2007 By City

Similar to last year's post, each of the below cities included a one-night stay in 2007. Cities denoted by an asterisk include multiple visits.

• San Francisco, CA
• Chantilly, VA
• Dallas, TX
• Ashland, OR
• New York, NY*
• Montvale, NJ
• Orlando, FL
• San Diego, CA
• Southern Caribbean

Catch-up Night

I just posted numerous posts below so don't stop reading after the first one :)

Sam - My Expensive Cat

I have had the cats for just about 4 months now, and Sam has turned out to be one expensive kitty. I took both Otis and Sam to the vet for a general check-up a few weeks after I got them back in May. The vet said they both looked good, with the exception of Sam's teeth which needed a major cleaning. I took Sam back in July for the cleaning which is a very pricey procedure. When I took her to the vet they called on the loud speaker and said "Sam is here for surgery." I explained to them that no, she was not there for surgery, just a teeth cleaning. They said that they refer to teeth cleaning as surgery because they go through the sam process with IV and anesthesia as they would with surgery. While I had her in that day I also asked them to check out a growth on her back (which they removed and biopsied but it ended up being nothing).

Here are some pictures of her wounds:

A little groggy from the anesthesia

Her stitches in her back

When the vet was completing the pre-op tests before her teeth cleaning, the vet told me that her kidney levels were slightly elevated and that I might want to have them re-tested in a couple of weeks. I immediately thought "kidney failure" as that is what we lost Cedric to, but the vet assured me that this was not kidney failure, possibly just an infection. So, being the good cat parent that I am, I took her back a few weeks later and everything is fine. She now has a sore on her chest which I had the vet look at when I had her in for the kidney test. He gave her some antibiotics, but she has finished those and the sore on her chest is still there. I am not worried about it as she seems to be fine.

She can be a lovable cat when she wants to be

Hiding in a box

Helping me with my scrapbooks

I can't do a whole post about Sam without including a picture of Otis - he is doing great.

Fatty Otis :)

You Know You Are Getting Old When...

...you get a message saying "Please visit the following website for info on our reunion - http://www.arcadia1998.myevent.com/." Yes, come November 2008 I will be going to my 10-year high school reunion.

The Rest of the Trip

On Sunday night, Lauren and I did make it to Pinkberry. We waited in another 20 minute line and then walked around and talked for about an hour. We do not talk much so it was good to catch up. I forgot my camera when we walked to Pinkberry, so I would not let Lauren throw away the Pinkberry cup (it definitely did not take an hour to finish the yogurt). So, we walked around for a good half hour with empty containers but we did get a picture when we got back to the apartment.

Pretending there is yogurt in these cups

Monday morning I met up with Jenn and the group at Century 21 and then we went to lunch at Jing Fong Restaurant (or something to that effect) in Chinatown. It was authentic Chinese food so I was a little nervous to eat it. Fortunately, I had cereal bars with me, so that was lunch. We then walked down to South Street Seaport to try to get tickets to a play. There weren't any shows that I wanted to see on the list, so I passed on the show.

Looking towards Manhattan from South Street Seaport

We then walked back to Chinatown. In Chinatown, they sell a lot of knock-off purses, and most of the nicer purses (i.e. Coach, Louis Vitton, Prada, Gucci, etc.) are in the back of buildings. As you are walking down Canal Street, you get numerous offers to go look at purses. We took a lady up on the offer and followed her down the alley, into a building, up the stairs and into this tiny room filled with purses. We were getting a little nervous on our way there, as the other times I have done this there are usually other "potential buyers" being led by other Chinese people. In this instance though, we were the only ones and it was quite a distance from Canal Street. Anyway, I found a white Coach purse that I liked and I asked the lady how much it would be. She said thirty and I said twenty. She kept coming down...25, 23, 22, 21 and I kept saying no I didn't want it. As we were walking out she said, OK, 20. I am sure it will not last long, but if I bought this purse from Coach, it would probably be $200-$300. Jena also bought two Kate Spade purses. As we were walking out of the building, we wanted to get a picture of us with our black bags in the alley. Just as we were about to snap the picture, this guy puts his hand in front of the camera and says "NO PICTURE!" I think he is the owner and he probably thought we were going to turn him in. We walked a little further down the street and took the below picture.

NO PICTURE!!!

On Tuesday I took a break from the tourist activities and worked from Lauren's apartment. On Tuesday night Lauren cooked a great dinner (Orichette Pasta Salad) and we just hung out at the apt.

Yesterday, for the 4th of July, we decided to go to Fire Island. Lauren's friend, Ara, has a share there and she was going for the weekend so we went along with her for the day. Fire Island is off the coast of Long Island, and is about the width of a football field but it is 30 miles long. In order to get to Fire Island, we took the LIRR (Long Island Railroad) from Penn Station and then a ferry to Fire Island. I guess Fire Island is known to be a gay hangout, but we did not see any gay people. The area we went to was a family town.

Me, Lauren and Ara arriving at Fire Island

There are no cars allowed on the island so most of the people who live there own a wagon. All of the wagons get locked up at the dock.

This is where the locals park their wagons

We walked around for a while and then had lunch and ice cream.

Eating ice cream and pastries

The "Main Drag"

Taking a festive picture

After spending a couple of hours in the town, we walked on the beach back to Ara's house. It was windy and cold - definitely not a day to lay out on the beach.

On the beach - a little different weather than the 117 degree heat in Phoenix

It was cold!

We left Fire Island on the 6:40pm ferry and made it back to the City by about 9:30pm. Just as we came out of Penn Station, we saw the Macy's fireworks so we watched the show for about 20 minutes. It was a little difficult to see since we were in the middle of the city, but it was still a good show. We watched right by the Empire State Building - I tried to get a good picture but I really need a tripod since it only works if I do not use a flash.

My attempt at photographing the Empire State Building

I had a great time, and I still love that city!!!

Ellis Island and Cafe Lalo

My plane in Oregon arrived in Phoenix at 8:10am on Sunday morning, June 24, and I had a flight out of Phoenix to JFK at 3:10pm. So, I went home, did laundry and packed again. Last week I stayed at the Waldorf Astoria in midtown because I was here for work. Friday after work I picked up my luggage and took a cab to Lauren and Jason's on the Upper East Side. I left my luggage at their apartment and picked up a key and then took the subway to meet Jenn, Jena and Meghan in the West Village. We had yogurt at this really good place called Pinkberry. We waited in line for a good half hour.

Jenn, Me, Jena and Meghan at Pinkberry in the West Village

Pinkberry is very popular

I stayed at Jenn's on Friday night, but it was a full house. Brian and Michael were supposed to be out of town for a wedding, but their flight was cancelled on Thursday night. So, they stayed in their room, Jenn, Jena, Megan and myself were in Jenn's room and Brian's brother and girlfriend were on the couch/floor. That is 8 people in a little 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom NYC apartment. Saturday morning I snuck into Jenn's gym with her in order to take a shower and get ready and then we headed off to Ellis Island. This used to be an immigration island where they brought the immigrants to be checked out and determine if they could enter the U.S.

In line at Battery Park to go to Ellis Island

On the way to Ellis Island

Taking a picture by the sign (we actually went in and toured the museum too :)

Last night I stayed at Lauren and Jason's with their dog, Rooke. Lauren and Jason went to Long Island for the weekend, so I volunteered to watch Rooke. It actually worked out well since there are so many people at Jenn's. It took over an hour to get here because I missed my transfer on the subway (I was looking for 51st Street but really should have gotten off at the 53rd-Lexington stop) so I ended up at 23rd Street and had to wait for the downtown to come which took a very long time. Anyway, I made it here and took Rooke for a short walk. This morning I go up somewhat early and took Rooke to Central Park for about an hour and then I met up with Jenn and everyone else at Cafe Lalo. This was the Cafe where Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan met at in You've Got Mail. It was such a nice day and they had all the windows open. After Cafe Lalo we walked through Central Park to MoMA (Museum of Modern Art). I guess it was cool but art museums don't really do anything for me.

Cafe Lalo Sunday morning

Strawberry Field in Central Park

Now I am waiting for Lauren and Jason to get home and Lauren and I are going to Pinkberry :)

Otis and Sam

I now have two cats as of yesterday. A few months ago we found a cat named Otis wandering around our yard and subsequently found his owners (see February post titled "Otis"). Well, yesterday his owner lady stopped by and knocked on the door. My dad happened to be home and answered the door and she said that she was taking Otis to the pound but did we want him. She also said that she had another cat that she was also taking to the pound. My dad said that we would call her later but she said that she was going home right then to get the cats and either driving them to our house or to the pound. So, long story short, she brought the cats here. In the last three months, Otis has probably gained 10 pounds - he will be going on a diet. From our understanding in talking to her, these cats have been tied to a stake outside for the last three months and she was getting rid of them because it is too hot outside. Otis has definitely changed since we had him last and we think that it is due to poor treatment. Sam is a skiddish cat but again, it is most likely due to not having any love from people and being tied to that stake. We are keeping the cats in the guest house since we have Zoe inside (we would not have had Zoe if it hadn't been for Otis - also see previous "Zoe" post). When I buy a house (hopefully in the near future - there are a couple that I really like) then I will take Otis and Sam with me. Sam may get a name change to Jaxon - he just doesn't look like a "Sam" to me.

Otis

Sam

It's Been A While....

Here is a general March/April Update:

• Birthday's - Both of my parents celebrated birthday's in the last couple of months. My dad's was March 10 and we went to dinner at Macaroni Grill and then to a movie. My mom's birthday was April 12 and we went to dinner at White Chocolate Grill and then walked around Kierland.

• Working Out - I have finally been able to get back into the gym routine now that busy season is official over. I have also been hiking Camelback on a pretty consistent basis (although that will end now that it is getting hot and the snakes are out).

Mack Millsaps on the trail

Flowers on Camelback

• Work - We just finished the 1st Quarter Review for my food client. This week I am going to start back at the electronics client to try and finish their audit by May 31. I also have staff going into the field this week to start the benefit plan audits. I have been with my company for almost 5 years now. I am up for manager promotion this summer, and there are rumors going around that our new manager training/celebration is going to be in London.
• Travel - The first week of April I spent a day in San Francisco for a project management tool training. The second week of April I spent two days in DC at a partner/manager training for employee benefit plans. In both cities, I was in and out for the training so did no site seeing. The only summer travel plans that are currently definitive is a family reunion in Oregon in June, a train the trainer in Montvale, NJ, in July and New Hire Training in Orlando in August. I am going to try to fit a few more pleasure trips in there, even if they are just weekends to San Diego.
• Crohn's - I have been getting sick about once a week for the past month, which is very frustrating. Every time I get sick, it makes me long for the day when I have a glorified body and I don't have to deal with crappy intestines. For now, though, I just deal with it, although I will be making an appointment to see Dr. Deroine soon. I am hoping she has some different supplements as I am afraid I might be immune to the fish oils I am currently taking.
• Old Friends - On a few posts below, I posted an "In Memory of Michael Livingston." We have found out that Michael died due to a heroin overdose. After Michael's death, Kellyn contacted her friend PJ (PJ and his sister's Katie and Cyndie lived across the street from us growing up) to let him know about Michael. About a month after Michael's death, Kellyn got a message on her MySpace saying the PJ had passed away. At PJ's funeral, we found out that he had also died due to a heroin overdose. It has been sad to see these childhood friends pass away.
• House Hunt - I still have not bought a house. I continue to look at the listings and talk to Chas (Lauren's dad who is a realtor) and he says that house prices are going to continue to fall. the reason being is the number of houses on the market - when I started looking 3 months ago, there were 46,000 houses on the market in Maricopa County. As of last Monday, there are 53,000. It is all about supply and demand and if the supply continues to increase, the price will have to fall. As soon as the number of houses on the market start to decrease (which Chas says will probably be when the temp hits 100) then that is the time to jump on something. 
• Mom - My mom has been having problems with her hip again. She had a hip replacement almost 3 years ago, but it looks like she is going to have to have another this summer.
• Zoe - Zoe (the cat) is doing great and is finally comfortable in our house. It is definitely nice having a pet again, although Gus and Cedric can never be replaced.
• Don't Waste Your Life - I am currently reading this book by John Piper and it is a powerful book. Hopefully I won't look back on my life and say "I wasted it."

Well, I think that is all for now. Until next time...

Otis

Last Saturday (2/10) my mom found a cat hanging around our front yard. We could tell it was an inside cat and it was declawed so we ended up bringing him in. We looked for signs to see if anyone was missing a cat, and my dad found a sign on Thursday. We called the people and it took them over 24 hours to get back to us. It then took them another 3 days to come and pick him up. In the week that we had him, we definitely fell in love with him. It was sad seeing him go today, especially since his owner was such a jerk. She came into our house, picked him up, called him a "bad cat" and left. She didn't even say thank you to us for finding him. Knowing what we know now, we would have never called them to come and get him. We called because we knew if we were missing Cedric we would have wanted someone to call us. Right now we feel like we betrayed this cat. Anyway, here are a few pictures of him.

Me and Otis

Otis

Goodbye, My Gus

In memory of Gus, January 10, 1993 - January 16, 2007

My last picture of Gus alive - taken about 10:45am this morning

Today was a hard day for me, as we knew it was time to put Gus to sleep. Over the last 8 months, Gus' back legs have been deteriorating and it has been very difficult for him to get up and walk. On Sunday afternoon, he really could not walk well at all and he had no interest in food. Over the past 48 hours we were having to carry him to the yard on the striped blanket above and then carry him back into the house. Last night he started growling at us and getting upset when we tried to help him. I called a traveling vet, as we knew that there was no way that we could get him in the car to go to the regular vet. I was extremely apprehensive about putting him to sleep, mostly because I knew how much he hated vets and I did not want to hurt him today and have that be his last memory of me. God was good, as the vet that came was very gentle with Gus and did not hurt him at all. He used a comforter to cover his head and gave him a tranquelizer to calm him down a bit. About 10 minutes later, Gus was calm and the vet put a soft muzzle on him. The vet, my mom and I knelt down next to Gus. I was petting Gus on his side and my mom was petting his head. The vet gave him the shot in his front paw and 10 seconds later, at 11:12am, Gus took his last breath. The vet went inside to fill out paperwork and I sat outside and petted/brushed Gus for about a half hour. While the vet was filling out the paperwork, he saw a Bible sitting on the hutch and said that he was also a born-again Christian.

I was also thankful that Gus got outside one more time because Gus has been sleeping out in the guest house with me (he pretty much had not left the guest house since Saturday night). This morning about 9:45 I was out there sitting/crying with him, and he got up on his own and walked to the door. He ended up walking all the way across the patio by himself and got one last drink out of the pool (he always loved drinking pool water). He then came and layed down on his blanket and we fed him a tangerine (he was a big fan of tangerines too). Anyway, I am happy that he was able to walk outside and that we were able to put him to sleep outside since he pretty much owned that backyard. When I was out there sitting with him after he was gone he just looked so peaceful laying there in the sun.

I am definitely going to miss him. Being in the backyard is difficult and I know tonight will be a long night out in my room by myself. Gus has slept in my room with me for the past 11 years and I am going to miss him being out there with me. I would always hear him in the night licking his feet or just barking a couple of times for no reason. This is also hard for me because this is the first time in my life that I can remember with no pets. I think that there was a period of time when I was 2 that we did not have a pet, but we got our cat Skeeter when I was 2 and then in 1993 we were up to three pets, Skeeter, Cedric and Gus. Skeeter died in 1995, Cedric on February 25, 2006 and then Gus today.

Guser (as I called him quite often), I love you very much and I am going to miss having you here with me. When you died today you took a piece of my heart with you that I will never have back. I can't wait to see you again someday (Luke 12:6b).

Here are some pictures of Gus throughout the years...

Me and Gus in 1993 - I was 13 and Gus was 3 months

Kyle, Kellyn, Me and Gus - April 1993

Happy 1st Birthday Gus! January 10, 1994

I love him

Looking out my window at the Cox truck - 1999

Laying under the tangelo tree - February 2006

2006 By City

Each of the below cities included at least a one night stay in 2006. Cities denoted by an asterisk include multiple visits. Good idea, Paul!

• Waikoloa, Big Island, HI
• Topeka, KS
• Montvale, NJ *
• Dallas, TX
• Albuquerque, NM *
• New York, NY
• Orlando, FL
• Flagstaff, AZ