Dan & JillTaking it one day at a time…

Hey all!  Dan and I are trying to save a cat that is injured in our apartment complex and we’d like to tell you guys his story.  We call him, “Kitty” (I know, original, right???).

Kitty last had an owner about 3 years ago.  From what we’ve heard from people in our apartment complex that have lived here longer than us, an old woman owned him and cared for him.  She cared for him so much that she thought she was doing the right thing by getting all four of his paws declawed and she also had him neutered.  Sometime 3 years ago she decided to abandon Kitty outside for some unknown reason.  With no protection.  No way to fend for himself and no easy way to catch decent food, like protein which he so desperately needs.  So, he started slumming it around the complex near the trash cans.  At some point, Kitty must have also gotten in a fight with another cat as he is missing one of his ears.

A couple of months ago the old woman who lives below us started seeing how skinny and frail he was looking and she started feeding him cat food.  Her INSIDE cats are on prescription food themselves so she has actually bought some cat food from the grocery store specifically for Kitty and his buddy, Tiny (more on him later).  Since then he’s become just another one of Dan and I’s neighbors that we greet every morning and every night on our way to the car.  This old woman lives alone and already has 2 cats of her own and cannot take this cat in, which is understandable.

About a week ago Dan and I noticed that the stump that was formerly Kitty’s ear was bleeding and looked badly infected.  It looked as though he was attacked by another cat again. :*(  We’ve been watching him ever since then and it does not appear to be getting better.  We’ve noticed that Kitty’s friend, Tiny, grooms him every day and we even see him trying to clean up his ear but Tiny is not a doctor!  As much as his intentions are to help Kitty, he just isn’t qualified.

Here is where Dan and I came in.  We are moving out of this apartment in 2 weeks and away from Kitty.  However, Kitty will not be far from our hearts.  We talked about it and decided that we could not just pack up and leave Kitty to fend for himself.  We needed to step in and try to do something to get him the medical care that he so badly needs as well as some safe place to call home where he will not get attacked by other stray cats.

Dan’s mom, Jayne, volunteers at a ranch that rescues horses as well as stray cats.  So, we talked to her and had her ask the founder if they would take in Kitty.  Good news: they will!  And they may even be able to find him a home, atleast with a volunteer for a while!  Bad news: Dan and I have to have him treated by a veterinarian before we can introduce him to “Kitty City”.  He needs to be cleared of rabies and feline leukemia as well as get some sort of treatment for his ear, like a topical or oral antibiotic.  He’s also horribly, horribly matted from being a very long, thick, and frizzy haired cat and would also benefit from some sort of help by a groomer to either cut out or shave his matted areas.  We also wanted to send him to the ranch with a bag of food so that these people know we are not just trying to dump this cat on them but that we genuinely care about his well-being and want him to have a safe and secure place to call home.

Dan and I only have limited funds to put towards Kitty’s care.  We’ve set aside some money for him but know that it is not going to be enough.  So we thought that maybe there are other people who would be interested in helping us get Kitty the care that he so desperately needs so that he can go to a safe place and not have to worry about being picked on by other stray cats.  I know times are very rough, boy do I ever, but if you have any extra money that you could donate we would be more than appreciative.  I know everybody might just be plum out of donation money with the earthquake that just happened in Haiti, luckily we are not asking for that much.

I’ve set up a little donation account with SmartyPig.com just to make it easy.  Apparently the minimum donation is $10 so I am trying to also set something up through PayPal.  In the meantime, if you want to donate but not through that site, just let me know!  I promise that every penny will go towards Kitty and if in the event there is anything left over I will put it towards doing the same thing for Kitty’s friend, Tiny.  Tiny does not have any medical problems that we are aware of and probably only needs a feline-leukemia and rabies test, but boy do I wish that they could go together!  Tiny has the same story, he was somebody’s beloved pet and when they moved they left him there.  Apparently his owners called him Tiny because he was the runt of the litter and he was so skinny that you could see his rib cage!  He’s filled out now and isn’t so tiny but his “runtness” still shows through as he is a beautiful blue-cross-eyed, part Siamese kitty.  He may need to be neutered and I think that the Humane Society has free Neuter/Spay clinics sometimes so I was going to look into that.

So with that, thank you for reading and if you are able to throw a couple of bucks our way we really truly and wholeheartedly appreciate it.

Save Kitty!

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So if you remember these were our goals last January:

Jill:

• Fix Dan and I’s Credit so we can buy a house in a couple of years
• Finish my Associate’s degree and start ASU in the fall
• Learn to sew so I can hem my own pants…
• Be better at keeping up with relatives… (even IF they don’t respond)

Dan:

• Finish his Associate’s degree in May
• Start volunteering at a hospital and turn it into a job by summer

I say we made it out pretty well!

We paid off all of our credit card debts last year in preparation of buying a house THIS year.  Yes, you read that right.  We are in the process of buying a house.  We’ll see if it all pans out.  Don’t want to post too much as it is all just a “goal” right now, but certainly a goal that we’ve pushed forward quite a bit from last year!  More on this later…

We both got our Associate’s degrees last year.  Yay!

I tried to keep up with relatives on Facebook last year and that was totally awesome.  Got to see my cousin, Christa for the first time in 10 years over the holidays and that was nice.  This year it is the year of the phone.  I need to call my relatives more often!

I didn’t learn to sew.  Bummer.  But that was more a goal I made for that week as my pants were all frayed and falling apart at the bottom.  I bought new pants so I’m good there.

Dan did not start volunteering last year as he had the CRAZIEST school schedule ever.  Anatomy & Physiology 1 during the summer, Anatomy & Physiology 2, Microbiology, and Algebra during the fall… let’s just say he couldn’t fit anything else into his world if he wanted to.  He does really want to accomplish that goal this year, however.  Not the job part, but the volunteer part.  He wants to have experience in the hospital when he goes to eventually apply for a job once he’s in nursing school.

This is Dan’s last semester of pre-requisites and then it’s off to nursing school.  He’s a little worried about getting in to ASU’s nursing program but not to worry he’s also going to apply to MCC and Grand Canyon University’s program.  The latter is about double the cost of ASU and is one semester longer and is on the complete opposite side of the town, but oh well.  Whatever gets him in to a nursing program the fastest!  He’s ready to rock and roll and can’t wait to start it.  He’s taking his last healthcare class and then 3 “fun” classes this semester.  Drawing, Psychology ofHuman Sexuality, and Philosophy.  So far he loves them all!

So our goals for this year:

• Buy a house (both)
• Volunteer (Dan)
• BE healthier (both)
• Walk Penny more often (both)

As everything goes in Dan and I’s lives lately… I am still behind on updating this blog.  I plan on getting all caught up this weekend though!

We spent Christmas Eve at Dan’s mom’s as we always do and had a wonderful time with Jayne, Grandma Yvonne, and Tom.  We had Jayne’s traditional and delicious lasagna. Mmmmm!  Then on Christmas Day we actually got to spend the holiday with my Grandpa Lassen!  It was so awesome having a Christmas with him as it has been quite a while since that has happened.  He and his girlfriend, Rae came and we had a truly special day.  Another surprise visitor was Jack’s best friend, Scott from Humboldt, CA.  It was so good to see him, I miss that guy a TON.

Here’s some various pics from both days:

So, I’m belated on both but that’s okay I don’t think either one of my Grandpas read this blog anyway.  I still would like to give them both a shout out and let them know I love them very much and how special they are to me!  Grandpa Grimm turned 75 (I think) on the 16th and Grandpa Lassen turned 93 (!!!) today.  Two very special guys.  We’re so lucky to have them both.  Both were terrific fathers to my parents and for that I am thankful because they couldn’t have been a better example for my own parents in raising us.

To the patriarchs of my family: HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND I LOVE YOU!

(I couldn’t find any pictures of just me and my Grandpa Grimm.  Note to self:  Take one the next time you see him!!!)

I am far overdue for a blog entry.  However, I am too tired.  So I thought I would share the most precious gift that I got in the mail yesterday from my adorable best friend, Crystal.  Homemade magnets with handpicked pictures and graphics from her where each one invokes a special memory wrapped up in a heart shaped box.  It looked like a box of candies!  Such a cute idea!

And this weekend I just about finished all of Dan and I’s ‘thank you’s’ for our Christmas gifts.  Now if only I could fall asleep after having a very bad sleeping schedule over my 4 day weekend!

A couple hours after Dan took his last final and I left work we hopped on a plane for Colorado to spend a week with Dan’s Aunt Lori, Uncle Mark, and cousins as well as to see my cousin, Christa and her husband, and my Unka Dave!  We had an absolutely awesome trip and completely fell in love with Colorado (again!).  We think we want to move there after Dan graduates if he can get a job at a hospital there or something.

We got to see the Air Force Academy down in Colorado Springs, courtesy of my fabulous Uncle Dave who is the Director of Communications there.  Went on just about a 5 hour tour there that was worth every second.  It was really cool to see what my uncle does and where he works and it even made Dan wish he had gone to the Academy!  Dave’s the best tour guide!

Christa and Andy took us to downtown Denver where we had a few drinks and hung out.  It was so fun reconnecting with my cousin who I absolutely adore.  She actually just got back from filming a movie in India!  Superstar coming through!  :) We got to see their townhouse and of course their cute pup, Ella!  Wish I lived closer to them as they are suuuch a fun couple.  Real down to earth and just “normal” peoples.  Other than my cousin on the verge of superstardom, of course!

After all that we spent the rest of the time with Mark, Lori, Emily, Elizabeth, Michael, Jeffrey, Grandma, and Barb!  It was a full house, for sure, that’s for sure!!!  Their house was beautiful, too.  :)  We did a lot of putsing around the town of Parker and then went to the Denver Museum of Natural History with all the cousins and we thought that was really cool.  Dan, of course, being the science/history buff/nerd that he is took his time on just about every single exhibit!  ;)  We also went up north a couple hours to Estes Park where Dan got to live out a “dream” of his by seeing the Stanley Hotel— you know, where Stephen King stayed when he got the idea for the Shining!  It was so awesome!  We had a really great time just spending time with family as we do not get to see them very often.  I just adore Dan’s cousins Emily and Elizabeth and wish we lived closer as I’d be hanging out with them every day (if they’d let me!).  They are just a bundle of fun.  We had a really comical time teasing Grandma with all of Dan’s cousins and from what we hear, the teasing didn’t stop once we left!  Dan and I kept commenting how every time we heard Mark’s voice it sounded just like his dad, Brian’s.  It was also a little comforting for Dan, I think.  Anyways, it was a really nice trip and very special to us and we’re hoping to go back again next year!

What can I say, I work for a wonderful company and they throw one helluva party!  A $3 million one at that!  We also thought of this weekend as our one year anniversary event.  We got to get all dressed up in our fancy clothes (You know, clothes we never wear and won’t wear probably again!) and stayed at a nice hotel in downtown Phoenix.  We were shuttled over to Chase Field (The Diamondbacks’ ball field) with our good friends, Jason and Julie and a bunch of other GoDaddy peoples.  We got in to the party and it sure was quite a scene!  The theme was a Winter Wonderland and it looked awesome.  I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves:

Check out this article on azcentral.com all about the party!

Tom took us for an awesome four-wheel drive trip to Butcher Jones which is right on Saguaro Lake.  We got sub sandwiches and stopped on the lake for a picnic lunch and then back to the dusty off-road!  Dan even let me drive his Jeep… oh boy!

We went up this… and down that…

Around there…

(^^Ohhh yeah check out that baby up there!^^)

And one last parting shot of Dan’s BAMF:

Dan and I feel so lucky that both of our families like one another and get along so well that we’ve made it a tradition to spend Thanksgiving together every year!  We switch off who’s house it is at each year.  The year before last was up in Prescott at my Grandpa’s house and this past year was at my parents’ house.  We’re hoping this year we can have it at OUR house.  :)

My mom set up the table soooo nicely:

Annie was our entertainment:

The matriarchs of Dan’s family:

And the rest of us:

So, Dan and I had quite a busy month during December!  So busy that I didn’t even have time to update our blog.  Instead of making one super long post of all of the goings on I will create separate posts for each event.  :)

Here’s a recap of our month:

• Had an awesome Thanksgiving with both of our families at my parents house.
• Went off-roading with Dan’s brother, Tom that same weekend at Butcher Jones.
• Had an amazing time at my company’s holiday party.
• Finished school with a combined 2 A’s and 2 B’s.
• Left for Colorado right after finishing finals to visit both Dan and I’s family.
• Celebrated Christmas with our families, separately.
• Thoroughly enjoyed 11 days free from the chains of work.
• Rang in the new year with 2 of our favorite couples; Jason & Julie and Thomas & Tiffany.
• Now preparing to pack and move… somewhere?