Update from Dolly

Hi, everyone. It's Dolly writing. In between napping on the computer and asking for food in the kitchen, I decided to post an entry on my mom's blog. I'm feeling much better this week. My parents have been giving me fluids once or twice a day, which I hate since it involves inserting a long needle into the skin between my shoulders that is hooked up to a fluid bag. I'm also on six to seven daily medications, and I hate taking them. It makes my parents upset when they have to "torture" me, but they really love me, so I think I forgive them.



One of the drugs I'm on is called Phoslo, and my parents had it filled at Walgreens when I was at the clinic last week because the clinic was out of it. My mom thinks it's funny they typed "Dolly The Cat DeVito" on the label. She laughs at the smallest things.



They took me back to the vet Friday afternoon, and they drew more blood. The vet will call with the results by Monday. Dr. Haas was so impressed with how well I've bounced back. She told us that there is another cat who has numbers that are much better than mine, but that cat isn't doing so hot. I guess I'm kind of a miracle. I'm eating fairly well, and I still love to sit on laps and purr. I don't meow anymore, and I'm not sure why, but I'm enjoying the spring birds outside. If I could only catch one...

My parents bought us a new scratch pad that comes with cat nip. I love it! After the vet visit Friday, they opened it up, and I got high for a while. It's like kitty marijuana, only it's legal and not harmful to me. After I had my fun time, I immediately went in to the kitchen and wanted to eat. :)





My sister Sammie has been great through all of this, but she still doesn't understand why I don't like to run around and play with her as much as I used to. However, we do enjoy napping on the bed.



Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. It means a lot. I didn't realize I was so popular.

Meeting my nieces

During our recent trip to Florida, I was able to meet my nieces, Mattie and Mia. They belong to my brother and his wife and are quite the playful pair.

Mattie is a blackmouth cur. Her breed is a hunting dog that originated in the South. In the book, "Old Yeller," the dog was a blackmouth cur, but the movie version used a golden lab to play the part. Mattie is extremely hyper and loves to play and run around constantly.



Mia is a rottweiler and very loving. She's going to be a big dog. Jason and Kristen got Mattie first, and when they got Mia, Mattie actually calmed down a bit due to Mia's lounging and laid back personality.



I brought them a couple of toys from Dolly and Sammie. One was a football and the other a pom-pom. Mattie chewed on both of them and tried to entice Mia to get them, which started a tug of war.




Mia loves to lay on her back and have her belly rubbed. She also falls asleep in this position.



I was there for almost two hours, and by the time we left, the football was completely destroyed.

Wedding Weekend

Last weekend we traveled to Florida for David's sister's wedding. It was unseasonably warm for March with highs in the 80s. The wedding was at the Omni ChampionsGate in Orlando on Saturday afternoon, and Allison and Matt make a wonderful couple!

The bride was beautiful, and it was a great event since we were able to see family members we haven't seen since leaving Florida in July 2006. I hung out in the bridal suite before the wedding and was able to take some photos.

Allison's mom helping her adjust her veil.



As the guests started to arrive we left them know we were up above watching them.



Allison wore her grandmother's pearls and gave each bridesmaid a set of pearls as a gift.



After putting on her dress and waiting for the ceremony to begin, Allison said, "I need to pee."



Allison, her maid of honor and cousin Mallory, and their grandmother.



The ring bearer and flower girl were adorable. Isabella wasn't happy about putting on her dress, and Daniel didn't want to give up his pacifier, but they were so cute walking down the isle together.



We're on our way down to the golf course for the wedding with only a few more minutes of being single.



Repeating the vows...


Allison's step dad is from Luxembourg, and several family members made the journey across the Atlantic, including cousin Olivier and his wife Alla. Olivier is a police officer in Luxembourg and was in his uniform. It was great to see them!



Her flowers were red and white.



The cake was beautiful and delicious.



At Friday night's rehearsal dinner, we had the groom's cake, which was made by one of Matt's co-workers. It was yummy too!



David's mom and step dad had the rehearsal dinner at their house in Winter Haven. They've recently completed a backyard renovation with a new deck and living space over their garage. The landscaping looks gorgeous in the front yard as well.









I don't know when we'll back in Florida, but it was a great visit! Congratulations Allison and Matt!

A Stressful Spring Break

I realize I haven't blogged in more than a week. I intended to blog earlier this week about the wonderful wedding and trip to Florida we had last weekend, but Dolly our cat had other plans. I promise to blog very soon about the wedding and post photos since I took more than 200!

We returned home from David's sister's wedding Monday night, and Dolly wasn't acting herself. I noticed it before we left last week, but thought she didn't like us leaving. When we returned, she didn't want to eat or drink much and just kept meowing as if she was trying to tell us something. She had something to say alright...

After a vet visit Tuesday afternoon, we learned Dolly was severely dehydrated, and her kidney disease had most likely progressed. She only weighed 6 pounds, 12 ounces. The blood work confirmed her kidney disease had worsened, and she also has some liver disease, a kidney infection and a urinary track infection. The vet gave us the option of putting her to sleep, but Dolly is still Dolly, happy and alert. The doctor told us her levels are the highest she's ever seen (not a good thing), even higher than textbooks mention. Dolly shouldn't be here, but she is thankfully.

She stayed at the wonderful Cat Clinic in Knoxville that only caters to cats for three nights until Friday afternoon. Dr. Koob and Dr. Haas and their extraordinary staff are so great, and we visited Dolly each day she was at the clinic. Because the lab was late with the blood work, they wanted us to leave her there Friday night since they close at 6 p.m. and didn't have time to get everything ready for her to come home, but I think the vet heard the extreme disappointment in my voice and said we could come get her last night and then take her back today, and they would load us up with her medications and show us how to give her the fluids here at home. We found out today she's gained a pound since Tuesday! Also, her liver disease has improved, and her kidney counts are better but not great. Below are the meds she's on. We have to give her more fluids tonight or tomorrow morning.



So far at home, she's eaten really well, sat and purred on our laps, enjoyed sitting in her cat tree and looking at the birds, and just being Dolly. We're very thankful she's happy at home for now, and we'll see how things go with her kidney counts.

It was a hard week since we weren't sure if she would improve. From now until when God wants Dolly back again, we'll have to give her fluids daily or several times a week, and she's on several medications for life. I realize some people might not understand our strong and loving connection to Dolly, but she is part of our family. As long as she's happy, we're extremely happy.

Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. The vet told me again today that no one told Dolly her kidney disease is worse since she's still so happy and purring. :) As soon as Dolly came in the house last night, Sammie went over to her and sniffed her and then licked her face. I probably picked up and hugged Sammie a hundred times this week. I don't know what I would have done without her. Both of our girls are very special to us!

Our wonderful Florida friends, Brad and Mandy, who have two cat children, Cali and Kelsey, and one human child, Ryan, sent us a cat card that Ryan painted for us. So cute! Both of the girls love it. Thanks so much!

I Love the Smokies!

No matter how many times I visit what some call the tourist trap of the Smokies, I never grow tired of seeing the gorgeous views and simply being in the mountains. We finally took a weekend trip to Gatlinburg this past weekend once I finally felt better after battling a nasty cold for a couple of weeks.

Before we left, Dolly had to check her e-mail on my computer. She's already thinking about this year's holiday letter!



We stayed at the Hampton Inn, which has fireplaces in some of the rooms. It was a warm weekend with highs in the low 70s, but we turned on the fireplace anyway. There's an AC unit next to it, so we can balance out the temp and burn extra energy. I know my "green" readers aren't happy about that, but it was only for a couple of hours.




Here's the view from our hotel balcony.



The Little Pigeon River was flowing fairly fast thanks to the melting snow and ice in the higher elevations.





On Sunday, we drove up to Newfoundland Gap, and while it was in the upper 60s in Gatlinburg, we still saw quite a few patches of snow and ice from the car. It had snowed about a week earlier, but so many of the spots are in the shade, and it takes a while for the ice and snow to melt away.





Here are a few shots David snapped of the beautiful Smoky Mountains. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park will celebrate 75 years this year! Happy Anniversary!

Missing the Mountains

We didn't get any snow in Knoxville over the weekend like many parts of the South did. We're in the valley, so the areas around us experience harsher winter conditions. However, when I'm driving through parts of Knoxville, I have a wonderful view of the snow-capped mountains. It's a gorgeous view and one I will miss if we move away.

On Mondays and Wednesdays, I teach until 5 p.m. By this time, rush hour hits and heavy traffic on Interstate-40 along with the glare from the sun since I'm driving west, make driving conditions not ideal on this route. Sometimes, I opt to go home another longer way because I'd rather be driving the entire time instead of sitting and inching along in stop-and-go traffic.

However, there's another reason I enjoy driving home on Alcoa Highway. I have the chance to see the beautiful Smoky mountains, and on afternoons such as yesterday, the snow-capped beauty of this wonderful area. I will definitely miss the mountains and am so thankful we've had the opportunity to live here.

A March Miracle

OK, this miracle technically happened Friday, February 27, but as a journalist, I always love a good headline. And Baby Austin will always be a miracle baby in my opinion.

You might remember from a post last year about my college friend Natasha and her family who discovered their little baby had leukemia. After five months of chemo at Shands at UF, the Allen family officially went home for good on Friday evening, and Austin is in remission. The photo above is Austin on the right, and his big brother Hunter is on the left.

I'm so happy for this special family and hope to meet Austin and his big brother Hunter one day. During this ordeal, my mom and dad cooked and took a meal to Natasha one day while she stayed at the hospital EVERY day. She stayed during the week, and her husband came to the hospital on the weekends. Austin is such a happy baby. When my parents visited his room, my mom said all he did was laugh and laugh, despite being so sick.

His older brother Hunter celebrated his 5th birthday at the end of January, and I sent him a present. He told his mom to tell me, "Thank you for the gift. If you ever need anything, please call me." How cute is that! He also sent me an adorable hand-written thank-you note.

Natasha and I have been out of touch since college, but through Facebook, e-mail and her blog, we've reconnected, and I've learned so much about her wonderful family's struggle with this dreaded disease. As Natasha wrote near the beginning of this fight, "Austin has cancer, but cancer doesn't have Austin." Go Austin for beating cancer! Take care little buddy!