Thursday, July 31

waxing nostalgic...

Maybe it's the grey, foggy mornings; maybe it's the occasional smell of the harbor; maybe it's catching a glimpse of craftsman architecture and cute boutiques...

Whatever it is, I've been a bit homesick for Queen Anne, Seattle, the last couple days.

Here's a tribute to my old stomping grounds:





Tuesday, July 29

a grocery store in Huntington beach today


(pic from co-worker's friend)

we're all ok


5.4, about 20 miles from me. I'm on the 8th floor of our building, and thankfully (unlike the one in Seattle I experienced) this construction is built to withstand an earthquake. It was a rolling/swaying sensation rather than a jarring/crashing sensation. Quite mild comparitively, but still had my heart racing.

The kitties were wide-eyed and sat staring at me like they were frozen when I went home to check on them at lunch. They were slinking around like they were afraid the ground was going to give-out under them, poor things. Everything in the apartment looked untouched. Nothing out of place: my messes looked just the same as when I left them this morning. ;)


I didn't feel any of the aftershocks, but I guess there were quite a few!

Well, survived my first California quake just fine, thankfully!!

Sunday, July 27

yacht cruise

I went on my first-ever yacht cruise yesterday! It was sure a fun experience.

My companies' CEO invited me (2nd string pinch-hitter for another employee that couldn't make it) to accompany his assistant & him for the day on the adventure he was hosting. He supports a group of 20-some foster/troubled/down&out kids in receiving their college education. This trip was to honor their hard-work and give them a taste of the high-life.

Little did he know he's giving this small-town granola gal a taste of the high-life as well!

Before I get into pics & details of the trip, let me just tell you I discovered that "yacht" actually comes from the Dutch word "jacht," meaning "hunting"! I did a wikipedia search and learned it was:

"originally defined as a light, fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries. After its selection by Charles II of England as the vessel of choice for his return to Britain from the Netherlands for his restoration, it came to be used to convey important persons."

The boat we were on - the "White Night" - was 80-some feet in length, 3 stories, 3 staterooms, crews' quarters, and a crew of 6 plus the captain. The Captain was a funny but true-to-character, lecherous old seaman with an awful mouth; the rest of the crew was very nice...especially the Moroccan chef, who had a beautiful smile... (I could have hung around the galley the whole trip!!!) ;) We were treated to a full-bar, gourmet kitchen & food, and luxurious resting quarters. We sailed out of the Balboa Harbor, went to sea for a little while past Laguna Beach, etc., then turned around and sailed the Balboa channel for a couple hours...oogling stars' houses and all the people out on the water.

It was a fun time, all in all!


(the white night)


(the living room)


(the living room buffet)

(the living room bar)

(the master suite)


(the master bath)


(the main bath)


(the upper level)


(the upper level w/ view of the yacht club)


(the club & slips)


(the Balboa channel)


(out to sea!)

(the coastline)


(seals!)


(stand-up paddling)

(Karen, Captain Terry, me)


(the kids)

(the kids)

Friday, July 18

Phoenix

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Ahhhh...

Back in Texas, just wrapping up another Austin/Round Rock/Temple/San Antonio/San Angelo tour. Stopped at a local bbq smoke shack for an awesome brisket, green bean, and potato salad lunch. Just have to say...this little hole-in-the-wall has the best sweet tea I have ever had. I'm now officially a fan of brisket & sweet tea!

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Monday, July 14

Bear

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kitten update

Bear AND Dallas are both back home, now! They are doing so much better and looking much more bright eyed and bushy-tailed. Their paws are less swollen and they are actually trotting around and taking play-swats at each other with them. Such a good sign.

They are both on oral, liquid Clavamox (amoxicillin?) for a couple weeks and wearing e-collars. Now that I have my blackberry fixed (my new trackball arrived today!) I can start taking/posting pictures again. So, you'll get to see the cute little 'flowers' soon.

Thank you so much for all your prayers! God is definitely healing them. It's so nice to have my little cuddle bugs feeling more like themselves.

:)

Wednesday, July 9

bear & dallas update

Dallas joined Bear at the vet hospital today. :( while definitely not near as sick as Bear, she was not healing and had some white ooziness from her belly incision and paws this morning.

before I arrived at the office, the dr. who operated on them called me, profusely apologizing for their condition. said she saw Bear this morning and couldn't believe what his paws looked like, and was certain he left their care with the infection...saying he was definitely not in that kind of condition when she examined him post-surgery and has been asking around to figure out where they went wrong. she wanted me to bring Dallas in immediately. I told her it was a good thing she wanted to look at Dallas, because she's definitely not showing signs of the kind of recovery I was told she'd have.

sure enough, she needs antibiotics as well.

I am told both are playing and resting comfortably at this point, eating and running normal temperatures. they have received antibiotics, fluids, and pain med, are wearing those funnel-collar things, and their paws are being washed and cleaned.

the dr. assured me I would not be paying for the treatment of the infections Bear and Dallas incurred on their watch. very good! I've requested the chart histories for both and want to review their boarding stay notes. I'm looking to argue for a refund on the boarding fees, as I suspicion they were neglected during their stay.

I've been sick to my stomach over these poor little guys and very, VERY upset with my vet's office staff. I'm planning on drafting a formal letter about it this week.

thx for your continued prayers! I'll keep you posted.

c

Tuesday, July 8

bear update

Bear was given antibiotic, fluids, something to help with swelling/fever, and a nutrient dense food. his temp came down to 103 from 106 (normal is 101-102 for a cat), his swelling is down, and he's eating. they want him to stay for another 2-3 days to monitor his progress.

thx for your continued prayers!

bear :(

be praying...Bear came home with Dallas last night, but had to return to the vet hospital this afternoon. it's been 6 days since their procedures (spay/neuter & declaw), but Bear is now running a high "emergency-grade" fever and is rapidly deteriorating with oozy, bleeding paws and is not eating (even his favorite treats that were formerly irresistable to him). I believe he picked up an infection while staying at the hospital during those 6 days.

pray the treating dr(s). will have wisdom, the tech staff will be attentive, that his little body will heal quickly, and that he won't miss Dallas. and that I can argue the charges effectively...because CLEARLY this is something he picked up at he vet clinic, not at home.

thx, all.

Monday, July 7

upstate NY: weekend with my cousins













updates

Last month:
I admit, I've not been a very good blogger at all for the past month+ (YES! I heard ya, S.M., when you said "all you post are kitten pictures!") ...I keep saying I'm going to explain where I've been, add some more travel photos, etc., yet I can't seem to make the time to blog more between work and more travel! I especially have good intentions about posting some fun pics of my NY trip to see my extended family there. Please be patient with me! You'll see some good stuff soon...and more than just kittens, S.M. ;)

Last week:
I just returned from yet another trip: this time to see my immediate family up in WA. It was so nice to relax with them over the 4th of July weekend! I was even able to spend some quality hours with some of my dearest friends on Saturday: K.M., M.P., and S.M.! Very nice. ...and Reen, it was so good to hang out with you too! I need to get my hunter's permit so you can take me with you next time you go hunting. We should do some camping!

This week:
I'm back in Irvine now. Dallas & Bear will be returning from the vet this week (they stayed for the long holiday to have a couple procedures done), so I'm looking forward to seeing them again. Meow looked like a giant back home in comparison to them. He's definitely turned into a farm cat. So it'll be fun to have my INDOOR cuddle bugs back (and as much as I love the smell of the country, cheat grass and dry earth, I REALLY don't like it on a hot cat, fresh off a summer hunt through the sagebrush!).

Next week & the week after:
The first part of the week I'll still be in Irvine, but then I'm flying to Texas for more property visits. I will be touring one of our Lenders through some of our Austin, San Antonio, and San Angelo properties with our Operator, and then stopping in North Austin before heading up to Chicago and doing more tours up there. It will be a full couple weeks. And I have a couple projects I'm working on wrapping up before I hit the road again, because as soon as I'm back, we have our next quarterly exec meeting. Never a dull moment.

Oh yeah, and I need to renew my car tags...that should keep things interesting.

More to come!

Friday, July 4

another funny tv ad

the things I learn I'm missing on tv when I go home...

I don't have/watch tv while I'm down in Irvine, so it's always kinda funny when I go home to see what I'm missing... my mom just told me about this ad series, and thanks to the wonders of youtube, I was able to find it! I've laughed nonstop: