it's Rebecca's special day!

Happy 3rd birthday today to my niece, Rebecca! She lives in Gulfport, Florida.

We wish you a FUN & FABULOUS day, Rebecca! :-)

Love,
Aunt Susan, Uncle Sal, Buddy & Aruba

armchair travel

So yesterday I went to the Galápagos Islands. Well, not really ... I was sitting in my kitchen with my laptop, attending my (first-ever) Webinar that just made it feel like I was there. Fantastic! I captured a few screen shots:

Naturalists from National Geographic Expeditions hosted a one-hour Galápagos Webinar (a live online seminar) to discuss the Islands and the incredible creatures that inhabit them. Of course, it was a sales pitch too (for their tours), but I loved it all. Good planning info ... for this "someday" dream eco-trip.

And if you're interested, NGE will be hosting more (free) Webinars soon ... next is Costa Rica on November 9, and then Alaska on December 1. I'll be "attending"!

Want to join me?

October is Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month

Are you looking for a new furry friend? If so, it's October ... and it's Adopt-A-Shelter-Dog Month!

Please consider adopting from your local animal shelter. By opening your heart and your home to a precious, lonely, homeless dog, you'll be rewarded with a companion who will be forever thankful and loving.


Thank you,

it's Sarah's special day!

Happy 6th birthday today to my niece, Sarah! She lives in Gulfport, Florida.

We wish you a FUN & FABULOUS day, Sarah! :-)

Love,
Aunt Susan, Uncle Sal, Buddy & Aruba

a new month

Hi there & happy October!

And today is World Vegetarian Day, kicking-off Vegetarian Awareness Month.

To learn more about a vegetarian lifestyle, and the plight of animals, you can request or download a Vegetarian Starter Kit.

We are their voice...thank you!

Buddy had a great Sunday

Yesterday we took Buddy back to the clinic for a re-check. The vet was pleased with how well Buddy is doing ... his bite wound is healing nicely, he's walking OK, and he's chipper. We're SO thankful!

And when we got home he gleefully helped Sal finish an Italian ice, so cute:

ScrapPink

After a long week, I really needed a break/distraction today. Something fun. So it was one of my local scrapbook stores to the rescue!

All day today Everything Scrapbook & Stamps hosted a ScrapPink event ... annual fun, all in pink, of course! ... to support breast cancer research and survivors. I enjoyed some time with friends, along with some pink lemonade & pink cookies, played "for-the-cure" bingo, and got inspired by all the creative projects on display around the store. And I picked up a raffle ticket for a chance at winning this big bundle of pink scrapbooking goodness:
Hope you're enjoying the weekend,

must-see TV

In my experience, there generally aren't a lot of great TV shows to watch on Sunday nights.

Not so this weekend!

On Sunday, PBS will be premiering the first of 6 parts of a new documentary film by Ken Burns ... The National Parks: America's Best Idea. I can't wait! I love our national parks ... and it was thrilling to visit 5 of them in Utah this year (see my blog posts from late March & early April). To me, the parks are special places, and it looks like this film will really capture that.

So I'll be tuning in to PBS all next week, I don't want to miss a minute of this film! Please let me know your thoughts on it ... and what is your favorite national park?

Enjoy!

a step forward for animals

U.S. House Representative McCotter (R-MI) has sponsored an amendment to the tax code that would allow pet owners to deduct veterinary expenses (up to $3,500 annually).

This is a phenomenal idea! It's intended to promote healthcare for domestic animals, and to alleviate the financial burden during these trying economic times. And in turn, hopefully, fewer animals will be abandoned due to expense.

You can read specifics about the bill HERE. And please take a moment to sign this online letter that the ASPCA will immediately forward to your local member of Congress (determined by your zip code). With these letters, your Representative will realize that this issue is important to his/her constituents, and that will further encourage them to support it.

On behalf of animals, THANK YOU! :-)

an update ...

Hi everyone and thanks so much for your thoughts and kind words about our recent trauma.

Buddy has been resting comfortably, and his ability to walk has improved a lot. So thankful for that! Yesterday, the radiologist didn't have any major concerns, but said that we need to watch for any signs that Buddy's abdominal cavity may have been punctured. But, the vet didn't seem to think that that had happened. {thankful again}

We're monitoring the bite wound carefully for signs of infection, and consulting with his vets often. One vet recommended that I put warm compresses on it, and he really seems to enjoy that. I'm sure it's soothing.

I'm still reeling from the shock of it all, it took a while for my hysteria to wear off. And I'm trying to stop replaying it all in my mind. I'm a bit sore, either from landing on the pavement or from the dog pouncing on me (or both?), but other than that I'm OK.

As traumatic as this was, it could have been much worse...

Thanks again for your concern, it's so appreciated,

a traumatic night

Yesterday evening it rained, and since that made it a little cooler outside, I thought it would be nice for me, Sal, Buddy & Aruba to go for a walk around our neighborhood.

That turned out to be a horrible idea.

Before we could comprehend what was happening, a large dog (we estimate about 120 lbs!) bolted from our neighbor's house and jumped on me and Buddy (who is only 36 lbs)! It was AWFUL !!! We were both knocked down onto the street, and although my hands were stinging from scraping the pavement, I was struggling to keep my body between hers and Buddy's, hoping to protect him. It was dark and I couldn't see everything that was happening, but I could hear Buddy yelping from pain. OMG, I'll never forget that terrible, terrible sound of something harming my angel Buddy! And I remember that during the ordeal I was able to see that Sal had scooped Aruba up in his arms, so she was totally protected ... and she is OK, but was shaken up! (I still am)

Afterwards, Buddy could not walk and was in obvious shock. I was hysterical at this point! We rushed him to an emergency clinic (the same one where he had his lung cancer surgery), and a trauma vet took X-rays and tended to his bite wound. Thankfully, the bite did not puncture any organs. But Buddy sure is sore, is walking slowly, and is on pain meds and antibiotics. And of course as a cancer patient, this is the LAST thing he needed. Now we'll need to carefully guard against infection from the bite, since his immune system is compromised from the chemo.

Buddy loves to go for walks, and I was just trying to give him some joy. It has been a rough summer for him, he has been through so much. Instead it turned into a night of trauma, for all of us.

This morning, I'm waiting to hear from a radiologist about additional analyses of Buddy's X-rays, and will keep you posted.

in bloom

Wanted to share the beautiful bougainvillea tree in our front yard. Sometimes it's "quiet", with no flowers ... and other times, it just blooms and blooms ... and blooms. That fantastic magenta color makes me happy!

it's that (wonderful) time of year again ...

QQPR event: part 2

So I'm (finally) back here with details and pics of the rest of my Quick Quotes Private Reserve (QQPR) scrapbooking weekend.

Actually, on Monday after the event, we had planned to go to SeaWorld, since we were already in Orlando and had SW tickets leftover from our plans to go last year. But Sal wasn't feeling well, poor guy, it spoiled his weekend ... he went to a clinic and was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection, no fun! But with some rest and meds, he felt better quickly and thankfully we were still able to celebrate my Mom's birthday with my parents, as planned.

So now back to the event ... continuing on from my Sept 12 post ... Saturday was filled with tons of fun workshops and activities! Here are random glimpses of some projects:

(yes, that IS a giant paperclip binding the mini-album ... how cute & clever, right?)

My tablemates ... from left, Kim, me, Marilyn & Diane ...

And our work-in-progress, what a mess! LOL

On Saturday evening, Sal and I had dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in Orlando, Nile Ethiopian. If you're never tried Ethiopian food, please consider it! So, so delicious! And with this restaurant's authentic atmosphere, you feel like you're in Africa. We always order their "Taste of Nile" vegetarian platter ... a tempting array of vegetables & spices. And with a cup of Ethiopian spice tea ... perfect! And everything is eaten with small pieces of injera, a "sticky" & slightly sour (but delicious) pancake-like "bread" that you use to pick up the food, instead of using utensils. So exotic!

And speaking of food, QQ provided lunch on Saturday and Sunday ... a delicious buffet one day, and yummy wraps the other (including vegetarian, yay!)

And just look at that dessert table ... isn't it so "scrapworthy"?

The event continued Saturday night with more non-stop fun ... more great projects, plus the owner of QQ, Patsy Gaut (with me, below), gave a keynote address about "enjoying (and scrapbooking) the little things". She was the creative force behind the launch of the Quick Quotes company ... she writes the poems that are featured on their vellum embellishments!

On Sunday morning, we got an early start working on an all-day 20-page album project. We spent the day creating 12" pages ... I only finished 10 of them (I'm a slow scrapper!), but I had a blast and was proud of what I created. You can see 6 of the album pages HERE.

The event wrapped-up with a slideshow of fun photos captured during the weekend, and drawings for lots of prizes. Look at all those goodies!

Here's a group photo (courtesy of Michelle with QQ) snapped before we all departed (I'm in the middle, to the right of the window, 3rd row back, peeking out between the lady in orange and the lady in red):

I'm always sad when these events come to an end!

Kudos to Quick Quotes for an event that was fun & super well-organized, with lots of nice surprises! The QQ staff works hard and it shows! Michelle (with me, below) was an awesome teacher! I highly recommend the QQPR event ... several more will be held around the U.S. later in 2009 ... in Washington, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania & Arizona. Check it out! They're not coming back to Orlando in 2010 (bummer!), but I hope they'll return to Florida sometime soon!

fun celebrating with Mom!

Sal, Buddy, Aruba & I had a fabulous time celebrating my Mom's birthday yesterday! So glad that we could all be together for her special 65th birthday.

Here are some highlights of the celebration:

... my Mom & Dad together during our breakfast out...

... the gifts.... some great new things for my Mom to enjoy in her garden ... a beautiful brass watering can, a copper hanging birdbath, and a gorgeous magenta-colored bromeliad plant ... and of course, Buddy & Aruba were eager to help with the unwrapping!

... the cake ... so pretty in pink & yellow ... and yummy too!

... Mom enjoying her new gifts ...

... me & Mom with a plumbago plant in her pretty backyard garden ...

We ended the day with dinner out, and then Sal and I had to head home in the evening ... we'll miss you, but will see you again soon, Mom & Daddy!

P.S. ~ I'll be blogging about the rest of my scrapbooking event (from last weekend) within the next day or so. Please check back soon to see all the great projects!

it's my Mom's special day !!!

Happy 65th birthday today to my Mom! She lives in Seminole, Florida and we're so glad that we're here celebrating this milestone birthday with her.

We wish you a FUN & MEMORABLE day, Mom! :-)

We love you Mom,

Susan, Sal, Buddy & Aruba

what? another one?!?!?

Hello from Orlando! I'm here attending a terrific scrapbooking event (yes, another one!) called Quick Quotes Private Reserve '09. It's put on by a great family-owned sb'ing company called Quick Quotes (hereafter QQ), and I was thrilled when I learned that they were bringing the event to Florida! I love their products, kits, & creative ideas.

I arrived Friday evening and am having a fab time already! And making it even better is that Sal is with me! On the way here, he patiently waited (thanks sweetheart!) while I browsed at my fave scrapbook store here in Orlando ... Scrappy Boutique. They have a nice selection of the latest & greatest sb'ing goodies, I love visiting their shop every time I'm in Orlando. If you're a scrapper and will be coming to Orlando, be sure to put them on your "must-visit" list! They have unique projects on display too, like these oh-so-cute decorated S-C-R-A-P letters (photographed with permission, of course!):

On Friday evening, the event began with some make & take projects ... one of them was to create and personalize our own name tags, love that! Here's mine:

And some of the projects were using sb supplies to make cards to send to our troops, I loved that too! They're gathering the blank cards that we made and sending them overseas so that the troops will have a big supply of cards handy to send to their loved ones. How nice is that? I thought it was especially appropriate since Friday was the Sept 11 anniversary. Such a sad day, and not forgotten even though we're attending this event.

The QQ gals are giving us tons of goodies, here I am enjoying some of my new "loot":

Notice that I'm wearing the charm necklace that was designed by Heidi Swapp for Creative Escape 09 (see my previous post for an up-close pic of it) ... and it's getting lots of compliments here! It's so pretty.

They also have an on-site store set up where you can browse all the fun QQ kits ... such nice projects!

A room full of pretty tables invited us into the Welcome Ceremony, where they introduced the QQ staff and gave us an overview of the event.

We worked on a couple more small projects, and then it was time to crop til midnight ... but I got tired way earlier than that!

I really miss Buddy & Aruba, but am happy that they're having fun with my parents. "Grandma" even cut up some fresh carrots special for Buddy to snack on!

Unless I'm too exhausted, I plan to be back here blogging during the weekend ... until then, you can go HERE to get a sneak peek at some of the projects that we'll be working on.

Enjoy the weekend,

Susan