10 Years...

For the last 10 years, we've walked side-by-side.

Happy Anniversary, my King J! I Love You!

I am looking forward to the next 40 years.

Thank You...

Losing Alexander was difficult.  He was such an important part of our daily lives and his presence is missed. 

We planted a couple of hostas over his grave and added a birdfeeder.  He always enjoyed "barking" at the birds he could see from the window.  It really did sound like a little bark, rather than a meow. 

I want to say "Thank You" to all of my internet friends who left words of comfort and encouragement for me, whether here on the blog, on Facebook, the forum, or through Twitter. I have saved each comment for my little scrapbook about his life.  (Yes, I am scrapbooking about my cat.)  I am so grateful for the friendships that have developed through this online world.

Goodbye Alexander

Today, we said "Goodbye" to my beloved cat.

His Royal Highness, Alexander the Cat

May 31, 1995-May 19, 2010

As a tribute to his life, I am repeating part of the post I made in honor of his birthday last year.

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Alexander entered my life nearly 14 15 years ago. I found his mom hiding in the stairwell in my condo building. She looked like a small kitten herself, but she had her four tiny kittens with her. I contacted a local rescue organization to see what could be done. I didn't care much for cats, but greatly preferred dogs, so I had no intention of keeping one. I did agree, however, to safehouse them until they were old enough to be adopted.

At the time I found them, the vet estimated they were about 10 days old, so their birthday was calculated to have been May 31st. The mama kitty tested negative for major diseases, so the kitties were assumed to be healthy too. Alexander nearly didn't survive his first few weeks. While not exactly sickly, he was not thriving. In fact, none of them were exactly thriving. I've always assumed it was because the mama kitty was still just a young kitten herself. She must have been someone's pet though, because she was litterbox trained from the beginning. She trained her kittens as well, lucky for me.

Anyway, given their weak start in life, we gave them strong names. Mama kitty became Cleopatra. The two make kittens became Alexander and Sampson. The two female kittens became Allegra and Reina.

Once they were weaned, it was time to hand them over for adoption. I had grown extremely attached to all four of the kittens and found it quite difficult to let them go. Cleopatra was not as difficult. She was not a friendly kitty, and was not an especially good mama to her babies. I ended up adopting Sampson and Alexander myself. I couldn't keep four of them in my condo. I didn't want to separate them, either, so I kept both of the boys.

Alexander and Sampson were with me through my divorce. They moved with me to my new home. They were with me when I remarried, and when we moved into our new home. They were with me through the birth of our daughter, Princess E.  Sampson died when Princess E was just a year old.  Alexander searched for him for well over a year.  Watching him grieve for his buddy was terribly sad. 

Alexander spent his final years as an indoor/outdoor cat. In the winter, he stayed indoors most of the time. In nice weather, especially during the spring, he preferred to be outside. 

Just yesterday, Alexander was curled up with me on my bed, purring.  But, I knew something was wrong.  He hadn't been eating much for about a week.  I didn't think a lot of it at first, since he would occasionally go through spells when he would barely eat for a couple of days and I also knew our neighbors had been feeding him as well.  I've kept him indoors completely, so I could watch him more closely.  This morning, I took him to the vet, because it was clear he was miserable and becoming sicker.  After examining him, the vet diagnosed him with late stage kidney failure.  We agreed that the most humane option was to end his suffering. 

I called for my husband to join us.  When he arrived, we spent a few minutes saying goodbye, and then were able to hold him as he crossed the Rainbow Bridge.  We brought him home, put him in his bed and buried him with his bowl and toys. 

 

My heart is heavy and I am terribly sad.  I miss my Alexander. 

Follow Me Back Tuesday

I found out about this new blog hop this week at Putting The FUN in DysFUNctional.  It looks like a great way to be introduced to some new bloggers, so I'm following along. 

Follow Me Back Tuesday is hosted by Survey Junkie, Little Yaya's, Review Retreat & Boobies,BabiesAndABlog.

If you'd like to meet some new bloggers, click the button and it will take you to the hostess' page and you can start finding new bloggers, too.

Weekend Wrap-Up

This was a whirlwind weekend. Princess B flew in Friday night to spend the weekend with us. Her flight changed route to avoid the storms. THAT was interesting to watch on the satellite view. Her plane was somewhere we didn’t expect it to be, and that can be a little disconcerting. We also knew about the weather issues and were assuming that’s what had happened. We were right. (At one point, though, the satellite tracked her flight as being near Nigeria.)

By the time her flight landed, the storm was right on top of us. We were under a severe thunderstorm warning. There were threats of 60 mph winds and ¼” hail. Not fun. So, while King J was trying to get home safely with Princess B, I was home with a panicky Princess E preparing for the worst. We have a closet that we use as a shelter, so I got it ready. In went Princess E, followed by Alexander the Cat. I had to capture him with a laundry hamper, but it worked. I waited close by, ready to jump in if I needed to. The rain was coming down in buckets and for about five minutes, I couldn’t see the driveway from the front of my house. I did not hear of any damage, but it was certainly an interesting night.

Saturday, we chose to not take Princess E to her soccer game. This has not been a very good season. Without going into great detail, she has not been happy with how the season has gone, and neither have we. While we normally would not allow her to back out of a commitment like this, we have attempted to reach a resolution without success. So, we are allowing her to choose whether or not to participate further. The last game is next weekend. She will be attending one last time, whether she plays or not.

That afternoon, the King and his Princesses assembled my garden swing. My parents gave it to me for Christmas last year, and we were waiting for the weather to stabilize. They did that while I ran to the grocery store. Once the groceries were put away, I went outside and took a nap in my new swing. Pure bliss.

We didn’t go to church yesterday. They had to leave for the airport just after 1:00, so it was just too much to try to get it all in. At Princess B’s request, we had a hearty “breakfast” of chicken salad rollups with a side of Texas Caviar.

How did Monday get here so fast?

Show Us Your Life - Favorite Books

It's been a while since I participated in the Show Us Your Life meme from Kelly's Korner.  I am an avid and voracious reader, and have been since I was a young child.  So, the hardest part about this was deciding which books are my favorites. 

Long before I ever learned to read, Corduroy was my favorite books.  My parents have told the story many times that they thought I had learned to read at three years old because I could follow along with this book so well.  Then, one time, they realized I was "reading" pages ahead of the story.  Turns out, I had memorized the book.  When Princess E was born, this book was in her library.  Oh, how I loved Corduroy.



When I was a little older, maybe 3rd grade or so, I discovered Paddington.  Paddington was a polite little bear who was sent from his home in Peru to England.  His adoptive family found him at the Paddington Station, so that was his new name.  He had a fondness for marmalade sandwiches and a penchant for creating mischief.  This reminds me, I need to suggest this book to Princess E.



I love a good mystery.  My taste in story lines has changed quite a bit, but I think I read most of the original Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mysteries.  I remember watching The Hardy Boys on TV, too.





Now, the Baby-Sitters Club came after I was an adult.  However, they have recently become popular again.  Princess E is working her way through the series now. 



In high school, I enjoyed literature...when I was able to read it for pleasure.  Edgar Allan Poe was, and is, one of my favorites.  By the way, if you have never heard "The Raven" recited by James Earl Jones, you have missed an incredible experience.  I highly recommend it.



As an adult, I discovered Piers Anthony and the Magic of Xanth series.  He has a rather unique writing style that would not appeal to everyone, and it definitely is not appropriate for a younger reader.  These stories are a cross between science-fiction, fantasy and mythology. 




My favorite suspense writer is Mary Higgins Clark.  Her stories are filled with suspense and I struggle to put them down.  I also appreciate that these books are appropriate for anyone mature enough to handle suspense. 


Robin Cook, MD is another of my favorite author.  He presents thrillers based on what could happen if our medical technology were used in an unethical manner.  What if? 



Just last year, I was introduced to Nicholas Sparks.  So far, I have read The Wedding, The Notebook and Nights in Rodanthe.  No, I have not seen any movie adaptations of his books.  I've spent a lot of time in the areas where these book are based, and his writing allows me to sit in the room or walk down the street with his characters.   



There are so many more incredible books and authors.  Jeanette Oke, Karen Kingsbury, Patricia Cornwell...my list goes on and on. 

Please visit Kelly's Korner and explore the other favorite book posts.

Miles for Myles

I’d like to introduce you to a little friend of ours.

This little fellow is Myles Gebhardt. His big brother, Brent, is a friend of Princess E. His parents and grandparents are in-real-life friends of ours.

Myles was born in March 2009 and was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis two weeks later. He’s a precious little guy! Thanks to an early diagnosis and excellent care, Myles is flourishing. He smiles a whole lot and is a super happy baby.

Myles’ parents, Stacy and Rob, have formed a team called “Miles for Myles” to help raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.  Here is a link to their Great Strides page. This organization invests in programs that support research, caregiving, and education for issues vital to fighting Cystic Fibrosis. (Please note that according to the Better Business Bureau report, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation meets the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.)

The Great Strides campaign is one of the primary ways the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation raises funds. Different communities set up walks, people build teams, and gather sponsors to make donations on behalf of the team. Stacy and Rob are participating in TWO Great Strides walks this weekend, May 15 and 16, 2010! Not only that, they have held other fundraisers, including one a couple of weeks ago through Chick-Fil-A. They have been working diligently to raise funds for this organization.

Their team has a goal to raise $15,000 between these two walks. Would you like to help? Every single dollar will help them reach their goal, and I know they appreciate any donations. If you can help, please click below and it will link directly to the donation page for their Great Strides team.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Also, would you please help spread the word about Miles for Myles?

Thank you!

Announcing...

Update:  Well, we discovered tonight that I had made an error and my travel blog wasn't viewable.  That is fixed now. 

I've been working on a little project. 

If you've been reading my blog very long, you already know that we travel a lot.  Well, with all that traveling comes some valuable experience with travel planning.  And, see, since we travel so much, we have to find ways to minimize our travel costs.  Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to travel quite so much.

So, I started thinking about how I could share what I've learned with you.  I decided I'd create a second blog, one dedicated to travel.  I moved quite a few of my existing travel posts over to the new blog, and am beginning to put up more posts. 

Let me officially invite you to check it out.

Traveling with King J's Queen

I would be grateful for any feedback from you about the new site.  Are there questions you have about planning a trip that I might be able to answer?  Please leave a comment or email me at kingjsqueen (at) verizon (dot) net.

Please consider following the new blog as well, and that way you can have posts from both sites in your reader.  I look forward to seeing you there as well as here.

Putting My "Best Foot" Forward....

Bwahahahahahahah.....I couldn't resist, given what happened last week.

I guess that's better than my being "holier than thou". 

Yeah, yeah, I'm really putting my heart and "sole" into it. 

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Seriously, my foot is healing nicely.  Yesterday, I even ventured out to the grocery store.  I hobbled and ached, but I made it through.  Thankfully, I didn't have to unload the groceries and carry them in the house.  My sweet hubby took care of that for me.  He didn't insist that I go to the store either.  I chose to go, just to get out of the house for a breather. 

I've been trying to keep up with reading blogs...in my reader.  Now, I think I'm sufficiently healed to get back to blogging normally.  I've missed visiting with my online friends. 

Thank you all for your well wishes and prayers!