Happy Halloween!

VOTE!!!!!

This may be the most important race this year! Your vote is needed! No, no! I'm not talking politics here! I'm talking guinea pigs! And their race to show that they are the cutest Halloween pets out there! So, what are you waiting for? The piggies to turn into zombie-vampire pigs? Now, we wouldn't want that would we? Then go vote for Cloud and Sugar -- the sweetest Halloween treats!







VOTE HERE

Evil Little Game

Found this horribly addictive game courtesy of Tammy

Disney Pics

Welcome to Disney's Animal Kingdom!























The Tree of Life.


















The Tree ofLife is covered in carvings. This is a close-up of part of the tree.
























Wouldn't even know you're at Disney! This is Disney's Mt. Everest as seen from one of the bridges, crossing from Discovery Island to Africa.


















Close-up of Mt. Everest.























Mt. Everest is really a roller coaster ride. It's fairly new to the park. It was fun! Rob didn't know that at one point the coaster goes backwards (in the dark with strobe lights going!) It's a fun ride and at the end you get to see the infamous Yeti!
























The Park has a few paths that you can walk and experience the wildlife of that area. In Asia, there were these Fox Bats (fruit bats). They sleep in trees, not in caves, so we could see them. They're so cool!


















What is that? That freaky thing? That freaky thing is a naked mole rat!*























The gorillas came right up to the glass. They are such amazing creatures!



















In Asia they had a bird show called "Flights of Wonder," where they showed off different bird species. This is Pogo, a Citron Cockatoo.


















I got called on stage with another girl to take the "photo of a lifetime." They chose two people from the audience who had cameras (who? me? have a camera?) They had a great-horned owl fly from the back of the audience to the stage on a perch behind us.

















Ok, so this is the picture I got. Ummmm, now that I think about it, I should have taken video, but hindsight is 20/20, so whatever. :P


















This is a cut-out of the previous photo. See that blur? That's the owl! I actually got the shot! :P Ok, so he's blurry. And I had the camera on continous in sports mode.






















One of the birds they had to show us was a Harris Hawk. He's so beautiful!























DinoLand USA at Disney. It's basically a carnival for kids (sponsored by McDonalds)


















The parade at close was awesome!




























































*"Naked Mole Rap" from Kim Possible.

Back Home

We're back. We're in one piece. And we have all of our luggage. Yay.

More to come when I'm actually awake.

(Not A) Vacation

So, Rob and I are off to sunny Florida today for his cousin's wedding. Usually, I'd be excited to leave and go somewhere warm and beautiful, even if for a short while. However, I am just not excited about going. It's 9:30 and I haven't packed yet (we have to be at the airport around 1:00). Too many stressful things have been going on. I know, I know, you think that would mean that I'd want to get away. However, this vacation IS one of the stressful things. We actually changed our tickets to come home early because Trip was sick and we didn't want to burdon Mel with taking care of him any longer than necessary. Monday was supposed to be our Disney day. Now, it's been moved up to tomorrow. However, IF we go, we have no way there, other than to figure out Orlando's public bus system. (our hotel is 20 miles away and has no shuttle to Disney, as hotels closer to Disney usually have). Not to mention tickets for Disney are obnoxiously expensive (as are Universal Studios and Sea World). We thought that since Animal Kingdom closes at 5:00 (and the Park hopper option is an extra $45/ticket), that we might go to Universal Studios instead, figuring they'd be open later. HA! They close at 5:00 too. Well, why don't you just sit by the pool and enjoy a relaxing day in the sun? You ask. Because it's supposed to thunderstorm tomorrow. There's no winning. See you Monay. :P

Goodbye, My Dear Trip

Trip took a sudden turn for the worse this morning. His breathing became extremely difficult and shallow. He became inactive, stopped eating, and just slept. We put him down this afternoon. We will be burying him in our friend Joel's yard. He has a spot in his garden next to an Easter Lily that is starting to bloom. For such a small kitten who was with such a short time, he leaves a giant hole in our heart.

Update on Trip

Well, we brought Trip home with us last night. The little guy's test results do not look promising. But we're willing to try. And Trip is willing try.

Here's the details:

First, his lung fluid test came back looking like either fluid due to cardiovascular disease or FIP.

Second, his blood test for coronna virus came back positive, but not extremely high levels. So, yes, he has a coronna virus, but there are many types of coronna viruses.

Third, his blood protien levels are normal.

Fourth, the fluid in his lungs continues to increase. The first night they pulled 50 cc out, third night, 70 cc (aprox. 2 oz), and last night, over 90 cc. The fluid is in and around his lungs. The around his lungs is what's concerning the vet. It's actually crushing his lungs and causing his difficulty breathing. After pulling the 90 cc out last night, one lung fully reinflated, however the other did not.

There is no absolute test for FIP while the cat is alive. However, by adding all of this evidence up, the vet has come to the conclusion that he most likely has FIP. It's the fluid around his lungs that has especially drawn them to this conclusion. The vet said that in her 11 years of practice, she has only seen the wet form of FIP once, and unfortunately, it looked a lot like what little Trip has.

Based on the vet's call to me yesterday, telling me his breathing was more labored, he had more fluid in his lungs, and he wasn't eating, and that we should come in, I was expecting to see a lump of a kitty and was preparing myself to let the vets euthenize him. But as soon as they brought him in and lifted the lid off his oxygen cage, he saw us and started purring. Soon, he started eating, which he hadn't done all day at the vet's! He was breathing so hard though, each breath labored, and painful to watch. The vet pulled the 90 cc of liquid out of his chest and we took him home. He is currently happy and comfortable. He's been grooming himself, eating like a little piggie, and even playing! We have him quardoned off in the bathroom and hallway so he doesn't go running all around and over-exerting himself. Last night Rob and I spent our evening in the hall with him. He nuzzled up against us, purring, batted at the pages of our books, and enjoyed little head scritches. This morning when I opened the bedroom door, he came bounding over to me. He is giving me such hope! His breathing is still labored, though. We're still hoping it's pneumonia. We're hoping the vet is wrong. We're hoping the antibiotics will clear this all up and he'll go on to live a long life with us.




















Trip, sitting up and atentive.


















Trip testing out his bed.


















Sleepy Trip.

*sob*

Today Trip went to the vet. Last night Rob noticed that Trip was breathing abnormally heavy. We tried listening to his breathing and I heard little gasps. This being my first cat and knowing relatively little about them, I look up respiratory problems in cats in the book and online. I decide that kitty needs to go the vet. I called this morning and they squeezed him into their schedule. And it's a good thing too. Trip is really sick. His lungs are full of fluid. The vet said that it's pretty serious. She can't figure out how this got past Planned Pethood. They check all their animals and make sure they're healthy. She thinks that this has been going on for a while, b/c it's so severe. She has no idea how they overlooked it! She called Planned Pethood and they're taking care of the bill. But that doesn't make me feel much better. My new friend is really sick. The vet thinks it's either really bad pneumonia, or worse, FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis), which is usually fatal. I'm pretty much a zombie right now. Trip's at the vet's office getting oxygen in their ICU. They're sending out samples of the fluid in his lungs and his blood to be analyzed. I should know tomorrow late afternoon or Friday what's going on. In the meantime, I'm going to sit here in shock. Poor little Trip. :(

Meet Trip!

The kitty arrives!

So, yesterday morning I picked up our new family member from the adoption people. :) I had to work that day, so the little guy came with me. He was great! He followed me around like a shadow and kept getting underfoot and I kept tripping over him. Thus, we are pretty sure his name is Trip. He was all content until I had to print pictures and the air compressor went on. Then he got scared and hid between some boxes in the back. As long as I knew where he was, I was ok with it. Then it was time to go back in the carrier and on the way home. He kept pawing at me through the bars, so I put my fingers through the bars and he started purring. :) Then we got home, and I think it was sensory overload. First he was taken to the adoption place at PetCo where there were lots of people and cars, and then to my work with scary machines, and now home. He decided the best thing to do was go under the couch and go to sleep. I only dug him out once to make sure he knew where the litter boxes and food were. Then he came out once to take a drink out of my glass of ice water. LOL Silly kitty. This morning I found him hiding under the couch still. I decided I should lessen the sensory overload a little. I moved his carrier with the fleece and his food and a couple toys to the bathroom. Then I put him in there. He's happier. I sat down with him and had a happy purring kitty in my lap and then up against my legs mewing up at me while I was putting on my makeup. I think we'll keep in the bathroom for a couple days. Yeah, it's small, but it won't overwhelm him. That, and I can double check and make sure any potentially bad kitty hiding spots are covered up (like, say, under the oven! I discovered this morning that there's a kitten sized gap under there!) My alleriges have been doing ok. I've broken out where I've gotten clawed, and I can't blame him. He didn't like being dragged out from his hiding place. Other than that, no wheezing, no sneezing! Yipee! I'm still going to use Allerpet on him, though. He has the softest fur! He is the softest cat I've ever felt! He's great! And I'm sorry but I don't have any pictures to put up yet b/c we were busy at work and the poor thing was exhausted from his long day. But don't worry, I'll take some photos. :)

Now, the question is, how do I tell my parents I have a cat? They hate cats. Oh, by the way mom and dad, watch your step, you're likely to find a cat underfoot?

Livejournal vs. Blogger?

I was in the mood for change, so I created a livejournal account. I'm thinking of switching.

Which layout do you prefer?

Naarah's Livejournal

So, when I went to see my doctor last week, she wrote me a script for Welbutrin. I'm already on Effexor, but I've been really down lately. Between having to give up the fuzzies and not knowing whether or not my store will remain open, it's been stressful. I didn't want to increase the Effexor. If I forget to take a pill, I get withdrawl that day. It's strong stuff and I'd like to get off it. In the meantime, though, I'm taking both. And they're working! I'm full of energy, silly, and more positive than I remember being in a long time! I wish I had been given this to try in the first place before Effexor (which has worked for years, admittedly). Anyway, I'm handling things much better now. Wheeeeee! A positive outlook is a good thing!

In other news, our ferret foster mom e-mailed me today. Our kids are doing well. They're being themselves and getting into all kinds of trouble! They figured out how to escape out of their play area! Ah! My clever little kids! Rob and I are going over there on the 14th to see them and to pick up the boys for their vaccinations (I'm sure they'll be thrilled about that part.) I'm sad to not have them here, but I'm thrilled to have found a foster ferret mom who is enjoying their company and antics and who is taking such good care of them. Still, I can't wait to get them back! The next six months are going to go by slow without them. I hope the ferrets and the new kitty get along when we introduce them. I'm sure the ferrets would love to have a "big ferret" to play with!

Well, I should start thinking about sleeping (if I can get to sleep. Oy. I'm a little wound up on these meds). Happy dreams!

Kitty!

This is a picture of Yoda, our soon to be new kitty! Yay! We pick him up on Sunday. (I didn't take the picture, this is off the Planned Pethood website, the adoption organization that we are adopting him through). Rob and I thinking we may change his name. Any suggestions?

You are 46% normal You're not normal. In fact, you are a weirdo. Although you still have the potential to fool people into thinking you are normal. They will certainly be in for a rude awakening none the less. Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com

So, our apartment is now furry critter free. It is most sad. The people, Barb and Dave, who are ferret sitting for us are very nice. They have an awesome ferret set-up! They have three ferrets of their own: Jimmy, Rolly, and Queen Mary of Fert. :) Morgan will be thrilled to have new ferret friends, though I'm not sure how Penny will take it. After all, she is Her Royal Highness, Penelope J. Weasel. We let the ferrets sniff each other through cage bars yesterday. In a few days, Barb is going to try real introductions. I did really well yesterday with all of it. Then we came home, I saw the empty ferret room and I broke down and started crying. My kids are gone. And yes, they're my kids. I have pictures of them in my wallet, and one tattooed on my back. They are my kids. The home feels so empty. Yes, we have all the birds, but it's not the same. Which is weird, b/c the only pets I grew up having were birds. And I love my birds. But it's just not the same. I can't explain. So now, Rob and I are considering getting a cat.* This is probably the oddest thing anyone who knows me will hear me say. I'm not a "cat person." I'd classify myself as a dog-ferret-bird person. But cats can be cool. Especially when the purr. And Mel had this awesome cat, Jelly, that was such a lover. All he wanted was head scritches, to sit in your lap, and purr. There's something inately relaxing about a cat's purr. So, here I am, contridicting everything I've ever told someone who has birds, and thinking about getting a cat. This would mean a few things: 1) The birds would get the former ferret room (which we were planning on anyway); 2) When we move, we'd have to find a place where the ferrets could have their own room and the birds have their own room, which is more expensive; 3) My mother would disown me. Hmmmmm.... so not all bad. ;P So, there's a lot of thinking and decision making to be done.

*Our apartment complex allows cats. And only cats. And birds.