Happy New Year!

It's almost official. One year ago since Mike popped the question! We sure had an exciting year and accomplished a lot. Unfortunately, this year is starting off with him getting laid off as of Jan. 5 so I guess we'll just roll with it and see what happens. For better or worse, right? LOL

Tonight we are going to see the Bob & Tom Comedy Tour at DeVos Place and then if the weather isn't too miserable, we're going to check out the first ever ball drop that they're having downtown at Rosa Parks Circle. I heard they're expecting 10-15,000 thousand. We'll see. It could be interesting. I hope everyone has a fun and safe New Year's Eve. I'm off work until next week and have exciting plans like taking 4 cats to the vet on Friday. What can I say? I'm a multi-tasker. Other than that, I have lots of chores to catch up on, wedding pictures to finish proofing, and maybe even a few movies to watch. Oh, and a bottle of wine to finish off. Not necessarily in that order....

Louie likes to help out. He also likes to climb in anything. Sometimes it's amusing. Sometimes it is not.


Old fashioned heated blanket....


From our house to yours........Happy Holidays!

Hooray -- it's a snow day!!!

We went to the Griffins game on Friday to watch Chris Chelios play with the team, and also for the $1 beer/dog night. They lost in overtime but it was still a fun time (and a cheap date!)

I'm also posting pics of the very cool and one of a kind kitty bed that I received today from Kim as a birthday present. She put legs on the box that she originally made to hold our placecards for our wedding--what a great idea! The material is very cute with kitties and paw prints, and it even matches our living room colors! She even went so far as to fill it with fluff inside of a plastic protector so the outside material can easily be removed and washed.

Here Tuff Guy is modeling it (i.e. claiming it as her own) and Shadow is checking out the cool new hiding spot underneath that is sure to be popular. Tuff Guy took a two hour nap on it this afternoon so it must be comfy. Thanks Kim -- we LOVE it!

More aquarium pics....

Atlanta Aquarium

Trip to Atlanta

Ok, I hate to admit this, but I actually had to break down and buy a pair of gloves and scarf while in Atlanta--it was quite chilly for them this time of year and I did not have sufficient winter wear with me. Totally NOT what I was planning on. : ( Granted, there wasn't any snow flying but it was very windy and down into the 20s a couple of times. We went to Stone Mountain one night (the Xmas lights were beautiful) and we managed to get tickets for the Georgia Tech / Miami football game on Thursday night. While it was balmy the first half of the game, it got downright cold in the second half. Still, it was fun to get out and mingle with some of the locals. I told Mike the people all seemed like a throw back to Mayberry, just a little community football game in the middle of a city with five million people! Honestly, I don't think I've experienced that much "niceness" anywhere, ever--and not just at the game, just everywhere. Very impressive!

Also, while we were out, we visited The Varsity drive-in restaurant (world famous according to Mike--I think he ate there 4 out of 5 days), he also visited both U of GA and GA Tech campuses for some gear, and we went to the ultra expensive Lenox Square Mall (featured on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, for those who watch it--not me), and we managed to squeeze in a stop at the Georgia Aquarium--I'll post some pics after this post of that. It was very cool and definitely saw a lot of things I'd never seen before.

My flight back was uneventful, other than almost missing it because I just seemed so unaware of the time it was going to take to get through everything. Maybe because we were together and leaving at different times or something, I just was in la-la land or something. Back to the niceness thing, while we were eating in a restaurant in the airport, there was a soldier seated near us (there are a lot of them around the airport with Ft. Benning close by). He was the hands down the most polite person I think I've ever heard in my life. Not only "thank you" but geninuinely "oh, thank you very much" every time the waitress came by with something or even just took his order. You could feel the emotion behind it. He was using his laptop while waiting for his meal. I don't know where he was going, but I had the waitress put his bill on our tab. I thought we would make it out of there before he left, but just as we were paying, I heard him ask for his tab. The waitress told him that he was all set and that we'd paid for his food. He couldn't believe it and of course, had to come over and shake our hands and thank us--not what I intended. He was just beaming when we walked by to leave and told us again to have a nice day. I'd been wanting to do that for a long time, and it sure felt nice. I don't know what they give them for food, but it wasn't even about the money, and I'm sure he knew that. Maybe I was just inspired by all the other niceness I'd been around all week. : )

OH, when I was in line to check my bag, I was right behind Dwight Howard from the NBA (Orlando Magic). He's 6'11" so not too easy to miss. I happened to sneak a peak at his boarding pass and immediately called Mike over to confirm. Mike immediately dismissed it and went straight back to where he'd been standing, acting like it was no big deal. Still, I was trying to think of something I could say to him, but Mike's philosophy to me has always been "just leave them alone" so I did, but I definitely got a good eyeful of him. Not often you're that close to a) someone that huge, b) an NBA all-star, c) reigning slam dunk contest winner and d) an Olympic gold medalist. Of course, none of that popped into my head at the time. I thought it was better to keep my mouth shut than open it and make a fool of myself. Later, I found it amusing that as soon as Mike got home, he was emailing all his buddies about it! I knew I should've slipped him the camera while he was off to the side waiting but he would've been too chicken (or too "cool") to take a shot. Dang!!!

Mike's flight left late so he missed his connector in Chicago and had to take a later flight. His bag showed up on our porch this morning since it didn't make the trip with him. Now, it's back to reality. At least tomorrow is the last official day to pick up leaves for the season, so you know what we'll be doing much of the day. Actually it's not too bad. Mike's done a great job keeping up and this will be my first time this year helping<---hey, I do most everything else! LOL

Thank God for Kim coming and taking care of our kitties all week. She was a definite HUGE help and kept me sane (and laughing) with nightly updates that she emailed me. She even came by on Friday to make sure I didn't have any cleaning to do when I got home. Now that was a nice friend!!! And the cats were all very relaxed, I could definitely tell she'd done a good job. They didn't even keep us up late last night, but I had 4 of them packed around me when I woke up this morning so I think they were glad to have us home.

Last day of work...

Getting ready to head to Atlanta for a week for a work training. Saw the forecast here--30's & snow all week. Sorry I will miss it, but I'll try to empathize in sunny 60's. : ) Now, as long as the flight isn't delayed....hey, it's about time I got to go somewhere kind of warm while it is yucky here!

First snow!

Louie and I are both extremely thrilled.

Almost forgot to post my Halloween pics!

I've been slacking off on downloading my pics lately. Thought I would share 2 of the pumpkin carvings that I did this year. The other one I did was a haunted house which I took to work for our work party. Unfortunately, it was so warm in there that it didn't really survive the whole day. These two I did the night before Halloween. It was another warm night but they held up well. Too bad we didn't have as many kids as normal, but the ones we did have got a kick out of them.

Go Broncos!

We were at Ford Field in Detroit on Saturday to watch WMU football DEFEAT the Big Ten's Illinois, who happened to play in the Rose Bowl last year! It was a great game (23-17) and the turnout of WMU was great--about 3x as many fans as Illinois had. Oh, and we had the basketball team in our section, so that was cool. Love those guys! The stadium was nice -- even better to actually see a team win there (ugh Lions).

Western looked great -- looks like we've been going to see the wrong team (U-M) play this year! WMU takes on both U-M and MSU next year, with MSU at Ford Field. I think we'll be going to that one for sure!

Just heard on the news that WMU is now ranked #32 in the AP poll! Awesome! I forgot to take my camera into the game with me, but snagged a pic from the Detroit News of the team at the end of the game (above) and I took this one of the stadium from the parking garage.

True or False

A historic day, or so they say
But will he be all that they pray?
My employer giveth, then taketh away
Out there just trying to make my way
Don't need to help those who are ok
Universal heath care? Don't say hooray
Wanna get married, guess not if you're gay
Socialism is no way to play
In Iraq, it's the dawn of another day
A change is gonna come our way
But in the end, we're all gonna pay
Don't wanna hear what you got to say
Come what might, come what may...
Another four years is a long way away

Sad news....

I just found out that a fellow Jaycee and member of my softball team passed away early this morning in a rollover car accident out off 84th Street. So shocking. I hate getting news like this that just comes out of nowhere. It's so hard to reconcile it in your brain that you think there just must be some big mistake and it can't possibly be true. Someone so full of life, with such a great laugh and so young (37), with so many friends and raising a wonderful young daughter who I always played catch with and taught to keep score at our games this summer. She was truly a daddy's girl, such a good girl and quite a little athlete too. My heart breaks just thinking of all the big things in her life that he's not going to be there to be a part of. So not fair. Please wear your seatbelts!!!!

One Year Anniversary

At work, that is. Also, just over one year since my Grandma Olson passed away. Wow, this year has been full of major changes for me personally and professionally, luckily most have been for the better. It is true that the older you get, the faster it goes...

Wedding Pics Update

Just heard from my photographer that it's going to be a few more weeks before she has our proofs ready. Ugh! At least the turn around time will be short from there, but it's going to take awhile to go through them all....

Happy Halloween

Last weekend, Kim, Rebecca and I volunteered at the Witches Walk corn maze to raise money for Crash's Landing. The owners offered to donate $1 from each ticket sold to the cat shelter and that worked out to be $457! It was an awesome night -- huge harvest moon and not too cold. We had fun scaring the pants off people, especially some middle school aged kids who fell on top of each other, they were trying to run away so fast. We had a lot of fun, but I know my voice was gone for a couple of days. All for a good cause though!

The Boys Are Back for More!

In honor of the opening day of hockey season, I thought I would post this adorable picture of Nicklas Lidstrom posing with my friends' daughter, Zoe. Zoe just turned 5 years old. I grew up with and went to school with both of her parents. Her dad and I even went to Junior Prom together! Anyway, at about 2 years old, Zoe was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a vicious childhood cancer. She is now in full remission and doing great. Her parents established a foundation to help other families suffering through childhood cancers and as a result of their work, they have become good friends with many of the Red Wings players. This picture was taken over the summer at a benefit.

Here's looking forward to an exciting year of Wings hockey--they're the best, in more ways than one!

Meet Anna-Banana

No, we don't have a new kitty (are you crazy?!), but the economic crisis is hitting the shelters hard, so we have decided to take on the monthly sponsorship of a very deserving kitty named Anna-Banana who is up for adoption at Crash's Landing. She is very soft, super lovey and such a sweetheart!

Here's more from Crash's Landing's Petfinder.com site:

Amazingly beautiful 5 year old Anna-Banana (born in March of 2003) has a very common, often misunderstood urinary tract disease called 'Idiopathic Urinary Tract Inflammation" or IFLUTD. Because of this condition, Anna has periodic bouts of bladder pain that cause her to avoid her litterbox and urinate on a soft substrate. In her mind, we think she thinks she will feel better if she goes elsewhere - but you can see how this leas to problems. We had adopted her out after having diagnosed this condition, but I am not sure the owners were able to medicate her daily with a low-grade anti-inflammatory/anti-anxiety medication, so she came back to stay with us this August. They were heartbroken, as in all other aspects she was the perfect cat, but at least here with us she is guaranteed to get her daily meds and we can watch her closely for signs of discomfort. So, unless we can find her a home where her issues can be addressed like they are here, Anna will have to stay put. But, no worries thus far, as she acts like she never left, and is having fun greeting old friends and making new ones - human and furry:)

This Saturday - CSNIP's annual fundraiser (csnip.org for more info) LOOK - $10 Microchips!

Saturday October 11, from 10 am to 2 pm
on the clinic grounds.

Free and open to everyone and their pets!!

Contest with prizes Tricks, tallest, shortest, oldest, look-a-like, fastest biscuit eater, most unusual looking, best kisser, traveled the farthest, best costume. Vendors Pet products, groomer, pet psychic, pet massage therapist, pet photographer, dog trainer. Pet nail trimming. Microchip Clinic $10 fee

Agility/obstacle course for dogs of all sizes with demonstrations and lessons from the professionals. Games with Prizes Dog musical chairs, find the treat, pegboard pick-a-treat, swimming pool with tennis balls, obedience. Obedience demo and instruction

Sponsored by

Prudential Financial and
Commercial Cleaning Service

Getting back to normal...

This week has felt like a more normal schedule. Back to volunteering again. I took the day off on Thursday to work at Crash's Landing's fall yard sale. It was a very busy day. I was on my feet from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Even though the sale didn't open until 1:00, they still managed to bring in over $2,600 in just six hours! I worked on setting up tables and organizing donated goods for the sale.

This is a huge fundraiser for them. The one they did in May raised over $10,000! That's a lot of junk when you think about how cheap things are priced (and I think today is 1/2 price on most things.) But it all goes to help the Crash's kitties. I am glad that I am now able to put stuff away to donate for these twice a year sales instead of having to put on my own (measily) sale.

Yesterday, I spent a few hours helping C-SNIP to promote spaying/neutering. They had a booth out at the first ever Pooch Party in Wyoming. The purpose of the Pooch Party was to help raise funds for the Wyoming Dog Park. It was a nice time, beautiful day and such a worthwhile cause. It was eye opening to see how many dogs there were not fixed yet! Some people just are unwilling. There seemed to be a definite trend in men not wanting to neuter their male dogs. Hmmm.

But, mostly I think it is a sign of the times, unfortunately, because people need money and want to breed their dogs to try and make money. If you don't believe me, just look at how big the pets for sale section is getting in the classifieds. But who is paying $400, $500 or more for a purebred animal these days, not to mention having to feed and vet it? Wow, you can get such nice animals from shelters for a lot less and actually save a life rather than add to the problem! Not to mention, it is better for the pet's health to be fixed. I think people are just unaware though. They don't realize about 40% of animals in shelters already are purebred and many shelters don't even bother to put out animals that are owner surrendered because they just physically don't have the space. In Michigan, a shelter has to keep a stray for 4-7 days. Yet, people still leave their animals knowing they will be euthanized. It makes no sense to me. God bless C-SNIP--they've done over 43,000 surgeries since 1998. Just think how many offspring that would add up to!

Anyway, there's more educating and awareness to do, not to mention trying to find some extra funds to support them. Donations are obviously down with the economy and people are having to give up their pets because they can't afford them anymore. It's a worst case scenario for many animals these days.

At least one family was at the Pooch Party with an adorable little mix dog that they saved from the pound. Unfortunately, they spent their money on the adoption fee and shots, and could not afford the $250 the vet wanted to fix the dog. So, C-SNIP is going to help them at a cost of only $55--much more reasonable! And if they can't afford that, C-SNIP will let them pay what they can afford. There are bright spots in everything.

Finally, taking time to relax...

We did manage to take a little time out to relax in the backyard with the kitties and enjoy some of the warm weather over the holiday. I didn't get pics of all of them, but here are a few highlights.