Sick as a DOG!

I'm not sure where the saying "sick as a dog" originated from, but let me tell you, was I SICK AS A DOG this past week!! I caught some kind of upper respiratory "crap" that I am still fighting today. From Wed. thru Friday all I did was sleep; although I did manage to get-up to go to my Dr. for a Z-pack which I must say has been kicking butt for the past few days and I know that's why I'm finally feeling better. Good thing is, since it is Memorial Day weekend I will at least be feeling better to go over to my mom and dad's for a bbq on Monday; but will be taking it easy and resting until then as I am still not feeling 100%. I haven't been this ill in over 2 years. Yes, I'm a healthy person; which is great!! I'm just thankful that I'm finally beginning to feel better after going through three days of chills, fever, aches, stuffy head, cough & runny nose!

KLB Photography

After YEARS of people telling me to start my own photography website, I FINALLY have! You can check-out all of my work here on my blog, as well as BELOW my posts at Red Bubble!! I'm excited and have been booking photo shoots, which is something I am super excited about!!

I'm Back!

So, I've been really bad about keeping-up with my blog! I have been really busy this past year, but am loving my life right now! Just wanted to let everyone know that I hope to begin posting again more frequently!

My Upcoming 2008 European Vacation

At lunch on a Sunday at The Cheesecake Factory with my family this January, my mom mentioned that she had something important to tell my brother and me. So, intently listening she asked us if we wanted to go on vacation to Europe with them this fall to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. Well, that was pretty much a “no brain” decision on our part!

Nathan and I were super excited, so after lunch we all walked around Barnes & Noble to check-out where we would be visiting. We are beginning our European journey flying into Barcelona, Spain. From Barcelona we will travel to Naples, Rome, Florence, and Pisa, Italy. We will take a boat over to Valletta Malta, then head to the French Riviera and will visit Villefranche-sur-Mer, Cannes & Nice and finally Monaco.

Every year since I have been a small child I have vacationed with my family. As we have grown older we cherish our vacations even more with one another. When I was married, my ex-husband and I co-owned a timeshare in Cancun, Mexico. During the time I was married, my family would join us in Cancun which upheld our family tradition.

This trip to Europe will be like no other. We are all thrilled and excited for this upcoming adventure. As most of you know who have traveled to the Caribbean, although beautiful, once you’ve seen one tropical island, it seems as if you’ve pretty much seen them ALL, so it will be a very nice change of scenery!

I am truly looking forward to seeing the architecture of Antoni Gaudi in Barcelona, as well as the Vatican & Sistine Chapel in Rome. I am a photography buff, and I know I am going to have to buy plenty of extra compact flash cards for the trip! I can’t wait to see the colorfully painted buildings that line the edge of the Mediterranean Sea.

This will TRULY be a vacation of a lifetime, and not only do I feel blessed, I am excited to make more wonderful memories with my family and see more of this gorgeous planet!

K E N N Y

My mom and dad bought Kenny for me nine (9) years ago as a Christmas gift. After living with several girlfriends one of which had a Quaker Parakeet named Rufus, I became fascinated with birds. Rufus was my little buddy, but once I moved, I really missed him!

So, with that said, my mom and dad surprised me with a cute four (4) month old baby bird, which I named Kenny. I was a huge fan of Seinfeld at the time, and I had planned on naming him Kramer, but I figured that most people who were naming their pets would choose Kramer, so I opted with Kenny instead.

It was funny, but I was not allowed to bring Kenny home from the breeder until he was weaned off of a bottled formula diet. I was so excited that I would visit him each weekend until I was able to finally bring him home the week after Christmas.

I remember the first day that I introduced him to my roommate at the time and she was amazed that we now had a parrot living in our apartment! Not too many people owned parrots and whenever anyone would come over to visit us, Kenny was the topic of conversation. He was a really cool exotic pet!

Not only was I teaching him to talk, but he picked-up all kinds of funny sounds, like the microwave beeping, the front door squeaking and the occasional “belch”, which he still does frequently to this very day!

Kenny has been on my mind lately. Since I bought my new house, he LOVES being surrounded by both dogs & me during the evenings. As soon as I get home from work, the first thing I do is let Kenny out of his cage. He frantically paces back and forth across the bar of his cage waiting for “mommy” to let him out. He is definitely a “momma’s boy”. He has pretty much refused to go to anyone besides me, unless he’s flown off of his cage and needs assistance back to it.

Kenny’s species is a Maximillian Pionus. He is from Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, & Bolivia. He will live approximately 45 years. I figure as cantankerous as he is, he’ll live twice that long!

Kenny has brought many years of joy into my life (although he thinks he’s a dog because he barks & loves to wander over and eat Simba & Loki’s dog food) and although he’s messy, I don’t mind cleaning-up after him because he’s so much fun and makes me smile!

I look forward to many more fun and happy years with Kenny, my little “almond-eyed” baby!

L O K I

I adopted Loki through a rescue at just four (4) months old. Upon finalizing his adoption, Loki was just finishing-up the tail-end of medication for fleas & worms. He was a mess, inside and out. He was also abused prior to me adopting him and he was scared by most male figures.

Loki has overcome so much, and despite all of his insecurities he’s brought so much joy into my life. He’s a mommy’s boy, he loves his big sister Simba and harasses her on a daily basis, and he’s still trying to chase the parrot around the house.

Yesterday, my mom and dad were over and he dove over the fence to chase them. I heard my dad say, “Loki, what are you doing over here?” and there sat Loki with a giant grin from ear to ear with his tongue hanging-out to one side. Basically as to say to us, “What grandpa?” “I came to see you!”

I truly love this little dog for all that he is, and even though there are days when I want to scream because he’s misbehaving, I just remember how much joy he’s brought into my life over these past five (5) years.

"Do not make the mistake of treating your dogs like humans or they will treat you like dogs." - Martha Scott

Something I L O V E!

Every morning when I get-up to get into the shower and prepare to head-off to work, I am greeted by my oldest dog, Simba. As I am still groggy, (and out of it) I always lean-down and scratch her before getting into the shower. She then lays down on the rug after I hop-in and waits for me until after I'm done. It's such a great feeling having her greet me every morning. She's such a good girl and makes everyday more enjoyable when I wake-up to a new day.