Ellie

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to give you an update. Ellie is still very sick and in the hospital, but her temp is up to normal again, and she purred today. I don't know much more, but when I do, I will update.

Thank you all so much for your kind words and thoughts. Please just keep the prayers coming. They ARE helping.

Please Pray for Ellie

Ellie is in the kitty hospital, and her little kidneys are not doing well. I am sick over the fact that I am not there with her, I am on the west coast, and I can't seem to be able to get home until my scheduled flight out on Monday. I will never use US Air or Expedia again for this reason. They have been horrible and rude, and cold about the entire thing. That does not matter right now. Please, if you do nothing else this weekend, please pray for Ellie, pray that she eats, pray that she rehydrates, and pray that she pulls through this, even if only until I get home to be with her, and say goodbye. I am so scared that she won't be able to make it until I can get home. God, if you are out there, please be with my bean.

Why don't you comment, people?

Just a friendly PSA - use the little link to actually add comments... I know you are reading the blog - you see that little counter thingie over to the left? Yes, YOUR left... If you do not comment, I will send the comment-free virus to invade your silly computer (unless you have a mac... then I know that you are commenting, because you are smart enough to).

TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTLES

For the love of Tom Cruise

Handicap sign, next to the church sign as well as the dianetics sign... coincidence? I don't think so...

While driving through the 'burbs of Sacramento, I simply had to stop and take these photos. I have not seen anything like it in NY where I live, so it was worth pulling over for.

By the way, what the hell is dianetics? It sounds like it helps you shed excess water!

LOOK AT ME! I AM AN S.P.!!!!

There are some really beautiful things to see out here though, so I will share those with you as well.

Yesterday, Stacy and I went to a park to take some photos for her current cuddle buddy. She wanted to have something nice to give him for his birthday that was personal and cost effective, so she bravely asked me to take some boudoir photos. To be honest, after taking these photos, I think I may actually start a portfolio of this style, since I think I may have a little natural talent in this area actually! So, ladies, (and men too!), you know where to find me when ya wanna get brave!

Today we are going to see the Nina today:
http://www.news10.net/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=45570&provider=top

I will send photos later.

Hasta whenever!

Hello, Northern California

Cat & Stacy by the Golden Gate Bridge

Alcatraz

Hi there everyone...

I am now on the west coast leg of my summer world tour... ok, so it is not really a tour, but it sounded really cool... anyhow, I arrived this afternoon in San Francisco, and am staying in Carmichael, California with one of my closest friends in the world, Stacy. Carmichael is a suburb of Sacramento. Anyhow, I have some photos from our day in San Fran, and I wanted to share them with you, my loyal readers. I was really amazed at how similar San Fran is to Niagara Falls... all set up for the tourists... though, Niagara Falls doesn't have the cute (and stinky) sea lions...

Also, when I flew into Boston this morning on the way here, I looked out on the tarmack, and sure enough, there sat the Philadelphia Eagles airplane... not sure what was going on there... but I took a photo on the phone, so I will add that on here later...

Anyhow, Stacy is trying to burn the house down, so I will simply post a few photos and add more details later.

Ciao, lovelies!

Talk about it being a small world!

Just when you think that the world is small...

As I mentioned in previous posts, Lanie and I are in a wedding tomorrow for our friends Kirsten and Mike. We have known them for a very long time, and a number of years ago, we found out that Kirsten's grandmother actually lives just down the road from my mother in Tavares, Florida. Tavares is a really small town that most people have never even heard of. Though it would be a rather long walk, it is possible to walk from Kirsten's grandmother's house to my mom's house. A year or so ago, Kirsten's father moved down to Tavares as well. In fact, Kirsten and Mike flew with Aubrey, Lanie and me to Florida a few years back and shared a car from the airport to Tavares. Small world, right?

Check this out...

Kirsten's mom, Ingrid is from Ontario, Canada. That is a big place, right? So, today we went to the nail salon to get our pedicures done for the wedding, and I was sitting in a chair next to Kirsten's cousin, Erin. When I was talking with her, I asked her where she was from, and she said that she was from Northern Ontario, so I asked her where specifically. She said it was a small town that I had probably never heard of about 10 hours away from here called Blind River. Hmmm... remember in the previous posts when I mentioned our yearly trip to Tunnel Lake? Well, we pass through Blind River on the way there, and in fact this year, the owner of the Red Top Restaurant in Iron Bridge told us that he gets his fish from a little hidden fish shop in Blind River. When we were at camp this year, we decided to drive to Blind River to go for lunch and to try and find the fish guy that we heard about at the Red Top. We found the fish guy (Nyman's Fish Shop) right behind the Hotel Auberge Eldo and bought some wonderful fish there. So, what does this have to do with anything in this story? The Nyman's are Kirsten's Aunts and Uncles!!!!!!! I believe if I heard Erin correctly, the man who owns the fish place that we went to is Ingrid's brother...

By the way, Blind River has a population of 3600 people.

So... as I said, it is a really, really small world.

Time sure flies when you are having fun!

This is my first summer as a teacher, and I have the wonderful luxury of being off from work for the entire summer. This is a concept that I believe all workplaces should have. What a refreshing way to regather your thoughts and sanity after 10 months of work! The Europeans have it right by offering employees liberal amounts of time off for vacation. One week off once or twice a year is certainly not enough to allow your body and your brain to rest and recover from all of the stresses of the workplace. Additionally, I remember being in the corporate world and actually dreading vacation (sort of). Although the vacation was always something to look forward to, coming back to the work that piled up in your absence and all of the problems that were waiting for you to return was enough to deter anyone from taking any substantial time off. Goodness, I can already picture the piles of folders and sticky notes on my chair from the last time I took a vacation when I was at Frontier... ahh, I simply love my new life as a teacher. Don't let me fool you, I have bad days too where I just want to quit, but that doesn't happen too often. Even if it did, the beauty of teaching is that the end is always in sight, because June comes around every year (just in time, I might add!). Not to mention the fact that the school year is filled with all kinds of long weekends, holiday weeks, and the occasional (but highly coveted) snow day!

Anyhow, this summer is flying by at the speed of light it seems. We have been busy doing all kinds of exciting stuff since the summer began. Of course as you likely read in one of my previous posts, my close and very special friend Robin came for a week to visit us from Holland. During that time, we went and visited friends and family downstate in Brooklyn and Long Island. After Robin left, we took off for the annual trip to Tunnel Lake up in Canada to visit with Aubrey's Dad and step mom (Phil & Linda). We returned home, and have taken some really nice day trips and overnights.

Lanie making ice cream on the dock at Sue's on Keuka Lake
Lanie and Sue
On the swing that Sue's father put up years ago

Lanie and I were invited down to Keuka Lake to visit with Sue, my friend, mentor and former colleague from school. What a fun time that was (other than driving through the flood on the way down!). We watched all of the birds that came to the feeders, we made home made ice cream (sort of ;-) ), and played by the water. It was a really enjoyable visit all in all.

We also took a little time and drove to Kayuta Lake in the foothills of the Adirondacks to visit with some of Aubrey's aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. In fact, we were the first people to spend the night in the camp that his Aunt Kathy and uncle David bought. It was really pretty nice, and we enjoyed the time there. Lanie even got to go on a jet ski AND drive a pontoon boat! Lanie driving the boat on Kayuta Lake

Aubrey's uncle David was the lucky recipient of a leech on his foot, which Francis (Aubrey's cousin who will be deployed to Iraq in September) took the time to show to all of us. I had actually never seen a leech. To be honest, it was a lot less disgusting than I had thought it would be - it was really an interesting little creature! Gross, but interesting.

Lanie playing UNO for the first time!

This weekend, both Lanie and I will be in a wedding. Our friends Kirsten and Mike will be getting married on Sunday, so that should be a lot of fun for everyone. We are really looking forward to that.

This coming Tuesday, I am leaving for San Francisco to visit Stacy for a week. I am really excited about that, but nervous at the same time. It is the first time that I will be away from Lanie for more than a day, and I am still not sure that I am ready to do that! I just love being around my child. She is a person that I just love to spend time with, and I will miss her terribly that week. I will of course also miss Aubrey, and don't often spend more than a day away from him, though he has had to go away for work in the not to distant past.


Tootles, y'all!

Closing the gap on sisterhood

Hi folks,

As many (or all) of you know, my sister and I have had a major rift between us - things have been tough since she moved to Rochester, for many reasons, some of which are not her fault. We collectively decided to try to work things out, especially since we are sisters, and she lives only a few miles away (for the first time in I don't even know how long). We were going to go and have coffee and talk things out, but I simply can't handle anything too intense these days, so I thought it better that we go to SeaBreeze for the day and just fart around on some rides, and talk there. What a great idea that was. We had a wonderful day, and at the end of the day, we picked Lanie up from daycare and brought her to the park as well, since she gets in for free. The video here shows the three of us on a tilt a whirl ride (ugh!) and about sums up our feelings on the day. Enjoy!!!

Lanie kicks butt

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Photos from our vacation (Ontario)

Hello there. Sorry it took me a while to get myself organized again after getting back from vacation. It has been a busy summer so far with quite a bit of travel! We have been to NYC/Brooklyn, Long Island, had one of our closest friends, Robin come for a visit from the Netherlands, made our annual pilgrimage up north to the Soo, and now we are home again. For me, that is temporary since it looks like I am off again next week to go to California to visit Stacy. Wow - so much for a 'break' this summer! I am not complaining whatsoever though.

Click here for our trip photos

Anyhow, I had best be going - much to do, little time to do it in today. I will write more soon!

Tootles, y'all!

Poutine

I will add more to the blog shortly - still (happily) recovering from a few vacation weeks - one with our dear friend Robin, and one with Phil & Linda up in the "Soo". I have lots of photos to share and stories to tell. Poutine is one of them (Lanie's new fav. word).

Still adjusting to being back home, so I am off to bed, only to update this blog at some point tomorrow.

Tot ziens allemaal

International People

Proost! (Robin and Aubrey)

Every now and again, someone we meet says something that is so profoundly stupid that you have no choice but to remember it forever. George W. Bush is pretty good at that, specifically with his plan for strategery. Back in 1994, Carl Barr (Mullett) Smith of the Old Main Inn fame was very excited to meet my friend Robin, who is from the Netherlands. When I introduced Carl and Robin to each other, I believe Carl's response was "Wow, I LOVE international people!"

That response was so ignorant that it was hilarious, and has stuck with us both for the past 14 years.

Robin (International People) was just here for a visit, and left to go back to Toronto's airport about 30 minutes ago. I was (am) sorry that the visit this time was so short, and cut even shorter by a long but brief trip to Brooklyn/Long Island, and by some other somewhat unforeseen family issues that came up while he was here. Nonetheless, it was, as it always is, a pleasure to have the company of a friend that has been a part of my life for now 16 years. I love that Aubrey and Robin have such a good relationship, and that Lanie took to Robin as though she had known him forever. Robin and I had a few nice chances to talk, which was something that we really have only had the chance to do online or through email for, well, since honestly, 1995, which I am just now realizing!
Tony and Robin at Coney Island (I finally got to meet Tony... after knowing of him for 14 years!)

Lanie was very impressionable and interested in learning about her new "best friend" Robin. She even learned some dutch while he was here - koekje (cookie), and even now, she was on the toilet and told me that she did "poep maaken" (you can likely figure that one out on your own...)

The newest soccer player for the Ajax!

So, now it is our turn to visit Holland, or at least the E.C. in the next year or two. It will be so nice to see Ingrid again (she did not accompany Robin this time on the visit), and have Lanie see all of the wonderful things that Aubrey and I get excited about when we visit Europe. Robin warns me that if Ingrid meets Lanie, she will want to keep her. I hope so... then maybe Lanie can in fact convince them to have a little one of their own that she can come and visit ;-) . After all, aren't ALL children as wonderful as Lanie? :-D

Lanie's newest best friend, Robin

What a nice American family! Cute, too! ;-)

So, being the jet setters that we are, we leave tomorrow for the perennial Soo visit, and are looking forward to that visit as well. I will of course post some photos of that trip when we return, since I won't be bringing the computer up there (no internet, no phone, no problem!!!).

Cheers!
Cate

Off to the artpark in the sky

Today I found out that someone special in my younger part of my life passed away about two weeks ago. His name was Jimmy Burns, and he dated my mom when I was younger. Jimmy was very close friends with my Aunt Barb and Uncle Chris. Jimmy was likely the most talented artist I had ever met. I remember him creating the most detailed drawing on an etch a sketch of all things while he had his morning coffee. He would often take a pen or pencil and white paper and in a matter of minutes have created something new, and usually funny - he was also quite the comedian. Even at his funeral, I heard that he had a song from Monty Python playing. Somehow his wishes for the kind of funeral that he would want were discussed not too long back, though his death two weeks ago was sudden and unexpected.

Jimmy was a good egg. He was kind hearted, smart, goofy, loving, and was the biggest 'kid' I think I ever met. He never really grew up, I don't think. I have not seen Jimmy in over 10 years, and I am sorry that I won't see him again. I will always remember how special he was, and how much he cared for my family.

When your child tries to burn your house down...

Warning to parents - don't ask your child to take the paper towel roll to the recycling bin if he or she has to walk past a candle. We had a terrible storm come through this evening, so in the event that we lost electricity, I made the choice to light two candles. I was cleaning up after dinner, and asked Lanie to please take the empty paper towel roll to the recycling bin as I often do. The next thing I know, she says "Why is that paper on fire mommy?". I looked around the corner and saw that my floor had a bunch of paper towel (which she must have found somewhere since it was an empty roll) engulfed in flame on my floor. Soot and ash were spreading everywhere, and all I could think of was holy sh*t, my house is going to burn down and my daughter and my cats are in danger! (Aubrey was not home). I got the fire out with minimal damage, though some of the tiles in the kitchen will need to be replaced now.

I know that parenthood is all a learning experience, but goodness, I was really surprised by this! Lanie by the way had a slight and very minor burn on her hand, but she is okay. She was very frightened, and I think that we BOTH learned a lot from this experience.

To Hell with Cancer

You know, we have pills to get you high, pills to get you low, pills to help with erections and pills to make hair stop growing or breasts enlarge or decrease (hormones - don't get too excited out there ladies), and of course pills to help keep you healthy (supposidly) like vitimins. Why isn't there a pill to keep you from getting cancer? Seriously, I mean, there are so many people out there fighting for grants to be able to afford to do their research (Thank you Dr. J). There as associations out there to help fund research and hospice and any care in between. And then R.J Reynolds continues to make and sell cigarettes to keep our trend of the most preventable form of cancer on the rise... and of course, since nicotine is addictive, people CAN'T stop smoking, even when they want to. Even those of us who don't smoke continue to be subjected to second hand smoke, which also causes cancer. Not all cancer is caused by cigarette smoke. I just happen to rant in that direction because I am still pissed that my grandmother passed away from something that could have been avoided - lung and brain cancer.

So, I am pleased that they have a shot now for girls to avoid HPV which causes cervical cancer. I am the pot calling the kettle black when I shout about this one - if people would insist on condoms or abstinence when they are in the dating (or playing) phases of life, HPV could be avoided too. I say I am the pot because I had pre-cancerous cells removed when I was 21, though I don't know if they were caused by HPV - that was not indicated by my doctor at the time. Nonetheless, it was a scary time for me.

Skin cancer - well, for those of you who bake in the beds... silly, silly people. You are as bad as the smokers (who I still don't put all of the blame on - I just wish we had a stronger quit system for them). Yet, the fact that tanning booths are legal is amazing to me.

You can see that I am on a rant. I HATE cancer. Who doesn't? I don't know any folks out there who are like "Yay, Lymphosarcoma" or "Rock on, Melanoma!", or "Asbestos Mesothelioma is so cool, don't you wish you had some!!" nobody says "I am so looking forward to seeing the oncologist - chemo is so much fun!!". In 2003 as I mentioned, my Grandma May passed away from cancer. This year, a sweet, young little boy named Brian Santos, who was a student in my school, passed away from a rare form of cancer. One of my best friends is fighting ovarian cancer and she is younger than me, my uncles both have fought with colon lesions and various forms of colon and prostate cancers (and are both ok), my grandfather died of colon cancer, my brother in law had testicular cancer, my aunt's brother has been fighting a brain tumor (and has been doing well), a close family friend has been very ill with cancer, my mother in law had cancer, the young Dr. that treated my tooth the other day is a breast cancer survivor. Yesterday we found out that someone very close to us has cancer as well (I will keep names out to allow this person privacy). What the hell is my point with this? My point is that cancer is everywhere. It can be genetic of course, but the reality is that EVERYONE, no matter who you are or what you do is at risk for cancer in their lifetime. Everyone. Why is this? I mean, we are all mortal, yes of course. But, why is cancer so prevalant in our world? Are we contributing to this beyond the cigarettes and sunshine? Are the incidences higher in 2008 than in 1908? Why can't we cure this? Why can't we prevent this? Now, let me take that back a second - we CAN cure some cancers. Even lung cancer can be cured at times now. Prostate cancer is one of the most cureable ones thank God, and skin cancer is becoming more and more treatable. It just seems to me that the all mighty dollar needs to be spent in the most efficient way to cure this terrible, all-reaching disease. We are at war over gas prices and terrorism, but in one year alone, the polution from the gas and the number of cancer deaths in the world will far outweigh the benefits from the war, no matter how "terror-free" the world becomes.

So, if you are reading this, please take a second and, if you have it, donate $1 (or of course more) to the American Cancer Society. This link will take you right to their donation page on their site.

https://www.cancer.org/docroot/DON/DON_1_Donate_Online_Now.asp

Thanks for reading my rant. God bless all of you who know someone who has cancer or if you have or had cancer yourself. God bless you if you don't know anyone who has fought with this either!

It's a Whirl Butt

Just a little Father's Day humor... Lanie is twirling around in the kitchen right now and is smacking herself on the butt (which is somewhat disturbing, I might add). I asked her what in the world is she doing - and her response? "It's a Whirl Butt!"

I love my kiddo

Farewell #14

#14 is the one labled Second Molar I believe - mine was on the left...

Every year, our school district (6th graders only) get to look forward to going to Camp Cutler down in Naples for Outdoor Ed, a time when most teachers call in a sub and teach something outside of the curriculum for two days. This year, there was archery, chase the chicken (capture the flag with a rubber chicken... I like the idea!), tye dying, and Sue (my mentor and close friend) and I taught macramé. Basically, we turned all of our kids into hemp-wearing hippies ;-). I will look forward to the time when Aubrey and I get to go to camp for those two days to be there with Lanie. It was a ton of fun... until all of a sudden I was hit in the face with a meteorite - ok, so that part didn't happen, but apparently an abscess above a tooth (#14 that I have now had TWO root canals, 10 DIFFERENT crowns, and all kinds of other work on) began to erupt. OUCH BLOODY HELL THAT HURTS! Seriously, I think the analogy of the meteorite is pretty close. Anyhow, I had to rush an hour back to Rochester (Naples is pretty far - but OH SO AMAZING THERE) to see a periodontist (who I would recommend to ANYONE who has the need and a few grand to spend on their teeth!) http://www.phsmile.com/html/Maryann%20Lester.html
Anyhow, by the time I got there, they could not give me any sedative or calming stuff other than when the Dr. started doing a guided meditation while giving me my 50 (no joke) shots of Novocaine, which by the way, I felt NONE of. Not a lie! Didn't help me to not be nervous though. I had to chuckle though - her assistant turns out to be the parent of one of my students that I will have next year... I asked her not to tell her daughter that I was a crying mess when I was in there!!

Anyhow, she pulled the tooth since that was the last option. I have a "bio-incompatibility" with adhesives that attach a crown to the teeth, so no sense in a bridge since that would destroy the two teeth around it, and apparently there was not enough root to hold another crown if I had a crown-lengthening procedure, which I was scheduled for this summer. So, after she pulled the tooth, she placed a bone graft (wow!) in the jaw, and some kind of membrane over it, and then stitched it in with 6 stitches. In one week I get the stitches out, and then in 3 months, they insert a titanium rod in for the implant. Then I get another (#11 I think) crown on that, and la-tee-da, I am done ( I hope!)

Good times, peeps. Good times. I think I am still in shock over this though. I didn't think I would have a tooth pulled like that at my age. Where the hell is the tooth fairy when you need her? I am still waiting for the $1500 to be left under my pillow that the Dentist charged me!!!!!

Lanie's First Recital

See all of the photos we took today at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/27461922@N06/

Well, today was a special day. Lanie danced in her first tap/jazz/ballet recital at Eastridge High School, and it was just wonderful. It was a real riot to watch the kids to their thing, some did what they were supposed to do, some did what they felt they wanted to do, and some had other items on their agendas! All in all, it was a success. I was afraid that Lanie would freeze up on stage since she had mentioned numerous times that she was very nervous about making mistakes and forgetting her dances/songs, but I think that it helped her a bit that I took her to the school the other day and brought her on the stage to get a little more used to where she would be. She did just fine. My heart went out to Sophie, one of Lanie's sweetest friends, who did exactly what I think I would do if I were to be on stage - cry. I give her so much credit for sticking it out and staying on the stage, even though she was frightened. I just wanted to go up and hug her! To be honest, I am really shocked that more kids didn't do the same thing. That was a big stage, and a scary venue for a little kid.

Now, on the complete opposite end of things was Julian! He was the ONLY boy out there, and he had an absolute blast. I have no idea if he was doing any of the dances correctly or if he just had his own plan, but whatever it was, it was absolutely precious. He was partnered up with Lanie for a few of the routines, and it was just great to see the two of them dancing together (his parents and I joke about how he and Lanie will get married someday ;-) )

Nonetheless, there are a few photos from the recital on the blog, but also please feel free to take a look at all of hte ones that I uploaded to Flickr.com. I have not used this site before, but it is usually good. If anyone has a hard time seeing the photos since I kept them for only family and friends, just let me know and I will make some adjustments to the security level.

Shit or Shinola

Some days I guess it doesn't matter which one it is. So, tomorrow, I have to have emergency oral surgery to take care of a cyst/abscess in my mouth - like I need more stress, right? But, good ole' Dr. McHottiepants (he is kinda, well, really hot, and yes, Aubrey knows this) gave me some Halcion to calm the savage beast that I become when I am stressed/anxious. Last time I had to see him, Aubrey found me waiting in the reception area zoned out and perhaps dancing (swaying probably) to the Doodlebops. He reminds me of this all of the time when he wants to poke a little fun at me.

On a better note, Lanie has her first dance recital on Saturday which should be really cute. I hope that she isn't too afraid on stage. There is a Ween song that comes to mind - I'm Dancing in the Show Tonight - this makes me think of her!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxCAqSC1srU

The live version isn't as cute as the recorded one (in my opinion, and it is harder to understand what they are singing, but whatever)

Of course, photos will follow once I have some!

Loren seems to be doing well too. All of the craziness that has surrounded her has taken its toll on me, so I am beginning to separate myself out from her. She isn't good for my health - believe me! She is successful so far in rehab, which is great. I just hope she keeps her shit together so she can be well enough to take care of her kids. They need her. Especially Alyssa, who is apparently moving yet again.