Whistler recap

So the 2nd day into our Whistler trip, our pet sitter/dear friend/angel in my life, called to say that there was a bit of a problem. Chum's throne, which dominates the left side our living room, contains 4 open litter boxes because lately, he has not liked using the hooded ones. Well open air litter boxes = Wrigley's-snack-time-free-for-all. Turns out Wrigs got REALLY sick, so sick that our pet sitter was going to take him to Urgent Care. After talking to her and then freaking out because we were 5+hours away, Tom and I kept thinking about what possibly could have made him sick - there were 7 piles of pet messes in the living room alone. Then it dawned on me. I asked her how many dumps had she seen in Chum's boxes and she said none, just pee clumps. So there was the reason. Wrigs was quite sick on Saturday and Saturday night but started to improve on Sunday. She barricaded Chum's area with our kitchen bar stools to keep Wrigs out. And yes, he still tries to get in there. So welcome to our living room:

Now for some fun pics. This is in the little town of Whistler village. It's seriously Smurf village on crack and if you love to ski or don't love skiing, it's a really cute place to visit. My Dad lived in Vancouver for 2 years and my mom and I spent a summer up there and drove to Whistler in July to ski! There is year round skiing on the glacier which boggles my mind. I was only 16 at the time and didn't really appreciate/care about the beauty of the place and it was cold and dank and I just wanted to get away from my parents. So I'm glad I got a chance to go back and see it again with a different perspective.

Tom's been here before too (about 8 years ago) but he swears this time was MUCH MORE fun, especially watching me crawl down the mountain. Ok in my defense, we did actually ski together for almost 5 hours on Saturday, after my blue run melt down. I enjoyed skiing the top of the mountain better because the snow wasn't as slushy but as we started to come down it was so choppy and wet and I fell at least 10 times. And for some reason I tend to fall forward and after my 2nd face plant I realized I'm done with skiing. It's now 5 days later and I'm still sore. Anyway I digress, here's Tom enjoying a hot tea!

And we got this hot mess from an outdoor village vendor. It's called poutine and we added spicy jalapeno sausage to ours (way to test Canadian plumbing) and it was delicious. We also did like the natives and paired it with some Canadian Molson. Or is it Molson Canadian? I don't know. BUT- I do know that we beat the hotel system. How? Well we raided the hotel bar one night and drank 4 Molson's for $24. The next day we hit the liquor store and bought a case for $20 and put back the 4 and drank the rest! No dumb Americans here.

Oh and this was after a night of sushi/sake/Japanese whiskey. I felt the need to do a hand stand (first one on Canadian soil) and thankfully my painfully bruised right wrist - from slamming into another snow bank- same exact thing happened last year!- didn't give out.

Ok I LOVE this pic of Tom. It reminds me of a crazy author's photo (like Stephen King) in the back of a book jacket. But here Tom's just drinking tea and I like to call him the tea toteler when he drinks tea cause he doesn't like coffee.

Here are some mountain shots on the slopes:

Those are Tom's skis and this photo makes my stomach flip. Plus he skied down this hill with our not so small camera inside his ski jacket.

Just to get an idea of the elevation:

Yeah, I'm not a fan of skiing next to rocks and cliffs. These little orange dots aren't much help to me.

Pretty cool rock formations:

However, straight down drop if you keep skiing over the edge:

This pic makes me crap my pants. Tom skied double blacks (fell once) and also skied some moguls. This trip solidified the fact that I have NO desire to ever attempt such feats and if his dreams of doing such things together are now crushed well, then, he should've married Picabo Street.

Ok, it's cinco de Mayo and now I need to put a fire on.

Skiing in Whistler

well, sort of...

my friend Peter

Back in September our good friend Peter came out to Seattle for a visit. This was before I was diagnosed with my colon condition and I felt so bad because this was our last full day together and we had planned to spend it at a winery in Woodinville. Sadly, it didn't turn out that way. Peter has a great way of telling a story and he typed this up after his visit and even though months have passed, I want to share it on here.

He titled it, "Laura's Intestinal Adventures" by Peter.

"On my last trip to Seattle, Tom, Laura and I decided to do a special lunch outing, hiking about three or four miles to a restaurant known for it's fish and chips and outdoor patio, where we could keep Wrigley tied up and close to us while we ate. Wrigley got some exercise, we all got some good food, it was a beautiful sunny day - perfect outing. So far.

We started the walk back to the house, stopping at a garage sale along the way, Amy called to see how we were; we bought some weird insulin bottles from the yard sale - sounds weird, but they looked kind of artsy-craftsy. We continued on our way home, I was talking to Amy, when Tom and Laura, who were walking ahead of me, stopped. Suddenly Laura was down on the ground. I told Amy I had to go.

Laura was crying, saying her insides hurt. Tom was trying to be consoling, but also a bit frustrated with the situation. We were in a neighborhood with all single-family homes, well manicured lawns, without a place to obtain a little privacy. Which was bad, because Laura was having issue in the Number Two department.

"What would you like me to do Laura?" Tom asked. Laura didn't know... it was about another two or three miles to get home and get the car. Tom continued: "you should have used the bathroom before we left." "I tried Tom!" Laura said. "I can't just make it happen!" Wrigley was getting fidgety and things weren't looking good. But as luck would have it, there was a sign advertising an Open House on the cross street where we stopped, so this provided an opportunity for a desperate plan.

Tom had a friend who was looking for a house in the area, so that would provide a pretext for him to ask the realtor about the house, and for Laura to use the bathroom. We discussed the plan, it wasn't the best - they couldn't bring Wrigley, I would have to stay with him, and Tom was worried he would freak out. With no other obvious options, this was the plan we had to go with. Off Tom and Laura went to the house, about a quarter mile off, and I hung out with Wrigley.

Wrigley was mostly well-behaved, but a bit fidgety, occasionally he would look in the direction of Tom and Laura as they disappeared from view, and bark. I would say "Wrigley, stop being a baby!" and he would calm down. Tom and Laura were gone for about 25 minutes.

When they came back, we discussed what our next plans would be - Tom was going to go for the car, I would wait with Laura. Tom took Wrigley and left, and Laura started to have digestive problems again.

I suggested that we walk back to the open house. Laura walked beside me, in small, brisk steps, as if she were squeezing her thighs together. We got up to the house - there was some mint-condition vintage automobile under a canopy. We stepped into the house, and there was a waterfall set into the wall, with mosaic tiling, nice carpeting, and a sweeping staircase leading upstairs, where you could hear the realtor discussing the house with a couple.... this was a house for rich people. Laura bolted into the bathroom, then came out after about five minutes. We went out onto the driveway and hung out for a few minutes, then Laura bolted back into the bathroom, keeping her thighs squeezed together. This process repeated itself several times. At one point I was just waiting on the driveway, when the couple came out. They put on the shoes they had left at the bottom of the stairs and left. Laura was taking some time in the bathroom. I could hear the realtor walking around upstairs, so I figured I should make our presence known.

I walked upstairs, the realtor said hello. I said "Do you remember the couple that was here before? There was a guy in a baseball cap checking out the house?" He did. "Well, his wife is feeling... kind of sick. She's in the downstairs bathroom. I just wanted to let you know she's here. She's kind of embarrassed. Sorry to impose on you... we're just waiting for her husband to come back with the car." The realtor was incredibly nice and understanding and said not to worry about it; what a relief! Laura came out, we hung out outside, and Tom came with the car.

Obviously the rest of the day was spent indoors."

Tuxes & Tails

This weekend, I was thrilled to be a part of Seattle Humane Society's annual fundraiser, Tuxes & Tails. I got to experience this event both as a volunteer as well as a guest for the gala and it was incredible. Over $665,000 was raised in just a matter of hours. So many people with big hearts, wanting to help the animals as well as families who have difficulty caring for their animals. It makes you feel pretty good inside to know there are so many people who care. It was also the first time since moving to Seattle that I actually wore a dress, and that felt pretty good too!

Here are some pics from the Animal Fashion Show:





And here's a pic of me and Tom posing under the "Catsino Royale" sign. Looks like Prom night:



Here's a shot of some of our table attendees - the 2 gentlemen in the middle are our dear friends Mike and Gary. We met them shortly after moving to Seattle through our friends David and Mark in LA (Karyn's Mark):



Gary's tie matched the back of my dress so we had to snap a pic together, even though it's kind of hard to see the details of the dress, which was embroidered with pretty pink roses:



I'd also like to thank my friends at Fresh Wave for supplying the most fantastic auction baskets for the event. I started working with Fresh Wave back in 2003 when they launched their consumer line and now here we are 7 years later still going strong!


Good people and a great cause, all rolled into one.

More momisms

Last week I flew to Chicago to surprise my mom. My sister arrived about 2 hours before my flight was due to land. She flew in from Orange County, into Milwaukee because Southwest doesn't fly to O'hare. Our "scheme" was once she landed she told my mom that one of her bags accidentally got sent to O'hare, where I would be waiting. My mom (who spent years in the travel industry) said, "That's odd! Southwest doesn't fly to O'hare!" My sister said she didn't understand it either but that they needed to drive down to get her bag. Someone would be standing outside holding a sign with her name on it and that someone would be me. As they pulled up to the curb, I held up the sign, covering my face at first and when my mom opened the passenger door she started to say, "Oh, you look so much like...", then she realized it was me and lost it. FULL ON TEARS, then she sat back down in her seat for a few moments, speechless. It was one of the best surprises we've ever pulled off.

We celebrated my mom's 75th birthday and also were there for her cataract surgery. I was able to see Tom's Dad who is still hospitalized (sadly now back in ICU) but overall it was a very productive visit with family.

So here are the momisms from my visit:

-The morning of my mom's eye surgery we took a shuttle van from the hotel to the hospital and as my mom was about to disembark the van she asked the driver if he had a catapult. We think she meant catwalk but not quite sure.

-While filling out the paperwork for her surgery she said "I want to check the box that says do not necessitate."

-After her surgery, the nurse asked her how she was feeling and she kept saying, "I just feel like...punk."

-On the way home from the hospital she was a little out of it in the backseat and out of the blue she says, "I really need to get home so I can make you girls a sandwich!"

-While visiting an open house in her neighborhood she tells the realtor, "I have a friend who will be downloading, so she needs a smaller place."

-She asks me and my sister, "Have you guys seen the movie The Broad Side?" (we both say "No" knowing she meant the Blind Side.)

-Before making a phone call on her home phone she pretended to hit the buttons really fast while squinting into the phone. Then she says, "See? I'm teching, just like you guys do." (she meant texting)

-One morning it was pretty chilly and my mom had on a light weight jacket. I asked if the jacket was warm enough and she said, "Oh yes. And it breaks wind."

-At her follow up eye appointment she told the doctor when she can't see someone's face that well she has to look at them geeky.

I love my mom.

Banana toy stand off (AGAIN)

Earlier today Chum was playing quietly with his banana toy. It was so sweet, he would toss it up in the air then pounce on it and roll over with it in his front paws while kicking it with his back paws. Then out of nowhere, Wrigs enters the picture and swipes it right out of his mitts. Chum was NOT happy about that but instead of going after Wrigs, he took it out on me. Wrigley was following behind, gloating, with the banana hanging out of his mouth.



Here they are side glancing at each other to see who will get the banana.



And when Chum is really worked up, he'll howl/bellow/moan throughout the house.



I finally had to hide the banana in the pantry because the two of them can't handle being in the same room with it.

never realized...

how much I missed Chicago 'til I moved to Seattle.

Ain't life funny???

Anyway, longer post to come about my trip to surprise my mom for her 75th birthday as well as a SLEW of momisms.

I need to be better about updating on here. So much to say, so little time.

Slew of Momisms

Last week I flew to Chicago to surprise my mom. My sister arrived about 2 hours before my flight was due to land. She flew in from Orange County, into Milwaukee because Southwest doesn't fly to O'hare. Our "scheme" was once she landed she told my mom that one of her bags accidentally got sent to O'hare, where I would be waiting. My mom (who spent years in the travel industry) said, "That's odd! Southwest doesn't fly to O'hare!" My sister said she didn't understand it either but that they needed to drive down to get her bag. Someone would be standing outside holding a sign with her name on it and that someone would be me. As they pulled up to the curb, I held up the sign, covering my face at first and when my mom opened the passenger door she started to say, "Oh, you look so much like...", then she realized it was me and lost it. FULL ON TEARS, then she sat back down in her seat for a few moments, speechless. It was one of the best surprises we've ever pulled off.

We celebrated my mom's 75th birthday and also were there for her cataract surgery. I was able to see Tom's Dad who is back in the hospital (sadly now back in ICU) but overall it was a very productive visit with family.

So here are the momisms from my visit.

-The morning of my mom's eye surgery we took a shuttle van from the hotel to the hospital and as my mom was about to disembark the van she asked the driver if he had a catapult. We think she meant catwalk but not quite sure.

-While filling out the paperwork for her surgery she said "I want to check the box that says do not necessitate."

-After her surgery, the nurse asked her how she was feeling and she kept saying, "I just feel like...punk."

-On the way home from the hospital she was a little out of it in the backseat and out of the blue she says, "I really need to get home so I can make you girls a sandwich!"

-While visiting an open house in her neighborhood she tells the realtor, "I have a friend who will be downloading, so she needs a smaller place."

-She asks me and my sister, "Have you guys seen the movie The Broad Side?" (we both say "No" knowing she meant the Blind Side.)

-Before making a phone call on her home phone she pretended to hit the buttons really fast while squinting into the phone. Then she says, "See? I'm teching, just like you guys do." (she meant texting)

-One morning it was pretty chilly and my mom had on a light weight jacket. I asked if the jacket was warm enough and she said, "Oh yes. And it breaks wind."

-At her follow up eye appointment she told the doctor when she can't see someone's face that well she has to look at them geeky.

our Sunday night

folding laundry...
eating cheese...
watching the masters (muted)...
listening to Lady Antebellum...
wearing rain boots...
drinking french champagne...
animals staring, waiting for a morsel...

this is our Sunday night.

It's starting again...

Look what Wrigley got in the mail today:


At least he's not like Chumley where he books a ticket and flees town for a week. I'm proud of him for bringing this to my attention (he's such an honest soul) but I'm afraid Bev is up to her old tricks again. Chumley received an anonymous lobster gram last week but now methinks I know the culprit.

our house, the brothel

When I come home, the animals always run to the door to greet me and before I step inside I'll greet them with an enthusiastic, "HEY THERE GANG!" or "HIIIII GUYS!" or like I did today, "HEYYYYY LOVERS!"

But what I didn't realize was that my neighbor was in his driveway, just a few feet away. He said Hi, I said Hi and went inside and now he probably thinks we're running some sort of sex ring out of the home.

It's almost 5:00

and still no sign of the blasted ADT man! Anyway since I can't do much of anything but stew in my own impatience I'll post some photos from last week.

My friend Michael came to visit me from California. It was so great to see him and it came at a really good time. I had a rather bizarre situation occur in the week preceding his visit (it was like being in an episode of the Twilight Zone because somehow, I got dragged into a really f*cked up situation by trying to help a friend) which led to my safety being threatened. Needless to say I have NEVER been a fan of hand guns nor have I ever wanted them in my home but when you feel, or rather are TOLD you are in danger, you will do anything to protect yourself and your family.

But I digress, it was great to see my friend especially when I needed a lift.

The sun came out on his second day here so we drank champagne and praised the sun Gods (even though it was about 40 degrees):


Then we went to Pike's Market in disguise and pretended to be foreign:


And to top it all off we had our very own Snuggie Pub Crawl through town:


We'd announce "NAP TIME!" and have to put our heads down for a mandatory 5 minute nap in the bar. Yes, we are crazy, no, we were not even drunk, just off our meds that day. Good times.

I miss doing stuff like this. Harmless fun. But anyway...

Then Saturday night Tom and I and a big group went to see Michael Buble in concert and he puts on a PHENOMENAL show.


He's an excellent performer and his singing appears effortless. He was born to entertain.


It was funny because he would banter with the crowd and while he was doing his shtick this crazy fan at the foot of the stage kept jumping up and down screaming I LOVE YOU and just being overly obnoxious throughout the whole show. He finally looked at her and said in the middle of bantering, "At one point in my career, I'm certain you will kill me." It was really funny but I hope to GOD not true!!


This is the first time I've seen him live and I couldn't get over how much he looks like a younger Matt Dillon. Look at this pic. This is Buble, not Dillon. They could be twins.


Here's another pic I found. He kind of reminds me of Enrique in this pose. Que te parace?


OMG, it's 5:10 and STILL no sign of the ADT man!!!

waiting for the ADT man

update:
It's now 4:22 and still no sign of him!!! Heads are GONNA ROLL!

I've been waiting for the ADT man to get here for going on 2 hours cuz our alarm keeps beeping randomly and after 2 phone calls to supervisor/technical support, no one can figure out what the issue is. ADT man was scheduled to come out tomorrow but the thing was beeping every 2-3 minutes this morning, driving me and the animals BONKERS so I called back and begged to get him out here sooner. I was told no, earliest was tomorrow and I told them that I hope I'm still here this time tomorrow because the beeping is going to send me to the looney bin. The woman on the phone could hear it and she apologized and said it would drive her crazy too. About a half hour later I get a call back saying that one of their technicians called in sick but he is close by and can come over after 1:00 today. I said I don't want him to make a trip if he is sick and then she told me that he was planning on working this afternoon, he just took the morning off. So now, here I am waiting for him hoping to God whatever he has isn't contagious.

The beeping has stopped, of course, now that he is on his way but hopefully he can figure out what caused it and can prevent it from happening again. One technician told me to make it stop I should take the batteries out of the control panels and then disconnect the power to the main box. I said "Yes but doesn't that defeat the purpose of an alarm system?" And he responded with, "Well you wanted to know how to stop the beeping." Customer service at its finest I tell ya.

I hope the field tech has a better answer.

And so, I wait.

Did I mention the last time an ADT tech came out he was here for 5 hours? Hope this guy likes pork tenderloin.

Old Macdonald had a...

Every time I pass a McDonald's, the word "MACdonald" comes into my head. It's what my Grandmother (Baba) calls McDonald's, totally emphasizing the MAC and never making it plural.

When my parents would travel for baseball or vacations, Baba would come and stay with us and we got away with murder. I mean literally, we could have probably murdered someone and she would be like, "Oh that's ok honey, I'll clean it up." It was a serious party when she was in town and I took full advantage LOVED every minute of it.

I'd experiment with things in the kitchen, like trying to make gum from marshmallows, mint leaves and food coloring, almost setting the kitchen on fire, or climbing up on the roof, running around like a banshee and when she'd rush outside in a panic asking what I was doing up there, I'd tell her that I'm just picking up leaves so they don't stick to the skylights. Then she'd smile and tell me I was such a good little helper.

For dinner she would ask me what I wanted and since I was never really allowed to eat fast food I'd ask her if it was ok to have McDonald's. She would say, "MACdonald? Sure honey, you can have MACdonald." And off we'd go in the car. Sometimes we'd eat in the restaurant, sometimes we'd take it home. She would hand me the bag and I'd start eating the french fries in the car shoving them in by the fistfuls. She'd say, "SLOW DOWN HONEY." But I couldn't, this was such a special treat and it felt like I was in some sort of fast food trance.

Here we are some 25+ years later, and every time I see those arches, I hear Baba's voice and it makes me smile.

things I save

Chumley walked across my keyboard and then stood on it for a bit, while I was doing a google search. This is what popped up in the google window:

[;p54444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444m,899999999

It made me laugh so of course I had to cut and paste it on here for no other reason than to look back at this and laugh again one day. I love when he does stuff like this.

My mom

I just got off the phone with my mom. She was asking me if I remembered the name of this bakery in Chicago somewhere in my old neighborhood.

my mom: "Do you remember it? It was owned by two women, they made all sorts of squishy cakes (by squishy, she means fancy) for famous people all over Chicago and the world. It was near your old condo, it was girl's name I think. Don't you remember? You lived down the street from it."

me: "I don't really remember going to a bakery nearby our condo. What about it though?"

my mom: "I'm sure you know it. They've been on the food network, I think they are sisters. They do squishy wedding cakes."

me: "Not ringing a bell. What about it?"

my mom: "Oh I think it was on Belmont. Didn't you live off Belmont? If you haven't been there I know you've heard of it. They've been in a business a long time. They bake cakes that look like museums and historical landmarks too."

me: "I can't really recall off the top of my head. But what is the point of the story about this bakery???"

my mom: "It burned."

me: "Oh, that's sad."

So I had to google this and I find out the name of the bakery was "Cakegirls" and while it was off of Belmont, it was about 25 blocks away from where I used to live. My fault for not knowing everything within a 5 mile radius of my dwelling.

Here's the story in case anyone is interested.

4th time's a charm

Chum off Baytril.
2 days later, going downhill.
Pee and more pee everywhere.
Syringe some up, take to vet's.
Await results.
Kidneys not improving.
Vet prescribes Zeniquin.
Crap. Pill form only.
Pick up pills.
"Here, kitty kitty."
Bandage up my hand.
Take pills to pharmacy.
"PLEASE can you compound?"
YES!
Chicken flavor please.
No, not for me.
Hoping this works.

Apparently this drug is so potent that humans can't even get it on their skin. Can't help wonder what it's doing to Chum as I force it down his little throat.

:(

update: Guess I don't have to wonder what it's doing to Chum cuz he throws it up after 20 minutes. Poor guy.

Foot in mouth/cough drop in hair

This morning I went to the vet's office to pick up a new prescription for Chumley. Though he's eating, drinking and gaining weight, his labs came back and his kidneys are still in bad shape. We're trying a new form of antibiotic and will just go from there.

Anyway, while I was in the waiting area a woman walked in with a 4 month old golden retriever. Of course I have to get down on the ground and kiss this baby and I asked what his name was. She said Sebastian. I told her that I met him before! I said I met Sebastian while walking Wrigley and told her the name of the park. She said that she goes there with him and I said, "Well it wasn't you. It was an older woman. Does your mom walk him?" And that's when I said to myself, You...are...a...DUMB ASS!!

Her response?

"Nope, not my mom. She's my partner."

Woops.

I also had a cough drop stuck in my hair from the night before that would not come out.

Never go to bed with a cough drop in your mouth.

I'm going to bake a red velvet cake now.

in better news...

Chum is really packing on the pounds. He's almost back to his normal weight, before he got sick due to the fact that I was feeding him every couple of hours for about 4-5 days. Now he's down to about 4 feedings a day which reminds me, I need to get more cat food. We're running another urine test now and in a couple weeks we'll do more blood tests and depending on his levels we may start him on Calcitriol.

Anyway, here is a pic of our beefed up boy as well as some video taken just a few moments ago of him playing with his new favorite banana toy. Wrigs makes a cameo in the 2nd video.

Changes

Stability + my life = Non existent.

Fuck trying to make that happen.

'Tis ok. I've learned how to become a chameleon. Sometimes I'm a nice shade of lime green and other times...

a dark, disgusting shade of charcoal black.

Change is good right?

No, not always.

annoyed

I'm hormonal and annoyed, not a good combo - so while I'm in this state I'd like to vent about it and get it out of my system.

First, I hate when throngs of people not only hog an entire sidewalk but then just stop and stand there for no apparent reason whatsoever other than being utterly fecking annoying. (feck is my new f*ck) This happened multiple times today while running with Wrigs and will continue to happen more often now that it's starting to get warmer. So to avoid sidewalk slugs I run in the bike lane which is a royal cluster FECK because now I have to dodge ball the bikers, rollerbladers, skateboaders, and these random skate paddlers? I don't know what the hell you call them but they are everywhere and they stand on a skate board and paddle the ground using a long pole with a rubberized end. I tried to find some video of this atrocity but can't. Next time I'll take some video with my phone. LOSERS!

Then there's the people who obviously don't have dogs of their own but think your dog is solely for their (or their children's) entertainment. Seriously people? What is it about our look that SCREAMS "stop my dog while we're BOTH in a full on run, his leash clipped to my waist then watch as my head snaps back hitting my spine as I pinball it back to my dog who is now eating gold fish crackers off your kid's stroller tray???" I'm glad you think that's so cute because sure as shit it feels like I cracked a vertebrae in my neck thanks to you. Don't misunderstand, I LOVE stopping to chit chat with people when Wrigs and I are out for a leisurely stroll. But when I'm running full force, staring straight ahead, ear buds and all, I really don't think it's a good idea to jump in front of my dog and ask if your kids can pet him. And so I stand there, out of breath, fiddling with my i-pod strapped to my arm while you start talking nonsense but guess what? I can't hear a word you are saying so I just shout, "WHAT? WHAT?? WHAT???" until I'm able to shut down the music, thus ending my workout. And then your other kid starts screaming cuz my dog just swiped the bagel from her hand and you look at me like I have some heathen devil dog and I want to scream just as loud as your obnoxious kid WHAT DID YOU EXPECT!?!? HE'S A DOG and your kid was waving that bagel in front of his face like some sort of deranged hypnotist. I mean COME ON. I should be the one who is pissed off.

Actually, I am.

But I feel a little better.

Cats and Goldens

This is why I LOVE living with a cat and dog (especially a Golden).

You have to watch this video all the way through to the end. Believe me, it's worth it!

Gabriel & Stanley

What makes a marriage happy?

I'm about to retire my old computer and while purging files I found this piece I wrote for a women's wellness publication, over 2 years ago. Not sure if I'd change much now that I have 2 more years of marriage under my belt, so I'll go ahead and post it on here...


Maintenance for Marriage: It's a S.E.C.R.E.T. (January 2008)

My husband and I have been married for almost 10 years. For some married couples, it's a milestone they'll never hit, for others, just a drop in the bucket. And lately I find myself asking, "What makes a marriage happy?" Maybe that's normal protocol as any couple approaches the 10 year mark or maybe I just want to ensure that we'll at least try to maintain a level of happiness for the future. I guess this would also depend on one's interpretation of the word happy since there are varying degrees, starting with contentment all the way up to fulfilled vitality. Perhaps most people settle for contentment and never allow themselves to experience much more than that. But I truly believe living in a contented state will eventually lead to disappointment, resentment and ultimately, unhappiness. And if you experience just one of those in a marriage, things can start to spiral out of control, pretty fast.

We've read a lot of books on marriage just to make sure we're still on the right track, whatever track that is. Many books talk about communication and how "constructive communicating is the key to a happy marriage." While it does enable you to express your feelings openly and honestly it doesn't help much if your feelings are the cause for your unhappiness. You could be telling your spouse, "I'm not in love with you anymore" or your spouse could be saying to you, "You always put work first. You don't consider me a priority in your life" but yet because you are both communicating effectively that's supposed to solve your problems? It's not that simple. Then there are the books that talk about spontaneity and how it's natural after a certain amount of time for the marriage to become routine and subsequently taken for granted. These books offer suggestions and little pick me ups on how to bring back the spark, whether it's breaking bad habits, spicing things up in the bedroom or having more time alone, away from the kids. And while some of these methods may work in the short term, it's not a guarantee for a lifetime of bliss.

After almost a decade of marriage, I believe the secret to a happy marriage will not be found from reading words on a page or tearing through tissues behind the doors of therapy. So, with some input from my husband of course, I'll explore our own marriage and share some of the things that have worked for us. After all marriage is just that, work. Based on our life together and the direction we want to go here is what we believe is the SECRET to a happy marriage, whatever your definition of happy may be.

Share responsibility:
This one's simple, because not only is it measurable but it benefits each partner once the responsibilities are clearly defined and executed. Whether it's painting a bathroom, taking out the trash or maintaining the household finances, if one spouse is more adept and willing to take on a particular task, then let them. It's important to know what works for each individual and to ensure that the responsibilities are communicated and understood from the start. I used to get angry with my husband when he would load the dishwasher because he'd stack bowls right side up, plates would face the wrong way, glassware would touch, etc. After a few chipped glasses I finally decided that this should not be on his list of things to do. Now that I think of it, I wonder if he was doing it intentionally?? Regardless, he's in charge of all things outdoors and I'll stick to the dishes. We don't try to push each other towards those tasks that we either despise or aren't experts in the field. We each have a fair share of "to dos" in our day to day lives and we know what works for both of us and what doesn't. You'll never catch me mowing the lawn on Saturday just as he would prefer to stay away from cat box clean up.

Erase the fantasy:
This may be hard for some people (especially those who marry young) who have always had that fairy tale idea about marriage. I believe the wedding day can be every bit of that fairy tale, but if happily ever after is not grounded in reality there will be major disappointments and resentments down the line. Life happens no matter what so when bills pile up, work stresses mount, toilets break, kids get sick, no doubt this will effect the overall happiness of the marriage. If you're not able to accept the fact that marriage is not going to be a constant state of wedded bliss then you will be in for a huge let down. Be realistic with your expectations of marriage before you say I do. How you deal with the things life throws at you, together, is an indicator of how successful your marriage will be in the future.

Compromise is KEY:
In any relationship whether it's husband/wife, brother/sister, parent/child, there is always going to be compromise. No matter how much you love someone, there will be moments when you will feel differently about situations than your partner. It could be something simple, for example, where to take your next vacation or it may be something more significant such as deciding to go back to work or continuing to stay at home with the kids. You and your spouse aren't supposed to agree on every challenge that arises in a marriage but it is important to meet somewhere in the middle and find a level of compromise that you'll both be comfortable with. Otherwise one will feel slighted and may even use their feelings of having to sacrifice as a crutch down the line. Sacrifice can be a dangerous word in any relationship. It denotes a void of happiness by doing without something you desire and that's not how you want to view the choices you make in your marriage.

Rewards vs. Regrets:
Make sure your rewards outweigh your regrets. Whether it's personal, professional or marital it's unavoidable in life to not experience some level of regret. Sometimes regrets can weigh on us like a ton of bricks and cause us to doubt ourselves and some of the decisions we've made. And part of being married is accepting the fact that there are going to be regrets but along with regret, comes forgiveness and you have to be willing to forgive yourself or your spouse in order to move ahead. On the flipside we need to be able to recognize the rewards that marriage has to offer and ideally in a happy marriage, the rewards are significant and the regrets, minimal. But, they will be there from time to time and rather than dwell on them and live your life questioning your past, accept them, forgive and move on so you can continue to reap the many rewards that marriage has to offer.

Embrace your individuality:
While one of the benefits of marriage is sharing your life with someone, it's important not to lose sight of who you are as an individual and maintain a healthy level of independence. Remember the things that you used to do that made you happy before marriage and continue to do them (well, most of them). And it's ok to share some of these things with your spouse, if they derive the same amount of pleasure as you. I love to spend hours in a bookstore, just browsing the aisles and then finding a corner to sit and read my selections. This is torture for my husband and I wouldn't want him to suffer through the boredom so I continue to do this on my own. My husband LOVES to golf and could spend all day on the course every weekend. That's not a barrel of fun for me, but I know how happy this makes him so I want him to enjoy it whether or not I do. This often leads to compromise so he gets up extra early to play on the weekends, that way we still have the bulk of the day to spend together, doing things we both enjoy. And most importantly, stay young and have fun!

Treat each other with respect:
Sometimes I feel this is one of the most important virtues, and not just in marriage but in life. When you respect each other on a day to day basis it's hard to take one another for granted. Understandably there are going to be times when we might say or do something that is not coming from a place of love, especially in the heat of an argument, but it's important to choose words and behaviors that are not critically damaging. Personal attacks on character demeans your spouse which can cause a great deal of hurt and it's true, sometimes we treat strangers better than the ones we love the most. Love your spouse, respect them for who they are and remember what brought you both together in the first place and keep that in mind the next time you feel like saying something you might regret. Or just count to 10, sometimes that works too.

WAY too much TMI...

...but like that's ever stopped me before.

Don't you hate when it's that time of the month and you run out of EVERYTHING so your cart is filled with Super Tamps, panty liners, nighttime wings, feminine wipes (aka "peach wipes" in this house) maximum strength Midol, menstrual cramp heat therapy patches and 6 pounds of chocolate???

Oh and toss in 2 bottles of buy one get one free Tums, a jumbo pack of triple ply, extra soft toilet paper AND a plunger?!? Then watch as the checker tries to keep a straight face while ringing it all up. And you just stand there smiling innocently while the people behind you in line look you up and down like some sort of side show freak. Rule of thumb, always go to a female checker. Always.

When Tom sees the heavy artillery stacked up on the bathroom counter he starts to sing a little song. It's the same thing every month, for the last 12 years but yet, as hard as I try not to laugh, I can't help it. He claims the pads look like surf boards so he'll start to sing (to the tune of Surfin' Safari), "Let's go surfin' now, everybody's bleeding now, come and take a ride with meeeeeeee!" I tell him the last part makes no sense but he says it does because I'm the one "riding the surfboard" when I...you know, place it in its place.

Anyway.

Surf's up.

going bananas

So the good news is that Chum is definitely getting his appetite back. 2 nights ago he woke us up at 2:40 in the morning HOWLING for food. Then last night at around 3am, he was running around our bedroom, tossing his banana catnip toy (thank you Karen!) high in the air, then pouncing on it.

Tonight at dinner I asked Tom, "Did you hear Chumley playing with his banana toy last night??"

Tom says, "No. But I did hear, 'Tom! Tom! Guess what? Chumley's playing with his banana toy!'"

Then he asked that I please wait until the sun rises before sharing news such as this.

The thing is, I have no memory whatsoever of intentionally trying to wake him.

Seriously, I was still asleep.

(Wrigs is a big fan of the banana toy too.)

random fact: When Tom starts snoring, I make these annoying tongue click noises that cause Tom to shoot upright in bed, look over at me all freaked out and then say, "What was that?!?"

And then I tell him I didn't hear anything.

This happens about 14 times a night.

How do you pray?

As I mentioned earlier Tom and I have a few loved ones who are ill and for some, things are not looking so good.

We were talking about their circumstances and options and I asked him if we could pray together. He thought that was a good idea. We folded our hands and closed our eyes.

He starts out with "Our Father, who art in heaven..."

My eye pops open, "What are you doing?"

"Praying."

"But you're just saying the Our Father."

"Yes, it's a prayer."

"But how is God going to know who you're praying for?"

"I'm thinking about the person while I'm saying the prayer."

"That's interesting."

"Ok Pope John Paul, how do YOU pray?"

"Well first, I tell God the person's name and where they are, and what their situation is."

"Uh, Laura? Don't you think he already knows that???"

"Yes Tom. I'm sure he does, but I like to give a quick overview so he knows exactly who I'm praying for. It's a big world."

"Go on."

"After I give a brief bio, I talk to him about the person and tell him how good/loving/caring/, whatever their qualities are, and give him a human perspective of this person's life on earth."

"Again don't you think he knows that too?"

"Of course. But that's from HIS perspective. He doesn't judge, he loves everyone. So I just want him to know that we love them too and would like them to continue to stay here on earth, with us, if they are able to heal."

"And if they're not able to heal?"

"Well then God is the only one who can take away their suffering. That's why I don't feel comfortable asking or begging him to PLEASE keep them here with us, if it means a lifetime of suffering for them. That's selfish. Look at it this way, either they are going to suffer as they live out their life on earth, or we are going to suffer their loss when they leave us to live in peace*. No matter what, someone always suffers."

"That's true. So do you want to start the prayer?"

"Ok. Give me your hands." (deep breath, helps me focus) "Hey God, it's me again-"

(Tom interrupts) "Hey God??"

"Oh he's fine with that."

"If you say so."

We held hands and continued to pray together. At Tom's suggestion we ended with an Our Father because he felt that sort of wraps up the prayer session and ties everything together.

Amen.

*foot note: I've never been comfortable with the phrase, "rest in peace." Our soul lives on when we leave this earth so I feel
that saying "live in peace" is more appropriate. And I HATE the abbreviation of R.I.P. It seems insincere and rushed. And it reminds me of a cartoon tombstone.

4 years ago...

I retired all of my black pants and invested in an industrial strength vacuum.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Happy Birthday Big GUY!!


Wrigs kept tossing and turning in his sleep last night, which was extremely annoying since he sleeps between me and Tom. I think he's struggling with turning another year older because this morning he woke up and asked me if he could get Bow-tox.

I know that was really lame, I apologize. Ok now he's telling me to get off the computer and make him some pup tarts so I gotta run. He's quite the demanding birthday boy!

Skinny Lil' Chum wishes Wrigs a Happy Birthday too.


p.s. Chumley's birthday gift to Wrigley was a big stinky poo! This is the best gift ever because after a few days on his stool softener, things are finally starting to move!!! Time to party!

Facebook tourette's

Ok you know how in Facebook there's the game, Farmville, that SO many people are addicted to?

Well you get all these updates from people feeding their chickens, growing flowers, selling their sheep, etc. etc. etc.

So today on my news feed it says next to one of my friend's names:

"(Friend who I won't name) is looking for something in Farmville!"

and my first impulse was to write this in the comment box:

"would that be...a life???"

But then I just couldn't click the button to post it. What is it about this game that people love so much? And these are not people who are sitting around all day on their asses, these are intelligent, hard working, people (many of whom are at work while playing this game.) I wonder if I'd get sucked into it as well. Maybe I'll start with Mafia Wars and find out.

A Momism

This is courtesy of my sister Beth, via her facebook update:

"My mom called me after a very hectic day and asked me what I was doing. I said that I just sat down to decompress for a few minutes before I start dinner. We talked for a few minutes and then she said 'well I will let you go so you can go decompose.' "

you know how...

sometimes food smells like shit but people will say, "oh don't let the smell bother you, it still tastes really good"

Well guess what, it usually still tastes like shit. Although one exception to this rule is Trader Joe's chicken lasagna. It smells like baby diarrhea but tastes surprisingly good.

update on Chum

He's off the IV fluids, but still on antibiotics, is eating cat food again but hasn't had a normal bowel movement in 10 days. His only output has been 2 hard little nuggets about half the size of my thumb. So now he's on a stool softener, twice a day and he needs to eat small meals every 2 hours until his bowels are regulated. I am blessed to have the flexibility to stay at home to get him healthy again. If I worked outside the home, most likely Chum would be in a worse situation. Not to say I'm a fricking miracle worker or anything, I'm just very grateful for the flexibility I have in my work and volunteer schedule. Chum is requiring a LOT of care but as long as he shows signs of improvement, we'll continue to do everything we can.

So I fed Chum the second round of his stool softener which gets mixed into his food. He ate a couple bites then walked away and before I could scoop in and grab the dish, Wrigs had already gobbled up the rest of it. "Poo Watch 2010" has officially begun for both of them. Wrig's tummy is making gurgling sounds and I am wondering if I should fashion a diaper out of a Shamwow and tie it to his bottom.

One big sign of improvement is that Chum is starting to jump up on the bed again and actually cuddle a little bit. Problem is, Wrigs gets REALLY jealous and has to insert himself into Chumley time. Here he keeps trying to touch Chum on the back so I had to hold his paw. And yes, I blurred myself out of this pic because I wasn't feeling too hot that day so I spared you all some gore.



Here are a few videos taken over the last few weeks. The first one is dark because Chum was inside his "hole" eating some baby food. Listen closely to the "num num nums."

And you'll note in the other 2 videos when Chum is about to throw up, how he'll rush over to the throw rugs. I've learned to keep a few old magazines handy and when I hear his guttural heaves I'll rip a few pages of the magazine and quickly shove them under him. And if you decide to use this trick at home yourself, just make sure to get your hands out of the way. I never knew cat vomit was so warm.

marital annoyances

Anyone who's been married a while will probably relate to this post in some way or the other. One of the things that Tom does that drives me INSANE is when he can't find something, say, his wallet, or keys or most recently, his wedding ring, instead of asking me if I've seen said objects he'll say, "Where did YOU put my [whatever it is he is looking for]???

It makes me crazy.

So the other day, he couldn't find his wedding ring. It was actually his old wedding ring because this Valentine's day I decided to get him a new band. His original one was in bad shape and honestly, it just wasn't something that suited him. I thought at the time (12 years ago) that it was perfect but after knowing him now so much better, it just isn't him. But, he loves the ring and obviously wants to keep it forever. I drove him into the office this particular day and as he's getting out of the car he says, "I don't know where YOU put my wedding ring, but can you please find it? Thanks. Love you." He didn't even give me a chance to erupt because he was out the door so fast, heading into his office.

The whole way home I stewed about this and was going to have a heart to heart with him and finally put an end to these accusations that I'm always moving his stuff around. Oh and he won't just do this with household things, he'll do it with tools, golf stuff, just totally random objects that only HE touches. But first, I was determined to find his ring. I didn't have to look long because the first place I checked which was his area of the closet, there it was, stacked behind some jeans on top of his box of cufflinks/tie tacks which obviously I did not put there.

So I sent him a text that said, "I found your ring. YOU put it in YOUR closet. YOU'RE welcome."

He writes back "Thanks."

Still annoyed.

The other day I was out putzing in the yard and decided to do some gardening. It was sunny and warm so I wanted to plant some flowers and weed. Tom was golfing and I rarely call him while he's on the course but I wanted to get started but couldn't find my bucket of garden gear (that he obviously put somewhere). So I called his cell and surprisingly he answered (in a whisper because God forbid he disrupt his cronie's concentration) but instead of asking him, "What did YOU do with my garden tools? " I politely inquired, "Do you know where my bucket of garden tools might be?" He sighed a couple times, which meant he was thinking and then he said, "Why didn't you ask me this last night? I'm busy right now and need to focus."

Silly me, I should have known to ask about gardening when it's 40 degrees and rainy, 10 o'clock the night before.

I said "Forget it." and hung up then TORE apart his tool closet looking for that damn bucket. I finally found it.

When he came home he saw me sitting in a pile of dirt, whacking away at weeds and said, "Oh good you found it."

I told him I'll be sure and ask him today, all the things I'll need answered tomorrow so he has plenty of time to think about it.

Ridiculous.

A poem from Bette

I'd like to share a poem written by Bette, (pronounced Betty) a student turned friend, from my creative writing class.

OLD GUYS

There are lots of us out there
Off the charts, out of the loop
Too old to be counted anywhere
Surprise! We're quite a group!

Most of us have our marbles,
Most of us drive and are well.
We read and speak, don't garble
Most of us don't need what they sell.

TV appeals to Baby Boomers
Not to their ancient folks.
You just listen to the rumors.
We know, we've heard their jokes.

The ads forget us after 70
The charts don't go that high.
We'll start our own assembly
Only 80+ need apply.

Bette fell and broke her leg, completely severed the femur in two. She was in her garage when this happened and lay helpless for over 2 hours in excruciating pain, almost to the point of passing out. She realized she had to do something and crawled to grab a long pole (some sort of weeding tool) and then crawled to grab a bamboo stick and fastened the 2 together so she could reach the button to open the garage door. She yelled for almost another hour until her neighbor heard her screams and called 911. She had surgery and is now recovering in the hospital. I spent some time with her yesterday and even though she was medicated and exhausted, she still wanted to talk about writing and poetry. She shared a few poems with me, I made copies of them and wanted to post this one on here. She's one of the most inspiring people I have ever met and I am learning so much from her.

Based on her inventive way of opening the garage door, I nicknamed her MacGyver and she loves it. Her son and daughter in law came by while I was still visiting and she proudly told them her new name and they got quite a kick out of it too. She used to love the TV show and what's funny is so did my Grandmother! My Grandma also loved Simon & Simon and if you happened to be on the phone with her when that show started she'd say, "Oh honey I've got to go. My boys are here!" (meaning they are on the television in her living room.)

Now that I think about it, I bet she had a crush on them.

the last couple days...

Two dear friends here in Seattle have taken ill, both in hospital.

Tom's Dad (who was recovering in rehab after his stroke) was rushed back to the hospital yesterday. Complications with diabetes.

The father of my best friend Frank (Chitown's cousin) is also in the hospital with a very serious condition.

Praying for miracles right now.

Iced Green Tea Lattes

Here is a GREAT recipe for Iced Green Tea Lattes. You can order the matcha powder online or check with your local coffee/tea shops. Some speciality shops carry it.

1/2 teaspoon matcha green tea powder
2 ounces hot water (but not boiling)
2 teaspoons sugar (or artificial sweetener)
4-5 ounces milk
Lots of ice cubes

Mix 1/2 tsp green tea powder in 2 ounces of hot water in a bowl. Stir with a whisk until completely dissolved.

Stir in 2 teaspoons of sugar or sugar substitute (can adjust to taste).

Add in 4-5 ounces of milk and stir.

You can also add a teaspoon of your favorite flavor syrup. If you liked Starbuck's Iced Green Tea Lattes, they used a melon flavor syrup (which has now been discontinued) but that is the flavor that gave their lattes a unique taste. There's even petition on facebook to bring back the melon syrup.

Personally, I think it's a bit too sweet with the syrup, the sugar alone is sweet enough.

ENJOY!!

wrigs and chum

I'm wearing...

A purple shirt, orange pants and blue and red slippers.

Reminds me of this clip.