60 day recap...

Okay, I believe I'm FAR past due for an update. So much as happened, yet so little. I will try to keep cats out of this post, but I know that'll be impossible and one point, so you're just going to have to deal. I've also just realized that I posted 3 times in May, all bad news posts, so I'm going to have TWO whole months to recap. I hope you're ready for a good read. Oh, I'm also going to do things a little differently this time and post pictures of what I'm talking about under a certain paragraph so that they're not all jumbled up at the bottom.

Okay, lets jump back to the beginning of May...


In one small section of sugar glider news, we had two gorgeous Black Beauty girls come OOP on non other than Cinco de Mayo! Both super dark and of course, super gorgeous. Thankfully it didn't take these two long to find a forever home up in Iowa. We're actually planing on meeting their new mommy next Wednesday or Thursday all the way up in Columbia, MO! She was entirely new to gliders and did everything right. She's planing on feeding OHPW, she got an awesome wheel and even a DCN cage! Can you say spoiled??

This is Petunia.

This is Pansy.

I can't remember if I blogged about it or not (it's been that long), but I custom ordered a couple custom Lucille's. They're basically a micro form of Negan's barbed bat from The Walking Dead. Any fan should know what I'm talking about. Well they arrived on the 10th of May and they look amazing! I was so shocked by the quality, they exceeded my expectations! I'm hoping to order something else from her in the very near future.

Amazing artwork on the package.

LaVaughn's is upfront.

Mine is in the back (and slightly larger).

On the 14th of May I FINALLY got my hands on Penny and Woodbury Walker! For those of you that don't know what those are, they belong to series 4 of The Walking Dead Funko POP! set. They're two of the retired POPs that are super hard to come by. I'm very, VERY thankful to add them to my collection.

Penny on the left, Woodbury on the right.

Lets zip on up to May 21st where I was then able to add Maggie to my every growing POP! collection. She's also a retired POP that belongs to series 4, just like the above two. I'm not too happy with the amount of money that I spend on these 3 POPs, but they're nothing on some of the POPs that are up in the $300+ range.

Isn't she lovely!? :D

Like I stated in my previous post, we've pretty much been on the edge of our seats non-stop. My nerves are shot and my anxiety has been through the roof. I've considered Xanax, but I absolutely despise taking medicine that's a grade above Tylenol or Aleve. With that being said, I have found a new love for wine. I've always loved wine, but I would just stick to reds. LaVaughn and I got adventurous and decided to try white wine for the first time. This is where I found my new love for Moscato. I swear, it's like sipping little drops of heaven each time. Hands down my absolute favorite wine to date!

Here's our trio of new wines.

Let's zip on up to the 2nd of June where we welcomed not one, but two new additions. Ginny and Norman had their first two joeys come OOP. A beyond gorgeous Rintail Mosaic girl and a True Platinum Mosaic boy. I'm over the moon with excitement about this, because there's a 97% chance Norman is a Mocistic now, seeing as how they had a mosaic and a TPM the first time around. We've decided to name these beauties Nanook and Nymeria. I haven't received a deposit on Nanook yet, but I am talking with a lady that's 99% sure she wants him. Yay and fingers crossed!

This is Nymeria.

And this is Nanook.

Not only did I add a few new Walking Dead POPs to our collection, but I added a Supernatural one as well. I was able to snag Castiel as Steve for the low, low price of $8. A tad under that, I believe. Now I need Bobby, Charlie, 2 Crowleys, and 4 Castiels. :D

Isn't he cute?

My aunt celebrated her $@ birthday on the 6th of this month. It just so happened to take place the same day we had to drop Zoe off at the vet for her surgery, which completely sucked. We didn't even get her anything this year, just a card and some money. LaVaughn made her a really nice looking orange cake that she most definitely approved of, but it still didn't seem like much of a birthday.

It had decorations, but this was the best picture.

Long before Zoe's health problems I ordered a new Walking Dead PS4 cover. I ordered corresponding red analog covers, as well as red silicone covers for the controllers. Ever since we got our PS4 I've been wanting to buy a can of "air" to clean it out. Well, since we got the cover for the console, analogs, and controllers, I thought I would fulfill my dream and get a damn can of air. Our silicone covers arrived the day we got to pick Zoe up from the vet, so it was pretty much perfect. And I have to say, our PS4 has not looked cooler.

This resembles the comic to a T. I love it.

Our controllers aren't the exact red that we needed, but close enough.

And I just love the analog covers.

We've also watched several new movies lately. The Boy (not very good), Gods of Egypt (pretty awesome), The Witch (loved it), Dirty Grandpa (hated it), 10 Cloverfield Lane (way better than I thought), and most importantly, Deadpool. I haven't loved a movie this much in, well I honestly can't remember. I LOVE this movie. We rented it back to back and then made the plunge and bought it. Best. Purchase. Ever! This led us to our next movie obsession, The X-Men movies! We watched the first two years back, but never watched the last one or any of the new ones. Out of all the new ones we only watched X-Men Origins: Wolverine. We lucked out an found them all in 2 and 3 packs at Walmart for like $10 each, so we snagged them and then watched them all in chronological order. Aside from Deadpool, I can't say enough amazing things about First Class and Days of Future Past.

These were the first ones we bought.

Then this. I really didn't care for The Wolverine at all.

And the classics, of course.

While I'm on the subject of buying things, we stumbled across a rare gem at Walmart a couple weeks ago when we took aunt Sharon to the doctor. Right there in the game case sat Dead Island The Definitive Edition on PS4. It's basically the original games remastered. And surprisingly enough, it wasn't $60! I'm just now starting to play it, but I haven't had much time for gaming due to all the movies we've been watching. Still, amazing find.

Love the split picture!

What we acquired on the 19th of this month took my by surprise. Ellie and Oliver welcomed their second little boy. Wait for it... a BFBB boy!! I still cannot believe it! He looked dark when he was hanging OOP, but I had no idea he would be a BFBB. It's amazing. And Ellie hoarded him for so long he came OOP with his eyes open! He also weighed in at 17 grams -- big boy. We've named this adorable little boy Gendry.

Isn't he a peach!

Ever since we found out Zoe had FIV, we started looking into a higher quality diet. Something without grains and with a LOT of fresh fruits and veggies and lots of protein. After researching Blue Buffalo and similar foods, we decided on Acana. It's made with all natural ingredients and absolutely no grains. It's like 75% wild caught meat and 25% fruits and vegetables. Or maybe it's the other way around? Anyways, it's amazing food and the cats love it. It is, however, very expensive. One 15 pound bag will last Zoe and Una well over a month, which is great. 

It came vacuum sealed with free 2-day shipping. O.o

I know this next bit isn't super exciting. Well, it's exciting to me, so I'm going to blog about it. Did I ever mention that I lost my turtle necklace? Well the charm, not the chain. I lost it a couple months back and have never been able to find it. LaVaughn surprised me last week with a brand new one. It's slightly larger than the last and far more colorful -- I adore it! I'm lost without a necklace, I've been that way for over 5 years now. It's strange, I never wore necklaces my entire life and now I don't feel complete without one. Thanks again, LaVaughn! <3 p="">

Isn't it gorgeous?

Last Wednesday we took my aunt to the doctor in Cape. Well we always have time to burn over there and we usually pass that time by hitting up the stores, the mall included. Well there were LOTS of sales last week and we hit every single one. Well, Charlotte Russe and Old Navy, so that's not so bad. We also hit up Target, Walmart and what this paragraph is all about, Hot Topic and what we found there. I'm sure you know by now I'm an avid POP! collector, so when I saw a Walking Dead exclusive, I had to have it! We were able to find Bitten Tyreese, which is a Hot Topic exclusive! Score!! And for just $12.50! Now if I could get my hands on Riot Gear Glenn.

On the 25th of this month we added 8 new baby chicks to our brood. Two are in their "tween" stage and can mingle with the rest of the chickens, 2 are slightly younger than that and still have to live in a smaller enclosure away from the big chickens and the other 4 are just a few weeks old. I tried to get some decent pictures of them all Monday, but it's so dark in the chicken coop it was just impossible. One of the two older chicks ventures out among the rest of the flock. She's the one I was able to get pictures of. 

Isn't she pretty?

Now I'm going to venture from the photo-grid and fill you in on random happenings that can't be photographed or haven't been photographed yet...

Okay, I know I said I wasn't going to talk about cats -- or at least try not to -- but I kinda have to bring this up. A young black and white cat showed up at our place a couple weeks ago. It's a boy, he was super skittish at first, but has since warmed up, he was loaded in ticks, he was skin and bones and most importantly, he's the sweetest and most appreciative cat I've ever met! You can tell he's been abused his whole life, but that's not a worry anymore. We're going to take him to the vet in a week or so for a check-up, combo test, shots, and a neuter appointment. Oh, we've named him Hamilton and I will try my best to get pictures next week. 

Lets see, what else... Well, work has been going good (knock wood). I feel I'm the most trusted employee there anymore, seeing as how I'm the only one who can close aside from the owners. I have a key and know the security codes -- no one else has this pleasure. It's a big responsibility, but it's one I'm proud to have. I'm STILL not used to getting up early on Sundays to open. That's going to take months to get accustomed to.

We're skipping out 4th Of July celebration this year due to the "Pritchett Family Reunion" on the 9th of next month. A lot of money is invested in the 4th and since SO much is going into the reunion that my aunt and a distant family are planing, we've decided against two big, expensive events this year. Fine by me, the 4th wasn't very enjoyable last year, so I'm happy we're not doing anything. I would never tell my aunt, due to the fact that she's so excited about this, but I'm not even remotely looking forward to the reunion this year. 1) We've never had a reunion before. 2) None of the family on our side is going to show. 3) It's going to be sweltering. 4) I simply don't like people. I'm being petty, yes I know, but I can't help myself. On the other hand, it may turn out to be an overall enjoyable experience that I'll love. Who knows!

I guess I'll end it there. Not too much else to talk about -- at least nothing that I can remember? Anyways, I'll try to keep things updated from now on, but that's in no way a promise. Until nest time...

-Megan

If I could save time in a bottle...

I've put off blogging for SO long, I've almost forgotten how this all goes anymore. We've seriously had so much going on lately, blogging was the furthest thing from my mind. It's honestly still something I'm not sure I want to start back up. It's just really hard to throw away something that I've done for 8 years now, so you can see why I want to at least TRY and keep it going. I guess I'll see how this update of sorts goes and we'll go from here.

I'm going to address the most important updates first, back burner things will come last. Obviously, the most important subject over the past month has been Zoe, so we'll start there. My last blog was on Wednesday, May 25th. I was discussing that our old vet diagnosed Zoe with FIV and told us that she wouldn't recommend doing the surgery. She told us to watch the mammary mass on her belly and to let them know if it started to grow. That was NOT okay in my book, so like I stated in my last post I contacted two other vets and decided on Hick's Animal Hospital in Poplar Bluff.

Zoe's next vet visit was on June 1st at 4:00 in the evening. The vets office was packed, so we took this as a good sign. Our "old" vet in Fredericktown was never packed. After waiting, we finally got called back and got to speak with Dr. Hicks, a super nice lady that really seemed to know what she was talking about. She was kind of shocked by the size of her lump and said that it didn't feel like normal mammary tumors. She ran a CBC on Zoe, which still revealed the low WBC count -- it was 3200 this time. I'm not sure if it was an even 3000 last time and it went up some or what. Anyways, the vet didn't seem troubled by the count. She said it was low, but not low enough to postpone the surgery, which she wanted to do asap. She scheduled the surgery for the following Tuesday with a drop-off the day before.

Que nervousness!

Sunday night I could barely breath, eat or sleep. I worried non-stop and cried periodically throughout the day/night. Monday was even worse. I was completely out of it and felt like I was going to faint. We dropped Zoe off at the vet 15 minutes before closing. I've never felt so cruel and abusive in all of my life. I started crying in the vets office while the receptionist went to check on some things with Zoe's kennel. I was able to stop myself for a short while, but not for long. A man came out and took Zoe in her carrier. The look on her face as he carried her away was my breaking point. I turned to leave and barely made it out the door before I was in tears. I wasn't alone in this, LaVaughn was the same.

We sat in the car for a good 10 minutes before I was able to compose myself enough to drive. I finally stopped gasping for air and was able to pull out of the parking lot. Monday night was like a dream. Nothing seemed real, everything just kind of blurred together. Going to sleep was a welcome peace as I knew it would bring the next day quicker than sitting and worrying all night.

I woke up a little before 11 the next day and immediately called the vet to check on Zoe. Thankfully, she was out of surgery and in recovery! I was told to call back after two, which was a miserable wait. LaVaughn and I showered and headed towards Poplar Bluff just before two. I called from Piedmont to see how things were. I was put on hold for what felt like an hour as the lady went back to check on Zoe. She came back with the sweetest words I've heard in a long time.

          "She did good, she's going good and she can be picked up after 4."

I thought I was going to faint! The drive to Poplar Bluff was one of the best and most peaceful drives I've had in a long time. Picking her up from the vet was such a warming feeling that I'll never forget. Getting her home was another, she was on cloud 9! Her incision also wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting, which was a good thing!

Then the dreaded waiting game began. They sent the tumor off Wednesday and said the university should get it Thursday and there was a small chance we would hear back from them Friday, but it would probably be Monday. Well, Monday came and went and there was nothing. I called early and late on Monday, but they hadn't heard anything. Same thing on Tuesday and again on Wednesday. When I called Wednesday (this was on the 15th) they said that if I hadn't heard from them by the following Wednesday (the 22nd) to give them a call back.

Well the following Wednesday came and still nothing. I was a bundle of nerves this day because I had a feeling that we would hear something today. Well I called around 2:30 and was told that the vet had received the results and she would be with me shortly. When she finally came to the phone she gave me the heartbreaking news... it was cancer. Our vet said the she really didn't think it was cancerous due to how confined it was. Of course, I asked what Zoe's chances were and what % she had of it coming back. The vet said that there's a 50% chance of it coming back, but she can't really use those guidelines because Zoe's tumor was so small. She said that she simply doesn't see them that small and they're always large and a mess by the time she see's them.

This is good news! This should (hopefully) greatly reduce the risk of reassurance. Fingers, toes, hairs and everything crossed! We could use ANY type of good thoughts, prayers or anything else you have to offer!

As of right now we're trying not to think about it and just continue our lives like normal. If we stay stressed out, she'll stay stressed out. We're trying to stay positive and think happy thoughts and just cherish the time we have with her.

One more update while I'm on the subject of cats. When we picked Zoe up from the vet, we stopped by Walmart and picked up a couple gorgeous asiatic lily plants. Well, they stayed inside for the first day, then were moved outside to enjoy some son. Late Wednesday night/early Thursday morning, we decided to move them inside. Well, shortly after we did that, I heard a crash coming from the kitchen. It was exactly what I suspected, Una knocked the plants over.

We rushed into the kitchen and picked them up. That's when we noticed a couple bite marks on the leaves. I immediately looked to see if lilies were poisonous to cats and was floored by what I read. Not only are they toxic, but they're one of the most deadly plants a cat can eat. It wasn't long after that, that LaVaughn found a missing leaf. We flew into panic mode and I was on the phone with an emergency vet. He told me to give her 1 tablespoon of peroxide to induce vomiting and to call back after. The only reason he suggested this was because it had been less than 20 minutes since she ate it.

Well forced it down her throat and waited in the bathroom with her to throw up. When that didn't work, we gave her another. She ran to the living room and (thankfully) started puking. And there it was, half a lily leaf. I was so relieved and thankful, you have no idea!

I tried to call our emergency vet again, but couldn't get through. I ended up calling one in Farmington and one in Perryville to ask what to do next. The one in Farmington said that she should be fine, but if we wanted to be extra cautious that we could bring her in and put her on an IV for 24 hours, but she didn't think that would be necessary. I tied and tried to get in touch with our vet again, but couldn't get through.

Around 6:30 that morning we finally decided to call it a night.

As soon as I got up the next day I called our vet and talked to the same guy. He concurred and said that she should be fine. I ended up calling close to 6 vets that day and got the same answers from all of them. LaVaughn and I were still sick about it and decided to take Una to the vet Friday to have her kidneys checked. After all, lily toxicity causes kidney failure, which leads to death within a few short days. LaVaughn took me to work Friday and took Una to the vet that evening for lab work.

Thank god everything came back normal! Her kidneys, liver and everything looked great. The vet (we were at Hillcrest this time) said that it takes a large amount of leaves to cause damage. Oh well, better safe than sorry. It wasn't all for nothing, though, it showed that Una's blood sugar levels were really high. She had just had a steroid shot a couple weeks before, which could be the cause, but he recommended that we get her re-tested in a few weeks just to be on the safe side.

So there's that. It was horrible, I was so sick over the entire thing, I wanted to die. I felt such a HUGE relief at work Friday evening when she called and told me, you have no idea. I'm hoping and praying that things are mellow for the rest of the year. My nerves honestly can't handle much more.

And needless to say the plants will NEVER be in the house again!

If all goes well I'll post a general update tomorrow with everything that's been happening over the last several weeks. Until then, thanks for reading...

-Megan

And now, because I can, I'm going to spam you with loads of cat pictures from the past month(s):

One thing after the other...

I honestly don't know what we did to warrant a streak of such bad luck with our animals. Last week when we took the cats in for a checkup, they found a mass on Zoe's belly that needed to be removed asap. Well that was scheduled for Tuesday, so Monday night we took her in for blood work.

After we waited on the results, the vet came out and asked if Zoe had ever been combo tested. We said yes, years and years ago, but never there. She wanted to do that because Zoe's WBC count was at a 3000, which is super low -- it should be 4,900 at the very least. Long story short, Zoe has FIV, which is the human equivalent to HIV.

We're completely baffled by this and have no idea how she contracted it. It had to be at least 8 years ago when we had Sasha, or maybe a couple years before that when we had Felicia. We have NO idea how this happened.

To make another long story short, we're taking Zoe to Poplar Bluff next week for a second opinion. Our vets bedside manor sucks. She didn't tell us anything about FIV, she just said she wouldn't recommend the surgery, but she could still do it if WE wanted her to. She wasn't even going to do the blood work before her surgery, it wasn't until I started asking what the risk factors were for with Zoe's age, that's when she said she could do that if it would make us feel better.

Of course we wanted her to!

I talked with two different vets offices yesterday and they both said they would have sent Zoe home with antibiotics and retested in a couple weeks. We need to get her WBC count up so that she can have the mass on her belly removed.

You have absolutely NO idea how stressful these last couple weeks have been. Actually these last couple months! I'm on the brink of either jumping off a cliff or becoming an alcoholic.

I am, however, going to try and start blogging again. I need a place to vent and let out my frustrations and feelings. I miss blogging. I love to write and this is literally the only way I can. Of course, things are subject to change, but I'm really trying to be optimistic about the second opinion. I've not been at all ever since she said the lump on Zoe needed to be removed.

With that being said, I do believe I'm going to try and post an "update" blog tomorrow with all the happenings (excluding Zoe) from the last few weeks. Until then...

-Megan

I'm not ready, not yet...

I was going to start blogging again Tuesday night, or yesterday, but after the trip to the vet Tuesday, I've decided to postpone again.

Una's checkup went well, she looked good and got a steroid shot for her allergies. Zoe looked good overall, but she has a mammary mass that has to be taken off next Tuesday. Mammary masses are not a good sign and they're cancerous 86% of the time. I'm hoping and praying that it's nothing, as is everyone else, but we're also preparing ourselves for the worst.

The vet said it could be nothing, which I'm holding out for. LaVaughn is hopeful and optimistic, as is my aunt. I'm having a hard time with this and just don't feel like myself. I had a nice talk with my aunt earlier and what she said really helped cheer me up.

If something happens to Zoe I'll go off the deep end and like never return. I know this sounds silly to some, but Zoe has been a BIG part of my life for almost 14 years now. I don't plan on blogging anymore until after Zoe's surgery, but it'll likely be after the results come back from the lab as to what the thing is on her tummy.

All I ask is that you keep her in your thoughts, prayers, or whatever it is that you do. We could use anything right now...

Mournful Hiatus...

I had a couple draft posts from last week, but I'm never going to get around to them. I may update on what's happened lately, but not anytime soon. We've had a rough couple weeks, lost too much. The most recent being our precious boy, Bart. I'm not going to be able to write about him anytime soon, so I'm taking a big break from my blog. It's just too painful right now.

Blogging should be fun, not stressful and sad, tedious or a duty. I'm taking time to reflect and gather myself. If by some miracle I have the strength to blog, I will.

Until then...

RIP My Precious, Bart

You will live on in my heart for the rest of my life. Until we meet again...

March 23rd 2012 - May 1st 2016