Weekend Recap

This weekend was a busy one!  My parents were in town to visit, so I spent a good bit of time with them, which was nice.  I also took the plunge and got one of the new Motorola Droid smart phones...I LOVE IT!  I debated back and forth between the Droid and an iPhone, but since I'm already on Verizon, I decided to go with the Droid instead of going through the hassle of switching carriers for an iPhone.  It's got some really awesome features.  And best of all....my new company will be footing the monthly bill.  Woooooo!

This morning, I had planned to go on an 11 mile run - the 2nd to last long run before my 1/2 marathon in December.  It was a total FAIL.  I ended up going 9 miles, and I'd estimate that I ran about 5 of those 9.  Something was messed up with my knee and it was killing me.  My feet were hurting too.  It was pretty terrible and I'm worried about the 1/2.  We'll see how next Saturday's run goes (planning for 12 miles).

As an update on my fluffy man...he ended up back at the emergency vet last Wednesday night, and after talking it over with several vets, it seems the best thing to do is going to be for him to have the surgery.  Jackson is scheduled to have surgery to remove his boy parts (OW!) next Wednesday (and when I say boy parts...I'm not talking about what's removed when they get neutered...that happened a long time ago).  He's been doing great this weekend, and I hope he can hang on and stay out away from the emergency vet until his surgery date.  It's tough to make the decision to go ahead with the surgery, especially when he seems to be feeling good, but I think it's for the best in the long run.  We went in for a "surgical consult" Friday morning, and they were ready to do it then, but when the nice surgeon saw how I was stressing about the upcoming week and the Thanksgiving holiday where I'm supposed to travel (but obviously couldn't with a post-surgical cat), he suggested trying to hold off until Wednesday when I head out of town, and then they can keep him and care for him over the holiday until I get back on Sunday.  It was such a relief to come up with this plan - I had not thought about this as an option.  So, it looks like I will get to travel down to South Carolina to see all of my family this week as I had planned and stuff myself silly with yummy food, and Jackson will be in good hands after his surgery (honestly, I'd rather them keep him for a few extra days, because apparently it's a pretty rough road for a little while after the surgery, with the first few days being the worst).  I'm very thankful for this plan.

Also - the new job is going well!  Everyone seems really nice and I'm going to be working on some interesting stuff.  I'm ready to start feeling settled in though - I hate those first few weeks where you're trying to learn the ropes and everything feels a bit uncomfortable.

Hope you had a good weekend....have a great Thanksgiving week!

Clothes Finds!

Ok, so here are some of the things I bought this past weekend!  I had a 30% off Old Navy / Gap / Banana coupon that was burning a hole in my pocket, so I was able to get 30% off everything at Gap and Old Navy, which always makes things nicer!  Unfortunately, that coupon was only good through Sunday.  BUT...there is a Gap discount for 25% off your online purchase, valid through now through November 22nd if you're in a Gap mood!

Ann Taylor Loft Shirred V-Neck Cardigan

Reg. $49.50, on sale for $20 (I got two...)

Use this coupon now through Sunday to get 30% off your entire Ann Taylor or Ann Taylor Loft purchase, including sale items!  This would make the cardigan only $14!!!  I also bought a couple of Loft clearance t-shirts with pretty fabric detailing at the neckline that will look good under this cardigan when wearing it open.

 

Gap Ruffle-Front Henley Sweater 

Reg. $44.50

 

 Gap Rugby-Striped Shawl Cardigan

Reg. $69.50, on sale for $49.99

This was super comfy and I thought it would be good for bumming around with jeans on the weekend.

Old Navy Cable-Knit Shawl-Collar Sweater

$34.50

I also got a couple of cute longer-length turtlenecks from New York & Company that I can't find on their website.  I think they'll look good paired with a thick belt like this one that I have in my closet:

Forever 21 Wide Elastic Belt

$8.00

Have you found anything cute lately??

Fall Reading Challenge Update - The Postmistress

Book two of my Fall Reading Challenge was finished this weekend while I was watching over Jackson during his recovery.  I finished up The Postmistress, by Sarah Blake.  This was an Advance Reading Copy that I got through Barnes and Noble's First Look Book Club.  It's a story about love and loss during World War II.  I was pleasantly surprised with the book - I don't normally choose wartime reading.  The author intertwines the lives of a young American reporter covering the war in Europe with the lives of those in a small Massachusetts town - a postmistress, the town doctor and his new wife.  It's a story on fate, and the way that the smallest actions can postpone - or completely change - fate.  All in all, a good read.  The final version will be published in February 2010 if you're interested in reading the book.

My Fall Reading Challenge List

The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls

Sag Harbor, Colson Whitehead

Running with Scissors, Augusten Burroughs

Julie and Julia, Julie Powell

The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch

The Postmistress, Sarah Blake

The Christmas Box, Richard Paul Evans

Five more to go before December 20th.  I'm moving on to Julie and Julia now...should be a pretty quick read, I think.  I'm hoping to get this one and at least one more read (if not two) by the end of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.  I'm determined to meet the challenge that I set for myself!

First Day of Work Outfit

My first day at the new job is tomorrow...eek!  Here's what I plan to wear:

I did a little shopping this evening (um...retail therapy from the stress of Jackson's emergency situation this weekend?) and found some cute things at Ann Taylor Loft, Gap, Old Navy and New York & Company...I'll share some of my good finds later this week!

Jackson is doing much better tonight, and I feel ok about leaving him alone tomorrow.  He's back to his old spunky self.

Have a great week!

Not The Weekend I Had In Mind...

I came home from work yesterday - my last day at my (now!) old job, ready to have a relaxing evening - perhaps some wine and a movie, and then I had plans to spend time with friends tonight before diving into my new job on Monday.  When I got home and opened the front door yesterday after work, I immediately knew something was wrong because Jackson didn't greet me at the door.  He ALWAYS greets me at the door.  I came inside to find him sitting in the doorway to my bedroom, and even when I called to him, he didn't move.  I bent down to pick him up,and he cried out...not a good sign.  I called my veterinarian's office, and they told me to bring him in right away so that they could take a look at him - they told me that this sounded like something that couldn't wait until the morning.  Thank goodness they are open until 6pm.

I won't go into all of the gory details, but it turned out that he had a complete urinary blockage, which is a very serious condition.  He wasn't able to urinate at all, and when this happens, it causes the toxins in the urine to back up into the bloodstream and kidneys, which will kill the cat if it isn't fixed quickly.  After spending about an hour at my vet, they sent me down the road to the emergency vet so that they could continue to work on him and monitor him overnight.  They told me that there was a possibility that he would need surgery (a very expensive one...) to fix the problem, but it would all depend on how he did overnight.  I left him at the vet for the night at about 9:30pm.  I barely slept a wink because I was so worried about him (and also because the vet called at 1am and again at 7am with updates, which I of course appreciated).  He did really well over the night and started to *tinkle* on his own, so they said that he wouldn't need the surgery.  I was able to bring him home this evening, and I'm currently camped out on the bathroom floor with my laptop and a book so I can keep an eye on him.  Sweet Saturday night, huh?

I'm so relieved that he seems to be ok.  There's a pretty good chance that this will happen again at some point (could be tomorrow, could be years from now), and that he will need the surgery if / when it happens again, but I feel more equipped to deal with the situation now if it arises.  I had no idea what was going on yesterday, which made everything that much more scary.  The nice vet tech who discharged him today told me to look around and find a vet who does the surgery so I would know where to go if he has to have it in the future, because she said it would probably be $1,000 cheaper if I got it done at a regular vet clinic as opposed to the emergency clinic.  $1,000!  That is crazy!  I can't even go into how much I spent on this incident in the past 24 hours.  Vet expenses, especially in emergency situations are outrageous.  I'm seriously wishing I had opted into the pet insurance back when he was a kitten.  I'm seriously considering it now, even though it probably won't cover this condition in the future, since it would be considered "pre-existing" at this point, but holy geez if anything else happens, I don't want to be hit with thousands of dollars in vet bills!

Do you have pet insurance?  What are your thoughts on it if you do?

I'll leave you with a pic of my little patient.  He's recovering nicely :)

It's The Most Wonderful Time....

OF THE YEAR! Why? No, not because Christmas is finally within sight (although that does make me giddy, because I absolutely love Christmas). It's the most wonderful time of the year, because it's time for THIS:

Yep, college basketball season has officially begun.  And my Tar Heels have kicked if off right this week by beating Florida International on Monday and NC Central last night.  (For those of you who don't follow college basketball (are you crazy?), that's UNC's coach, Roy Williams.  Love that man.

I am a die hard, down and dirty Carolina basketball fan.  I've been known to throw couch pillows at innocent nutcrackers by the fireplace when we lose in triple overtime.  (Yes, this actually happened once when I was home for Christmas in college.  My parents were a little taken aback.)

I was lucky enough to be a student at UNC when the Tar Heels won the national championship in 2005.  It was so much fun to be a part of that.  I can still remember watching the last seconds of the game tick down (it was a close one), and then we popped some Andre and ran up to Franklin Street where we became a part of this crowd:

And saw people jumping through bonfires in the street...

 It was such a fun night and one of my favorite college memories.  What about you?  Any favorite memories from when you were in school?

GO HEELS!

Bag Love

As a reward to myself for my new job Since I'll be doing some traveling for my new job, I'll be needing a good bag that I can carry on the plane and to the meetings I'll be attending (which means it will need to be big enough to accommodate a laptop).  I've been doing some hunting on eBay, and this is what I've come up with.  Except I can't decide.  Black or brown??  I tend to like bags in the brown / neutral family more than black, but most of my work clothes, including my suits, are mostly in the black and gray family.  And when I travel, I'll be attending meetings where I'll need to wear a suit.  So black seems like it would get more use, if I want my bag to coordinate with my clothes.

What do you think?  Please forgive the not-so-great photos.  They're swiped from eBay and since these are past season bags, I can't find a better picture online.

Black Coach bag?

Or brown Kate Spade?

Don't judge me, but I'm considering getting both.  Or maybe buying one now and asking for one for Christmas...