Anchorage Sunrise

I woke up extra early this morning to take in the Anchorage sunrise. It all went down, er uh, came up between 4:30 and 5:30 this morning.

And here's a bonus picture - the view from our hotel room on the evening of my arrival.

After working with my clients yesterday, I was invited to the home of one of the managers for dinner. He and his wife cooked up some delicious grilled salmon and halibut which he had caught off his fishing boat just last weekend. I will pause here for a moment so you all can take in that last sentence. Jodi ate and loved fish for the first time in her 38 years!

My very gracious hosts even gifted me with a MilePost magazine/catalog which lists attractions and eateries, shops and view stops, and everything you can imagine... by highway mile marker numbers. It's very cool and I'm sure Bob and I will make good use of it in the coming week.

Bob's en route right now and is scheduled to arrive around 6:30 this evening. We got through all of our training work yesterday so I have today all to myself. If the weather cooperates I think I'll walk the few blocks to 4th Avenue, where all the touristy shopping stops are located. Later I'll head to the grocery to stock up on some things that will allow us to make a couple of meals in our little kitchenette.

More adventures to come!
XO
Jodi

I'm in ALASKA!

After a grueling day of travel, I have arrived in Anchorage! Both the weather and the scenery are beautiful here! Even the front desk guy at my hotel is beautiful! No more than 25-years old, but still beautiful.

It's 9:30 PM here locally, so it's 1:30 AM at home and I should be very tired, but I'm not. I'm gazing out the hotel room window and wondering if I can stay up to see the sunset around 11:00 PM. My window isn't west-facing, but maybe I could see the colors of the sunset in the reflection of the buildings and hills (mountains?) I see from here.

I have work stuff to do tomorrow and Friday, so I probably should shut down and sleep. I'll be no help to my client if I'm yawning and sleepy.

I brought along my EasyShare camera and actually remembered to bring the cord that will allow me to transfer photos. If time allows and I get some decent shots, I'll upload them for you to enjoy.

XO
Jodi

Sad Farewell

We said goodbye to sweet Malcolm on Saturday. The decision was difficult in the usual selfish human ways, but our minds were eased by knowing that the vet and the endocrinologist agreed with us... treating him for Cushings (a disease we're still not sure was present) would have done more harm than good... he had lost far too much weight to endure the inevitable weight loss caused by chemo treatments.

He just wasn't himself in the end, as was evidenced by the fact that he rode in the car without a single whine or whimper, and he was twice able to lay down quietly inside the vet's office. If you knew our Malcolm, these would surely be signs to you that he was hurting... our Malcolm always caused a lot of commotion, both in the car and at the vets.

We miss him tremendously and it's very strange for us to be living in a house with no critters. Coming home from work today was a surreal experience... but we'll be okay, and we know that we did what was right for Malcolm, which is what matters most.

Sweet Malcolm:

Rest in peace, old man.

May heaven provide you with all the table scraps your sweet little spotted heart desires!

Kisses and Cuddles and Love,

Mama & Daddy

An Update on the Pup & the Bath

Regarding Malcolm: We continue to wait for news of the vet's consultation with the specialist. A poorly timed game of phone tag has ensued. We're growing very anxious for news... we're slated for a week's vacation very soon and we're still not sure if we need to find accommodations for Malcolm. The lack of a plan of action is really beginning to bother me. I need the facts and I need them now!

As an aside, the boy seems to have given up on sleeping on the ottoman (his bed of the past several months) . Basically overnight he's resigned himself to sleeping in a corner of the dining room. We can't quite tell if his hips are hurting more, or if he's just lacking the energy to hoist himself from the floor to his bed.
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Regarding the Bathroom Remodel: We're only inches from done! Despite a boneheaded move by yours truly last night, I managed to get the room painted. (I was attempting to shake up the gallon of wall paint a bit when I managed to drop the jug and spill two-thirds of its contents all over the spare bedroom. DOH!) Painting touch-ups will be required for both the ceiling and the walls, but I was at least able to get the room ready for the carpenter's final visit... and he finished his work today! All that's left to do now is the installation of the light fixture, mirror, towel bars and shower rod/curtain. A good scrubbing all around will ensure that the room is ready for our nephew Jaylen's visit to the Burg this weekend.

I'm experiencing a few disappointments with the new bathroom but the primary thorn in my side is the placement of the toilet paper holder. There just really isn't a good place to put the damned thing! The carpenter installed it on the side wall of the vanity today, but it's awkward to reach (over your right shoulder and too far behind you), and I'm afraid it's been mounted high enough to be in the "splash zone" of the sink. There has to be a better way! Are those free-standing TP do-dads still in vogue, or was that just a phase during the 1990's?

XO
Jodi

Keeping Vigil

The vet called on Monday to report that Malcolm's bloodwork came back as borderline Cushing Disease - normally caused by tumors in the adrenal and/or pituitary glands. She wanted to contact an endocrinologist to see if he/she would recommend the powerful chemo treatments a full-fledge Cushings case would warrant. We still haven't heard back from her regarding that consult.

While we wait impatiently for the vet to get back to us, we're noticing more and more signs that our sweet boy is nearing his end. He only has enough energy to eat his food (unenthusiastically), and he's been drinking water at an alarming rate (he can easily drain his water bowl within an hour of it's being filled)... and he's peeing in the house at least twice overnight and today FOUR times while we were working.

In just over a month's time Malcolm's body has shrunk to skin and bones. His visible vertebrae made us first take notice of his ill health, and now we're able to discern nearly every rib bone when he's laying down.

I think the most telling sign of Malcolm's decline is that he's lost all interest in being petted. He's always LOVED to be touched, petted and cuddled! Sadly, he no longer reacts to the loving we're trying so desperately to heap upon him.

I'm afraid that we've been too slow to acknowledge his decline, though it happened so very quickly. We're still waiting for news from the vet, but we're not exactly hopeful. If we can't have our boy back – with his usual energy and some significant weight gain – then we're pretty sure that keeping him with us would only prolong his suffering.

Facing this reality is incredibly painful.
XO
Jodi

Beautiful Vermont

Last weekend I spent three delightful nights in Vermont. I'd never been to Vermont before... if you haven't been there, you are missing out on some gorgeous scenery!

Vermont is quaint and rural and beautiful! I was too nervous about my 2-hour, 96-mile drive to stop and take pictures of the hills and valleys and twisty-curvy roads which took me from the Albany, NY airport to the long and narrow cabin where I would spend the next few nights.

But, once I arrived at the cabin I was met by a fridge full of cold beer, and these beautiful people:

That's my BFF, Steph and her wonderful husband!

They brought along their sweet Moon-girl and her feline sister, Punkin. Punk was having nothing to do with me, so I couldn't get her picture.

My trip was filled with evening campfires, excellent story telling and the camaraderie of my dearest friend, who moved all the way to Connecticut several years ago, and left me in the dust!

Our Rip-Roaring Thursday night Campfire.

Our "beach" where only Moon-dog went swimming. The weather was too cool for us to even dip our toes!

Steph and I basically just hung out together, lazed about in the occasional sunshine, and read our books. It was a lazy, relaxing, delightful vacation!

I wish I'd been able to get a photo of the stars we saw on Thursday night. I've never seen stars so brilliant or enormous! You wouldn't have believed their brilliance if I had been able to photograph them.

You should try to vacation in a sleepy cabin in Vermont. It's delightful!

XO

Jodi

Bathroom Remodel Part OH MY GAWD, AREN'T WE DONE YET?

The bathroom remodel seems to have dragged along in the past week. I left the house, the bathroom and the State last Wednesday to enjoy a previously scheduled vacation with my BFF. (The vacation was delightful and I'll have stories and pictures to share with you soon.)

When I left the house Wednesday morning, the tile was freshly grouted. The carpenter had a few things to finish up in order to be prepared for the plumber's arrival on Friday. Bob called me Friday morning to report that the carpenter had done his work and the plumbers were in the house completing theirs. The new toilet and lavatory faucet are installed! YaY!

All was going well even in the absence of my control-freak self! I was pleased.

But when I arrived home Bob and I began discussing the placement of the new light fixture and we decided that the J-box had to be moved, which meant more drywall patching for the carpenter.

So the carpenter still has a list of tasks to accomplish:
- new drywall repair caused by our changed minds
- sealing of the tile and grout in the shower and on the floor

And after I prime and paint this week:
- installation of the new baseboards
- installation of the mirror and toilet paper spool

Once the carpenter vacates the premises, we still have to
- install the shower curtain rod and towel bars
- clean the entire room so that it's ready for use.

By my calculations we should finally finish the bathroom approximately 24 hours before we head off on vacation... about 2.5 weeks past our original goal of completing the project.

At least I'll have a gleaming white tub to soak in when I get back home!

XO
Jodi

Our Boy

Our sweetly spotted canine son isn't doing so well lately. He's demonstrated the typical signs of an aging dog (things like arthritic hips and fatty tissue masses) for the past couple of years. It's mostly been stuff that's bothersome to him and us, but not threatening to his health or terribly worrisome to the vet.

But in the past month or two I've noticed a marked change in the way our boy conducts himself. He's been much less active... much more lethargic. Because Bob and I are planning a weeklong trip at the end of this month, and are planning to leave our boy in the care of Bob's folks, I wanted to make sure that my worries were unfounded. So I talked Bob into taking Malcolm to the vet for a check-up.

Sadly, it turns out that at least some of my worries were well reasoned. Our boy has lost 10 pounds in the past eight or nine months; he had developed a bladder infection (which has hopefully been cured with a week of antibiotics); and he has perhaps developed Cushings Disease.

This isn't the first time the possibility of Cushings has been spoken, but until now it seemed to be a remote chance. Our regular vet is on maternity leave, so we're dealing with a new doctor (in the same office) and she seems to be convinced that Cushings is an accurate diagnosis. She also mentioned something the other doctor never told us... this disease is often caused by a malignant tumor in the pancreas and/or bladder.

Our boy is scheduled for a daylong battery of blood tests and X-Rays later this week.

I feel so badly for him... he's obviously suffering from something and it's been extremely difficult to witness/acknowledge how he's gone from the energetic pup he once was, to the aging, sedentary and fragile old man he is today. He looks so very thin and frail!

Neither of us is prepared to lose this dude! He's been a part of our family for basically all of his 13.5 years. We adopted him when he was just 8 months old... only a couple of months after we first moved in together. We can't imagine our home without our spotted boy!

We will do whatever is best for him, but we're both pretty heartbroken over this impending diagnosis and the prospect of saying goodbye to this sweet, lovable creature.

Freaking out a bit, hoping for the best, and hanging in as best I can...
XO
Jodi

Bathroom Remodel Part 3

Progress is being made in the bathroom, albeit more slowly than I'd hoped. It's a remodeling job, so I headed into it prepared for a few setbacks. Thankfully the setbacks we've encountered have been neither tragic nor insurmountable. It's just taking time to get everything right.

The events which unfolded this week include:
Monday

• The carpenter replaced the rotten sub floor - the entire reason we started this project.

Tuesday

• The plumbers installed the new tub (I can't wait to soak in it!) and revamped the shower plumbing.
• I purchased a new vanity, mirror and storage cabinet.

Wednesday

• The carpenter installed the backer board in the shower surround and started the mudding process.
• The battery in our thermostat died, so the poor carpenter was stuck in the house all day without A/C, and his 90-minute mud was taking much more than 90-minutes to dry.
• Bob and I changed our minds about the 30" vanity I brought home on Tuesday, so I returned that and purchased another, smaller vanity.

Thursday

• With the A/C up and running again, the carpenter was able to do more mudding work.
• The Hardie board for the flooring tile was installed.
• The first row of shower tiles was installed.

Friday

• All that fresh mud was sanded smooth as a baby's bottom.
• The carpenter had to make two trips to the local Big Box for tiling supplies. (He also cleaned up a puke mess the dog made. Do I have the best carpenter, or what?)
• Rows two through five of the tile, along with the (2) soap dishes and (2) shampoo shelves, were installed.

Hopefully next week:

• The carpenter will finish the shower tile, set the floor tile, grout the shower and the floor, and install the new vanity, TP holder and shower curtain rod.
• The plumbers will return on Friday to install the shower and vanity fixtures as well as the new toilet.

It looks like I'll be painting the room on 7/19 and Bob will put the finishing touches on it by adding the new lighting, towel bars and other miscellaneous bits as soon as the paint dries. I'm waiting on some fabric samples to arrive before I decide on a shower curtain, and I still have to locate and purchase a medicine cabinet and/or a free-standing storage cabinet that will match the new vanity, but I'm not terribly stressed about those details just now.

I have been taking pictures as the work progresses, and I promise I'll share them with you when the job is done.

Happy Weekend!
XO
Jodi

Bathroom Remodel Part 2

Bob and I spent the weekend prior to the holiday weekend purchasing various pieces for the new bath (toilet, tub, tiles and paint). The purchases which required delivery were delivered last Thursday... several hours past the scheduled delivery time. We'll count that as the first hitch in our remodel get-along.

We spent the majority of our Independence Day weekend stripping the old bathroom of its tile, toilet, vanity, drywall, bathtub and sub-subfloor (an earlier flooring installer put down a new 1/4" subfloor over the previously existing subfloor). Most of the shower surround was in terrible condition, so removing it was pretty easy work. The hard work came in when it was time to remove the bathtub (cast iron is tough to break down!) and that "extra" subfloor (it required much muscle to remove, and I proved all but useless in my efforts to help).

The carpenter was here today and he repaired the rotten areas of the subfloor. The plumbers will be here tomorrow to install the new tub and re-vamp the shower's plumbing (we're elevating the shower head to comply with current code). The plumber will also evaluate the current condition of the toilet flange and leave notes regarding the placement of said flange-verses-flooring for the carpenter.

Since Bob and I are acting as our own general contractors, it'll be up to us to convey the needs of the plumbers to the carpenter and vice versa. Remodeling is exactly that glamorous!

The carpenter will be back on Wednesday to install the backer board and start tiling the shower surround.

I still have to make a final decision on, and purchase the vanity/mirror and medicine cabinet, and it's crunch time! The carpenter can't set the hardy board (for the new floor) until he knows what he'll be installing above it. The pressure's on me now. Shreek!

Remodeling is a process which requires one to think in baby-steps. But I'm hoping this baby will be up and running soon!

XO
Jodi

4th of July

Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband!

And Happy Independence Day to everyone. Have a great day, ya'll!

XO

Jodi

Slice of Life

I live in the suburbs of Indianapolis, though I would LOVE to live even further from the city, where nature and quiet nights could meet up with my desire to tune out rest of the world...

But even living here in the semi-sticks, I am sometimes shocked by the hideousness of the critters which inhabit my 'hood.

Bunnies and butterflies and birdies are adorable and desireable, but I could live without this creepy critter:

It's an opposum, and it surely isn't alone... there are more pink-nosed members of its ilk lurking about!

Blech. *Shiver*

XO
Jodi