Tiffany’s Corner

Well, another day has come and gone. What did you do with yours?

I enjoyed an incredibly overwhelming day at work. I use the term ‘enjoyed’ loosely. Very loosely. Let’s just say that as much as I hate to admit it, when all three of the front office people aren’t there, it is really obvious! I can’t wait until my vacation over Memorial Day. 5 whole days of whatevertheheckIwannado!

But then I got to come home to a yummy dinner of Chicken Ceasar Salad and a movie. We watched P.S. I Love You. Talk about a 2 hour lump-in-the-throat of a movie! But it was sweet, and it had a good ending. (And don’t tell anyone, but yes, I did see James brush away a few tears! )

Oh well. Back to life, back to reality…(can you name that tune?!)

Some of you may remember the rant I went on in a previous post about how my little sister and I never get to spend anytime together. How I felt like she didn’t care about having me as a sister or a friend. Let’s just say it was a very emotional day for me. Sorry Sis.

Well, for the past month I think, Brittany has been inviting me down to her “office” on Saturdays. You see, she works at Purrfect Pals. It’s a no-kill cat shelter in Stanwood. She’s a Vet Tech there. She really loves her job, but it can be quite overwhelming. So much work, so many kitties, so few people.

So I’ve been going down on Saturdays, when I can, for about 6 hours at a time, to work with her as a volunteer. Let’s just say this is the only time when Britt gets to play the bossy big-sis. When I fill in my details on the volunteer sign in sheet, I describe my duties as “Brittany’s slave.” It’s sad but true.

I’m loving every minute of it.

When I was growing up, like most young girls, I wanted to be a Veterinarian. I even worked in a few clinics, as kennel and office staff, to get my feet wet. But then I kind of came to the realization that that line of work just wasn’t for me. I don’t have a strong understanding of science, or a desire to learn Microbiology. So, I don’t think I would have made it very far in that field.

But just because I didn’t want to be Vet didn’t mean I stopped loving animals, especially kitties.

So now, thanks to my lil’ sis I get to step back into that role by helping her out at the shelter.

Some people may not find it fascinating, but I do. I think it’s pretty cool to help save the life of cat that at any other place would be euthanized. When a cat is brought into Purrfect Pals it’s screened for disease, it is vaccinated, it gets microchipped and of course, altered. And I get to help with all of that, including the surgery! It’s amazing!

And I know that if it weren’t for Brittany and her faith in me, none of this would be possible.

One of the most unbelievable things about this shelter is their lack of funds. They do so much for the community by trapping,  rehabilitating, and altering feral (wild/stray) cats. They showcase adoptable cats at dozens of facilities around the Puget Sound area. They even take in cats with Feline Leukemia and FIV (feline AIDS) when no one else will!

Purrfect Pals can be a great place to visit and it can be a sad place to visit. You see, certain rooms of the shelter are designated to cats with different needs. There’s a room for adoptable cats, one for outside cats (ideal barn cats), cats with “issues” (might not be the best at using the litter box), but there’s also a room for cats with FIV and Feline Leukemia. These last two rooms are kind of like quarentine rooms.

I think the saddest room of all is the Feline Leukemia room. I’d say there are about 6 full grown cats in there, but the remainder of the cats are kittens. Feline Leukemia is fully preventable with a vaccine. But when a female cat isn’t vaccinated, she passes the disease onto her kittens. Kittens born with FELV live an average of two years. So you see, it’s completely heart breaking to walk into this room full of adorable little kitties just begging to be loved. But most people won’t adopt them since they don’t have long to live.

So, have I got you completely depressed yet?                          

Sorry, I had not intention of doing that. Really!

I guess the main reason I mentioned all the different categories of kitties was so that everyone would know just how many are waiting to be adopted and loved. Keep your eye open next time you’re in Petsmart or another local pet store. You may see some of these cats up for adoption or even a jar on the counter asking for loose change. Please, drop in a quarter. It really will go much farther than you think!

And Britt, I hope you know how much I admire what you do. Going into that shelter everyday, doing what you do, just to help those adorable, smelly furballs. You are truly dedicated!

I guess I’ll close with a few pictures stolen from the Purrfect Pals website.

Have an awesome Tuesday everyone and God Bless!

Okay, just one more thing. If you’re interested in more information abou the shelter, here’s a link to their website. Remember every penny of each donation helps move them one step closer their goal of a new facility!

www.purrfectpals.org

KCUL8TRBYE!

Thought my fellow CCLs (crazy cat ladies) might enjoy this cartoon. It’s from the creature of Family Guy.

Give Thanks

BE THANKFUL

Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don’t know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes.
They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you’re tired and weary,
because it means you’ve made a difference.

It’s easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who
are also thankful for the setbacks.

Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,
and they can become your blessings.

~~Author Unknown.~~

 Click here to watch a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

James and I took advantage of the long weekend this Memorial Day and visited a Bed and Breakfast in Pacific Beach, Washington. I haven’t spent much time on the penninsula, so this was a fun experience. We lucked out with one good day of sunshine, one day of yucky grey, and one day (the day we left) of much more tolerable grey. But this is Washington, so you just learn to get over it and go on with your day. A little rain never hurt anybody, right?! (And as you can see from the pictures, it didn’t stop me from getting my feet wet either!)

We had a great time staying at the Beach Avenue Bed and Breakfast in Pacific Beach, about 12 miles from Ocean Shores. Our room was titled “The Music Man” after the movie musical released way back when. Turns out the original owner of the home, Paul Groesse II, was nominated many times for an Oscar and was actually awarded one for Pride and Prejudice. (Just check out the slide show, we got to hold it!)

The B & B is run/owned by Paul Groesse III and his wife Mim. They are a wonderful couple who made the entire experience very enjoyable. Each morning we were greeted with a warm smile and a delicious breakfast.

We spent our first evening in Pacific Beach getting ice cream at Falcon’s Nest, a walk-up hamburger stand (one of the very few businesses in town), and walking down the beach collecting sand dollars. I stopped at two.  It was a lovely walk, with all the cool wet sand and the very chilly water. But it was quite relaxing after spending so long in the car.

Day two we spent going between Ocean Shores and Ocean City State Park. We got to drive on the beach, which I wasn’t too keen about to begin with, and explore one of the local camping areas. We had a lot of fun down at the rock jetty in Ocean Shores, once again with me walking in the water. But, ya know, I wasn’t the only one getting wet, there were a number of guys out there surfing!

After saying good-bye to our friends that were also in town for the holiday, we headed back to town for a little shopping, dinner, and Indiana Jones. Yep, we went to a movie! It was fun, but that place was packed! Everyone else had the same idea on such a yucky day.

Day three began with a delicious breakfast of Eggs Benedict, which I’ve never had before, but truly enjoyed! After breakfast, we packed up our things, checked out, and headed back into Ocean Shores. We were very fortunate on our trip in that we got to meet another married Christian couple who was staying at the B & B. Jennifer and Mike were there celebrating their wedding anniversary (how romantic!). Coincidentally, we all wanted to go for a horseback ride on the beach that morning, so why not go together?! So we did!

After a very bouncy hour-long horsey ride, we parted ways with our new friends and said good-bye to Ocean Shores. We took the scenic route via Highway 101 back to Kingston, hopped on the ferry, and eventually made it home to Bham.

 Man, what a trip! I’m sore in places I didn’t know existed…

He’s my lobster. James that is. Are you getting the Friends reference yet?!

Now your saying, “what on earth are you talking about?!”

Well, James and I had quite an adventure last weekend. The weekend started as soon as James got home from work. I had everything ready, including Subway for the road. So we jumped in the car and high-tailed it for Remond and Steven Curtis Chapman.

The concert was like, totally awesome, man! I was so amazed by the quality of the performances. The three groups performing were Temple (an okay band, I don’t think I’d buy their CD), Bebo Norman (amazing! just him and one other guy that played every instrument imaginable.), and of course, Steven Curtis Chapman (I walked down the aisle to his song “I’ll be here.”)

I was totally blown away by Bebo Norman. I’ve heard atleast one of his songs on the radio, but as far as I know, he’s pretty new, right? Well, he is awesome! He’s got to be the next Rich Mullins, if not even better. His songs are so powerful, he’s a great storyteller and song writer.

Steven Curtis Chapman was so much better than I expected. I mean, I grew up listening to this guy. I had a crush on him for quite a while, such a cutie! Anyway. His band seemed kind of young, they all looked about 20-something. At first I thought, well maybe he’s trying something new for his image. Turns out that two of the guys in the band were his sons! And, the night of our concert he got a call from his daughter saying that she was engaged! Yeah! This was especially poignant since his newest single is called “Dancing with Cinderella” and it’s all about a father dancing with his daughter as she grows up and gets engaged. Ah, how sweet!

I was also really excited when he sang “I’ll be here” our wedding song. It was great. Overall, all 4 FREAKIN’ HOURS of the concert were totally worth it.

After the concert we checked into our hotel room at the Redmond Marriot. Great hotel by the way. The bed was actually comfortable and the sheets were soft. Imagine that!!

Sunday we fueled up at Dennys and then we headed to Alki. Boy was it crowded!! We parked our car and walked toward the beach. 1.7 miles later (almost 4 miles round trip!!) we arrived at the beach. It was a gorgeous day and everyone was out to enjoy it. There are a few shops along the way, so we stopped and had ice cream at one. Delicious, I had one scoop of choc/peanutbutter and one scoop mint choc/chip. YUM! We hung out for about three hours. James fooled around with his new camera and I people watched. Believe me, that never gets boring!!

On the way back to car, which seemed 10.7 miles away, I noticed that James and I were a little red. What do you mean, 3 hours in 80 degree weather could get you burnt?! No way!

So that’s the long of the short of it. I’m a lobster and my lobster’s a lobster.

Adios!