Mother's Day

OMG, I'm so behind on EVERYTHING ... including posting about our Mother's Day celebration, which was more than a week ago now. Lately, I just don't know how time keeps slipping away from me?!?

Anyway ... Sal and I and Buddy and Aruba spent an extended weekend with our Moms to celebrate their special day! And since I'm a "Dog Mom", even I got special treatment! My Mom made me her fabulous cocoa logs, my favorite cookies EVAH !! And Buddy & Aruba "wrote" a sweet card to me (thanks Sal, *wink*). Woof!

We treated my Mom to a dozen gourmet cookies, custom-made by Sal's cousin, who owns Susan's Decorated Sweets. They were gorgeous ... and delicious! And we all went to a park on the water to enjoy Mother's Day breakfast together and watch dolphins play.

Sal cooked his Mom a special pasta lunch (it was yummy!), and the 3 of us enjoyed it together. She's a Dog Mom too, to cute little Noel.
Hope all the Moms out there enjoyed a special day!

And now another whirlwind week begins ... including preparing for our next big adventure! Stay tuned to see Where In The World we are! I'll be posting pics taken with our new camera --- I'm finally stepping into the world of digital SLR! Just got myself a Canon Rebel XS, supposedly a great camera for SLR newbies ... I've gotta get practicing with it! Over the years, I've taken some great shots with our point-and-shoot, and even my iPhone camera, but I'm excited at the new possibilities, and taking my photography to the next level.

Have a great week ahead,

it's Paul's special day!

Happy birthday today to Sal's brother, Paul ! He lives in Philadelphia, PA.

We wish you a day of fun, smiles, and happy memories Paul !! :-)

Love,
Susan, Sal, Buddy & Aruba

congratulations, Sal !!!!

Last week, Sal and I attended a ceremony where he was presented with an award ... he is the 2011 FAU College of Science's Associate Professor "Researcher of the Year" !!!! The Dean of the College of Science presented him with a plaque (and a check!).Congratulations, sweetheart! He's such a dedicated and hard-working professor and researcher, so this is very well-deserved honor! Love you, Sal !! :-)

And more good news ... (most) of Aruba's cytology report came back from the pathologist and is looking positive! We are relieved, and so happy! Neither her liver nor the nodule in her spleen appear to be cancerous. Her liver, however, is somewhat abnormal with inflammation. She is now taking a powerful liver antioxidant that her veterinarians believe will help heal her liver substantially. We'll have more bloodwork done in a month to monitor the health of her liver. Thank you, everyone, for your thoughts and concern for our precious Aruba!

Aruba update

Hello everyone and thank you SO much for your thoughts and prayers for Aruba! So appreciated!

We were able to quickly get an appointment with an Internal Medicine veterinary specialist yesterday. She evaluated all of the many blood tests Aruba has had, examined her, and did an ultrasound. The news is a bit mixed, but is more positive than negative ... as best that she can tell, Aruba's pancreas is HEALTHY !!! It's her liver and possibly spleen that appear to have some complications, to what degree it's still uncertain. I say "as best that she can tell" because the pancreas is very difficult to see in an ultrasound, I guess it's buried behind other organs/tissue??... but she said that she and another specialist took a close look and since the tissue, fat, etc. that surrounds the pancrease is not inflamed or anything, then the pancreas itself must be fine. Apparently, if the pancreas were diseased, the surrounding area would be, too.

During the ultrasound, she noticed that Aruba's liver looks a bit abnormal, and that her spleen has a nodule in it. So, she took cell samples from both (through a tiny, fine needle) and sent them to a pathologist. Hopefully, everything is benign. {more waiting}

Apparently the organs in the digestive system --- liver, pancreas, spleen, intestines --- are all so interconnected in their function, that when one is abnormal, it can actually show up in blood tests that another organ is instead (or too). The vet admitted that it's a frustrating and challenging part of her specialty.

Overall, she said Aruba seems quite healthy, and that maybe her liver needs support with antioxidant supplements and monitoring. We'll also be watching that nodule in her spleen. We're relieved, but cautiously optimistic until the analyses of the cell samples come in....

On a lighter note, Aruba was such a trooper ... I'm sure she didn't like having her belly shaved ... and she apparently wasn't willing to lay still for the ultrasound, so they gave her a sedative. She looked adorably "stoned" afterwards! It made her more goofy than usual, LOL! She's so precious.

Enjoy the weekend,

Aruba

Yesterday was a difficult day....

Over the past 3 months, our sweet Aruba has had a series of blood tests, each more specialized than the last, trying to get to the bottom of why some of her digestive system values are elevated. And yesterday more definitive results came in, and her veterinarian diagnosed her with pancreatitis!

We are so heartbroken. :-(

What's most confusing is why she has it? We just don't know... I guess as with anything medical, it's complicated. Typically, it occurs in dogs who are fed "cheap" dog food full of junky filler ingredients. But this has not at all been Aruba's diet! She and Buddy have always eaten a high-quality, premium, organic, vegetarian dog food. And no table scraps. And only low-calorie, nutritious veggie treats. It could be that it's a metabolic or biochemical cause. Hopefully, we'll get more answers as we dig deeper into this.

Thankfully, she has no symptoms so hopefully we've caught it early. What's so scary though is the vet's assessment that it's "chronic", and that pancreatitis can often flare-up seemingly overnight into a terribly painful and dangerous medical condition.

We're hoping that with careful management, we can conquer this disease! We've already made an appointment with an Internal Medicine veterinary specialist (actually, she's at the same clinic where Buddy had his cancer surgery --- they have TONS of specialty veterinary expertise there!). We'll also have a veterinary nutritionist evaluate how to appropriately modify Aruba's diet. Apparently, pancreatitis patients need to be on an extremely low-fat diet.

I was up crying most of the night. Now BOTH of my precious angels have been stricken by disease, it's overwhelming. I love them so much!

nature's eye candy

Hi there, happy Monday ... hope you enjoyed the weekend?

Mine was OK, aside from my totally FRAYED nerves from the endless hours of noise blaring from my neighbor's too-loud radio ... this wasn't the first time by far, so we spoke to him about it ... I'm sure hoping that it won't continue! So incredibly inconsiderate ... I guess some people really don't care that others want to enjoy their weekends off, too??

To unwind, Sal and I took a nature walk yesterday evening at Green Cay Wetlands. It's one of our favorite ways to relax, savoring the tranquility and Florida's natural beauty. Saw some baby wildlife too ... spring has sprung! And Mother Nature treated us to this spectacular sunset!

What a nice way to bid farewell to a day.....

Have a great (and peaceful) week,

sweet !!

Do you love cookies? (and who doesn't ?!)

Want some gorgeous, delicious custom-made cookies?

Look no further! (and prepare to be tempted!)

Sal's cousin (also a "Susan") in southern New Jersey (near Philadelphia), can make your cookie dreams come true with her Susan's Decorated Sweets biz. Just e-mail her at wseaton@comcast.net, or call or text her at 609.634.7487 and specify what color, shape, quantity you'd like and voila! ... the gourmet works of sugar-y art will be delivered or shipped.

Susan's a Wilton Method Cake Instructor, plus she worked in her parents' Italian & Swiss bakery, so she has had top-notch training!

Her cookies were recently featured at a local boutique's Vera Bradley summer product launch & display... they coordinated with the floral patterns on the new VB purses ... check out Susan's adorable purse cookies for this event!

Cookies are a fun & festive addition to any occasion or party or event ... think upcoming holidays ... Easter, springtime garden parties, christenings, Mother's Day, graduations, birthdays, bridal showers. Or maybe just because you have a sweet tooth! Or even if you're addicted to your iPhone !

OMG how cute are those ??!!! There's no app for that, LOL !!

I've already placed an order!

Congratulations, Susan! I know you will have lots of sweet success! :-)

family ties

Hi there and happy April, happy weekend!

First a BIG 'thank you' to everyone who e-mailed and called me asking about Buddy's recent check-up at the cancer clinic --- thank you so much for your concern and thoughts! He is doing so well, and we are so thankful !!! Our precious angel! His oncologist has cut back his chemo dosage even more ... to every 4 days now, yay! He's contending with some normal aging issues tho, a heart murmur and cataracts. And arthritis, but ironically it's greatly eased by the anti-inflammatory meds he takes along with his chemo (apparently cancer "needs" inflammation in order to grow, so oncologists prescribe anti-inflammatories). Plus, he takes a joint supplement (and gets backrubs!), so overall he's comfortable and has a lot of mobility, still jumps on and off the sofa. And as best we can tell, he suffers little or no pain from the arthritis.

Sal and I had a nice weekend visit with my parents ... we enjoyed a lovely breakfast at an outdoor cafe at the Don CeSar Beach Resort, that magnificent "pink palace" on St. Pete Beach. Love it there! My Mom and I both ordered this delish tropical fruit plate with banana-macadamia nut bread (I loved that coconut-covered banana!):

Afterwards, we enjoyed a walk along the spectacular beach together under the Florida sun. Another nice family memory!

congrats T&H !!

Happy 11th anniversary today to my sister Theresa and her husband Heince!

We wish you a fun & romantic day! :-)

Love,

Susan, Sal, Buddy & Aruba

it's Heince's special day!

Happy birthday today to my sister's husband, Heince! He lives in Clearwater, Florida.

We wish you a day of happiness & smiles, Heince! :-)

Love,

Susan, Sal, Buddy & Aruba

a mixed-emotions-Monday

I got up early today (as usual) ... but this time I popped the TV on right away so that I could catch the debut of my fave scrapbooking designer, Heidi Swapp, on HSN !!

What fun ... Heidi was presenting one of her most gorgeous collections, Parisian Anthology. Didn't order it --- I already own it, LOL !!!

This is just the kind of happy distraction that I needed this morning because later today Buddy has a check-up at the cancer clinic. Always such a nervous time, my stomach is in knots! We're hoping and praying that he's still doing well.....

you had me at aloha

Time and life have just been flying by lately, what is going on? Days go by so fast that sometimes my head is spinning! But I'm back to (finally) blog some more about our Hawaiian journey a few months back, the middle third of our trip ... in Honolulu on the island of Oahu.

But first I want to send my thoughts and prayers to the people (and animals!) of Japan ... the suffering caused by the triple tragedies of earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear threat is unimaginable!! I was able to reach my friend Kyoko, in Tokyo, shortly after the earthquake, and she and her family are thankfully safe. But she tells me of the ongoing trauma there, including numerous daily aftershocks, and the emotional impact that the disaster is having on the residents of her country. Please know that so many of us around the world are sending our best to you, Japan!

Now to somehow transition to thoughts of paradise....


We began our visit to Hawaii on Maui (my February 3 post), then headed to Oahu for Sal to present his research at Pacifichem 2010 in Honolulu. It's a huge conference attended by about 12,000 chemists (!!!) from all over the Pacific Rim ... Japan, China, Korea, Fiji, Thailand, and many other countries ... it was very exciting and professionally rewarding for him!

And, with the conference being held in paradise, we of course got to enjoy the Land of Aloha all the while. We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village ... it is indeed a "village", complete with restaurants & shops (like the adorable Blue Ginger boutique, where I loved browsing):


It's almost a little city within Honolulu, and is very "flip-flop-friendly" being right on a beautiful stretch of Waikiki Beach. Our room was way up on the 27th floor of the Rainbow Tower, with a breathtaking view of the Pacific Ocean and the Diamond Head volcano from our balcony:

Knowing that I'm in love with wearing leis while in Hawaii, Sal surprised me with a "lei-a-day" delivery to our room while we were in Honolulu! How sweet is that??? OMG, it was such a TREAT !!! Each morning, another of Sal's gorgeous "flower hugs" arrived, wrapped in a matching ribbon. I was such a HAPPY girl !!!!! And oh the scents ... fragrant plumeria, orchids, tuberose ... I wish my blog had a scratch-n-sniff option, LOL !!! No need for perfume when you're wearing a lei, that's for sure !! The final lei was red, green, and white since it was so close to Christmas Day. Thank you, sweetheart, for this extra special memory! I love you!

We didn't really go far from the resort, just did some walking around the city when Sal wasn't busy attending conference sessions. We've been to Oahu before, and on past visits we drove all around the island, enjoyed its stunning coastlines, visited the somber Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor, and saw the famous giant waves on the North Shore. So this time, we just enjoyed the beach and the resort amenities, relaxing. I found it comical to sometimes see chemists heading to the beach instead of toward the conference center ... I could tell because they were using their Pacifichem tote as a beach bag, LOL! ;-)


I had some fun with resort activities, like a lei-making class, where I learned to make a traditional lei, plus a gorgeous flower and fern wristlet (called a haku lei).

We made sure to enjoy breakfast at our favorite beachside restaurant in Honolulu, the Hau Tree Lanai. It's nestled beneath its namesake tree, and is literally at the edge of the sand. It's a special place for us ... it was the first place we dined the night we arrived in Hawaii for the first time back in 1998, and it was magical !! This time, I had coconut-mango pancakes (yum!) and (very fresh) pineapple, of course!


I didn't blog much while in Hawaii, in part because I wasn't feeling my best, fighting a cough the whole time, such a shame! This became my constant companion throughout Hawaii.....
So, as a coping mechanism (wink, wink), I booked an appointment at the Spa Halekulani just down the beach from our hotel. They had something on their treatment menu that seemed tailor-made for someone in my condition, Polynesian Steam Therapy ... a massage of the upper back/respiratory area that was accompanied by light steam to fight congestion. Ahhh...finally, some relief! Perfect Polynesian pampering in paradise! I remember feeling SO much better afterwards ... and walked back to our hotel along the beach under the Waikiki sun. But I cringed as I walked past the surfing lessons that I had planned to sign-up for, but was just too weak.....oh well, next time!



Another really fun thing about our resort was that they had LOTS of talented, live Hawaiian entertainment ... especially at night in the bars, but during the day, since it was the holiday season, they had kids from local schools putting on shows in the beautiful open-air lobby. I just had to share a clip (38 seconds) with you:

I absolutely love hula, it's one of my favorite types of dance to watch. Such an expressive and beautiful part of the Hawaiian culture! We enjoyed more hula during an evening show at the resort ... and Sal indulged me (again) by wearing our matching aloha wear for our evening out!

I'll be back soon to share the final leg of our Hawaiian journey, the Big Island of Hawaii.

Thanks for stopping by!

happy St. Patrick's Day!

May you live as long as you want,
And never want as long as you live.
----Irish blessing

Have a LUCKY day! :-)

it's Angie's special day!

Happy 15th birthday today to our niece, Angie! She lives in Gulfport, Florida.

Wishing you a day full of fun & happy memories, Angie! :-)

Love,

Aunt Susan, Uncle Sal, Buddy & Aruba

Atlanta was just peachy!

Hi all ~

Sal and I are back from a fun visit to Atlanta! Actually, we got back to FL over the weekend, but spent some time visiting with our families this week (since it's FAU's Spring Break!) before heading home. My Mom & I got to spend some time fabric shopping together (she sews & quilts wonderfully)!

I was so glad that Sal and I could travel to Atlanta together ... while he was presenting his incredible research at prestigious Emory University, I spent time with my friend Susan (yep, a pair of scrapbooking Susans!). She invited me up to Atlanta to attend classes by scrapbooking designer Teresa Collins and they were so fab! Each one was a mini-album, packed with her just-released collections ... they are stunning! Had a blast! :-) Here are some glimpses of the fun:

Teresa is all about bling (and you know that I am too!), and our project kits were chock full of her chic line of new "blingage" (love that name!). Even her stapler is blinged-out!

Several of my pals from past Creative Escape events were there too! It was great that Sal finally got to meet them, since he doesn't go to Arizona with me when I attend CE.....from left, Lisa, Sandra, Teresa (teacher), Cheryl, Susan & me:

After landing in ATL and before heading to our lovely hotel (the Wingate), the first thing Sal and I did was take a tour of CNN's world headquarters in downtown Atlanta. I love, love current events, so it was cool to see "behind-the-scenes" of news coverage, and to watch live TV in progress. It's a big, busy place with lots going on! TV monitors were hung everywhere in the building, even the food court, and were tuned to --- what else? --- CNN.

Sal and I had fun being a CNN "news anchor team", complete with mock "copy" to read:

And before our classes got underway, Susan took me to the famous Georgia Aquarium, the largest aquarium in the world with 8 million gallons of water! I especially loved learning more about their research, rehabilitation, and conservation efforts on behalf of animals.

(That's my Anna Griffin tote ... Anna's a southern girl from Atlanta and I love her sb'ing designs, so I just had to use HER bag while in Atlanta! (it was a perfect all-in-one: purse / airplane carry-on / scrapbook supply tote)

Susan and I also did our part to stimulate the Atlanta economy (LOL) by browsing sb stores that I don't have at home ... always fun! Archiver's, Hobby Lobby, and her local store, EMI Scrapbooking.

Susan ~ you were a terrific & gracious host and I had such a fun time with you, thanks again for your hospitality !! :-)

And what would a trip to Atlanta be without some Georgia peaches for breakfast, right? Yum!

Enjoy the weekend,