His love is extravagant :)

New Furniture

                                                  Rich took me shopping for new furniture today. :) I have been wanting to get some furniture for about six months, but we knew we'd be moving again when our lease was up and the movers damaged our dining set pretty badly when we moved last year!! Finally we are moving into our new place in 10 days, and we went furniture shopping today!! This is our new dining room set. The wood is actually burnished and distressed, which I LOVE!! We also bought a bedroom set. We actually found one we both liked for under $1,000. I am putting a picture below. 

I am excited about my new stuff!! I am planning to switch over to white dinnerware for spring and summer, and to change up our master bedroom colors as well. I think I'll put our current stuff in the guest room. I am still thinking of the yellow spice bedding collection that I found at Ethan Allen. If you missed it the first time around, you can view it HERE. 

Spring Color Splash

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. For me, that means that Easter passes and dressing in 80% black must end, for a couple of seasons. Black is my favorite color to wear. It's a very friendly color, it loves all people and it goes with EVERYTHING. Today I went shopping to get my spring and summer clothes started. I picked up this cute dress for Easter, with a cute shell and pearl cocktail ring to go with it.



Spring also means pearls get exciting. I love pearl and chain necklaces, like the one pictured below.

HAPPY SPRING!!

Think, People!!

"I wonder if the pastor who decided to burn a Quran realized he would create a multi-national protest and riot outbreak? Better yet I wonder if he regrets it now that multiple U.S. Soldiers have given their lives as a direct result of increased attacks due to his actions."

This is a direction quote from a college friend of ours who is serving overseas. I don't have a lot to say today, only that if people would simply think through their actions from a heart of love instead of hatred, so much heartache would be saved in this world.

It is a shame that this man calls himself a Pastor. I was horrified and sickened  to hear the news of his decision, and today, reading our friend's status on Facebook, it just made me sad to think that a man could be so selfish and hateful in the name of God.

THINK before you do something foolish and hateful!!

I Told You So!!

When we got our cat back in 2009, Trupanion pet health insurance was still a fairly new product in small animal medicine. Since cats are fairly inexpensive to insure, Rich & I decided to enroll our cat as a test, to see if it was really worth it. We enrolled our cat as soon as he was eligible at 8 weeks of age (we had him since he was 4 weeks old). It cost $25 to enroll, and our monthly premium was $21. At the time that we enrolled Emmett, he had had no illness or injury, thus there was nothing that would be considered "pre-existing," or excluded from insurance coverage. The coverage that Trupanion offers is simple. They pay 90% of your vet bills for diagnostics and treatments of accidents, illnesses, medications, and lab work, excluding the office visit and certain items such as special diets. You can read about their coverage HERE.


When people found out that we had a health insurance policy for a cat, they snickered, snorted, and hooted. Some people even had more to say than just funny comments. It was kind of surprising. :) However, Emmett turns 2 years old this month. And I have to say, to all the nay-sayers, BOO YAH!!!!


Five weeks to the day that his coverage started, Emmett had a freaky episode. While we were playing with him, he turned blue and couldn't catch his breath. He started panting (which is NOT ok for a cat) and screaming. I was getting him loaded up to take him to the vet when he started breathing again. The next day, a work up cost us about $300. The Dr. wasn't sure if he had asthma or possibly a cardiac issue. Radiographs showed a slightly odd shape to his heart. The radiographs were sent out for review by a radiology specialist, and an echocardiogram was recommended. By this time we were about $700 in. It turns out that Em had a genetic heart condition that was causing slight shunting and therefore, shortness of breath. I submitted my claim to Trupanion, and after I had paid them a total of $45, I got a check back in the mail for 90%, fully covered...over $600. Nice.


This cat has had continuous issues for his life. Ear infections, heart problems, allergies, asthma, skin infections, chin acne, and on and on the list goes. In the total lifetime of the pet I have paid about $465 to Trupanion, and the check I'm getting back from them for January 2011 vet bills alone is $407. The insurance has saved my patootie!!! 


The main thing I have learned about the pet insurance is this: enroll your pet while he or she is still young, before they have any issues or injuries. Thus, your premiums will stay very low (Emmett's are still under $25/mo) and everything will be covered. There are many, many insurance companies out there. Trupanion is my favorite. Not only because they pay my claims, but because I see that they pay the most and the fastest for my clients as well. 


Having pet insurance has enabled me to provide excellent care and a good quality of life for my kitty. I will definitely be enrolling any pets I get in the future!!! If you want to read about Trupanion or get a fast online quote for your own pet (you known you want to now, nay sayers) you can look at their WEBSITE. It's easy to say you will not spend a lot of money on a pet, but when something bad happens, you'd be surprised how much your feelings can change!! I see it happening all the time in my office!


Cheers to pet health!!

Acapulco & the Stairs

I dedicate this post to my obnoxious, adorable, (sometimes) grouchy, (slightly) land-sharky, old, devoted Chihuahua Acapulco. He landed in my life when he decided to hang out in my parents' garage until a rain storm was over. He was barely 5 pounds, starving, bald, and extremely pathetic. I decided to keep him because I was certain nobody would want him. For a long time I did not really want him, because he was a real "challenge". But after he and I learned each other a bit, I loved his little self and was so glad that I got him!!
When I first got him, I hid him in a crate in my parents' garage for about a month. He did not make a sound; in fact, he would not even walk. He would drag himself around the house on his belly and keep his eyes downward. If anyone looked at him or talked to him, he would tinkle all over himself! After a few months of that, I got married and he graduated to having the run of a whopping 490 square foot apartment. He would run in tiny circles all around, so happy to have "all that space" to play in. I still remember, after almost a year, when he figured out that toys were for him. He loves extremes: either VERY tiny toys, or VERY large ones. He does not allow the cat to play with his toys. When we moved to Fort Lauderdale, he did not know what to do with our 1,000 square foot condo. He raced around like a jet rocket. He never stopped moving or wiggling. He was so excited to have so much room to romp!!

It almost short-circuited his brain when we moved into a house with STAIRS last week. I could see the wheels turning in his little brain and his bright, naughty brown eyes were full of mischief. First I taught him stair safety and made sure he could get up and down without falling or hurting himself. Paranoia after the thousands of dollars that stairs have made me in my profession. :) Next I made sure that he knows he is not allowed on the stairs without permission. He is so smart, it's scary!

After 3 tries he can zoom up and down all 16 stairs and the landing in about 6 seconds flat. It is so funny that I tried to take pictures, but all I can catch of him in motion is a black blur racing past and wagging his little tail at the top. I have attached a bunch of pictures like the psycho pet parent that I have proudly morphed into over the past three years. But seriously, rescue a little bundle of brattiness, and have a little dog watching your every move with devotion (not to mention convinced that you are the center of his universe), and I think you'll understand where I stand. :)

 SO excited that he is halfway up!! See that tail wagging furiously between his ears!









Racing down the stairs on Ninja Speed Mode

That smirky little face and play bow that he gets
when he is excited!

 Doing the VICTORY DANCE at the top!!

 More of the Victory Dance. this one includes a little yapping!

 Very suspicious of the camera. Most of the time when I try to take his picture he gives me an evil eye and hides under the bed.

 Very excited barking, waiting for me to c'mon so he could keep going to the top!

 ZOOOOM!!!

This black blur is about all I can catch of the little booger in action.