Curated By Shelley

So...I'm definitely doing better after my tramatic Saturday than I was in the few weeks leading up to it. The vet techs and my vet spent a lot of time with us. I got to sit there and hold Chloe for the last 45 minutes. One of the vet techs was crying just as much as Mandy and I were. The other was trying to tell us funny stories to make us laugh. When the doctor came in the thanked Mandy right away for coming to be with me, since he knew I was waiting for her to be with me for it. He thanked her again afterwards. Although it still sucks...and its very strange to be home and not have Chloe here with me....I feel better than I did the last few weeks...when I knew what was coming. I felt very guilty...which I shouldn't...because she was in a lot of pain...but still its a weird experience. Sunday I went with Mandy, Ann and Amanda into the city for Now and Zen. Billy Idol cancelled which was a major bummer since I was most looking forward to him (even more than Maroo...

Well today's the day my dear sweet Chloe will finally get to walk without pain and only go potty outside again... I'm trying to think positively about the good I'm doing for her. I found this really great letter online that sums up why this is a good thing. I'm posting it below for anyone else who every has to face what I'm facing today. ANNIE'S LETTER Dear Susan, I just want you to know how happy I am to be in doggy heaven. It is great up here! My legs work fine, and I only go to the bathroom outdoors, just like I used to, before I got real old. Also, I can hear again! The other barking dogs here are all very friendly, and once in a while I even bark back at them. It feels real good to bark again. The views are spectacular. I can see all of Winnetka, Deephaven, Tonka Bay, Bloomington, and all points in between. I can see the work going on in our back yard... it is shaping up and will stay beautiful now. At the end of my time there, I could not...

Okay...I think maybe the zicam kicked in a bit finally...my throat doesn't hurt, my voice lost that sexy 86 year old smoker sound, and I'm down to half the amount of tissues I went through yesterday. Must say though...don't care for the gritty zicam losenges. Not only do they feel horrible in your mouth...but I swear they make me sneeze just as bad as the nose spray. maybe worse since its prolonged by the 30 minutes it takes for the damn things to dissolve in my mouth. Think I'll stick with the nose spray from here on out...once I've finished the $13 bottle of losenges I have I mean.... Hope I'm feeling much better tomorrow as I can't cancel that meeting like I did the one I was supposed to have today!

At least not yet.... But gotta love the Nyquil....except of course when your nose starts running and wakes you up. I can't be the only one that happens to...no matter how dead asleep I am...the tiniest little nose run has me wide awake. Gonna have to go to the store for more kleenex today....and I think I better reschedule tomorrows trip ... think I may need another day in bed....

Hmm..its been a while since I've taken Zicam...I recall it worked OK...but I've always used the nose spray one before....when I was at Safeway today they had these little dissolvable tablets you could get also...and since the nose spray one always made me sneeze furiously...and therefore probably reducing the effectiveness I thought I'd try them.... However...I've had this thing that I'm not allowed to chew or swallow in my mouth for like 20 minutes and its getting gritty...and the little pieces of grit are drifting down my throat...its not a pleasant experience....hope this works well!!!! If not I also picked up a big huge thing of chicken noodle soup...that always works right??

Man...I guess I'm due...but it still sucks being sick.... I started to kinda get a stuffy nose on Friday...and now I'm all stuffed up, coughing like mad, and have a killer sore throat! And I'm all out of Zicam....but not in the mood to go to the store! I wish drug stores delivered!

I just got off the phone with my little sister - she's three years younger than me. And we're not exactly close...in fact...we drive each other mad. And I've had very limited contact after she spent 10 days visiting me last year because it was WAY too much of her at one time. Anyway...I was worried she was calling to bitch me out for not talking to my dad (I think he's mad at me right now - but she likes to yell at me when he's upset about something). But turns out she was calling because the invitations to my cousins wedding in November showed up and she wanted to know if I was going to go (I'm not). But then she asked me if my dad had called me this week.....I told her I haven't talked to him in months (leads me to believe either he's not mad at me...just being normal and not talking to me)...so she tells me that my GRANDMOTHER is getting married and my dad is supposed to be calling and inviting me to that...and am I going to THAT wedding (I...

Let me preface this by saying...that in the past 4 months...I believe I've had one flight (out of probably 30-40 flights) that has been on time. So I was supposed to be on a 7:30pm flight home tonight. But my meeting wrapped up early - so I checked the schedule and there was a 5:30pm flight available. I had the airline switch me (and paid the fare change) and got to the airport at 4pm.....to find that my flights delayed until 7:02! So now I'm stuck in the damn airport and am only getting home 20 minutes earlier....provided it leaves at the time its currently scheduled to! I'm SOOOOO sick of air travel!!!!!!!!

So I'm out of town at a meeting all week this week. And yesterday we finished up early and I got invited to go out with the guys golfing...I wasn't going to go...but I didn't really want to work anymore so I did. We loaded up the golf cart with beer...and off we went...10 of us in total. Now....back in the day I knew I might need to golf with customers so I used to go with a group of girlfriends every Wednesday to play 9 holes. While I can't drive the ball too far, I usually go straight, and was really good at chipping and putting. However, in the 3.5 years I've lived on the West Coast I've been golfing exactly 3 times.....and haven't had any trips to the driving range. So...needlesss to say...I suck at golf these days. However, my scramble partner noticed that the more beer I drank...the better I got at golf.... So I drank some more. Then after I got the golf cart stuck on a concrete block...he decided no more beer (I dont know why he jus...

Okay..I've been waiting 3.5 years since I moved to the west coast for my FAVORITE restaurant to open....they're finally coming to in my area....drove a little out of my way today...but did get to have Panera Bread for dinner. Problem was...its only been open like 3 days and everyone who works there doesn't know how to do their job yet! It took them 20 minutes to make my latte! Oh well...I've got a dozen cinnamon crunch bagels to go in the freezer til the one opens up closer to home. Also went mini-golfing with Amanda, Ann, and Tony. Haven't been in ages...we had a blast ... but the course was HARD. And they charge you $.25 a ball if you lose it...which of course I did....oh well. Still a good time. Now time to chill with Chloe a bit before bed. I'm attaching a picture of my pretty baby here.

So I went to Costco today to load up on supplies for a care package I'm sending to the gulf. Then I headed over to target, because I'm told where I'm sending things the folks are also badly in need of tarps. And I also saw that target is in fall on Halloweem mode already!!!! Costumes and more importantly! Halloween candy! My favorite are the little Brachs pumpkins! Gotta get them while they're out!

Got up at 5:30 this morning...got ready, got in the car, turned on my cell phone - to find out that my meeting that was 100 miles away at 8am had been cancelled! Too late now to go back to bed...guess I'll get some work done.....

Man! Last night I wrote this long raving rant...and then my computer crapped out on me before I could publish....don't feel like re-writing it now...but it sucks! Time for a new computer for me...but I really don't want to spend the money right now...I mean...I already just made myself take back the Coach Scribble Tote I found on clearance at Nordstroms..and the knee high black boots I just bought on zappos. Trying to be financially responsible so I'm in better shape for moving...but its hard when you need to make major purchases!!!

So I just watched today's Oprah..I've been avoiding watching too much tv because all the reports are so depressing...but I always watch Oprah...I think I cried through 70% of the episode. It's obscene how poorly we've reacted to helping the victim's of Katrina....I'm ashamed of how long those poor people had to spend at the Superdome....and all the dead bodies laying about because we're unable to clear them up. And at the triage center at the airport in New Orleans - they're bringing people still alive to the morgue..because they believe they'll die anyway and its peaceful there. Unbelievable.

Okay...so I'm completely and total obsessed with the Coach label. I mean...I have over 50 different handbags/shoes/scarves/accessories from Coach...I could open a store..... Just wanted to level set for you. So coach came out with a new catalog week before last...and I'm DYING to have the Naomi Pumps....they're SOOO cute!!! But I have a really hard time paying $230 for shoes! I did pay $210 for my pamela sandles...but I've only worn them 4 times so far.... by the time I decide they probably won't be available anymore and my decision will be made for me...but man do I want them!!!!

So I've been fascinated by the BLOGGING phenomenon of late....spend WAY to much time reading them...thought I'd write one!!!! Hope you all enjoy it!