Tuesday, February 03, 2009

New Blogs

In case you are interested we have some new members to the blogging world. Our cousin Kelly is doing a semester London. We are all so happy and proud of her. We know this will be an amazing life experience for her. We are also missing her like crazy and a little bit jealous we can't be there. So to keep us up to speed and feeling as though we are enjoying the sights along with her she has created a blog. You can find it under my favorites as well as right here!

Oddly enough, I found another website very similar to Kelly’s blog. It may be some sort of fan but it looks as though he is obsessed with Kelly's wild drinking ways. So if you'd like a good laugh at this impersonator you can visit this site. Enjoy!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Run Away Kitty

4:22am. I awake with the urge to pee yet again. Nothing out of the ordinary, this has been going on for months now. It doesn’t help that the baby inside my belly is doing the Macarena on my bladder. I checked the time as I always do just to see how many times and at what intervals am waking up to use the restroom during the night. This morning was different though. I awoke and walked to the bathroom my eyes half shut so I could easily fall back asleep when I slipped back into bed. But this morning I realized that it was 4:22am and that meant I was 22 minutes late waking up to catch my 6:15 flight. My eyes forced wide now as I run down the stairs to verify the time was correct. Indeed it was and as I rush back up the stairs to wake Pete, Blackie our kitty almost trips me up the steps because he is hungry. Normally he is an outdoor cat so it is unusual that we have him inside but he needs to come with us on the plane as we are moving him back to New Jersey this morning.
I hop over him and fly up the stairs to find Pete lying in bed yelling “you up?” “Of course I’m up,” I exclaim, “and we’re late!” With that we are now both up scrambling to get dressed and get out the door. I struggle for what seems to be 10 minutes or more trying to get the damn TED hose on my legs. TED hose is just a short name for very tight stockings that prevent blood clots while you are lying in a hospital bed all day. My doctor recommends I wear these for my flight to help reduce the risk of high altitude blood clots. I finally get them on and they completely cover my feet with the exception of a small hole at the bottom pads of my feet. “Great,” I think, “this will be fun trying to get the flip flops I picked out for the plane ride on.” Kind of like flip flops with socks, yuck! Evidently, I put on my shoes and have to squeeze my big toe through the small hole to get them on my feet. What a fashion statement!
Downstairs Blackie is patiently waiting to be let outside and fed. Pete lets him out to go to the bathroom but all this cat cares about is getting fed. So we give him a bit of food inside and get his pet carrier ready for travel. The vet said we need to have him on liquid anti-biotic every morning for the next few days due to a gum infection that could be aggravated by traveling. So he gobbles up his food as I prepare 1cc in a syringe for him to ingest before he goes into his carrier.
Pete suggests we do the tranquilizer pills for him at this time as well. I’m a bit reluctant to start them this early because of the excessive amount of time we will be in transition. I tell him I may wait until we get to the airport to sedate him. He laughs at me and says, “yea that will work out real well. I’m sure he’ll sit still for you in the airport! Are you kidding me? He’s gonna freak out if you take him outta that cage! There’s no telling what could happen! Complete mayhem and utter chaos!” I reassure him that I took him to the vet just the other day and he was so terrified I had to drag him out of the carrier. “Besides, Blackie is a big scaredy cat when it comes to people and new places. It would be a piece of cake,” I explain.
4:50am. We are still 20 minutes behind and I decide I mine as well give him the drugs while we are home. Simply for the fact that we were running so short on time. Not because I was worried anything crazy would happen. I mean come on its Blackie. So I give him the pill which I’m not sure he swallowed or spit out but there’s no time to waste now. We grab our little “sleeping beauty,” Nadia from bed, get her on the potty and dressed. Then it’s into the car we all go and we speed down the 5 to the San Diego airport.
Pete pulls the car up curbside so we can check-in and go. All of our luggage, 180lbs of it ,out of the car on the curb along with 1 stroller, 1 car seat, 1 kitty (who still looks wide awake), 1 three year old little girl, and a pregnant momma ready to go. We rush to the counter only to have the attendant tell us it’s too late to check in curbside and we have already missed our 6:15 flight. Panic stricken Nadia and I rush upstairs with the attendant to see what flight we can jump on to get us to Atlanta in enough time to catch our connecting flight. Pete parks the car and is upstairs with us in moments. The Delta guy tells me the next flight out isn’t until 9:00am. I say, “9:00am!!!!!!!!!!!!! That won’t work. What happened to the 6:25 I saw online?” He tells me, “Mam, that flight is going to Atlanta.” “Precisely,” I exclaim suddenly feeling as though I was reliving the skit “Who’s on First?” with Laurel & Hardy. “I don’t know . . . third base!” Anyway, we quickly realize our mistake and he bolts over the ticket counter to try to squeeze us in just in time for our 6:25am flight. Pete walks us over as far as he can go to the security check gate. We kiss several times and say few “I love yous,” 5:50am, no time for teary goodbyes.
We unload what seems to be a million items onto the conveyer belt to get scanned and I am wishing Pete were on the flight coming home with us now. Pete is still standing watching us go and calling out commands to us to help us move along. “Don’t forget the laptop,” he yells “oh, and tell them about the medication, and don’t forget to take off your shoes!” “Gate 42, gate 42, you’re at gate 42!” “Okay, okay I got it,” I’m thinking. The last catch was we need to send the cat carrier through alone while I carry the cat thought the gate. Easy as pie, I think, if I can just get him to come out of that box.
Open wide I flung the door and tried to coax him out. “He’s just a big scaredy,” I explain as I grab him by his scruff. He pops out and makes a b-line down the conveyer belt, his tail as beg as a raccoon! I try to grab him but he’s too quick. He slips though the hands of several security guards as he scrambles to the floor. At this point I hear Pete screaming, “get that cat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!,” from behind the security check point. I try to call him back with my sweet little “Blackie,” call but it is no use as I see him jump up onto the fountain sculpture. Once he realizes it is water, which as you may know for most, is like liquid kitty acid he freaks even more. His entire body is now the size of a medium pit bull as every hair on his mass stands up. He shoots straight up into the air nearly scraping the at least 15 foot ceilings.
All cats land on their feet. At least that’s what they say. When Blackie came down he may have ended up on his feet if he hadn’t landed smack in the middle of the fountain pool. So now this giant puff ball was reduced to a soaking wet little kitty quite resembling a large rodent. He quickly steamed off and out of the water onto the floor. His instinct was to shake off the nasty “kitty acid” but little did this unsuspecting feline realize that there were about 10 security guards and airport personnel ready to pounce on him upon his slightest hesitation. So when he stopped to preen the pile up ensued. Guard after guard like football players slid in for the tackle. Blackie being a cunning kitty slipped through their fingers like butter. One mighty hand emerged through the carnage sopping up his soaking scruff and placing him back into the cage.
On the end of that hand was an arm covered with a green multicolored fleece. At the end of that arm were broad shoulders and a beautiful beaming bald head with perfect lips and smiling eyes. Through his grin gleam freshly brushed white teeth laced with the clean aroma of Listerine. I am pleased to look up and find Pete, my gallant stallion to the rescue. Amidst all the confusion and chaos Pete had slipped through the security gates to save the day once again. But I’m not surprised at seeing his mild mannered alter ego standing there before us. After all he is Superman!
Back to reality, it’s funny how quickly your mind wanders off into strange fantasies in the blink of an eye. It’s now 6:10 as I carry Blackie through the final check point and a nice airline attendant helps me shove him back into his carrier. We scramble to gather all our things. I can hear Pete calling from behind security lines, “bye, I love you! Have a safe trip!” Nadia and I yell back that we love him too and off we go all the way to gate 42, the very last gate in the airport.
I now break into a sprint with stroller, car seat, Blackie, backpack, rolling cart, Nadia, and baby D2 wobbling around in my belly still with the threat of missing our flight looming over my head. I finally arrive at the end where they are just announcing the final call for our flight. We are the last ones to board and they quickly slam the door shut behind us. The stewardesses help us with our luggage and we take our seats in the middle of the plane. We finally get situated and I realize that sweat beads are forming on my forehead and large drops are now rolling down my back. I have to reach up and blast the air on me as I pant loudly. That was a close one. I am amazed we made it. Now the only obstacle is cooling down before I induce myself into an early labor and have to deliver the baby in the miniscule restroom of a Delta 737.
I sit to regain my composure and collect my thoughts. Everything is placed neatly under the seat and all is in order. Blackie is quiet and looks good. Nadia is happy to be on the plane and playing with her “Wizard of Oz” dolls and I settle in comfortably to my seat. I look down at my feet and notice one big toe sticking out of my TED hose on the right and four small piggy toes sticking out of the left with the big toe covered. Suddenly I burst out into uncontrollable laughter over the sight of it. After a long, hard, and extremely stressful morning of travel it’s the little things that bring me humor in my delirious state.
7:00am. Finally settling in and relaxing I snap a shot of my silly toes.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Happy Birthday Pete

We went to our favorite place, Love Boat Sushi, to celebrate Pete's birthday. They usually have live music every Thurs, Fri, and Sat so it's a lot of fun plus great food! They had us all doing the YMCA at one point in the night. Everyone joined in. It was awesome! Later Nadia danced to Funky town with a little boy, Phil and I did the running man then Phil broke out into the worm, Pete and Phil had a wasabi eating contest.

If you would like to see more videos and pics please come see me on MySpace. We will be officially celebrating Pete's birthday at Brenda and Jason's this Sunday! Can't wait. They are making ribs!!! Not just any ribs though, the best in the West, and probably the East too, heck probably in the world! We are super excited and can't wait to party with them at their own little oasis. More to come . . .

Friday, July 11, 2008

D2's heartbeat at 13 weeks

This is the first time we were able to hear the baby's heartbeat! We are so excited. The heartbeat was between 145-150. Most people say that would indicate we are having a girl but research shows it's a crapshoot! I guess we'll find out around Christmas!

Thursday, July 10, 2008

D2 coming to you this Christmas

Pete and I are so excited to announce we are expecting our second child due on Christmas day! What an amazing Christmas miracle that will be. When I was pregnant with Nadia we decided not to find out the sex and have it be a surprise. It was so much fun for us and so exciting when our little girl arrived. Because we were not sure the sex until she was born we lovingly referred to her as Baby D. Now with number two on the way, and because we have decided to also be surprised with the sex of this baby, our name for this little sweetie so far is D2. We are so excited about our latest development that you can bet on seeing many more blogs to come. Stay tuned for more exciting news!

Thursday, November 01, 2007

Happy Halloween

This came from the History Channel's website . . .

Ancient Origins

Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in).

The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.

To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities.

During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.

By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain.

The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of "bobbing" for apples that is practiced today on Halloween.

By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints', All Saints', and All Souls', were called Hallowmas.

At either rate I hope all of you enjoyed your Halloween this year. Nadia was the princess Bride, I was Cinderella, and Pete was the Death Skeleton. We went to Brenda's to Trick-or-Treat with cousins Hannah, who was a skeleton witch and, Emily, who dressed up like Scream. Here are some pics of ours. Enjoy!

Monday, October 01, 2007

I Do!

There comes a time in a girl’s life when she finds that one true love. The man she falls head over heels in love with. She idolizes him. Her world revolves around him. She dreams of one day wearing the perfect dress and pledging her eternal love to him. For Nadia, and most every other little girl in the world, that first special love is with none other than their “Daddy.”

Nadia has been in a wedding, watched them in movies, and even seen video of Mommy and Daddy getting married. In her two year old brain . . . a wedding is when you dress up like the most beautiful princess in all the land. You find your true love, the one who will love and comfort and care for you forever. You carry flowers and play beautiful classical “princess” music as you walk down the isle to meet your prince. You meet him at the end of the trail and promise to love each other forever. Then you and your prince exchange rings saying, “with this ring I thee wed.” Then they say “you may now kiss the bride." They kiss and walk back to their party and dance. Here is the best part, at the end of the wedding you get to eat “birthday cake!” How wonderful!

Nadia has been talking about getting married for a while now. She just loves dressing up. So, to appease our little sweetie we gave her a wedding this past Sunday. And when asked who she wanted to marry she of course said “My Daddy.” We gave her everything she ever dreamed of for this special day minus the “birthday cake.” She didn’t even notice though. She was to excited to marry her Dad and that’s all that really mattered to her in the end. She took her vows very seriously.

All in all it was a beautiful day and a beautiful first wedding for our little girl. I have a feeling the next one won’t be as cheap. But that’s okay; thankfully we’ve got at least twenty or more years to save up for it. Boy will he be in for a surprise when he finds out this will not be her first marriage. We plan on playing the video of this wedding on her wedding day.

Please check out the slideshow I created of this beautiful day!