TAYLOR TAILS

What a difference three months can make....

2009-10-21T22:43:00.002-04:00

I am 12 weeks into the pregnancy now. We went to the doctor today and got to hear the heartbeat for the first time. I guess there's no denying it now. And yes, as much as it's been talked about and all the test results, etc., I think it is taking a long time for it to sink into our brains that this is really happening. Maybe because I'm constantly hearing that "since you're over 35, this is a high risk pregnancy" that I've just not let myself get my hopes up too high because we just never know what is to come. But actually hearing that heartbeat definitely made it that much more real. Pretty amazing! All I kept thinking was "it's really in there!" haha

The Kit Kat Lounge at Sid's (thanks to Kim for her fabulous painting/design/sewing abilities!)

2009-07-23T23:10:00.002-04:00

More Big Sid's pics

2009-07-23T23:06:00.001-04:00

Big Sid's

2009-07-23T22:29:00.004-04:00

Back in February, I was innocently minding my business at Pet Supplies Plus (I was there to do $5 nail trims for cats/dogs as a fundraiser for Crash's Landing), when Deb from Crash's asked me if I liked to paint (as in interiors). I told her I'd basically painted the entire inside of our house, so yeah, sure. She told me about this project they were undertaking at Big Sid's Sanctuary (an offshoot facility of Crash's which houses approx. 90 cats who have either tested positive for feline leukemia or feline HIV (aka FIV). I'd never been to Sid's before and always pictured it as a dreary, sad place. After my turn at the Humane Society, I'd had enough dealings with death and despair, so I wasn't sure if this was for me.

Then Deb said something that peaked my interest. She asked if I'd ever heard of the famous "cat house", which I had. She said they were doing something similar over at Sid's. If you're not aware of the cat house, you can check it out on Amazon.com here: (http://www.amazon.com/Cats-House-Bob-Walker/dp/0836221834)

Anyway, I decided to check it out. I figured I could stop by and paint for a day or two. I even recruited my friend Kim to come along.....

Well, here we are 5 MONTHS later and after countless hours (regularly going there 2, 3, 4 times a week after work), 35 gallons of paint, countless tubes of caulking and spackle, a handful of us have pulled it off and we are FINALLY finished with our own cat house! An awesome builder in GR donated all of his labor for the project and he built fabulous walkways, steps, passages from one room to another, spiral staircase, cubbies, a giant "cheese", and his ultimate creation--the sky box (an acrylic box suspended from the ceiling in the middle of the upstairs living area.

I was pleasantly surprised throughout this entire experience that this is not the dreary, sad place I expected. Rather, it's homey and loving. The cats seem pleased with all their new items and almost have a rejuvenated sense about them. I also think they appreciated our company as much as we appreciated theirs. Except for a few days when we had to block them off from certain areas, they were free roaming right along with us, and let me say, if you can paint with 90 someodd cats around you, you can pretty much paint anywhere. A few of them found themselves painted right along with the walls from time to time, and embarrassingly, on more than one occassion, even I got my ponytail stuck to more than one freshly painted closet wall, but overall seeing that place go from gaudy crack den to pottery barn chic was really worth it all.

I shot a video on Wednesday night before I left (in the sky box room), but also got some pics of the rest of the rooms which I'll upload. Even though most of these cats will never be adopted out (they can't live with "healthy" cats), it makes my heart happy to know they've got this freshly refurbished place, complete with refinished wood floors, and so many things to play on, explore and occupy them. Still, it was little Christopher who curled up in my lap and went to sleep last night as I did final touchups that reminded me, all they really want is someone to love them. Even though I'm not a Sid's worker, I'll be stopping by from time to time to see my new friends.

I shot this video with my camera and later set it to music. I think it turned out pretty good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7yMuP013J8

Excitement lives at our house

2009-07-12T21:23:00.005-04:00

Where does the time go?

2009-06-28T16:19:00.003-04:00

Over a month since my last post--what have I been doing anyway?! Working of course, and still plugging away on the painting project at Sid's a couple nights a week. We're almost done, I think! Can't wait to see it all finished...

Have been enjoying all the flowers. The weather this year has been perfect combination to really get some nice growth of my perennials, and I haven't had to water too much thanks to some rain here and there. Mike is getting ready to start building another planter box along the side of our deck. Plan to put shrubs along there, nothing too demanding.

Took a quick overnight trip to Detroit for a Tigers game (they lost) and saw the last of Tiger Stadium. Still pissed off about that. Further proof the inmates are running the asylum over in the D.

Attended a 1st birthday party for my friends', Jen & Mike's little boy, Brady. What a cutie!

Had a fun night out with Kim & Lorie for the 1st annual CSNIP Sip N Snip pub crawl around downtown GR last night. It was fun to visit a few places I haven't been in a long time & help raise more money for a great organization. CSNIP has done over 50,000 low cost spay/neuters to date. Amazing!

Crash's Landing is now #1 in Michigan for the Shelter Challenge run by The Animal Rescue Site! If we can stay there, we'll at least get $1,000 for finishing first in the state, and we may be in line for an extra $1,000 if we win the most votes for a one week period. Of course, first place overall is $25,000. We're #11 in the USA with a month to go of voting. Not too shabby and it's neat there are people all over the world voting for us! If you want to join in, visit www.theanimalrescuesite.com every day and vote for free.

We just passed 10 months of married life and can't believe it's almost been a year already. Not sure what we will do yet to celebrate but have had more than one person suggest we repeat the reception with another party at McFadden's -- ha!

And here I thought the cats would never see anything exciting looking out into the backyard

2009-05-23T20:27:00.003-04:00

Now granted, if you'd have blinked, you'd have missed it, but luckily I was able to grab my camera in time to get a few shots. And I'm glad I did because when I went out seconds later (with a rake in hand for protection), it was already gone and I thought perhaps I'd been seeing things. Definitely a first for our yard (well, that I know of anyway!)

I'm sure glad I was on a break from planting flowers in the FRONT yard cuz if I'd seen this coming at me, I think I'd have been a little freaked out!

Help Crash's Win Some Money!

2009-04-25T22:14:00.003-04:00

The Animal Rescue Site is once again running its $100,000 Shelter Challenge. Visit www.theanimalrescuesite.com once each day and click (it's free!), then click on the red "VOTE NOW" button and vote for Crash's Landing (search for us under "MI" rescues). It takes less than a minute.

Crash's is currently #2 in Michigan and #21 in the nation! We are moving up the list almost every day. The contest runs through July 26. The shelter with the most votes wins $20,000!!!! There are also $5,000 prizes for the top vote getter in each state, as well as $1,000 winner each week for the most votes total.

We came very close to being #1 in Michigan last time, but we got a late start. This time we are mobilizing and asking everyone we know to help us. It's so simple to do and it is fun to watch us move up the list. Most of all, we can REALLY use that money for good, for the kitties who so deserve it.

Anyone can do it--please help out! Thank you!

Very important day on Monday! UPDATE: VICTORIOUS!!!

2009-04-25T22:11:00.004-04:00

I'll be traveling with some friends to Montcalm County on Monday for the big vote day. Anxious, nervous, skeptical. Just hoping it will be a good outcome. Don't know what I'm talking about--check it out here: www.cccmontcalm.org, or on facebook at Concerned Citizens Coalition of Montcalm County. We have over 300 members on the facebook page alone--awesome!!!

UPDATE: Just realized that I never came back to give an update on this! Duh! Well, the commissioners voted 6-3 to not renew the contract, but it doesn't stop until August 1st. VICTORY! At least the rescues are working to try and get as many animals out of there before then. R&R claims this will put them out of business. One can only hope.

Here are some pictures from the rally & meeting.

Big Sid's Sanctuary

2009-04-11T20:28:00.002-04:00

These pics show the new construction (walkways, steps, etc.) with the former bright colors. It is getting redone in neutral colors throughout (pecan, chocolate brown & gourd)

Views from San Antonio

2009-04-11T20:23:00.000-04:00

More pics from San Antonio

2009-04-11T20:06:00.000-04:00

Happy Easter

2009-04-11T19:21:00.002-04:00

So, I've decided to come back to my blog. Facebook is ok, but it is more for quickie hi's and bye's to friends and that's about it. Not much real content. And I'll admit, it can be a little weird connecting with people you haven't seen or spoken to in 25 years. Sometimes there's not much to talk about after the initial conversation--probably the reason you haven't seen or spoken to them in 25 years. It can also be a bit depressing to see some people with tons of comments and others, like me, who get very few. It makes me feel like I'm pretty boring when it all boils down to it. Oh well. I like my routine and always seem to feel busy whether I am or not, and most of the time, I'm totally content with what I'm doing and where my life is at these days.

So, what have I been doing since I last posted? Well, the two cute boys are still cute. Leo (the black one) has morphed into a lovey, mellow lap cat. Ludwig for the most part is very lovey but sometimes gets in a funk and tries to take on the other cats. He and Louie are wrestling buddies, which Louie loves! He's been waiting a long time for a cat that will let him bear hug them and not scream and run away. Ludwig just keeps going back for more, bless his little heart. Louie has to be double his weight but he's pretty gentle with him.

I've started helping with a fundraiser for Crash's Landing by working two Saturdays a month at Pet Supplies Plus helping to trim cat/dog nails for $5. Starting in May, we're going to just once a month. Last week we made $172 in just 4 hours so not too shabby! It was at one of these that I got sucked into being on the painting crew for Big Sid's Sanctuary--a part of Crash's but in a separate facility which houses only kitties who have tested positive for Feline Leukemia and/or have Feline HIV. These kitties would normally be put to sleep if they were in a shelter environment because they pose a risk to other kitties, but at Big Sid's they can live harmoniously together and can even be adopted out to homes with no other (or other positive tested) kitties. There are about 89 of these cats living at Sid's now. The building they are in is quite large (a former 3 unit apartment) that is reconverted back to one big space. There is a crew of 8-10 of us who are repainting the entire interior. We've been working a couple of weeks now and have gotten the upstairs living area done and have now started on the main level.

It is very cool in there because they had a contractor go through and make all sorts of steps, ramps, cubby holes, walkways and even cut throughs from room to room for the cats. If you've ever heard of the cat house in Chicago, it is a similar concept (google it). It is very cool and we are having fun finishing off everything. The whole upstairs is hardwood floors that are completely worn, but they are having them refinished and heavily clear coated so they will look brand new. There will be a public open house in June so we have to have everything done by then. It is going to really be something. So, we go there several nights a week right after work until 8 or 9. It's a lot of work but a nice way to contribute and we are really already loving a whole new set of kitties (thank goodness we're not able to take any so there's no temptation! I know, with 9, you'd think I'd be over it).

Other than that, I've also been to San Antonio and back. That was cool and above are some pics. I managed to find a feral cat colony happily existing in the old city shop area and I had some interesting conversations with several shop owners about their efforts to have the cats fixed, which they have gotten most if not all of them. So nice to see that and the cats couldn't have looked more content--I can't blame them with that kind of weather every day! My boss was sick for the entire trip so I had a lot of time to myself to wander and take pictures.

Other than that, I've been taking part in a community-wide effort to try and convince the Montcalm County Commissioners to end a 30 year contract that allows their public animal shelter to give away cats and dogs to a Class B dealer who sells them for experimentation or research. (Montcalm County is northeast of G.R.) It's been a agonizing battle since January 26 and it's going to come to a head on April 27 when a panel that was assembled to seek alternatives makes its presentation to the Commission to end the contract. All of the local news stations have been attending and the hearings have been packed. I'm sure this one will be full and I can only imagine what will happen if the Commission ignores the recommendation. We just received word that the Humane Society of the US has sent a email to all of its members across the country asking people to support the defeat of this contract so we are feeling very grateful and hopeful, but I have to say many on this Commission are a real setback to democracy and seem absolutely clueless. It's definitely been an eye opening view of small town politics at work. If nothing else, it has rallied many people to come together for a very worthwhile cause and many animals are going to benefit because of it.

I have decided not to play softball this year. It was kind of a hard decision but on the other hand, not really. Some reasons are because our team is just not very competitive. We don't seem to have any heavy hitters and I'm tired of getting beat most nights. I know it is a "fun" league but I don't find that fun. Also, the games are sometimes 8 or 9 pm starts and I hate that. (Yeah, I'm old, so what). We also have a hard time fielding a full team much of the weeks and that gets old, having to give up outs or again, have a weak team out there, and this year, they decided we weren't even having matching t-shirts. It was weird enough not having #s on our shirts last year but to have not even matching shirts, that's just stupid. If you look like a mess and play like a mess, well, again, I don't see the fun in that. So, I'm going to try and golf a lot this summer. I haven't golfed the last 2 summers and I miss it. In fact, I think Mike and I are going to hit the driving range next weekend if the weather is nice. Golfing is something we used to do all the time together but since we bought the house, we've hardly gone at all.

It is encouraging to see so many flowers and plants getting ready to bloom. I'm hoping we don't get a hard freeze that ruins everything. I'm looking forward to getting outside tomorrow and cleaning out the rest of the flower beds. I did the front yard a couple weeks ago but have to do the back now. We aren't doing anything for Easter this year. We weren't asked anywhere and so we're just staying home for a change. Having been on the run the last couple of weeks, it will be nice to have a whole day not having to go anywhere. It is nice to have a staycation once in awhile.

Cute boys!

2009-02-03T23:38:00.000-05:00

Geez, Lorie has gotten me hooked on Facebook

2009-02-03T23:33:00.002-05:00

I've been hooked on Facebook for the last couple of weeks--ugh! I was trying not to get sucked in, but it happened anyway.

I thought I'd better come back and put a post on here. I got news that the wedding pics are ready so I'm picking them up on Thursday after work--hoorah!

The cats I trapped are doing well and I got word tonight from the woman who's holding on to them for the moment that they have now all had their spay/neuter surgeries and are recovering fine. She actually asked if I would mind if she tried to get a couple of them adopted--uh...........no! She works closely with a local rescue and they're trying to get some adult cats adopted now before kittens start arriving. She thinks there's three that have a legitimate shot, and I think that's in addition to the two friendly boys. Awesome!

I'm looking forward to the 40 degree temps this weekend. It's going to feel like a heatwave!

I guess if I'm going to have a cold, it might as well keep snowing...

2009-01-18T23:41:00.003-05:00

Our gas grill is almost unrecognizable now!

I haven't posted in awhile, but not too much is new. It's just snow and cold, snow and cold.

For those who have been wondering, I finally got the wedding proofs narrowed down and the prints ordered. What a relief to have that over with! It shouldn't take very long for the order to come in.

Wow--this is awesome! What about the rest?

2009-01-10T13:51:00.003-05:00

George, a 20-pound, 140-year-old lobster whose life was spared by a New York City eatery.

KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine — A 140-year-old lobster that was destined to adorn a dinner plate is back in the ocean after a seafood restaurant in New York City granted him a reprieve.

The 20-pound crustacean, named George, was returned to the wild Saturday in a rocky cove in Kennebunkport, less than a mile from the summer home of former President George H.W. Bush.

George was transported to Maine by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which had beseeched City Crab and Seafood to allow the lobster to go free.

The giant lobster had been caught off Newfoundland, Canada, and lived in the restaurant's tank for about 10 days before his release.

As long as George remains in Maine, he won't have to worry about ending his life in a pot of boiling water. Fishermen are barred from keeping lobsters that exceed the state's legal size limit.

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T00:32:00.003-05:00

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....

2008-12-23T22:10:00.002-05:00

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!!!

2008-12-19T09:04:00.002-05:00

2008-12-07T22:26:00.002-05:00

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!

2008-12-07T00:32:00.001-05:00

2008-11-23T02:12:00.000-05:00

More aquarium pics....

2008-11-23T02:02:00.001-05:00

Atlanta Aquarium

2008-11-23T01:57:00.001-05:00

Trip to Atlanta

2008-11-23T01:14:00.006-05:00

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...

2008-11-14T21:37:00.002-05:00

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!

2008-11-09T22:11:00.003-05:00

Louie and I are both extremely thrilled.

Almost forgot to post my Halloween pics!

2008-11-09T22:00:00.004-05:00

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!

2008-11-09T16:44:00.004-05:00

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

2008-11-05T21:08:00.002-05:00

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....

2008-10-30T20:08:00.002-04:00

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

2008-10-29T23:00:00.003-04:00

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

2008-10-26T21:21:00.003-04:00

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

2008-10-26T21:09:00.003-04:00

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!

2008-10-09T20:58:00.002-04:00

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

2008-10-07T22:26:00.003-04:00

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!

2008-10-07T22:04:00.002-04:00

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

Getting back to normal...

2008-09-21T14:33:00.002-04:00

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...

2008-09-04T22:18:00.003-04:00

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.

Trip to the zoo!

2008-09-04T22:01:00.003-04:00

Oh yeah, I also managed to squeeze in a trip to John Ball Zoo while my relatives were here. Yeah, I was an adrenaline junkie--no wonder I've been sick in bed for the last couple of days. Oh well, it was all worth it! Here's some of my favorite pics from the zoo.

My trip to D.C.

2008-09-04T21:46:00.003-04:00

My "fake" honeymoon was spent by myself at a work conference just outside of D.C. It was hard to leave so soon after the wedding, but the pain was eased by having my room upgraded to a king size suite--awesome! I made sure to spend adequate time there, but I did manage to get out and see a few sites before I left too. The most surprising site on the river cruise was the National Cathedral which was so beautiful and could be clearly seen, but just not captured on my camera. It was magical. The pentagon was also very cool looking but I couldn't get a pic of it either, though my plane flew right over it when we took off. I was very surprised they allowed that. I'd love to go back and visit again--with my hubby next time, and hopefully take in some of the museums and see more of the city. (oh, the pic of the sculpture was near our hotel on the beach area. It was so cool and enormous!)

A little R & R

2008-09-04T21:39:00.002-04:00

While my relatives were still in MI after the wedding, I decided to show them some sights of west MI, so I took them up to Silver Lake to see (and tour) the sand dunes and then we made our way to the beach in Grand Haven--a must see. We had a blast!

Our Big Day

2008-09-01T21:09:00.001-04:00

IT'S OFFICIAL!

2008-08-25T20:36:00.003-04:00

Sorry, I haven't had time to post. I've been a little busy. The last of my relatives just left this evening. Yep, we've had a full house the whole weekend. Now, I'm leaving for D.C. in the morning for the next 4 days. Wow, happy honeymoon, eh?! Anyway, it's been a whirlwind and I'm exhausted, but everything went great (well, except for my dress breaking before the reception--it still didn't look as bad as the one on my last post), and by then, I really didn't care that much. We still had a perfect day and a lot of fun! I would post a picture but I didn't take any on my own camera--again, a little busy.

On Saturday, we had a family BBQ at our house once we got back from the hotel. It was a lot of fun, even if I burnt a lot of the food. Oops! After dinner (and cake), we opened the rest of our wedding presents, and then we played some games. It was a fun night.

Yesterday, my 2 aunts & 2 cousins and I went all the way to up to Silver Lake. I wanted them to see the sand dunes. We rode on the dune cruiser and that was a blast (literally!). No better way to experience it if you don't have your own dune buggy. We even got to walk along the beach of Lake MI. We made the traditional stop at Whippy Dip for some treats, then ventured to a road side stand for fresh peaches, blueberries and sweet corn. Yum! We furthered on to Grand Haven where the girls wandered all the way out into the Lake while the rest of us sat on the beach with the waves hitting our feet. It was super windy and almost chilly, but we didn't care. We were able to hit a few shops before they closed, then made it home for a BBQ (again).

Today, we visited John Ball Zoo before I had to run 1/2 of the group to the airport. The rest of us spent a few hours at Woodland Mall, then we stopped by to pick up my hubby (ha--how funny to say that!) and we thought we were going to have a nice dinner at Village Inn Pizza Parlor on the way to taking them to the airport. Too bad they forgot to make our pizza and we were there almost an hour! We had to get it boxed as we ran to the car so they wouldn't be late catching their flight. Bummer! It all worked out ok, I think (haven't heard from them so I assume they got out ok).

Now, I'm off to do my own laundry and pack for my own trip. A couple of days of R&R. I won't know what to do with a full day tomorrow by myself. I have a feeling the king bed and room service are going to get a lot of use!

Damn paparazzi must have got me while I was giving my dress a test run around GR earlier this week!

2008-08-14T23:51:00.007-04:00

Engagement pic

2008-07-29T23:16:00.002-04:00

I think our announcement is going to be in this Sunday's paper. That's what they tell me anyway. Hopefully the pic looks ok--apparently they didn't like that it was a horizontal shot rather than vertical so they were going to "fix it". Hopefully we don't look like coneheads or something!

More pics from the shower...

2008-07-20T22:34:00.005-04:00

Thought I should include the ones who put this all together for me...Jinnifer, Lorie and Kim and the moms. THANK YOU!!!

WTF of the Day

2008-07-20T21:23:00.002-04:00

For Krista.....

The Shower

2008-07-20T20:24:00.005-04:00

This weekend was my bridal shower, put together by Jinnifer, Lorie, Kim, my mom and Mike's mom. It went great, although it was a little surreal (and awkward being the center of attention.) I am wondering if I will feel the same at the wedding. I know it seemed to go by really fast--I've heard that's how the receptions go too. Sometimes I feel so silly talking about the wedding, wedding, wedding. Even after all this time, it almost doesn't seem real.

Anyway, it was GREAT having so many of my friends there. Unfortunately, a few could not be there due to other commitments, etc., but still, we had 18 so I was very happy! I didn't get to really "visit" all that much but I think we kept it moving so people weren't sitting around looking at towels for too long, well, except for Krista, but that's a special case. : ) I received some very nice gifts, which we will put to good use. Of course, Kim made me cry with her gift - - a shadowbox with our invitation. It literally took my breath away. I was not expecting that.

I am so lucky to have so many friends who care about me and support me. It is actually difficult to speak about it in front of everyone without getting emotional, but I am really very grateful to all of them and am so glad to have them in my life. The girls worked hard and put together a fabulous party. I cannot wait for everything to come together for the wedding.

My parents were in town for the weekend and that went well. They took Mike and I out for dinner last night. Today we all slept in and were lazy. It was great not having to do anything today. It's been awhile since I've had that luxury so I took full advantage. It will be awhile before that happens again. . .

Time is flying

2008-06-10T22:13:00.002-04:00

It's been awhile since I have really had time to post. Too much going on right now between the obvious--wedding planning, plus softball, work, volunteering at Crash's, keeping up with the chores, keeping the cats happy, and hanging out with friends. Still haven't been out to golf, but the weather hasn't been great either. Mike and I are both coming to the sad conclusion that it takes us an average of 3 days to recover from baseball/softball games. It'll get easier as the season goes on. : )

The wedding planning is coming along good. I mailed out the invites today-hooray-another thing off my list. The girls' dresses came in over the weekend so that's another big thing done. I scheduled our salon appointments for the wedding day and also a practice run. Still much to do. We're having engagement shots done next week. Not too excited about it. I hope they turn out somewhat decent or no one will be seeing them. ha!

Lastly, just have to say -- way to go Wings! So excited for them, having watched so many of them play in GR this year and the past couple of years. It was hard giving them up to the Wings but it has all been worth it to win another Cup. Can't wait for next season!

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T21:48:00.002-04:00

Yes, that's me in my own personal WTF moment!

2008-05-05T22:47:00.005-04:00

I never got a chance to put these on back when I did this in September 2007 but I thought it was too cool to not post. How many people actually get a chance to jump out of a perfectly good airplane?? Talk about conquering your fears. There was a time when I wouldn't set foot on a commercial airliner much less cram onto the floor of a crop duster with one seat and 5 people! Terrifying, exhilarating, surreal, (unfortunately nauseating), and absolutely crazy is all I can say! There was a point when I felt like I was the only thing in the sky, all by myself, free falling for about 6,000 feet and it was basically an out of body experience. Even though it was a tandem jump, believe me, you have no sensation that the expert is even there until the chute goes out. It literally went from the noisy rush of air to absolute silence and stillness inside of a huge fluffy cloud. The very coolest of experiences!

(Oh, and that picture taken from inside the plane of the big clouds?? That was only HALF way up to our jump point of 11,000 feet. Yeah baby! When they flung open the door (which was the entire side of the plane under the wing) and the wind came whipping in, it was truly a holy shit moment! That and having to swing my legs out of the side of the plane to stand on a little step and lean out of the plane while my instructor finished tightening up everything. We did manage 3 sommersaults out of the plane though.Those big clouds are where we pulled the chute and we coasted through one of the clouds for awhile. C-r-a-z-y!)

A new WTF - I'm so excited!

2008-05-05T22:23:00.000-04:00

Ok, Sarah, I won't bail on this idea yet. I thought crazy cellar guy would last awhile but it's all over the news, so I decided to try and find something a little more obscure. This story just made me laugh outloud so I decided to make it my new post. Can you imagine trying this???

http://www.clickondetroit.com/money/16133100/detail.html

About time!

2008-04-29T22:50:00.000-04:00

Forgot to mention that we finally got to see Mike's movie, 88 Minutes, with Al Pacino. The critics hated it, but we both thought it was pretty good. Definitely keeps you guessing throughout. I've seen much worse, that's for sure.

New WTF!

2008-04-29T22:46:00.000-04:00

Okay, I realized I hadn't followed through on my WTF idea. The new winner -- it's all over the news so I'm not going to bother posting a link -- the guy in Austria keeping the family in the cellar. Alright, so I might have to retire this idea already. Never heard anything this crazy before. It will definitely be hard to top this one. There aren't words to describe this level of insanity, unfortunately.

Yum!

2008-04-29T22:40:00.001-04:00

We had our taste testing for the reception tonight. All I can say is there are going to be many happy (and very full) guests when they get a load of their meals! Wow--very impressive. There will be four entrees to choose from and they're all equally delicious -- grilled salmon, ribeye steak, grilled chicken with pasta and vegetarian/cheese lasagna. Got to sample some wines and even bring home leftovers to boot. Met the DJ also. I really can't believe how wonderful all the people have been to work with and how accommodating they are being for us. I can't recommend this place enough. I'm so psyched to throw this party! Less than 4 months to go....

GO WINGS!!!!

2008-04-29T22:38:00.001-04:00

Moving right along...

2008-04-20T22:10:00.000-04:00

More wedding updates. We got the girls' dresses ordered yesterday. What a relief and we're excited! They aren't the typical hideous bridesmaid dresses. In fact, I'm pretty confident they will wear them again! I certainly never had that luck with the ones I had (no offense to anyone). Times have definitely changed is all I will say.

Mike and I are meeting with the people at McFadden's on Tuesday to do our taste testing and work on the details for the reception. Once that's out of the way, it will be time to order the invitations.

Whew, only 4 months from Tuesday will be the big day! I'm so excited because things have really come together so quickly and really so easy. I sure hope the day is as care free and fun! In the meantime, now the girls and I are on the quest to be the biggest loser in the weight department. It's definitely time to get on track with that. One day at a time...

In other news, Mike's birthday was Friday. Only one more year until the big 4-0. I'll be there at the end of this year. Unbelievable. I felt horrible because we were supposed to go to the movies. I took him for a yummy dinner at Logan's, then proceeded to leave my credit card at the restaurant, so by the time we got back and the manager got it out of the vault, we were late for the movie. I tried to be slick and take him to another theater instead. It would've worked out perfectly except I picked the one theater in town that wasn't showing the movie at 7:30 p.m. (it didn't start again until 8:50) and he didn't want to wait around. I felt terrible!!! We did come home and watch the rest of the Red Wings game, but still. . . SO, I owe him a movie now. I did make brownies to try and make up for it. He was understanding, but still, I felt like a schmuck.
: (

Keke update

2008-04-10T23:01:00.000-04:00

I forgot to post that Keke had successful dental surgery last week. She originally went in to have her lower left canine removed, but the vet thought it would be best to have the right lower taken out too since the dental disease was starting there too. He also found that some of her small top teeth had been diseased and looked to have broken off at some point. He was able to take care of the remaining root tissue that was there. Surprisingly, the cost of all this was not bad at all. It did entail Mike having to drive her to Kalamazoo and back but the people were so nice to work with that I'm glad we followed through with this. If you ever need a pet dentist, Oakwood Animal Hospital in Kalamazoo is the place to go! I wish we lived closer but the cats just don't like that hour drive one way.

In any event, Keke is doing great. She tolerated her pain medicine and is healing fine. I think she has to feel much better than before. Of course, she looks a little odd without the bottom teeth but they didn't help her with eating anyway so she's not having much of an adjustment without them. She's such a doll and such a little trooper!

Success!

2008-04-10T22:49:00.000-04:00

I managed to find a wedding dress the first day out shopping. It started off pretty grueling but ended up working out perfectly! Now we just need to get the girls' dresses taken care of, which I hope will be finished up next week. It is so nice getting things crossed off my list. I think the pace is going to start picking up now. I'm still not feeling too stressed but I imagine that will change as we get closer. Mostly, I'm just anticipating seeing all our plans come together.

On a totally different note, I ventured into the world of public transportation today. Since Mike needs the Escape on Thursdays, and I was sick of asking co-workers for rides, I decided to bite the bullet and ride the Rapid. I had plotted out my route and schedule and everything went according to plan! Of course, I did have to get up earlier in order to be out the door at 6:45 but it was a pleasant morning and the 15 minute walk to the stop was refreshing. The whole thing cost $2.60 round trip--less than a gallon of gas these days! If gas prices get close to $4, I may be doing this more often. A month pass is only $35. I usually spend more than that for each fillup--once a week! Most everyone thinks I'm losing my mind. I don't really see it is a big deal. I could save about $120 a month at that rate--what's not to like about that??

Well, it may be raining and yucky out, but at least it's Friday tomorrow. TGIF! : )

Wedding Details...

2008-03-28T21:07:00.000-04:00

Wedding Colors - Black, White, Green Apple

Ceremony - https://www.accesskent.com/ZooReservations/ZooReservationsTemplate.jsp;jsessionid=L85rtTMDQL-ypMe4?include=Availability.jsp?facility=Hilltop%20Pavilion

Reception (food, drinks & music by McFadden's)- http://www.mcfaddensgrandrapids.com/photos_pearlroom.php

Photographer - Holli VanderVeen http://www.hollihobbycreations.com/

Transportation - Affordable Limousine http://www.affordablelimogr.com/index.html

Live Music for ceremony - http://www.signaturestringquartet.com/bios.html

Officiant - www.myspace.com/revrobertteszlewicz

Tuxedos & Invitations - http://www.dunhilltuxedos.com/

Cake - yet to be determined

Flowers, Decor, Favors - we are doing ourselves

Dresses - for us to know and for you to find out!

Oh Spring, where are you?

2008-03-28T20:20:00.000-04:00

By this time last year, we had already experienced 3 days of 70 degree weather, can you believe it?

Not too much is new with me. I am going wedding dress / bridesmaid dress shopping near Lansing with Jinnifer and Lorie tomorrow. I think we are all anxious about it. I for one am looking forward to the motivation to get my butt in shape! Only 5 months to go -- oh Lord, give me the strength...

On the plus side (no pun intended), I am still tied for 1st in my NCAA pool. More for pride than anything but that's ok.

Oh, right, I almost forgot, I got the live music booked for the wedding ceremony today. How very exciting! I get so anxious thinking about the fun I think it is going to be just having all my friends there. I really want it to get here quickly in many respects, but I also know that it is at the end of summer, so I don't want it to come TOO fast either -- what a dilemma, right?

I'm actually almost done with all the big planning stuff though. We're still figuring out the cake situation and I have to do some hotel arrangements, etc. but for the most part, everything is settling right into place. I don't know if I'm just lucky or what but things have just fallen my way and with great deals too! The little details can wear on my brain but Kim and the girls have been such a tremendous help with their input and opinions. I can't wait for all of us to just have a good time and party it up!

I hear it is going to be sunny and warmer tomorrow. I hope so. I've changed the blog colors to get me in the mood for spring just in case.

WTF of the Day

2008-03-21T21:13:00.000-04:00

Do you use the web for news? I'm kind of a news junky, although I admit that it is getting harder and harder to read all the latest headlines because they are so depressing and just plain bizarre! Just when I think I've heard it all, something even more weird comes along. So, I've decided to share the craziest story of the day as I find them.

There were a lot of crazy stories today, but I have to say, this is something I never thought I'd see in print. I think I will leave it up until I find something even more outrageous to top it. We'll see how long it takes (probably not very). I'm sure the news won't let me down.

Here's my first selection of headlines that just make you think WTF?!

Woman Goes for Leg Operation, Gets New Anus Instead

Good Friday

2008-03-21T20:51:00.001-04:00

Good Friday already? Hmm. Seems like it was just St. Patty's Day--how time flies! (Also seems like it was just Spring but the snow doesn't want to give it up. Enough already!)

The hightlight of my week was attending a naturalization ceremony at the Ford Museum. My office helps coordinate and run these things, along with the INS. I got to stand in for a staff member who could not attend. (I've tried to go to this two previous times, but the first time I got sick and missed work, and the second time was when I got in my wreck on 131 and totaled my car.) So, as you can imagine, I was not overjoyed at the thought of trying again!

But it all worked out, and I have to say it was a very inspiring experience. I've always been into the whole civic patriotism thing. How nice to see 90 people from 35 countries so excited at becoming citizens of our country. I met and chatted with the director of the Detroit INS office who himself immigrated to the US as a young boy. He was very pleasant, as were the other officers (I guess I had in my head that most INS people were stiff jerks). These guys were friendly and pleasant with the people, as it should be. Some people brought several people with them, a few had none, which was kind of sad given such an important milestone in their lives.

I asked the INS director just how long it would've taken these people to get to this point and he said at least 5 years. That's how long it takes from the time you get your green card (3 years if you marry a citizen.) But getting the green card can take much longer and is a much more difficult process. I was surprised to learn that every year the U.S. gives away 50,000 green cards for free through an online lottery that is available worldwide. It is meant to gain even more diversity for our country and focus on smaller countries that don't normally have many immigrants. Funny how we never hear about this sort of thing. I'm all for legal immigration. Illegal? Not so much. I know it is a difficult position for millions of people, but rules are rules.

Anyway, the ceremony was great and definitely had me tear up at a few points. Some people could barely speak English yet were so eager to shake all of our hands and say "thank you" with smiles that stretched across the room and back again. Good for them. The boys from Sudan, some of whom had obvious scars from serious wounds, the men and women from Bosnia, the man from "the little island in the sun-Jamaica" (I wonder if he's regretting being here given today's weather??) It occurred to me during the ceremony that it would be nice if everyone could witness this at least once and remember what it is all about to be an American, even in a bad economy. At least we don't have bombs going off around us at any moment. Now if we can just do something about that weather...

Happy St. Pat's Day!

2008-03-17T19:59:00.000-04:00

Wow, two days in a row--I'm on a roll! Hope everyone had a nice holiday. We had a great potluck at work today. It's been awhile so everyone really put a lot of effort into it. I tried to behave myself (have dresses to fit into in a couple of weeks-ugh!) and I did a pretty good job. I did turn down an invitation to go out after work to avoid more restaurant food, but I did make myself a little drink when I got home.

The new season of Dancing with the Stars is coming on. I'm addicted to this show. Mostly I'm impressed with how well everyone does and to see their transformations is pretty impressive. I'd love to do that but I don't think I've got those kinds of moves. I guess I'll stick with playing softball instead--something I know how to do, even if it's not very graceful!

March Madness is almost upon us. I circulated a bracket contest at work today and someone got totally put off by it. People really need to relax and not get so worked up by such silly things. I just don't understand why people can't politely decline to participate if they choose, rather than trying to judge and spew their beliefs on everyone else. Thus, the reason for the drink when I got home tonight : ) Ah, Mondays......

It's been awhile...

2008-03-16T22:24:00.001-04:00

I haven't posted in awhile. Oops. I always seem busy but sometimes I'm just lazy too. I have been making some headway with the wedding plans. It is fun getting things crossed off my list. It makes me want to get to the date so fast so I can see all my visions come to fruition and to just have fun and see everyone else having fun. I know some people aren't good at picturing things in their heads, but I really have everything so planned out in my head. I can see the whole day taking place. I wonder how close it will be when it actually happens!

I had another busy weekend. On Saturday, I was at C-SNIP in the morning. I had arranged for the Kentwood Jaycees to sponsor a day of spay/neuter for those people who can't afford it for their pets. There were about 30 pets brought in. We served doughnuts and juice to the clients and that went over well. It is so nice to see people doing the right thing. One of the C-SNIP owners said it makes her feel good to see people who are in dire economic situations being responsible pet owners. I have to say that I agree with her! Education is just so important!!!

After C-SNIP, Lorie and I went to look at invitation books at the tux store. Yeah, who would have thought? But I think I found a winner and I'm excited. We went to lunch and she convinced me to set foot into David's Bridal for a brief look around. I didn't even know where the place was if that gives any indication of how much I've been looking forward to this part. Actually, I think I'm getting ready now. We're going actual dress shopping in two weeks. I feel like if I can not eat between now and then, I might be able to fit in something. Ugh. And I need a tan. LOL

I went to a baby shower today for Jen. That was fun. It was well put together and everyone had a nice time. I even won a prize, which never happens. It was nice to focus on someone else's big event for a little while : )

Mike is in Kalamazoo for the week now. It is weird not having him in the house. I miss him. It is like old times again after about a year of actually living together. The cats miss him too. Shadow is sitting down on his desk, waiting for him, I guess. I guess the only "good" thing about him not being here is I seem to get more projects done. I don't know why because it is not like he stops me from doing anything. Maybe I'm just not distracted or feel the need to be here or making meals. haha, yeah, maybe that has something to do with it!

Well, it's my least favorite part of the week - Sunday night. I guess it is bed time. Oh, my parents got the internet this week. I can't believe it. Welcome to the next century already!!

Until later....K

TGIF

2008-02-29T20:24:00.001-05:00

It's been a crazy week. Started out Sunday by transporting 2 cats to the feral kennel to be held for going to the vet. Then had 2 more delivered to me at work so had to make another run on the lunch hour. Then the last one came in the following morning and I snagged her on my way to work. Finally went and delivered two back last night, with the rest going back today. One of the cats was pregnant when we got to her but it was in time to stop anymore babies from being born homeless. In all, we've now stopped the unwanted births of literally hundreds of cats that could've come from this group. What a good feeling. Just the tip of the iceberg, but something at least.

Tomorrow I will get to focus on more wedding stuff which should be fun. I've been able to make a few detail decisions and that's definitely relieved some stress. I'm bound and determined not to get worked up about this and to just enjoy it!

Congrats to Laura on her new job. She finally broke free and I am so happy for her!

Happy Leap Day!

Busy Weekend

2008-02-24T21:21:00.000-05:00

So, this weekend was pretty busy! On Friday, Mike and I decided to hit up the Griffins game for the second Friday in a row. Who can resist $1 beer & hot dogs?? Unfortunatetly, the game was not all that great, but considering half the team is up helping the Wings right now, you can't really fault them, and we did get to see a McCarty fight so all was not lost!

On Saturday, I felt super productive and not only cleaned the house, did 4 loads of laundry, but also cleaned out the garage and the car. Wow. I guess a little warm weather and slight sun can do wonders for energy. Well, that, and the fact that I'd made plans with Lorie for later so I only had a limited amount of time to work with. It felt good to get some stuff done though and our garage has been a disaster area for awhile now.

Lorie and I had a nice evening. We met up at the mall, grabbed some food at Bar Louie (my first time there --- highly recommend it!), then she wanted to take me to see 27 Dresses even though she'd already seen it (what a nice friend!), so we called on that and it wasn't playing until 9:25 so we killed time at Michael's looking at wedding junk and then also ran to Meijer's to get some baby shower gifts for a shower we're invited to. So, yet more accomplishing of tasks! It was nice to get to the theater and sit down. My back was hurting from standing so much all day. The movie was very cute and I really enjoyed it <--recommend that too!

This morning, I was up somewhat early (8:30) because I had to go pick up Kim and we went out to one of my co-worker's house in Belding. She has a bunch of stray cats and we're helping her to get them fixed. She was able to capture 2 of the 5 (the other three are young and scatter easily). Kim and I had a helluva time finding her house out in the boonies. Apparently Mapquest was just as confused as we were because it completely led us astray! You know it is bad when you think you're near the person's house when you call them and they say they've never heard of the (main) road you are on! Uh-oh! But we managed to find our way FINALLY! We were sad to not get all the kitties in the same trip but left the traps and plenty of mackeral so we think it's only a matter of time. One of the cats we did get is totally pregnant though so I guess we made it under the wire of saving her from more kittens. Big thanks to Carol Manos of Carol's Ferals who is taking the cats in for their surgeries and housing them for us in the meantime. Please check out Carol's website. She does amazing things for the cat world in our community and could definitely use any resources that come her way!

So, it is Academy Awards night. I don't have any real connection this year and can honestly say I haven't seen any of the movies up for the big ones, although No Country and There Will Be Blood both look intriguing.

Mike is busy with college basketball and has been all weekend, keeping up with the bracket buster games going on. One more month of madness to go in that respect.

Well, I didn't get any wedding stuff done this weekend. I need to get focused....tomorrow's another day : )

A new blog!

2008-02-21T22:42:00.000-05:00

I've been inspired by some friends to get on the blogging bandwagon, and with a wedding coming up, I figured now might be as good a time as any! Sometimes life seems to go by so quickly and it is hard to stay in touch with everyone all the time so I'm hoping this will help.

Someone I knew quite well passed away this week. Sorry to start this off on a downer, but sometimes it takes things like that to put your own life in perspective. We think we're having a bad day, but there are always others suffering more. If nothing else, blogs allow you to reflect on the things happening in your day to day and to appreciate every day for what it brings. Live in the here and now, not for the future, not for the past. Now is all we have.

Happy reading!