are a huge part of my life. They are my anti-depressants, no doubt about it. They get me up in the morning even when I am sick as hell. They make me smile even when I am crying my eyes out. They bring joy to my life in every way possible. I just love them so very much. Sometimes I wonder if I am turning into some crazy dog lady. It's just that the feelings that I feel for Cody and Cooper are so huge, so real and so raw that I feel like people will laugh at me if they truly knew how I felt about my babies.
I can't/won't/don't want kids of my own so Cody and Cooper are my sons. I realize they are dogs but we communicate. We have an entire language between us. No, I don't talk in tongues to them but I do believe that they understand me and I believe that they do things to make me understand them as well. Hubs thinks I am borderline crazy when it comes to this but all that has taught me is to just keep it to myself. I see it in their eyes, they know I understand them. That's all that matters.
I deal with alot of guilt when it comes to my boys. They have a good life, I know that, but they could have a better life if I weren't sick. I don't take them on daily walks like they need. I can't. Sometimes it is all I can do to get out of bed and take them potty, let alone a walk. And a walk would be alot easier if Cooper didn't stop to smell every blade of grass that has ever been touched by canine, feline, rodent, reptile, amphibian, insect, mammal or bird feet. Poor Coop. He has such trouble walking, he just walks a few feet then stops to smell everything and to give his legs a rest.
OK so more to feel guilty about...They don't eat a normal dog diet. However, the dog food is what poisoned them in the first place AND all of their vets are aware of their diet and tell me the important thing is just to keep Cody eating, no matter what it is. I still feel horrible about it and feel like I have failed them in some way by feeding them poisoned food in the first place.
I am sick all the.damn.time. SO...my boys have adapted and now they sleep all day right along with me. Dad/hubs takes them out at 6:30am to potty. They come back to bed. We sleep until 9:30-10:00am (on weekends more like 10:30-11:00am) and then get up to eat breakfast. At this point they usually get 15-20 minutes out on the deck, which they love. Then we go back to lay down. We lay down for another 30 min-an hour and then I take a bath. At this point I can tell if I am too sick to make it to work. If I am, it's back to bed where we stay until about 5:30-6:00pm (with one more potty break in there). If I make it to work they go out to potty then come in and back to bed they go while I leave for work. Dad/hubs then gets home about 4:30pm, takes them out to go potty and then plays his video games for a couple hours. Depending on the weather, he will usually open the deck so the boys can lounge out there. I get home, make dinner and the rest of the evening is spent on the couch watching a movie or in bed watching a movie. I do play with their toys with them and so does Dad/hubs. They go on 2-3 walks a week and we play fetch in the house. But really....is this enough for them?
When we sleep, Cody snuggles against my back, or against my side, or right on top of my stomach. Cooper sleeps either snuggled against my outer thigh or at the end of my feet. I do scratch them, rub them, scritch them, pat them etc...when I am laying down with them. I constantly talk to them and love on them so they don't sit there in silence and boredom. I miss them when I am at work, I miss them when I am out running errands. I just love to be with them and I really hope they love being with me too.
OK. Mush session is over. I feel the same way about my husband but he says he is always an after thought. It's not true though. I go on and on to the boys because they don't say anything back. They don't make fun of me or roll their eyes, or interrupt so I say stuff to them all the time. I think the same stuff about hubs but I don't express it verbally as often just because of the conversation that goes with it. You know? Well, it makes sense it my head :)
House buying is scary. How do people afford to fix everything themselves? We have rented forever and the amount of things we have had break in the last 9 years really scares me. I never thought about it before but now that I am contemplating having to pay for all of it...now I see how it all adds up.
____________________________________________________________________
I finally was able to come off of an evil prescription drug that I have been unable to come off of for over 4 years. How was I suddenly able to come off of it? My doc prescribed a new drug to replace the old drug. I was scared as hell and waited until the weekend to try it. Usually if I am a couple hours late taking the evil drug, I become sick. Well 2 days have come and gone and I am fine. Absolutely afreakinmazing!! I can't tell you how happy I am! Now this new drug is also hard to come off of but I have taken it before and don't remember having trouble coming off of it. So hopefully it won't be a problem when the time comes.
____________________________________________________________________
I realized that I haven't written hardly anything about my boys Cody and Cooper. That strikes me as completely odd since they are a huge part of my life. They are my anti-depressants, no doubt about it. They get me up in the morning even when I am sick as hell. They make me smile even when I am crying my eyes out. They bring joy to my life in every way possible. I just love them so very much. Sometimes I wonder if I am turning into some crazy dog lady. It's just that the feelings that I feel for Cody and Cooper are so huge, so real and so raw that I feel like people will laugh at me if they truly knew how I felt about my babies.
I can't/won't/don't want kids of my own so Cody and Cooper are my sons. I realize they are dogs but we communicate. We have an entire language between us. No, I don't talk in tongues to them but I do believe that they understand me and I believe that they do things to make me understand them as well. Hubs thinks I am borderline crazy when it comes to this but all that has taught me is to just keep it to myself. I see it in their eyes, they know I understand them. That's all that matters.
I deal with alot of guilt when it comes to my boys. They have a good life, I know that, but they could have a better life if I weren't sick. I don't take them on daily walks like they need. I can't. Sometimes it is all I can do to get out of bed and take them potty, let alone a walk. And a walk would be alot easier if Cooper didn't stop to smell every blade of grass that has ever been touched by canine, feline, rodent, reptile, amphibian, insect, mammal or bird feet. Poor Coop. He has such trouble walking, he just walks a few feet then stops to smell everything and to give his legs a rest.
OK so more to feel guilty about...They don't eat a normal dog diet. However, the dog food is what poisoned them in the first place AND all of their vets are aware of their diet and tell me the important thing is just to keep Cody eating, no matter what it is. I still feel horrible about it and feel like I have failed them in some way by feeding them poisoned food in the first place.
I am sick all the.damn.time. SO...my boys have adapted and now they sleep all day right along with me. Dad/hubs takes them out at 6:30am to potty. They come back to bed. We sleep until 9:30-10:00am (on weekends more like 10:30-11:00am) and then get up to eat breakfast. At this point they usually get 15-20 minutes out on the deck, which they love. Then we go back to lay down. We lay down for another 30 min-an hour and then I take a bath. At this point I can tell if I am too sick to make it to work. If I am, it's back to bed where we stay until about 5:30-6:00pm (with one more potty break in there). If I make it to work they go out to potty then come in and back to bed they go while I leave for work. Dad/hubs then gets home about 4:30pm, takes them out to go potty and then plays his video games for a couple hours. Depending on the weather, he will usually open the deck so the boys can lounge out there. I get home, make dinner and the rest of the evening is spent on the couch watching a movie or in bed watching a movie. I do play with their toys with them and so does Dad/hubs. They go on 2-3 walks a week and we play fetch in the house. But really....is this enough for them?
When we sleep, Cody snuggles against my back, or against my side, or right on top of my stomach. Cooper sleeps either snuggled against my outer thigh or at the end of my feet. I do scratch them, rub them, scritch them, pat them etc...when I am laying down with them. I constantly talk to them and love on them so they don't sit there in silence and boredom. I miss them when I am at work, I miss them when I am out running errands. I just love to be with them and I really hope they love being with me too.
OK. Mush session is over. I feel the same way about my husband but he says he is always an after thought. It's not true though. I go on and on to the boys because they don't say anything back. They don't make fun of me or roll their eyes, or interrupt so I say stuff to them all the time. I think the same stuff about hubs but I don't express it verbally as often just because of the conversation that goes with it. You know? Well, it makes sense it my head :)
May 26, 2008
Alot to catch up on
I have quite a bit of stuff to write down. I haven't posted in a while because I have been really busy, tired, sick and stressed. I just couldn't bring myself to post anything.
First I will post some pics from the adoption event as I promised earlier.
Setting Up.
Chad the feral dog up for adoption.
Holding Greta who is up for adoption.
Daisy and Duke. Mother and son Cocker Spaniels who came
from a bad breeder situation. Both are missing one eye each and are
almost completely blind in the remaining eye.
Stinky, Kaylee and I at the adoption event.
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We had a small birthday party for Kaylee and it ended up only being she and Kennis (my 9 year old sister). We went back to Deanna Rose and walked around and played with the animals. It was a good day and I enjoyed hanging out with those I love. Here is a picture of Kennis' very first ride on a pony.
The girls at Deanna Rose.
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Kennis and I took a road trip to Springfield, MO to see our sister, Rachael, graduate high school and to see our aunt Jan who is in the hospital. Of course we also went to see our Mom, Grandma Judy and Grandma Leona. It is always a whirlwind trip because there are so many people to see. I didn't even get to see my god parents while I was there.
Rachael's graduation was at 9 o'clock at night and was a giant mess. There were signs everywhere that said "no cameras." We were searched and went through metal detectors. So of course we didn't take our camera with us. So we walk 15 minutes to get to the auditorium on campus and once we are seated we see hundreds if not thousands of cameras. I was really pissed because at 9 o'clock they locked the doors and I couldn't go to the car to get my camera. So we have no pictures of the ceremony itself. Here are a few pics from afterward though.
Kennis and Rachael.
Rachael and her diploma.
Mom and Rachael.
CK (me) and Rachael.
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While we were in Springfield we went to see our Aunt Jan who has been in the hospital with a horrible staph infection. This is even more deadly for her because she has multiple myeloma, a rare form of bone marrow cancer. It was very hard to see her in the condition she was in but I would never have missed the opportunity to see her. We took her some fancy slippers to walk around the hospital in. She loved them but her feet were so swollen that she could hardly keep them on.
Aunt Jan's new slippers.
CK, Kennis, Aunt Jan and Mom.
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Good news on the fostering front. Stinky was adopted last week. He was adopted by an elderly widow who is home all day. Perfect for Stinky. I am hoping he is happy in his new home.
I had seen a senior Cocker Spaniel named Abraham on the Animal Haven website. His story was that his family adopted him 8 years ago and now that he is old and very arthritic they no longer wanted him around. So they abandoned him at the animal shelter. Poor guy is cute as can be and very upset about being abandoned. So I had decided that when we got back from Springfield we would foster Abraham until he could find a home.
Laura at Animal Haven informed me that there is a woman who is interested in adopting Abe. She is elderly and works at a nursing home but she is moving and can't adopt him until June 1st. So we decided to foster him until then. We brought him home on Friday afternoon. He can barely walk, he is so arthritic. In fact, he looks like a baby elephant. He was the sweetest little guy imaginable. He loved Frank and followed him everywhere he went. He was scared of being left alone and scratched at the door and cried every time Frank left.
Friday night he was up the entire night. He paced back and forth, slept in 10 minute increments and panted the entire night. A thunderstorm only made matters worse. He pants 24 hours a day and sounds like a freight train so I slept with him in the living room so Frank could get some sleep. I in turn, only got 2 hours of sleep.
Abe is incontinent and pooped at least 30 times over a 24 hour period. He is taking Rimadyl for his arthritis which made him thirsty so he drank about 15 bowls of water which meant we were taking him out every 30 minutes to potty. Now we have 17 stairs leading from our front door up to our dining room/living room. He made it up and down the stairs the first couple times, although very, very, very slowly but after that he just couldn't do it so I had to carry him. He weighs about 30 lbs. It was very hard on both of us.
He had some sort of retina abrasion so the vet has sewn his 2nd eyelid over his eyeball. So his eye looks really funny and it bothered him. He constantly rubbed it. I was really scared that the stitches would come out and his eyelid would rip open but it didn't happen.
Anyway, on Saturday afternoon we decided to take him back to the shelter. We cried and felt so guilty but we were making his pain worse. He just couldn't handle the stairs. His hips were shaking with pain and he was really uncomfortable. Once we took him back to the shelter, he was actually more comfortable and happier than we had seen him. They have him back in the vet clinic just lounging on a comforter. He has free reign back there and everyone loves on him and spoils him. So that made us feel better.
I feel so badly for Abe. I think he would actually benefit from being humanely euthanized. He was just in so much pain and he was miserable. He was sweet and loving but every step hurt him. I haven't thought that about any other animal I have seen at the shelter before so this is extremely hard for me to say but he doesn't seem to be getting any sort of happiness out of life. Though he did love food and treats :) He looked like it too.
I certainly hope the lady who is going to adopt him is able to give him the love and attention he needs. He needs looking after 24/7 and needs total care. I guess if she works in a nursing home, she should be used to the kind of care he needs though.
Here are a few pics of darling Abe.
Abe
Cooper and Abe.
Cody, Cooper and Abe.
Abe with his eye sewn shut.
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Last but not least...my husband is an amateur photographer. He is always taking pictures of stuff. Literally stuff. Not just the family or the dogs or whatever, every time we upload the pictures there are bound to be pictures of things I can't recognize as well as a few pics of himself. Those he puts on there to make me laugh :) So here are a few of his latest and greatest.
Oh yes he did surprise me with a picture of the boys in the freakin dryer!!!
First I will post some pics from the adoption event as I promised earlier.
Setting Up.
Chad the feral dog up for adoption.
Holding Greta who is up for adoption.
Daisy and Duke. Mother and son Cocker Spaniels who camefrom a bad breeder situation. Both are missing one eye each and are
almost completely blind in the remaining eye.
Stinky, Kaylee and I at the adoption event.We had a small birthday party for Kaylee and it ended up only being she and Kennis (my 9 year old sister). We went back to Deanna Rose and walked around and played with the animals. It was a good day and I enjoyed hanging out with those I love. Here is a picture of Kennis' very first ride on a pony.
The girls at Deanna Rose.Kennis and I took a road trip to Springfield, MO to see our sister, Rachael, graduate high school and to see our aunt Jan who is in the hospital. Of course we also went to see our Mom, Grandma Judy and Grandma Leona. It is always a whirlwind trip because there are so many people to see. I didn't even get to see my god parents while I was there.
Rachael's graduation was at 9 o'clock at night and was a giant mess. There were signs everywhere that said "no cameras." We were searched and went through metal detectors. So of course we didn't take our camera with us. So we walk 15 minutes to get to the auditorium on campus and once we are seated we see hundreds if not thousands of cameras. I was really pissed because at 9 o'clock they locked the doors and I couldn't go to the car to get my camera. So we have no pictures of the ceremony itself. Here are a few pics from afterward though.
Kennis and Rachael.
Rachael and her diploma.
Mom and Rachael.
CK (me) and Rachael.While we were in Springfield we went to see our Aunt Jan who has been in the hospital with a horrible staph infection. This is even more deadly for her because she has multiple myeloma, a rare form of bone marrow cancer. It was very hard to see her in the condition she was in but I would never have missed the opportunity to see her. We took her some fancy slippers to walk around the hospital in. She loved them but her feet were so swollen that she could hardly keep them on.
Aunt Jan's new slippers.
CK, Kennis, Aunt Jan and Mom.Good news on the fostering front. Stinky was adopted last week. He was adopted by an elderly widow who is home all day. Perfect for Stinky. I am hoping he is happy in his new home.
I had seen a senior Cocker Spaniel named Abraham on the Animal Haven website. His story was that his family adopted him 8 years ago and now that he is old and very arthritic they no longer wanted him around. So they abandoned him at the animal shelter. Poor guy is cute as can be and very upset about being abandoned. So I had decided that when we got back from Springfield we would foster Abraham until he could find a home.
Laura at Animal Haven informed me that there is a woman who is interested in adopting Abe. She is elderly and works at a nursing home but she is moving and can't adopt him until June 1st. So we decided to foster him until then. We brought him home on Friday afternoon. He can barely walk, he is so arthritic. In fact, he looks like a baby elephant. He was the sweetest little guy imaginable. He loved Frank and followed him everywhere he went. He was scared of being left alone and scratched at the door and cried every time Frank left.
Friday night he was up the entire night. He paced back and forth, slept in 10 minute increments and panted the entire night. A thunderstorm only made matters worse. He pants 24 hours a day and sounds like a freight train so I slept with him in the living room so Frank could get some sleep. I in turn, only got 2 hours of sleep.
Abe is incontinent and pooped at least 30 times over a 24 hour period. He is taking Rimadyl for his arthritis which made him thirsty so he drank about 15 bowls of water which meant we were taking him out every 30 minutes to potty. Now we have 17 stairs leading from our front door up to our dining room/living room. He made it up and down the stairs the first couple times, although very, very, very slowly but after that he just couldn't do it so I had to carry him. He weighs about 30 lbs. It was very hard on both of us.
He had some sort of retina abrasion so the vet has sewn his 2nd eyelid over his eyeball. So his eye looks really funny and it bothered him. He constantly rubbed it. I was really scared that the stitches would come out and his eyelid would rip open but it didn't happen.
Anyway, on Saturday afternoon we decided to take him back to the shelter. We cried and felt so guilty but we were making his pain worse. He just couldn't handle the stairs. His hips were shaking with pain and he was really uncomfortable. Once we took him back to the shelter, he was actually more comfortable and happier than we had seen him. They have him back in the vet clinic just lounging on a comforter. He has free reign back there and everyone loves on him and spoils him. So that made us feel better.
I feel so badly for Abe. I think he would actually benefit from being humanely euthanized. He was just in so much pain and he was miserable. He was sweet and loving but every step hurt him. I haven't thought that about any other animal I have seen at the shelter before so this is extremely hard for me to say but he doesn't seem to be getting any sort of happiness out of life. Though he did love food and treats :) He looked like it too.
I certainly hope the lady who is going to adopt him is able to give him the love and attention he needs. He needs looking after 24/7 and needs total care. I guess if she works in a nursing home, she should be used to the kind of care he needs though.
Here are a few pics of darling Abe.
Abe
Cooper and Abe.
Cody, Cooper and Abe.
Abe with his eye sewn shut.Last but not least...my husband is an amateur photographer. He is always taking pictures of stuff. Literally stuff. Not just the family or the dogs or whatever, every time we upload the pictures there are bound to be pictures of things I can't recognize as well as a few pics of himself. Those he puts on there to make me laugh :) So here are a few of his latest and greatest.
Oh yes he did surprise me with a picture of the boys in the freakin dryer!!!
May 14, 2008
Stinky is gone, an old friend is back and today sucks.
I haven't written in 9 days because things have all around sucked. We took Stinky back and he was healthy enough to stay there! That is good news but sad at the same time. We took him back on a Tuesday and I visited him at the shelter the following Friday. He was in one of the girls' offices with another puppy mill dog, a kitten and the girls' big boxer. Stinky lit up and started jumping when he saw me. He was really excited to see me :) His little ears were peeling and no one had cleaned his eyes. The girl mentioned that he was going to an adoption event the following day and would we like to come help. Of course we wanted to! I will post pics from home.
The adoption event was rather uneventful. It was an awesome event but thunderstorms rolled in and rained the entire thing out. So many animals were out there looking for homes. It felt awful to give up and take them back to the shelters. We did meet a potential adopter for Stinky though. Her name was Denise and it was she, her husband and her daughter just like our situation. They already have a papillon too! The way the event worked, the adopters had to go to the shelter to start the adoption process. So even though she said she wanted Stinky for sure, I haven't found out if they went to the shelter and adopted him. I should find out soon. They seemed like a really good fit.
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The friend who I found on Facebook DID contact me! She was so excited to hear from me and said she had thought about me alot in the past 14 years as well. I was so nervous she wouldn't write me back but she did and we have been emailing like teenagers for the past week. It is fun catching up but depressing at the same time because every time I see how far my peers have gone in life it reminds me how my life is run by my disease.
Anyway, I am glad I found her.
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My husband is trying to go back to school to get a bunch of different certifications so he can further his career so I called my Grandma to talk to her about it only to find out that my aunt is in the hospital and has been since Sunday. This is the same Aunt who was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma on Good Friday of this year. MM is a form of bone marrow cancer. A very rare form. So they told me that her pic line got infected and she let it go too long before she saw a dr. and now she has a staph infection. I guess that all of her blood is poisoned with the infection and they are giving her blood transfusions to try to get her stable.
Since she still hasn't told my great grandma (her mom) about the cancer, she can't tell her that she is in the hospital nearly dieing either. So none of us can see her. At her request, we are keeping this under wraps until she knows the extent of it. Then she will tell her mom. She already lost one parent and doesn't want her mom's health to fail even more when she finds out that her beloved daughter has terminal cancer.
The adoption event was rather uneventful. It was an awesome event but thunderstorms rolled in and rained the entire thing out. So many animals were out there looking for homes. It felt awful to give up and take them back to the shelters. We did meet a potential adopter for Stinky though. Her name was Denise and it was she, her husband and her daughter just like our situation. They already have a papillon too! The way the event worked, the adopters had to go to the shelter to start the adoption process. So even though she said she wanted Stinky for sure, I haven't found out if they went to the shelter and adopted him. I should find out soon. They seemed like a really good fit.
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The friend who I found on Facebook DID contact me! She was so excited to hear from me and said she had thought about me alot in the past 14 years as well. I was so nervous she wouldn't write me back but she did and we have been emailing like teenagers for the past week. It is fun catching up but depressing at the same time because every time I see how far my peers have gone in life it reminds me how my life is run by my disease.
Anyway, I am glad I found her.
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My husband is trying to go back to school to get a bunch of different certifications so he can further his career so I called my Grandma to talk to her about it only to find out that my aunt is in the hospital and has been since Sunday. This is the same Aunt who was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma on Good Friday of this year. MM is a form of bone marrow cancer. A very rare form. So they told me that her pic line got infected and she let it go too long before she saw a dr. and now she has a staph infection. I guess that all of her blood is poisoned with the infection and they are giving her blood transfusions to try to get her stable.
Since she still hasn't told my great grandma (her mom) about the cancer, she can't tell her that she is in the hospital nearly dieing either. So none of us can see her. At her request, we are keeping this under wraps until she knows the extent of it. Then she will tell her mom. She already lost one parent and doesn't want her mom's health to fail even more when she finds out that her beloved daughter has terminal cancer.
May 5, 2008
Stinky's last day/Random things on my mind
Well, Stinky goes to the vet tomorrow morning for surgery. They think he is healthy enough to stay there and await adoption instead of coming back home with us. We picked him up on April 10th and he goes back May 6th. I have fallen in love with him and will miss him dearly. I have begged and pleaded to adopt him but hubby just doesn't quite get along with Stinky. Plus if we adopted him we wouldn't have the room to foster any more dogs and that is where our heart is.
Stinky got a big last meal (which he only ate 1/2 of). Tomorrow he can't eat until after the surgery AND they won't feed him the yummy, fattening food he has been getting here. He got a bath so he will smell as yummy as he possibly can with the stench of rotten teeth. He got a nice, big treat, which one of the other dogs sneakily took from him and now he gets to sleep with us for the whole night. :( I am so sad.
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In other news, my sister Rachael turned 18 yesterday. Scares the crap out of me! Happy Birthday Sis! I hope you have a wonderful adult life. I will be here for you every step of the way.
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Can you believe Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon got married? So freakin random! I just can't get over it. She seems so stuck up and he seems like such a player. I can only wish them luck but in the back of my mind I just don't think it will work out. But then again, there are people who say that about every relationship.
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I have just started looking up OLD classmates on www.facebook.com and found a friend who I have thought about so much in the time since I have seen her. We lived in the same neighborhood when I was in 7th grade (if I remember correctly). She was 2-3 years younger than me and so much fun. She was my best friend. We shared Sweet Valley High books and loved when they came out with Sweet Valley University books. She moved away to CA to live with her dad when her mom got married. I have never heard from her again. One time, many, many years ago I sent her a letter. I never got a response but never got return mail either. I always wondered if she got it.
Anyway...I sent her a friend request and I am so nervous that she will ignore it. Stupid huh? I am so anti-social and don't give a crap about staying in touch with anybody (nice huh?) just from years of being left in the dust because of my illness. So why do I care? I don't know, but I do.
So is it better to leave things the way they are? Remember the good times when we were so alike? Or risk ruining the good feelings by finding out how different we are? The ball is in her court I guess.
I actually had a dream about her last night. I ran into her brother and asked how she was. He said I should look her up on facebook. Funny huh? So that's what I did. We'll see what happens.
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I love my husband. We had a good weekend and spent some much needed quality time together. I really enjoyed it. He really is such a great guy!
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