Two weeks until the end of the semester...so its crunch time. Therefore blog posts will be short and sweet.

I discovered these beauties the other day. It was love at first sight. Too bad they don't come out until June.


You bet I will be the first in line to buy these...if I haven't spent my life savings in Greece.

Speaking of Greece, a little over a month and I will be living the life on Paros Island. So much to do and so little time. Ahh but so worth it in the end.

Until next time

Kitty

Ever since I moved into my apartment, I had noticed an orange cat running around. Starting in January or so, it began living under our stairs because my neighbors were feeding it. Little by little, its house got bigger and bigger. There were boxes, beds, blankets, and bowls. Basically, it was the most spoiled stray cat ever. I am not the biggest cat person ever, but I began really liking it and even began feeding it and calling it "my cat." I used to go down and sit with her and pet her. She was such a sweet cat. I started to notice that her belly was rather large. Everyone who lived around us thought she was just fat because it was getting fed so much. I realized, though, that she was pregnant. She started staying around her "house" more and more. One day, I couldn't find her so I looked in her box and what do you know, kittens! Four tiny black and orange kittens nestled under her. Those kittens immediately had a place in my heart. Everyday I would go down there and sit with the cat while I fed her tuna. She did not want to leave her kittens so I knew she was starving. One day I went to visit her, and she was gone. My neighbor had taken them to her grandma's house. I was sooo sad. I wanted to see the kittens grow. But, maybe they are in a better place now. And maybe another stray cat will make a home under our stairs.

Ups and Downs

Lexie's life has been a little bit crazy lately. On the 28th she had her first birthday! For her birthday, Jake and I bought her lots of toys, bones, a cupcake, and a beneful beef stew dinner. Kelli Jo bought her an awesome UK bandana, just in time for the biggest games of the year. Overall I think she would agree that it was a great day.
Last weekend, though, something very sad happened. On Friday, I got home from work to find that Lexie had chewed up a bottle of Bayer Aspirin and I was pretty sure she had eaten some. I called the vet and they said that aspirin is toxic to dogs and that I should rush her to the ER. They admitted her to the hospital and later called me to update me on what was going on. They said that they had done blood work and discovered that it was very likely she had ingested some of the aspirin. They then told me that they would have to keep her on liquids and do a charcoal treatment for 48 hours. That night we went and visited her. It was good to see that she didn't seem like she was in any pain. She did have an IV attached to her and that was really weird to see. The doctor told us that in cases like these, if they catch it in time, recovery is 100%. We were very relived when we heard that. We visited her a lot over the next few days. It was hard because I could tell she did not like being there and just wanted to go home. Finally, on Sunday night, they called and said I could get her in the morning and that she would be completely fine. The next day I went and picked her up at 6 am. She was so happy to be home, but very sleepy. She still had a little pink bandage on her leg and no fur from where they had to shave her. Kind of funny because she has very spotty skin under her fur. $1300, 48 hours, and 3 sleepless nights later, we are on to our next adventure. Lets hope no more scary things like this happen again!
look at her funny spotted skin! Emily thinks that I should shave her to see what it looks like. I think she would look like a spotted rat, so we are not going to try.

Lexie, I love you with all my heart. You sure do keep me on my feet. I love having you around. I missed you while you were gone and I realized I cannot imagine life without you. When I am down you know just how to cheer me up. Sometimes you drive me crazy. Like when you drop your ball on my face when I am trying to sleep or make the saddest, loudest noise ever when Riley is outside without you. You have been extra snuggly lately and I have enjoyed it. I wake up in the morning and you are curled in a little ball by my head or knees or resting your head on my back. I think you get cold at night because sometimes you sleep under the covers. Most people would not let their dog do this, but lets be honest, you are special. I forgive you for being the biggest shedder ever. People are always commenting on how I have white fur all over me. I just try to tell myself that you are just making sure I have a little piece of you with me wherever I go. I'm sure my roommates don't enjoy it, though. Even though it is sad to admit, I am pretty sure you get more excited to see Jake than me. Whenever you hear my phone ring, even if you are dead asleep, you pop up and run to the door. You get so sad when I tell you he's not coming over. When he is though, you run out and watch out the window, wagging your tail uncontrollably. When he gets here, you go nuts. I have never seen anything like it. I guess you just like him better than me. But thats ok, I know its just because he gives you lots of treats. Lexie, you are the greatest. I don't know what I am going to do without you when I go to Greece.

until next time