Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

We arrived in Halifax about 9am, or so. We didn't plan any excursion at this stop because we were hoping to connect with my Uncle Carl (my Mom's brother) and his wife Roxanne, who live in Dartmouth, about 15 minutes away.

This little tugboat pictured here, named Theodore Too, rushed out to greet our ship as we pulled into the harbor and sort of escorted us to our pier. I learned later in the gift shop that there are children's books about this little tugboat.

We all ate our usual breakfast in the Garden Cafe. Back in the cabin, I showered first so I could quickly make my way off the gangway and down into the big gift shop/customer service area at the pier to find a phone from which I could call Uncle Carl.

We made arrangements for Carl and Roxanne to pick us up around noon and we all had lunch together. They had to get to the airport by 2pm to pick up Roxanne's parents, so we did some quick catching up while we ate. They drove us up to the highest point in Halifax, so we could enjoy the view and it was within walking distance back to the ship, so we could get back on our own.

We took about an hour to walk leisurely down the hill, through downtown Halifax, and along the boardwalk, down to pier 21 where our ship was docked. It was rather warm and Katie was fading so of course, an ice cream cone was necessary to refresh her enough to make it the rest of the way! It was a nice way to get our exercise for the day.

When we returned to the ship, we headed straight for the kiddie pool. This might not sound all that attractive for the parents, but on this day it wasn't crowded at all, so it was actually enjoyable!


After dinner, we took Katie to the playroom while we went to a game show hosted by Ross Mathews (aka Ross the Intern from the Tonight Show with Jay Leno). It was a family-friendly game show starring kids and parents who competed to see who knew their family the best. It was cute. All throughout the cruise, we saw Ross frequently, but never did introduce ourselves. Plenty of people did approach him though and he was friendly to everyone. Nice guy.

We then went to the late show which was more stand-up comedy from Julie Goldman. Funny, funny, funny.

St. John's, New Brunswick, Canada

We were awakened this morning by the frightenly upbeat announcement from our British cruise director, Simon, that we had docked at our first port of call ~ St. John's, New Brunswick, Canada. We had until 4:30pm to explore the area before it was necessary to return to the ship.

At every port of call, there are on-shore excursions available, but we decided against it. With Katie at this age, it's difficult to find something that wouldn't completely bore her. And if Katie's not happy, nobody around her is happy! Sorry to say, but that's how it goes. We could have left her onboard in the playroom (for an extra fee, of course!), but we just decided not to do that either. We wanted to take it easy and explore as little or as much as we felt like, without having to worry about schedules or other such details.

We did manage to make it to shore though and walked around the part of town within walking distance of our pier. It was nothing much very exciting, but gave us a chance to buy some cheap, generic zyrtec (not available in the US!) and more diet coke.





Back on the boat, the show tonight was a hilarious comedy show, featuring two comedians: Julie Goldman and Jessica Kirson. I haven't laughed that hard in a long, long time. I thought I would pee my pants!

Oh, and we also attended a Youth Panel on the ship, hosted by the Family Equality Council. It consisted of a panel of teens sharing their experience being raised by gay or lesbian parents. These kids were very brave to speak so candidly to a full house. I don't think there was a single empty seat there.

At Sea

The whole day today was spent at sea. Our first port of call will be tomorrow.

First thing today after eating a buffet breakfast in the Garden Cafe, we checked Katie in at the playroom. Her favorite thing. And I'm glad about that so I don't feel guilty putting her in there so much!

Today we actually went to the fitness room and worked out! I did 25 minutes on the eliptical and I think Regina did about the same.

At 11am we went to a polital panel about Relationship Recognition and the State of our Movement. It was hosted by the Family Equality Council and offered a political update on the GLBT marriage movement. One of the speakers on the panel was the woman whose partner suffered a fatal stroke the day before they were to leave on the R Family cruise out of Miami in February last year. They were very clearly discriminated against by the hospital staff because of sexual orientation. Right up front, a hospital representative announced to the patient's partner and their kids that Florida is NOT a gay-friendly state and that they would not be allowed to see the patient because they are not considered to be her family. I'm happy to say they are suing.

The show tonight was Sheena Easton. Remember her? I know, she's no longer a big name entertainer. But, I remember her from my teenage years when she was a huge star. It was an entertaining stroll down memory lane.

All Aboard!

All three of us slept in the same bed last night. Even though it was a king size bed, Regina and I still got kicked, jabbed and pushed to the edge of the bed as Katie did gymnastics in her sleep. Even so, we all woke up excited for our first day on the boat.

We decided to eat breakfast items we had brought with us, rather than going out. I showered first and after I was all ready to go, I wandered down the street to a little deli/market/whatever-you-call-it and bought numerous bottles of diet coke for Regina to enjoy on the cruise. On the boat, soda doesn't flow freely, but rather, it is about $2 per can. As we all know, Regina loves her diet coke, so it was cheaper to buy it off the boat and bring it on with us.

Unfortunately, I felt a migraine coming on as the day progressed. I had one yesterday too, probably due to the lack of sleep the night before, but imitrex did the trick. I felt good by the end of the day yesterday and I even felt pretty good this morning. Even so, by the time we got to our cabin, I had an awful migraine. I took an imitrex and crawled into bed. I slept for somewhere between 2 and 3 hours and woke up feeling pretty good, although groggy and was able to go to the show with Regina. Katie went to the playroom while we enjoyed the show.

Vacation ~ Day 1 ~ Travel

After only 4 hours of sleep last night, we somehow managed to get out of bed at 4am and were actually ready for a 5:30am ride to the airport. Our non-stop American flight from Seattle to JFK left on time and got us there as scheduled. We were all tired and managed to pass some of the time in the air by sleeping.

After waiting forever for our bags, we were finally in a taxi to our hotel. We stayed at the Doubletree on Times Square. Our room overlooked the square. Awesome!

We went to dinner at Langan's Bar and Restaurant in NYC just down the street from our hotel. Dinner was yummy and we were refreshed after our long flight enough to wander down the street to explore the huge, three-story Toys R Us. It has a ferris wheel in the middle of the store, that stands the full three stories tall. Of course, we took a ride. Katie was all grins and giggles.

On our way back to the room, we contemplated visiting the M&M store, but decided we were wiped out and really just needed to get to sleep...

Almost Ready for Vacation!

We are so excited about going on our two week vacation (first week on a cruise to Canada out of NYC) and the second week seeing family in Virginia! Katie is more excited about seeing her "cousins" (she is grouping cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents into it all) that she doesn't really want to go on the cruise!

I should have tried to pack earlier in the week but it has been so hot that I can't seem to do much when I get home. Today it cooled off so I can easily pack... but that has been exhausting! I over packed the first go around and now I think I have it just right. If it is cold in Canada I will just need to buy clothes! I haven't gotten much sun this summer so I need to get a tan so I don't look too goofy.

I am off to Seattle tomorrow and then we leave early Saturday morning. Look out NYC, here we come! Hey cousins - see you in two weeks!

Foster Kitten Update

Max (10 weeks old) and his Mom.

Sparkle (about 12 weeks old)

Sparkle's sister

Sparkle's other sister

Since we're going on vacation for two weeks, I'll be taking all the kitties back to the shelter on Thursday. I sure do hate to take them back before they are ready to adopt, but I don't really have a choice.

If you live in the Seattle area and are interested in being a foster family, give 'em a call. They need more foster homes!

Captain Katie

The pictures below really came out nice. It was a great day to be out -- not too sunny, not too cold -- and we had a great time. Just as we approached Bill Gates' home, Katie wanted to go up top. She quickly noticed the Captain and wanted to say hi. She walked up to the open door and proudly said hi. They chatted for a few minutes and she returned with the biggest smile. A few minutes later, she came to me and said that we should go see the Captain as she was worried the Captain would be lonely if we didn't go see her.

We both walked up and introduced ourselves to Captain Karen. Within a few seconds, Captain Karen asked Katie if she wanted to drive. Katie couldn't get in the drivers seat quickly enough! She had the biggest grin on her face and drove the boat across the lake and under the 520 bridge - about 20 to 30 minutes! As the Captain explained things, Katie listened and asked questions. When Katie asked how she drove when it was dark outside, the Captain explained how they used sonar and then pointed to the machine. Of course, Katie wanted it on so she turned it on. We saw the shore, the bridge and all the boats. I think I liked that part better than Katie did -- but she was the smart one that asked to turn it on!

During "her turn at Captain," she also talked with another Captain as he called in to Captain Karen (he was in the boat behind us). Katie talked with him for a few minutes. Just as it was time to switch back to Captain Karen driving the boat, Suzie came up and snapped the picture.

During her "drive," Katie told me that she was now ready to drive the car. When I told her she wasn't big enough to reach the pedals -- she thought for a minute -- then said that I could do the pedals while she drove! I think I convienced her that she needed to wait a little bit!

Cruisin' on the Fourth

~ click on the image to enlarge ~

Curves ~ Weight and Measurement Update

Good News!
Since Jan 23, this is what I've lost:

7.25 inches

12.25 pounds

2% body fat

Yippee!

Rub With Love

Have you tried this? Got a huge tub of it at Costco, having never tried it before (risky, I know), and I'm happy to report that we love it! So far, we've had it on grilled salmon and tonight we're trying it on grilled chicken breasts.

Week #2 of Food Elimination Diet

The other day Katie told me she can take care of herself. So, I asked her if she can drive herself to school and she said, "Well, no." "And, can you cook your own dinner", I asked. She thought about it for a second and admitted, "No, I can't. But, Mom you have to help me to take care of myself!"

This is week #2 of my food elimination diet. I'm surprisingly satisfied with the foods that I can have. I was concerned that I'd spend a lot of energy fighting cravings for all the foods I can't have right now. That's a relief. So far, anyway.

Almost every day this past week, I woke up with a pounding headache. Some of them migraines. However, today I woke up feeling good and felt good all day! Wow, what a treat. Maybe it's the beginning of feeling better.

I messed up a few times during the first week when I unintentionally ate food on my elimination list because it was hidden and I either didn't read the label closely enough or forgot to read it at all! For instance, it never occurred to me that wheat would be in soy sauce! Or, canola oil in peanut butter! And, some companies put wheat in deli meat. Good grief. Even though I made a few mistakes that first week, I haven't made any this week, that I know of.

Just another 100 degree day!

I am in Portland this weekend and they were calling for great weather... it is sunny and 103 by my car thermometer! I just got back from getting a massage - it was really relaxing and a great way to get out of an apartment without air conditioning. Suzie did the same thing in Seattle and Katie is off with her favorie (okay only) sitter playing in the park.

I need to go into the office and finish the employee quarterly meeting presentation so perhaps I will do that tomorrow. For now, I am just relaxing and thinking about shopping this evening to get out of the heat and to pick up the last few things for vacation. I can't wait... we are headed to NYC for a night and then off to a Canadian cruise for a week. We then head to Virginia to visit with Mom and Dad as well as my sister and her family. Katie can't wait to see her cousins (I actually think she believes they are all her cousins - Aunts, Uncles and Grandparents!). She is so excited about the trip. It will be nice to spend two whole weeks with them.

It is starting to get a little hard being in two different cities. Work wants to help get all of us comfortably in Portland so they asked me to look around and see if I can find a house or something bigger to lease (they are paying for my corporate apartment but it is just too small for everyone). I started to check a few things out and will use my HR staff to see what they can find out. I would love more square footage, a garage and air conditioning!

Katie is done with dance and on to soccer. She loves it and has worn her soccer uniform almost every day since she got it a week ago. I looked all over and couldn't find anything close in the stores that resembled a soccer outfit (it would be nice to change clothes!) so I looked on the tag and ordered more matching set in six different colors. I am sure that everyone on the east coast will only see Katie in a soccer outfit! They get here on Wednesday. I don't think they will have the soccer ball on the front but they will all have her number (2) on the back.

Well... off to eat dinner. Enjoy the weekend.

Bonnie's Results...

She is reactive to the following 18 foods:

Almond, Amaranth, Barley, Kidney Bean, Cheese, Coconut, Egg, Cow's Milk, Goat's Milk, Mustard, Pork, Canola, Rye, Sesame, Spinach, Wheat, Baker's Yeast, Brewer's Yeast

*The red items are the ones she and I have in common.

Managing Food Sensitivities

Here's what I have to do... Eliminate all 26 foods on my list for 12 weeks. On the 13th week, begin adding one food item back into my diet, each week. If I experience no symptoms after adding that food, then I can keep it. However, it's important not to eat it every day because my body would likely develop a reaction again.

So, it's possible that I could end up adding all of those foods on my list back into my diet. But first, I have to get through the 12 weeks of abstinence.

Oh no! I think I've become a cat lady...

I dropped Katie off at preschool and drove from there to the shelter where I picked up 2 of Sparkle's 6 siblings. Since Sparkle and Max aren't getting along, and I didn't want to return Sparkle to the shelter, I thought this was the best way to go.

One of the new kittens was covered in poop, so the first thing I had to do was bathe him. So, I ran some warm, soapy water in the laundry room sink and dipped him in. He didn't like it so much, but didn't really fight me. That is, until I did the stupidest thing ever... I turned the faucet on so I could rinse him off with clean water. Well, the noise of the running water made him crazy. The claws came out and he twisted his little head around toward my hand and bit me hard. Even so, I managed to keep a hold of him, turned the water off and decided bathtime was officially over! Don't worry, he didn't get hurt. Can't say the same for myself, though!

I put the three kittens in a large cat playpen, with everything they need. Sparkle seemed to recognize her siblings and almost immediately she wanted to play. The two new ones were a bit on edge, not yet able to relax and play. Even now, it's been all day since their reunion and I don't think the two newbies are relaxed enough to enjoy themselves. Hopefully tomorrow they'll settle down enough to frolic together.

Every day for the next two weeks, I have to give each of the three kittens antibiotics. I was nervous about doing it tonight because they still see me as a threat. The claws came out, but if I grab the scruff of their neck, I can avoid getting hurt.

Hopefully it won't be too long before they purr when I pick them up!

The Results Are In...

The following 26 foods make up my list of

things that could be the cause of my chronic aches and pains:

almond, asparagus, brazil nut, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cashew nut, cauliflower, chili pepper, egg, eggplant, garlic, cow's milk, millet, mustard, onion, pineapple, sweet potato, white potato, canola, radish, tomato, wheat, yam, baker's yeast, brewer's yeast.

My doctor gave me a lot of information to read about how to go about elminating these foods and suggested I use the next week to figure it all out and wait until I'm comfortable with how to do it before I actually start.

My goal is to begin eliminating all these foods next Monday.

Yikes. It's not gonna be easy, but I'm willing to try it.

Cat Spat

Okay well, bringing home another foster kitten (Katie named her Sparkle) to play with our sole-survivor kitten (Katie and Regina named him Max) isn't quite working out as well as I had hoped it would. I've resorted to having them in separate rooms!

Yesterday and the day before, I had them all in the same room, but different crates at night. Because I knew the Momma cat wasn't thrilled about Sparkle, I left her in the big cage all day while the kittens were loose in the room, in hopes that they would begin to like each other and play. Well, anytime they would run into each other (We would try to lure them together with cat toys.), Sparkle hissed and growled. Immediately, Max would back off and run over to the cage where his Mom was, climbing the outside of it, trying to get inside with her. So, for most of yesterday, I had the Mom and Max in the big cage while Sparkle was loose in the room so she could play and run around.

Later in the afternoon yesterday, I had all three of them loose in the room. The Momma growled and hissed at Sparkle, but kept her distance. Finally she couldn't stand it anymore and she lunged at Sparkle. I was on the floor with them at the time, so I reached out to pull her back. Both cats emerged unharmed, but I got a claw in my thumb that drew blood. So, that's what has prompted me to separate them.

This morning when I picked up Sparkle to move her and all her stuff, she purred, for the first time! She's a sweet kitten, but maybe she's not the right choice for Max. I don't know. Anyway, I'm thinking about calling today to see if her sibling has recovered from a case of diahrrea yet and if so, I could bring him here too, to keep his sister company until they can all be adopted in a few weeks.

Finally, the sun came out!

Our foster kitten - 7 weeks old.New foster kitten. It's a girl!
One of our cats ~ Mater.

Lake Sammamish
Katie playing in the water this afternoon.

Katie, the soccer player. Practicing in the backyard
after we got back from Red Robin.

Where's the SUN???

Our weatherman sucks! I kept hearing over and over that we were to have clouds in the morning, giving way to sun in the afternoon, everyday starting on Wed ~ 3 days ago. Well, at least here at our house, that's NOT happening. The sun has made an appearance only a couple of times, for a few minutes each time. Oh well, at least it's not raining, right?!

Katie started soccer yesterday. I signed her up for an Arena Sports Lil Kickers class in Klahanie. I didn't take video of her first class like I planned. Ended up talking the whole time to another Mom there. Next week I'll get pictures.

I have another appointment with Dr. Nowicki, the naturopathic doctor I met with a couple of weeks ago, to discuss the results of my blood work. In particular, we will go over the list of foods on my "food sensitivity" results. I spoke to him briefly when I was in there with Bonnie this past week and he said he skimmed the results. He said I have around 26 foods that I'm sensitive to which could be causing some or all of my problems. I'll find out on Tues (6/17) what those foods are and what I need to do about it.

Yesterday we got another kitten, for our little sole survivor kitten to pal around with. So far, they are not getting along! Of course, the Momma is pissed. So, we're taking it very slowly.

Quinoa (Kee-nwah)

The other day I was browsing the bulk food section at PCC and came across a bin of quinoa. I'd heard about it from Dr. Oz on Oprah a while back, but never got around to looking for it. He raved about how nutritious it is and highly recommended it.

Today I had some for lunch and discovered that I like it. I mixed it up with black beans and cheese, like you would rice. In fact, you cook it like you do rice, and I imagine you can do all the same things with it that you would do with rice, and it's better for you. It's especially great for vegetarians because it is high in protein, compared to other grains like rice. Although I read that it's not technically a grain, but it's treated like one.

I fixed it again for dinner, but this time l wanted to see how it would turn out in the rice cooker. It came out perfectly cooked. I mixed it up with ham and asparagus, and a little soy sauce. Yummy!

Kung Fu Panda

over the weekend, we saw this movie.
we all enjoyed it.
it kept Katie's interest.
for the most part, anyway.
she giggled a lot.
but some of it was scary
to a four-year-old.
even so,
we all enjoyed it.

Rice Cooker and Warmer

I've been using this non-stop lately and I love it!
Mostly for white and brown rice or steel cut oatmeal.
It does a beautiful job, every time.

It's made by Zojirushi, model number NS-LAC05.

Check it out.

Hooked on LOST

I have finally succeeded in finding someone to watch all four seasons of LOST dvds with me, from the beginning! My sister Bonnie agreed to watch them with me! Hurray! She saw a little bit of it when it first aired, but not enough to feel compelled to watch it every week. We're about to watch the 2-episode finale of the first season and she's hooked! There is so much going on in this show that each episode I rewatch, brings up numerous things that I either forgot or just simply didn't catch when I watched it the first time. This is just too much fun!

Very Quick Update

Katie's favorite part of eating a cupcake...

the frosting, of course!

My sister, Bonnie, got here a week ago. It's been raining almost every day since she arrived, so we've not done much sight seeing. She's gonna be here for several weeks, so we might as well wait until nicer days to get out and about.

Regina came home this weekend and is still here for jury duty tomorrow. I made her an appointment with the naturopathic doctor I met with a couple of weeks to see if he can get to the bottom of her headaches too. I'm guessing she'll be doing the food allergy testing, too.

The momma cat is already weaning her kitten. He's almost 7 weeks old and she started weaning him at least 2 weeks ago, maybe 3. So, he's learning to take care of himself a little earlier than I expected he would have to. He's doing well, but seems to be having some trouble with constipation, on and off. I'm hoping tomorrow to take the momma cat back to the shelter to get her spayed and I'll bring a couple of orphaned kittens home with me to play with our kitten. He's very playful and really needs some buddies his own age. It's gonna get crazy around here!

Gastrointestinal Distress... BIG Time!

Yikes! Today was so miserable!

This morning I had the same amount of Xylitol in my coffee that I'd had the last two mornings without incident. However, today I put it on my oatmeal too. Well, that was evidently TOO much. My digestive tract was in extreme turmoil all day long. Only now, after eating a huge batch of plain rice a couple of hours ago, am I beginning to feel close to normal. I can't wait to get Katie into bed so I can relax!

Being A Slug...

I am in Portland this weekend and the week (it was even a short one) seemed to really take it out of me. I did take a 2 mile walk and watch the Hokies lose in the Softball World Series... but since then it has all been movies! Wild Hogs, DaVinci Code, Failure to Launch and a Bruce Willis movie (can't remember the name of it). I feel rested but now I am missing everyone. I thought about driving to Seattle but since it is after 7pm probably not a good idea.

I am headed back to Seattle next weekend and get to stay for some of the following week as I have been called to Jury Duty again! I think this is the fifth time! Guess I need to do my civic duty... but it seems like they could get more people if they have a voluntary option and only "draft" people if they don't get enough volunteers.

Well, I hear another movie starting... wonder what it is?!

Headache Update

I had an appointment with a naturopathic physician a couple of days ago. My primary care physician urged me to do so in hopes that he can help me with my chronic headaches.

I do think my sinus surgery was beneficial in that I am finally infection-free and congestion-free. However, I am NOT headache-free. I continue to wake up pretty much every day with a headache. Some days, like yesterday, it was a relentless, pounding pain that negatively impacted most of my day. It was a three-pain-pill day and I went to bed early. Today I woke up with a headache as well, though not quite as intense. About two hours after taking pain medicine, it had subsided enough that I could function normally. I'm grateful for that because I had to be able to take Katie to a classmate's birthday party.

Anyway, back to my appointment with the naturopathic physician. His name is Dr. John Nowicki (he introduces himself as Dr. John) and I have to say, I was NOT looking forward to telling yet another doctor my sad and depressing headache history. But, he's one of those people you instantly feel comfortable around and I had no problem sharing my story with him.

He said he LOVES treating people with chronic headaches, especially migraines. He, himself, used to suffer from them, but he no longer does. The cause of his own headaches turned out to be the same cause of headaches in most of his patients. Food allergies. He's not talking about the people who are allergic to peanuts, or shellfish, etc., where they have to carry an epi-pen around at all times, but it's possible to be allergic to foods without really realizing it because the symptoms are so common, like headaches or depression or aches and pains, etc. He found out which foods he is allergic to, he now avoids those foods, and he no longer suffers from migraines. So, that's where he wants me to start, by taking a food allergy blood test. I went to the lab yesterday to get my blood drawn. I should know something within the next 7-10 days. I'm excited to find out if this could be the cause of my chronic headaches, but also fearful it'll come back and say I need to eliminate huge food groups, like wheat or dairy. That's very hard to do, but if that's what I have to do to live headache-free, I'll give it a try.

Something else he recommended is that I begin to eliminate artificial ingredients from my diet. That means fewer processed foods, more time in the kitchen making things from scratch. He specifically said to get rid of artificial sweeteners. Well, I love my coffee every morning and in every cup I add a packet of equal or something comparable. He told me to throw that stuff out and use xylitol instead. It's a completely natural sugar substitute, has fewer calories than sugar and actually tastes good without an aftertaste. It can be used in baking and cooking, although I read there's some reason it can't be used in recipes for yeast-based breads. It reacts with the yeast, somehow. Maybe prevents it from rising. Oh, and also, it has several health benefits.

Anyway, I found it at PCC in Issaquah and it's about $8/lb. So, it's more expensive than regular sugar, but I really don't use that much on a daily basis anyway.

In addition to being more expensive than regular sugar, it also has another negative. It has a laxative effect on your body. So, if you decide to switch to it (like I am trying to), you'll want to do so slowly to allow your body time time to adjust. So far I'm having it only in the morning with my coffee and I haven't had any trouble. However, if you have trouble with constipation or irregularity, this laxative effect could work in your favor.

So, that's the latest development in my quest to rid my life of headaches. I'll keep ya posted.

New Clothes and Kitties

It's like all of the sudden the other day she outgrew 90% of her clothes! So, I hit the outlet mall in North Bend and got a few things for the warmer weather. In this picture, she's wearing one of the new outfits. She especially likes this shirt because it has flower beads on the front.

The first thing she wants to do every morning is visit with the foster kitties. I cleaned up their cage while Katie gave them some love, but I couldn't resist taking a break from cleaning to take a few pictures.

The kitten is now 5 weeks old and the Momma is weaning him. It's so hard to watch as the kitten struggles to nurse while the Momma is growling and pushing him away, harshly sometimes. He's clearly still getting some nourishment from her because he is growing, gaining weight and always has plenty of energy, but even so, I worry he's hungry. I have been trying for a few days now to get him to eat food, but he isn't interested. I'll keep trying anyway. I'm happy to report though, he is using the litter box!

Well, Katie has a birthday party at 11 this morning, so I need to get going. I'm cooking steel cut oatmeal in my rice cooker, which should be done about now. It does a wonderful job cooking oatmeal on the "porridge" setting. It's as if I have a chef downstairs cooking my breakfast!

If we are talking about TV shows...

...then tonight we see the beginning of the end for Men in Trees. It was a fun show on Friday nights (yes - my Friday nights are spent watching TV!) that was certainly entertaining. It has been cancelled but they are running the last few shows over the "summer."

I am really looking forward to watching ESPN this weekend as the Hokies are in the women's softball world series tournament in Oklahoma City! Go Hokies!

OMG! There's Fur Everywhere!

We've been so, so, so careful to NOT allow our two cats, Hudson and Mater, to meet the foster Momma and her baby. Anytime we leave the room where they are, we crack the door open just enough to see if Hudson or Mater are there waiting to get in and if they are, we get them out of the way, especially if the Momma and baby are not closed up in their kittie cage.

Katie has been pretty good about also being careful, but I doubt she really knew why. I've talked to her about how important it is to keep them separated, but until you see what happens when two unfamiliar cats meet, you really don't fully understand. Well... after this morning, I think she fully understands!

Katie and I were in with the Momma and baby, giving them time outside their cage to play. I was paying attention to the kitten and didn't realize that Katie had opened the door to the room. It really isn't her fault, and I told her that, but Hudson was sitting right by the door and walked in as soon as Katie opened the door. I heard her say, "Hudson!" and I asked, "What about him?" She shrieked, "He's in HERE!" I panicked for a moment as I asked, "In HERE, where?" I didn't know where Hudson was, but the Momma cat sure did. She darted over to him and backed him against the wall, her teeth and claws were out. She was ferocious. I ran over to the door, which Katie had closed after Hudson entered, and I opened it, hoping Hudson would run out. Sure enough, he did, as fast as he could. But not before the Momma dug her claws into his back, extracting clumps of black fur that flew everywhere. My heart was pounding. I was so worried the Momma would follow him outside the room and chase him around the house. Fortunately, she would not leave the room. Probably because she knew her baby was still in there and she had to protect him. Anyway, Hudson flew out of the room, I slammed the door and then realized Katie was horrified at what she just saw so we spent some time talking about it. Then I checked the Momma. She was a little shaken up, but fine. I closed them up in their cage and we left the room, closing the door behind us. Hudson and Mater were on the stairs, their eyes wide, the fur on their backs stood straight up. They relaxed immediately when I touched them. I checked Hudson and he's okay.

Holy cow! What a way to start the day! Well, before all that happened, I had taken pictures of Katie in her new outfit, playing with the kitten. It's not really warm enough to wear shorts, but she insisted.

You're Bothering Me!

Okay, so Katie and I were in the backyard this evening. I'm watching Katie as she kicks the ball around and I'm holding a bowl of yummy strawberries that we're both eating. It sounded like the neighbors were grilling and eating in their backyard. Their son, Tyler heard Katie playing and he called to her through the fence that separates our yards. Katie was totally ignoring him, which surprised me because she is usually so excited to make contact with him. I called her over to me and quietly asked her why she wasn't responding and she said he was bothering her while she was busy exercising! So, I told her it was really rude to ignore him, and he could see her through the space between the wood slats, so he knew she was there but not answering! I asked her how she would feel if someone ignored her and she quickly said she wouldn't care. Hmm, that tactic didn't work. Okay well, I asked her to please just run over there quickly and tell him she'll talk to him tomorrow. So, she turned and ran over to the fence and said, "You're bothering me! I don't want to talk to you!" Hey, wait a minute! That's not what I asked her to say! She ran back out into the yard and continued to kick the ball around. I called her over to me again and told her that wasn't the nicest thing she could have said. And she probably hurt his feelings. I could tell he was still standing there, but was no longer saying anything. I insisted she go over there and tell him she was sorry and that she had to go now but would talk to him later. Fortunately, she went over and said something close to that anyway, so hopefully it ended on a positive note afterall.

Before all this happened, Katie and I ate dinner at Red Robin. I ordered my usual veggie burger with sauteed mushrooms and swiss cheese on whole wheat. Well, they were out of veggie burgers but they did have Boca burgers, another kind of meatless patty. I said I would try it. Well, I have to say that Boca patty was disgusting! The consistency and the fake beefy taste were just not to my liking at all! So, I had a mushroom and swiss sandwich and learned my lesson that those two patties are NOT interchangeable!

Only about 45.5 hours until the LOST finale begins! Anyone else out there a huge LOST fan, like I am?

Kitten Video

Music: Nature Boy by Shahin and Sepehr

Nearly 5 Weeks Old

Umm, no I didn't plan this "naked Katie with kitties" photo shoot. She was naked in preparation for getting into the shower, but decided she must first visit with the kitties. I thought it was cute so I took some pictures.

The kitten is now going on 5 weeks old. He's not quite so clumsy anymore. He's very active and playful. He has figured out how to climb the kittie cage in order to get himself up on the first bench. I hope to get video of that today so I can post it.

It's also about time for the kitten to begin eating soft food and use the litter box. He already has full access to the litter box, but I need to run out today and get some canned kitten food. He's definitely got his baby teeth in because we see him chewing on things often.

Regina spent the weekend with us, but unfortunately she's getting ready to leave in a couple of hours. We had a good time together and hate to see it end. ~sigh~

Some Things Never Change

Oh, nothing special, just stuff

Spent as much time as I could the last couple of days working on a new design to sell. It's available now in my shop online. The theme is "Two Moms, One Family". This particular design is probably my favorite so far.

Had an appointment with my ENT today. I called because of sinus pain and constant headaches that I just can't get rid of. I'm not congested and don't feel infected, yet my face and head hurt. The doctor confirmed today that I'm not infected. Her scope couldn't easily reach the area where I feel the most intense pain, so she ordered a CT scan of the sinuses which I'll have done tomorrow morning. We'll see what that says and go from there.

I'm still doing Curves, believe it or not. And for the last 4 weeks I'm eating about 1200 calories a day. Finally, I'm losing weight! Hurray! Anyway, the exercise machines at Curves have been upgraded so they collect data as you use them and then report back to you when you're done about how you're doing. It's like your own personal trainer. I actually worked out harder today because of it. It lets you know if you're slacking off so you can kick it up a notch and get maximum benefit. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that it calculates how many calories you work off and today I burned 484 calories in about 30 minutes! I LOVE that!

Katie talked me into taking her to eat dinner tonight at Red Robin. It didn't take much to convince me though. All she really had to do was ask and since I didn't have anything yummy in the works for dinner, I thought, why not? She got her usual Chicken Quesadilla while I got the Sauteed Mushroom Burger, but with a veggie burger instead of hamburger, and a whole wheat bun instead of white. Oh, and fruit on the side instead of fries. That's my new default meal there. Katie and I go at least once a week.

The foster kitties are doing fine. Both Momma and baby are healthy and happy. The baby is simply adorable. He is starting to swat at things, but his reflexes aren't very quick yet.

The lilacs I picked in our backyard a couple of days ago are already dead so I threw them out tonight. There are two lilac bushes in our neighborhood along the street behind the house and I noticed the other day they are in full bloom. Well, since I don't have anymore blooming yet in our yard, I figured it can't hurt to go snip a few off the bushes behind the house. So, Katie and I snuck over there tonight under the cover of nightfall and I cut myself a huge bouquet of lilacs. Mmmmm, they smell soooo good!

Katie got a big package in the mail today. She was so excited to open it up and find a 2-piece set of special Tinker Bell luggage that's all her own. Her first suitcase! It's on wheels, of course, so she can pull it around all by herself. That will be her job, she says, when we go on the cruise this summer.

Dancing with the Stars Finale

I really love most reality TV shows... Survivor, Amazing Race and Dancing with the Stars are my favorites. Forget the dating and cooking ones - I need competition that requires strength, speed, team work and endurance!

Dancing with the Stars has a habit of having a final that is predictable - the best dancer, the one that has the best personality, and one most improved. Usually, the best dancer doesn't win. All I have to say is - the best one should win!

Go Kristi!

24 Days Old ~ Starting to Get Playful

What Happens in Vegas...

I went to see this movie today and loved it. I laughed out loud all throughout! It's silly, but not too stupid. This was actually my first time seeing Ashton Kutcher in an acting role and I really enjoy him. He's a cutie!

Lilacs From Our Backyard

Lilacs have always been my favorite flower. The scent takes me back instantly to my childhood on the farm when I didn't have a thing to worry about (and I was skinny!). It's a good feeling.

Big Responsibility

Katie has said this to me before and said it to me again today, which I thought was so cute. She said to me, "You know, Mom, it's a big 'sponsibility to take care of a kid like me, right?" Don't quite know why it came up today, but when she first said it to me a while ago, they were discussing at school, things that require responsibility and what that meant.

I Would be Surprised If It WEREN'T 100!

Oh my... it is 10:30 at night and it is soooo hot here still. Driving home from work at 7:00 my car thermometer said it was 95 degrees. I have no air conditioning in the corporate apartment, and it is as still as it can be here. No breeze. All the windows are open but still no relief yet. It is great to have the warm weather and sun... but I need the air conditioner!

If it is this hot tomorrow, I may have to go to the mall and the movie theater. I remember my very first apartment in Virginia. It too, did not have air conditioning and there were many Saturdays and Sundays when I would see two movies a day just to get out of the heat! I have come full circle!

Enjoy the weekend!

Our first really WARM day!

Okay, so about 30 minutes ago, we're outside in the front yard, Katie is playing in the driveway and I'm on the phone sitting in a lawnchair. Suddenly I see Katie running over to the neighbor's gate and she's talking to their 3-year-old son, Tyler through the closed wooden gate. Somehow he got the gate open and came over to our house. Within minutes, his Mom was outside looking for him. Of course, she was not happy he had left the backyard without her permission. So while Tyler was spoken to about it, Katie ran over to me and said they invited her over to play and was it okay? Well, I wasn't sure I had heard it go down that way, so I joined the conversation to find out for sure. His Mom said of course she could come over, but I don't think it was her idea. I think it was Katie's idea and she was initiating the process by asking me for permission as if she had already been invited! Anyway, she's now over there playing. She and Tyler get along so beautifully, and they are just the nicest people you'll ever meet.

Katie will be completely exhausted tonight! Yay! We spent between 3 and 4 hours today at the Houghton Beach Park in Kirkland where we had a picnic lunch (Subway sandwiches) and I lounged in the shade while she played on the playground and later she got into the water. The freezing water! I noticed it was only kids who were crazy enough to actually get wet. All the parents gathered along the edge, careful not to get wet unless absolutely unavoidable.

I don't know what I was thinking, but it didn't occur to me to bring Katie's bathing suit, so I asked her to go in far enough to get only her feet wet. Next thing I knew, she was soaked from head to toe! She did what I said and went in just far enough to get her feet wet, but I failed to tell her not to splash herself! Once I noticed she was so wet, I just let her play for as long as she wanted. Didn't matter at that point what she was wearing. She might as well have fun.

She made friends with a group of kids who let her share their beach toys (buckets, shovels, etc) and had a grand time. How bad am I? Not only did it not occur to me to bring a bathing suit, but it also didn't occur to me to bring beach toys! I guess I imagined we would eat our picnic, she would play on the playground for an hour or so and we would go home. Hmmm, now I know better.

It's a wonderful park though and I'm thinking we should go back tomorrow, but better prepared. It's supposed to be hot again and I have to say it was just cool enough by the water to keep me from getting grumpy about the heat.

Katie loved it that she got to ride home naked, except for her undies. I happened to have a clean pair of underwear in my purse, but didn't have dry clothes for her to change into. (Mental note to self - put a change of clothes for Katie in the trunk!)

Love Reading the Blog. Forget to Post!

It is so much fun reading the blog and catching up on what is going on but I forget to post anything. A blog to me feels more like reading the newspaper and less like email which is more interactive and personal. In email, I know who my audience is but with the blog it feels like I should have something of importance to say in order to share it with everyone. Am I being weird?

Spending the weekend in Portland instead of driving up to Seattle. I enjoy not having to drive the three hours but miss seeing everyone. The bright side is that the weather is already beautiful here in Portland... sunny and warm. It started late yesterday and today was fantastic! I think it was 85 today! Can you believe it... last week I was still wearing a coat and gloves to work?! I think by the end of next week it will be back in the low 60s. Ugh.

I hope everyone is having the same nice weather this weekend - get out and enjoy it!

Bubbles and Bike Riding

Video of Our Foster Kitties

Music: A Love for Life by Yanni

Happy Birthday, Sue!

Ever Been Licked by a Giraffe?

Well, Katie can now answer, "Yes!" to that question. Yesterday we went to the Woodland Park Zoo. We walked by the giraffes during the time when they were letting visitors hand feed them. For 5 bucks a person, they'll let you hand a bunch of leaves to the hungry giraffes. There were two of them, both about 2 years old. It was quite a thrill to see them so close! Katie wasn't scared at all and did a great job feeding them all by herself. As she reached out to give them one last bunch of leaves, one of the giraffes swiftly lowered his head toward Katie's hand and his long, purple tongue wrapped around her hand before taking the leaves into his mouth. She was so thrilled! Her face lit up with excitement. And, can you believe it, I have no pictures of the whole thing! I decided that I would not take any cameras so I could just focus on enjoying the day without the task of photographing it. I now wish I had taken a camera though. I could have gotten some terrific up-close-and-personal shots of a giraffe. Oh well. We'll just have to do it again.

So Cute

I know, I know - I'm pathetic with all the kittie pictures. Sorry, but these were just too cute not to post.

Darn it, more sad news!

Just called and found out we lost the other sick kitten yesterday. She said he was trying to nurse (from the bottle, I imagine, since his Mom is not there with him), but would cry as if it hurt. It's sad, but also a blessing they went early rather than lingering on in agony.

Kitty Pics

I know not everyone wants to see so many pics of our foster kitties, but I'm posting them anyway! I just can't help it! The kitten is starting to respond to the sound we make as we enter the room and open their cage. He also spends a lot of time holding his wobbly head up and stares at things. I'm gonna call today for an update on his brother. I'm hoping we can go pick him up today.

This made me laugh, so I must post it!

Be patient, after you click on the play button, it might take a minute for the video to load...

Flash player required. Watch Hydrofoil Water Scooter in action.

Unlike other watercraft, this unique hydrofoil frame allows you to skim across water simply by hopping gently up and down, propelling you as fast as 17 mph (more than four times faster than some world champion freestyle swimming speeds). At only 26 lbs., the lightweight aircraft aluminum and fiberglass frame is easy to transport to a dock or boat for launch. Wide steps and handlebars allow confident control as your own hopping motion lifts the hydrofoils to skim quickly across a lake; the aquaskipper also provides a brisk cardiovascular workout. Virtually maintenance-free, it has no moving parts or noisy engines that require fuel.

This can be yours for a mere $499.95!

And think of all the wonderful exercise you'd get!

Kittie Pics on Tropical Day!

I don't have an update on the sick kitten still in the "hospital" but I do have a cute picture of the healthy kitten here at home. His eyes are almost completely open and his ears are beginning to twitch. He's sweet, as is his Mom. I still hold out hope for his brother.




I've also included pictures of Katie this morning before going to school. Can you tell what the dressup theme is for today? Yep, it's Tropical Day. So, Katie wore her new dress covered with colorful tropical flowers and took in our entire collection of leis to share with her classmates.

Sad News

Just got an update on the two sick kittens and we lost the calico yesterday. Her brother is still needing to be tube-fed since he won't suck, so he's not ready to come home today.

The momma is doing fine. She's energetic and no longer has symptoms of the infection. The kitten here with her seems to be doing fine. I don't see him nurse very much though. He searches for a teat and sometimes gives up if he can't find one. I try to show him where one is but even when I do, he still won't latch. Crazy! It's like he's saying, (with the attitude of a toddler), "I wanna do it myself!" I have seen him find one and nurse for a minute or so, then quits. I worry there isn't enough milk there anymore. I mentioned that to Missy at the shelter and she suggested I express milk now and then to keep it in production. Yikes! She wants me to milk a cat! Reminds me of that movie Meet the Parents. Okay well, I guess I need to go upstairs and give it a shot. They need their antibiotics too. I definitely don't like doing that. If I could do it gracefully like the vet does, it would be different. But I can't seem to. Oh well, here I go.

Another Kittie Update

Well, this morning I woke up to the momma cat's meows. That was a first. She's usually very quiet. I think it was 5:45am. I got up to check on her and she had made quite a mess of her space. She didn't quite hit the litter box last night and overdid it trying to cover it up. There was litter all over. The towel she was sleeping on was no longer neatly folded, but it was all crumpled in a pile, as if she had been digging in it. The kitten was in the middle of it all, sleeping. The momma was sitting up, looking sad. She's got to be upset about losing her babies, don't you think? I keep telling her it's only for a couple of days, but she just looks at me, wondering what in the world I'm saying. I didn't call about the two sick kittens today. I am planning to call tomorrow morning (Wed) to see if they are well enough to come home.

TShirt Design for Gay Dads

So, this is one of the things I've been working on recently ~ a design for 2-Dad Families which is now available as a product line in my shop on CafePress.com. Click the above image to take a look and pass along to anyone you feel might be interested!

Sick Kitten Update

I called the shelter today and described the situation to her. She said bring them in right away. Turned out they all have respiratory infections. The calico and one of her brothers were not fighting it well at all on their own. Both are dehydrated and very sick. They kept those two and put them in an incubator. They'll be fed for the next couple of days by putting a long tube down their throats and simply inserting milk directly into the stomach. They don't even have energy enough to nurse or suck on a bottle right now. It's amazing to me how quickly they went downhill! It was only yesterday they began exhibiting symptoms.

So, I brought home the momma and one of the boys who isn't dehydrated and is doing okay nursing. It'll be his job to keep momma's milk flowing so when we pick up his siblings in a couple of days, they'll have something to eat. I have antibiotics for both momma and baby. Oh, and the kitten we brought home is starting to open his eyes!

Momma and baby are all settled back in their kitty cat playpen/cage thingy I'm keeping them in. Momma growled a bit as she looked around searching for her two lost babies. Poor thing. That must be confusing. She'll welcome them home in a couple of days, won't she? Or will she not remember they are hers and reject them? I guess we'll know soon enough!

Calico's Got the Crud

Over the weekend it was brought to my attention that the momma cat was bleeding through her nostrils. So I called the shelter and they weren't worried as long as her appetite is normal, which it is. Probably just a burst capillary in her nasal tissue caused by sneezing from her cold. All day yesterday I didn't see anymore blood and this morning too. Her cold symptoms are also diminishing. I think she's fine.

However, two of the babies aren't doing so well. I began to worry about them yesterday evening. Especially the calico. She's lethargic, seems to have lost her voice, coughs and sneezes, her body feels cool, and I rarely see her nursing. I was really worried we would have a dead kitten this morning.

I was awakened early this morning by migraine pain. Yuck. So, I got up to take imitrex and went in to check the kitties. The calico was lying apart from the group, very still. I was certain we'd lost her. But no, she responded to my touch and when I picked her up she managed to get a few squeaky meows out. I put her next to momma's belly and held the other two back while she nursed.

It's the funniest thing about nursing kittens. Instead of looking for their own teat, they simply go toward the kitten who is already latched on and try to steal theirs. I didn't want anyone stealing the calico's teat, so I stood guard for a few minutes while she nursed.

I know there are already too many kittens up for adoption, and one or two less would not be such a bad thing overall, but I find it incredibly upsetting to think we might lose one or two of these kittens.

Have you seen this?

Watch as hundreds of candlelit lamps fill the sky during a Thai tradition.