The "D" word sucks

Especially when it happens to someone you love dearly. Just got off the phone with said dear friend and I want to tell you this. YOU WILL GET THROUGH THIS AND YOU WILL BE A STRONGER PERSON!!! I love you and am here for you at 1am, 2am, 3am....even 6pm. That which does not kill us makes us stronger babe!!!!! With the strength you will have from this, I bet they will want to interview you for like abs or buns of steel. wOOt!!!! Love you!!!!!

Hodgepodge

I had some thoughts on the whole "Wars vs end of the world", but quite frankly I have no energy to type it out. So please remind me to do so at a later date.

I was honored to have dinner today with 5 of the most awesome people I know. We went to Fabiolus Cafe in Hollywood, which by some strange twist in this world, is my favorite Italian restaurant. What does that mean? Well, This little gem of a restaurant was found in Dec 2004, when J, A and I went to see Les Mis. We were looking for a place to eat, happened upon this place and the rest is history. I fell in love with their ravioli's. The service was great. Took N, T, J, M, A, and D to this place in Nov last yr when we decided to take a trip to the Disney Soda Fountain Shop. I suggested dinner here. Again good food, good service.

Tonights service left much to be desired. Our waiter seemed to just not be able to get it right. Maybe it was the heat? I don't know, but it was disappointing. The food...was not. I had Penne all Vodka. Good stuff. The company was just as fantastic and I was happy to spend one of my final California weekends at my favorite restaurant with some really great friends. I love you guys.

It's hard for me to fathom the fact that I only have 3 weeks left in CA. It seems so surreal to be honest with you. But it is happening. Today one of my young adults had us do a silent meditation on how are we sheparding those in our lives to Jesus. My thoughts quickly trailed to OLG. I got nervous. Am I going to do a good job? Will they accept me? Will the group prosper? Will I do a good job? I found myself becoming consumed with stress...Let it go, I told myself. So tonight I pray for myself as well as the youth of OLG. I know SLYM is in good hands......

It's just so weird this transition thing. So many things I am transitioning into. Married life, new life in NC, new job. Wow!!!! Can I get some prayers for all of this please????

Thoughts...ho hum

I'm covering this week (and next) for one of our volunteers who comes into the office to answer phones until 7pm M-Th. Why Fr. Tony feels the need to have someone here till 7pm is beyond me. I really am baffled by it. Hardly anyone calls and hardly anyone stops by. But...he's the pastor, so whatever. It's 2 hours of wasted time for me, when I could come in earlier, get more done and be home by 6pm.

I was talking to a friend the other night who got engaged last week. Very happy for him. He deserves to be happy finally. Been through a few relationships that didn't pan out so well. So it's good to see him with someone who makes him happy. His soulmate. But of course, heavy on the minds of the family is the fact that his dad did not live to see the wedding. Loosing a parent is rough, I know. Been dealing with the "Oh I wish Dad were here to see this"...for almost 15 yrs now. Though I think, at times, I'm glad he didn't live to see some of the crap decisions I've made in life. Not that he was perfect in all his decision making, mind you. But still. He never lived to see his precious grand kids. Yes, precious, I am calling my nephews, who drive me up the wall precious. As much as they drive me crazy I can't imagine life without them. I digress.

Going through major life events and tough life lessons without my dad has been difficult at times. Being that we are approaching his 15 yr anniversary in Dec, I often will have days where I do not think of him. Then there are days I will, such as days when the nieces are on the phone saying the funniest things, and dad isn't there to share it with. Or like the day I just needed to be hugged when I lost Marley, or when life just beats the crap out of me. (GASP!!! You mean my life isn't perfect?!?!?!?!!?)

So for all you parents out there...don't die....ok? Make it easier for your kids...don't get sick, don't die....live forever. Imagine all the tormenting you could do when your kids have kids and they are "10 times as worse" as your children were to you!!! (Yes, my father bestowed that curse on me many times in my young life!!!! So I guess I am screwed)

But anyway, yay for my friend Jim!!!!!! He's happily engaged!!!!! CONGRATS!!!!

It's weird right now because everyone asks how things are going, if I am excited and what not. I am but I am just too gosh darn consumed with the move. I start the new job almost immediatley after arriving in NC, so I just feel a tad overwhelmed. My sister wants me to stop by to see them on the way, but I'm nnot sure how out of the way that truly will be for us. We'll see. I'd love to see the girls and the boy and of course my sister and bro in law. I really miss them (and I got all teary about missing them. It usually happens every now and then. Heck I haven't seen them in 8 months!!!)

The cats, of course, are doing well. Pele is as cute as ever and I swear when she looks at me with those big eyes and big ears I melt. Cordelia is Cordelia, and I have to keep reminding her not to play too rough with Pele. Latte is happy. He seems so much more content these days. Perhaps his grieving is over. I hope so. Poor guy!!!! The flea issue has subsided and it's nce to not have 5-6 attacking me the moment I walk in the door.

We had a rocking night last night at work. Coffee with Christ!!!! I had 20 of my youth plus 20 youth from St. Liz here and one of our church members came and rocked the house. He was alot of fun and sang and got the kids singing. Good food too. Dirk came and made homemade cookies (YUM) and fraps. Since I am not a coffee drinker, I was given vanilla chai latte's. Iced of course because it is so dang hot right now. The kids in charge of the event did a remarkable job and it was so sad to realize that this was truly the last event that Myron and I would do together with our youth groups. Myron has been great to work with. So affirming of my ministry here and very welcoming and a great role model. I introduced him to the new YM, and they seem to have hit it off very well. Here's hoping they have a great working relatinship and can accomplish more than we were able to the last 2 yrs. I have a picture of the group that came out a tad blurry, but I'll post it from home.

Tomorrow night is Ultimate Frisbee. We had SO much fun with it last yr. I know it will be even more fun this year. I was on M's team last year and we OWNED!!!!!! G was the captain of the other team, and let's just say he did not take to losing to well. He's still bitter, I think, over the whole thing.

Sat is my day off. YAY!!! I have a shindig to attend which I am excited about. Also another one on Sunday after work. At my favorite restaurant in Hollywood no less!!!! Penne alla vodka here I come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I need to figure out what to wear both days. For Saturday I'd like to wear one of my Hawaiian dresses, but I've gained a little weight over the last 2 yrs and I don't think they fit me as well anymore (GASP...bye bye size 6...for now anyway). Sunday, I refuse to wear jeans and a t-shirt, so I'll have to figure something out. I need to go clothes shopping so badly!!!! Maybe a shopping spree is in order once I get to NC...I need work clothes you know!!!!!

I'm hungry. I should stop blogging and get back to reading about VBS songs....."Come on let's have some fun! It's all about Jesus' love......." FIESTA!!!!! VIVA!!!! (Have I mentioned that I love getting paid to act silly with kids?)

No surprise here

It amazes me that one person is so hell bent on doing searches on me...yet again!!!!! I guess I will never be left alone and I am seriously contemplating getting rid of this blog.

Contemplating.......

What am i contemplating? Starting a blog for the three cats!!! This way i keep the catty-ness out of this blog and on another one. Sometimes it's easier to blog about the cats and their shenanigans than it is to talk about my own. I'll decide later this evening.

Took the car in to get the sensor fixed. Fopefully this is the end og the check engine light saga. So sick of that orange light. I hope I never see it again.

Tomorrow is Coffee with Christ. The kids are pumped about it. More info to follow.

Talked to the nieces today. M said "But Auntie Katie you said I could go to your wedding and be your flower girl!" (insert dagger into heart here). Then she asked if she could play wedding at my new house. HECK YES YOU CAN KID!!!!!

Derek was in the ER last might after having stepped on a nasty old rusty nail. He got a tetanus shot, and I guess they cut part of his foot (?) to clean out where the nail was. Luckily the xray showed that he had no nail fragments in his foot. But I could tell he was not feeling too great about the foot cleaning. He tried to sound ok, but he really just wanted to scream his head of from pure agony. Poor guy.

Today's lesson: Watch where you are walking at all times!!!!!!

Cuteness

Amidst the stress that is planning......I get Cuteness

I was best friends with Johnny Depp...what a dream

This morning it was soooo difficult to wake up from such a fun dream. I dreamed that I was best friends with Johnny Depp. Ok, ok you can stop laughing now. I have no idea how we became best friends in this dream, but we were.

One part of the dream I had taken my youth from SLR to the fair and Johnny called me and told me that he and the kids were on their way there too. Told me that Vanessa decided to stay home. So once I got the kids all situated with tickets and check in times (wow flash back to Sunday), Johnny and I met up with his kids and just walked around the fair. Oddly enough, there were no fans bothering him. They would just say hi to him, but left him alone.

The next thing I remember is that I drop the kids off at church, wait for them all to get picked up, and I call Derek to let him know I'm heading over to Johnny's to hang out with him, Vanessa and the kids (which Derek is bummed about because he's looking forward to seeing them too) and I drive over to the house. And let me tell you that the house was so beautiful. Vanessa says that she is going to put the kids to bed and Johnny and I start goofing off and playing "Pirates" in the house. Except I am Elizabeth and he is Jack. (Vanessa is running around doing stuff and just rolls her eyes at us as we goof off.). It's gets more and more fun, with me hiding and popping out of various parts of the house for a sword fight with him. (At one point I got a REALLY good hiding spot because he had to go tuck the kids into bed. Oh and for my SLYM girls...in this dream I got LOTS of hugs and LOTS of cute Johnny smiles and it was GREAT!!!!!!!)

Then all of a sudden I am driving with Joe (from SLYM) to the beach and he's asking me if Johnny is going to come with us. I told him it was a good possibility.



Then.........I woke up. GAH!!!!! I want my dream back!!!!!

It's a Girl! part 1

In my family, we are adding members by leaps and bounds. On my end it is fur babies. On my sisters end, it's "real babies". This is not to say that my newest additiion is not a true baby, but she is not human, but she is a member of the family.

As you know from a couple posts down, I lost my beloved Marley to anemia 2 weeks ago. Our grief process is going along as normal. There are days I will walk in the house from a long day at work or play (with those "different crowds" I hang out with. Oh the horror of my life LOL...jab jab) and I will look down only to see no kitty waiting for me at the front door as Marley once did. Or I will look up stairs at the dining room to not see him sleeping on the ledge by the computer desk. Latte went through a bit of "depression" and a period of really missing Marley. He would cry at night as if to say "Ok mom, bring him back, the joke is over." But he is doing better and is very happy. Since being on frontline I notice a change in him. He's not miserable from biting fleas. He's purring, he's talking he's laying on the window sill. Just happier.

Cordy is the same. I'm not sure she experienced the same grief as Latte, as she was only with Marley for 1 yr. However the mood around here seems to be getting better.

A friend of mine offered me a new kitten the day Marley was put down. At the time I could not fathom another cat. But after contemplating it for a few days, I consulted with Derek who, at first, was opposed to it. I had asked about this kitten prior to Marley's demise. We had also looked at 2 cats, Mike and Ike in NC. He had his heart set on them. Somehow, and I don't know how, but he agreed to let me get the kitten.

And so I introduce you to Pele!!!!







What's with the name, you ask? Well, She's a pretty gray tabby kitten with orange on her itty bitty head and some coming in on her back. So, I thought...what do we name her? At first, it was going to be Jude. Every picture I had ever seen of St. Jude, he has a flame over his head. Well, with her orange spots on her head, how appropriate? Yes, well, then I started to think some more. I wasn't sold on Jude after seeing her for the first time. She was funny, squirmy and a fireball. Not at all saintly. So I began to think some more. Came home and started looking up names that meant, Fire, firey, etc. Came across Ember. Hmmmm, not a bad idea. It's cute, it's girly, but I knew I also wanted to get a Disney theme going with it.

During my search I came across Pele. Pele? Hmmm, this could work. Pele is the Hawaiian Goddess of Fire!!! Not that I am all into God's and Goddesses, but it's a Disney connection. In the waiting area of the Tiki Room there are various God/Godesses. One being Pele.

In addition....Pele is a soccer player. He played for Brazil and was probably the best soccer player of his time (if not the world, as Derek will argue). PERFECT!!! She can have a soccer and Disney connection. We're combining the best of both our world's!!!!!

And so, on July 1st She came home!!!! Cordy was not happy AT ALL. She growled and hissed, Pele growled and hissed. Latte didn't care either way. The first few days were rough. But we got through them. Pele had fleas and an ear infection. So we are currently dealing with that (Frontline for the fleas). She HATES having the drops in her ears, but let me tell you that she was so miserable for the first few days with scratching and all. After our vet visit, I gave her meds, (he gave her 3 shots and some oral meds for the de-worming) and went to work. Came back (at 3 am after seeing Pirates at midnight), and she was SOOOOOOOO much happier. Not scratching, and the frontline had taken affect. She was playing, she was just so kitten-like. What a relief. The shots had made her sleepy. Heck the whole visit made her sleepy, but she was so alert and happy when I got home. So YAY!!!!!!

The rivalry and anger discipated between Cordy and Pele and they now play all the time. I hear Pele meowing and meowing as Cordy "pounces" on her, but not before Pele charges after her very playfully!!! Cordy loves to play with Pele's tail. (and Pele tries to get Latte's tail)



The fun thing about Pele is she purrs..ALOT, she follows me from room to room, and though she's not one for being held (what is it with me and cats not liking to be held?), she is just as sweet as she can possibly be.

So now Pele anxiously awaits meeting Daddy on August 7th and her new sister, Midnight, around Aug 19th. I sure hope they can handle the crazy cats in this family.

A head scratcher

The following comment was made to me today:

"but obviously we run in different crowds"

Now, it was followed with a smiley face (a happy one) So is it safe for me to assume that although meant lightheartedly, this is a sort of "jab" at who i hang out with, or how I choose to live my life?

Granted, I'm letting it roll, but I find it funny that someone would say that to another person. Maybe this person does not approve of my life. Well so be it, it's mine to live not theirs, but to make "jabs" like that blows my mind.

Didn't mom always teach us that if you can't say anything nice about anybody, don;t say anything at all??? So much for manners.

Alot of stuff...the good the sad and the stressful

I have not posted in FOREVER!!! I am so sorry!!! I had alot going on and just not enough time or energy to post.

The retreat was awesome and 39 youth definitely had an amazing Encounter. We had talks that touched lives. Sharing in groups that brought forth tears, Adoration that lasted an hour but to the kids it seemed like 20 minutes, Love Bags that touched hearts. It was beautiful and powerful. Kids who I thought would not do it, came up and spoke about their experience after Mass. I have heard so many great stories of relationships (parents and teens) healed after the retreat. It makes my heart happy!!! God is good.

I went to NC the day after the retreat. It was nice to get away. Had a job interview my second day there, and I was offered the job. YAY!!!!! More on that later. Much later as I don't want to throw out too many details here. But I am excited.

On Sunday the 25th (June) I had to make a tough decision. Marley became ill. Not eating, very lethargic, weak, losing weight. Turns out he was anemic. Fleas had gotten to him, and possibly some underlying problem I was unaware of as he did not show any symptoms. They drew a little blood from him which stressed him out and put him on oxygen, but his RBC was at 8 and should be at 32. They wanted to catheterize him and do a blood transfusion, but were worried that the catheterization would stress him out even more and he would not make it. I could not bear to put him through that stress. Especially if I was not there to comfort him. Especially if he were to not make it. I could not live with myself knowing he would have died in extreme stress and pain. So we made the decision to put him down. Thank you Todd and Norm for talking to me and helping me to think logically.

I went in to say my goodbyes to him and he was talking to me the way he always does and purring and doing the "kneading" with his paws. He wanted me to remember him in a good way. I sobbed and sobbed as I told him I loved him and that he was such a good cat. Told him we would miss him and to have fun visititing all my other cats in kitty heaven. He seemed to understand and just continued to purr and meow. I didn't want to leave, I didn't want to sign the consent to euthanize him. He was my baby. The one who greeted me at the door each night, the one who would come sit on my chest every morning and purr. The one who would purr on the phone when my youngest niece would ask "Can I hear your cats?". Everyone loved his personality and how he ALWAYS had to have attention and be pet. He was needy but in a very cute way. He was my Narley Marley. My stinky butt (the cat litter has not been NEARLY as stinky in the last 6 days btw lol).....he was the best darn cat ever. He will be missed.

Rest in Peace Marley!!!!




Latte is showing signs of missing Marley. He talks so much all the time. He never did that before. I know he misses his buddy. they were together for 9 years. Cordy hardly notices I think. Hard to tell with her, as her disposition hasn't changed much. Both of them are very comforting and are "all over me" so to speak wanting attention.

There are good days and bad days, but while I get teary thinking about him from time to time, I am finding comfort in the decision I made. I would not have wanted his life to be miserable. He wasn' t the happy Marley I knew for 9 years. He had 11 good years. Now he can play in fields of catnip in kitty heaven. Someday I'll see him again.

I was vacuuming yesterday and found 2 "clumps" of Marley fur and I have yet to throw them in the trash. Silly? Probably. But it's the only physical momento that I have of him. He didn't wear a collar or anything. He hated them. I have a ton of pictures, but as weird as it sounds, these clumps of hair are all I have to hold onto that physically belonged to Marley. Wow that sounds weird.

I find it amusing how attached we become to our animals. I love my cats with all my heart. They are my children. And a piece of me is now missing with the absence of Marley. (This is the first time in 2 days I have cried about him).

My car broke down on Thurs night. I was smelling sulphur, it was "shaking" and the check engine light was on. I feared the worst. One of the families at work let me keep the car at their house (I was near work when it happened) and took it to the shop for me the next morning. LUCKILY all it needed was a tune up; new spark plugs and a belt. THANK GOD!!!! It could have been so much worse. But the car is running well. YAY!!!

Today is crazy busy. I have a wedding at 1pm and then I am off to my friends house to hang for a bit, then once Jo Jo get's there we will head to a bday party for another friend. I have to go to Target to get some choxie for him. It will make his heart happy!!!!!

Ok I think I have you all caught up. Catch you on the flip side!!!!!