Ummm, sorry!

Sorry, I haven't posted since my last vacation. Pretty bad huh? But I have been so busy, it seems like stuff is going on every weekend. But I am about to get to relax. 2 more days until I am off, 3 more until I am in Florida, and 4 more until I am.....Cruising!! We are flying into Orlando on Saturday, staying the night in Port Canaveral, cruising out on Disney's Wonder for 4 nights.

After the cruise we will be staying in Cape Canaveral for a few more days, and then home just in time for Easter. For the trip, we are meeting up with Brad's brother & his family, his sister and her family, and his Mom and Step Dad. We are going to have so much fun, I need a vacation so bad.

Thankfully my sister Kim has agreed to pet sit for us. Don't know what we would do without her. Doc cannot go without his sub-q's, and she has been great learning how to do them. Even Doc has been good believe it or not. I think I am more worried about him not eating then him not doing his sub-q's. Thank goodness for that appetite stimulant!

Well, Bon Voyage! Let's see how long it takes me to write on this blog again.....

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas!

Well, not really, this is Texas after all, but at least it is cold today! We only have 10 days left. only 8 more days until my vacation, only 6 more work days! I will be off December 24th - January 2nd. Woo Hoo!!

So how have things been? Well, Doc is doing really good. We were worried about him for awhile. He started having a boney back, just really sunken in looking. He looked horrible. When we took him to the vet, he had lost 2 more pounds in just a few months. Our big boy who used to weigh close to 20 pounds a few years ago had now dropped to a little over 10! Not good!! Thankfully his numbers were still stable (still high, but about the same as last time). But for some reason, he was just anorexic. So we started him on an appetite stimulant a few weeks ago, and it has worked like a charm. He has gained a good 1/2 pound or more and is filling back out. He is still skinny, and has the belly sway, but not as bad as he was. And he is eating like a pig. I probably filled up his food bowl 8 times this weekend.

In fact, Doc is feeling so good, he has started tormenting poor Chloe. He chases after her and hits her, and just plain likes to bug her. She has always been the skittish one, and the stress of him has made her start losing her hair and over grooming herself. She might be going to the vet next, but hopefully we can nip it in the bud before then.

Reena is still a brat......

We just had my niece, Jaylee's birthday party this last weekend. She has become the dreaded tween!!!!! AHHHHHHHH!!!!! And she has the attitude to match. Rolling the eyes, boy posters, etc. I felt so old when she said that I was embarrassing her in front of her friends. I am suppose to be the cool, hip aunt - but I guess I'm not!

We have Bradley's birthday coming up this weekend. At least he sees me as a sweet aunt! He will be the big 3!! Still cute as ever though.

Then Christmas. We are really looking forward to seeing Aliya and Liam (Jay and Andrea too). Since we are off the entire time, we hope to see them more. We sure miss those kids!

Well - I hope each of you enjoy your Christmas!!!

Long Time - Right?

Wow, I can't believe how time has flown by! Things have been really crazy. Never a weekend to spare.

Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving. Ours was good, just went to my parents. After we ate, this is what the boys (my Dad & Brad) did:



Brad and I have been decorating the house for Christmas. We are tackling the outside today. I swore I wasn't going to do anything but a tree this year, Just wasn't in the spirit of things with all that has happened this year. But as I started pulling things out of boxes that I forgot I had, I just kept decorating and decorating. Oh well.


It was funny to see how excited the cats got when we pulled out the tree. First thing Reena did was try to climb it. She tries every year, and every year she gets in trouble. Little Fart!! But I think by far, Doc was the most excited. He was literally pulling things out of boxes. I couldn't get a good picture of him, he was too fast, but it was cute. I did have to take kitty Christmas pictures though......


Pretty Cute huh?? But I think I have become a crazy cat lady!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAY!!

Happy Birthday Jay!!

I gotta say Jay - This pic is going to be a classic! Your kids are going to look at it when you are 70 and think you were a crazy nerd, not knowing the Napoleon faze of our generation. But really - I want to see your rendition of the dance! That will be classic!!

Also, I think this is fitting with all the political crap going on right now.....

Vote For Pedro!!

On October 1st, 1971, my parents Donna and Dwight got married. So that means this last week, they celebrated 37 years together. I think that is an amazing accomplishment.

So Mom & Dad - - - HERE's TO YOU!!!

This made Brad laugh so hard.....

It's called "Ninja cat comes closer while not moving!"

The stupid and the cute!

OK - First I gotta say - when are these weather people going to get things right? Ike barely even grazed DFW. We had a nice rain, but no thunderstorms, no flash floods, etc. Of course, Ike sucked for millions of people, and it is really sad, but the weather guys in DFW suck! And you know what bugs me, It is like reporters get disappointed when there is not total devastation in an area. And WHY do they insist on being in the middle of deep water during a hurricane. They are so stupid and it bugs the HELL out of me. If I see Anderson Cooper being over dramatic one more time, I just might have to scream.

Now on to the cute..........

We went over to the Gallo's on Saturday. We got to see the baby, got to play with Bradley, and we celebrated Lou's birthday (even though we made Lou cook). Greyson is making the cutest little faces, but for some reason, he keeps pooping every time I hold him. He did last week and now this week! But hey - at least I didn't have to change him. Bradley and I played trains for a little and he told me I had beautiful hair. Then he ate suckers with Uncle Brad (above). He is such a doll. Pretty soon, he is going to get to stay the weekend with me and Uncle Brad. We are going to take him to Fossil Rim Wildlife Park, then maybe stop in Granbury on the square. They have this old fashion toy store I want to take him too (or at least they used to).

Ahhhh....I love being an aunt! (Cause I can always send them home!! J/K!!)

Ike

Ike is my Dad. He is a sweet man. His namesake though is not.....I am talking about the storm Ike. Man it looks nasty. It is a monster. And we - so far away from the coast might even get some of the after effects of it.

So in a few hours, we will be getting the first of the rain, but I can't even imagine what the people down there are going through. If you haven't ever been to Galveston - It is just a city built on sand. It is a cute town with all those old mansions, and some great shops and lots to do. But the beach is just nasty. And after this, there probably won't even be that. We will see if the seawall that they built after that monster storm in 1900 (and killing between 6,000 - 10,000) will hold. But either way, they are screwed. I just hope too many people didn't stay. Cause for the most part, the houses there are small siding houses 1-2 stories.

We'll just have to wait and see.

The Tower of London - Or the Vet.....

Reena went to the vet on Monday to have her teeth cleaned. As everyone knows, she thinks she is a little princess. This is her "tail" (get it, tail instead of tale....witty huh?)

As written in Reena's diary:

September 8th, the 2008th year of our Lord.

First, I get shoved into the crate. Then a 15 minute ride to the V-E-T. I was so scared. It is like taking an English Gentleman to the Tower. That is how scary it is! I was trembling and panting. Momma said it broke her heart to see me that way, but apparently not enough since we still went there.

Then at the V-E-T I get pulled from my carriage, I mean crate, and put on a cold hard table. That is no way to treat a princess. Oh, one day they will pay for the humiliation I went through today. Oh, it was terrible, and I was so frightened that I, *blush*, I, uh, uh....... tee, teed on myself....... What shame!!! What fright!!!!! Oh to be that frightened, then so humiliated. It still makes me want to cry.

They then put this "restraint" on my tail to "take my blood pressure" but it was really some mid-evil torture. But I did not confess to whatever they were trying to get me to confess to......

Then my "Momma" - if she is really even that, took me to the back, and locked me in a cell. Since I am royalty, they did provide a bed and blanket, but that doesn't mean I didn't try to escape......

But then everything became a blur. They must have drugged me, because the next thing I know, I am in my carriage again, with Momma petting me and Daddy driving. When we get back to my palace, I discover that my arm is shaved. My beautiful fur gone. A reminder of my humiliation. My mouth is sore, no doubt due to some other torture inflicted on me. But my teeth are white.....strange.....

My Sweet little nephew - Greyson John Gallo

He was 7 lbs, 12 oz (yes - Andrea and I were the closest!!), 19 1/4 inches long. Momma and Baby are doing great!

Only a few more days!!!

Only a few more days until a 5 day weekend for me!! Woo Hoo!! And what is even more exciting is on Tuesday, September 2nd, little Greyson will be here!!! Molly asked everyone what they thought Greyson would weigh, and here are the results. We'll see who is closest:

Andrea:7 lb 15oz

Jay: 7 lbs 8oz

Kristi: 7lbs 15oz

Brad: 8lbz 2oz

Dad: 8lbs 8oz

Mom: 8lbs 7oz

Nelson: 8lbs 14 oz

Robin:8lbs 8oz

Lou: 8lbs 4oz

Molly: 9 lbs

I won't post again probably until Greyson is here, but when I get a chance, I will post pics and let everyone know who was closest. This is gonna be a great weekend!!

10 Year Anniversary!!

On Friday, Brad and I celebrated out 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY. Do you believe that we were married on August 22nd, 1998. I was the tender age of 18 and Brad was 21. Everyone probably thought we were crazy, especially since we had only been dating since November 1997. But not only did we make it this far, we are so much more in love than we were then. It seems we have both grown up together, and grown to love and respect each other so much more.

We celebrated by going to Texas de Brazil for dinner, and boy did we splurge. $200 bill!! Crazy Huh? But we sure enjoyed it. Brad had SO MUCH meat, I thought he would bust. Then we both had dessert drinks and cake. My wine was $21 for one glass, but it was SOOO GOOD! We thought, "Hey - 10 year anniversary only comes around 1 time, let's enjoy it."

Once we got home after our 2 hour dinner, we were so full we just hung out with the rest of our "family" (kitties in other words). But we had a great time. It is fun dressing up and going out sometimes, but when it comes down to it, Brad and I are home-bodies. Good thing we get along - right?

But here's to 10 Years Honey - Another 40+ more to enjoy!!

Gabriel Elisha Seastrunk

My friend Amber had her baby today. Gabe was born at 11:19 today and weighed in at 7 lbs even. Momma and Baby Gabe are both doing great. He is a cutie, isn't he! Amber is amazing - 3 boys under 2! It is kinda neat that him and his twin brothers are so close in age, they are going to have alot of fun together.

Seeing a new baby makes me excited......Only 2 more weeks till Molly has Greyson. I CANNOT WAIT FOR THAT!!

Reana, Beana, Deana, Do - Isn't She Cute??

Seriously - is she cute or what. You guys don't know how much I love my little Beana Baby. Well, Maybe you do. She is such a brat, such a cry baby, such a little fart. But there is nothing better than being woke up every day by a sweet nibble, or her just stretching her paw out to barely touch me while she sleeps. She is like no other cat I know. When I shower in the morning, she is sitting there talking to me the whole time. I imagine her saying "Momma, please don't go to work, stay home with me." When I put on my makeup, she literally jumps on my shoulders to make me hold her like I am burping a baby. When I am done getting dressed, she walks beside me down the hallway to feed the fish. She sits on the end table while I feed them, then she meets me in the kitchen for her breakfast. She cries and cries until I feed her. When I leave for the day, she walks me to the door, then "waves" to me underneath the laundry room door. When I get home, she greets me at the door, and follows me to the bedroom while I change. While I eat dinner, she sits next to me. Then if I watch TV, she sits either on or next to me. If I do my yoga, she weaves between my legs during the poses, and I swear I have caught her doing "Downward facing Dog" the same time I am. When I get ready for bed, she sits on the counter and waits for her evening grooming after I wash my face and brush my teeth (yes, she has her nightly beauty regiment too). When I go to bed, she waits until I get comfortable, then she lays down on me or on top of my pillow (depending how hot it is).

Now is that a loyal cat or what. Brad gets jealous, but Doc does the same with him......

Anyways, how could you not love such a cutie? Ask Brad - he gets to clean up when she eats to fast.......

Funny Video

This is a funny video. My favorite parts are Corporal Cuddling and Cat Yodelling.

Where??

Where did this week go? Things have been crazy this week!

Major Breakthrough!

As many of you know, when Brad and I first got together, Doc hated me. I was moving into his territory that had previously been a bachelor pad. He was downright nasty to me. He would lay in the hallway and if I tried to pass, he would attack me. I would have to call Brad over to move him. If Brad wasn't home, I was screwed if he was somewhere I needed to go. Well that was 10 years ago, and he has since grown to love me. Some of you are not that lucky. My poor Mom and Sister have house-sat for us and both have felt Doc's wrath. Mom - Do you still have scars?? J/K


Well, Brad is about to go to Las Vegas for his annual Nintendo trip. I was pretty nervous about having to do Doc's sub-q's on my own. Granted, he doesn't attack me or anything, but he isn't putty in my hands either. Sunday was my first try, and it went OK. Yesterday was the real breakthrough. I sat down the laundry basket (Doc sits in it while we do the sub-q's) and was hanging up the bag of fluids. I called Doc - but lets face it, Cats are not Dogs by any means, and hardly ever come when called. Right? Wrong - Doc not only came over but he jumped in the basket, and sat there pretty much waiting on the fluids! And he was so good during them. I think I am going to be able to do it all by myself.


I am just so excited, I can hardly contain myself. I am so proud of our Big Boy!! You don't know how big this is!!!!

Molly's Baby Shower for Greyson

Today we had a baby shower for Molly and Baby Greyson.

It was at Into My Garden Tearoom.

Some of Molly's close friends came along with her Mom and me.
We had a great lunch and the cake was wonderful.

Here are a few of the pics.

LOVE YOU MOLLY!! I am so glad I was able to do this for you!!

Revolve around this!

Isn't it weird how in 43 days how much our lives can change? A little over a month ago, we were selfish tight wads. We did our own things when we wanted to, and we just blew money. Now everything seems to revolve around Doc and his schedule. I missed a work meeting on Monday night because he needed his sub-q's. After the movie on Saturday night, we couldn't go out for drinks because we had to get Doc his Pepsid (he throws up foamy stuff if we are too late). I have even given up going to the gym until we can get Doc stable for 2 months. It is OK for us though. It is nice to see him feeling better. It is so funny when he plays now, his tummy is all shaved and flabby, and when he stands on his back legs. His belly doesn't even move.


Last night was our best sub-q. Doc just laid there patiently while we did our thing. And it was over in about 2 minutes. I think it was the first time he didn't get wet from them. Normally he either squirms at the end of them and the needle slips out or I forget to turn the wheel to close off the flow of fluids. My bad.



See - I told you our lives are boring. They revolve around a cat. How sad is that? And now that we have spent so much on the vet bills, our lives will be even more boring. Going out will definitely be limited now.

First time for everything....

Blogging seems to be the thing to do, so here we go. This is a first for us. Andrea - you have inspired me to do this!

A little background - Brad and I got married August 22, 1998. we are coming up on 10 years this year. We live in Fort Worth with our 3 kitties. We have 2 nieces and 2 nephews and another on the way. Since we will not be having kids, we get to live vicariously through them and their parents. But we do consider our cats to be our kids. They are:

• Doc (the tabby) is our oldest and has Chronic Renal Failure (CRF). Since he has been diagnosed, our life has been a real rollercoaster but we are learning to live with the daily difficulties of it.
• Chloe (the tuxedo) is our middle and not the most social kitty.
• Reena (the Siamese) is the youngest and is a spoiled brat.

So I hope to keep up with this blog, and everybody will get to see how boring our lives really are. But we like the boring life - so don't knock on it!