I must not tell lies, I must not tell lies

Approximately 6 weeks ago I made a reservation at a hotel to stay for an "extended" period of time. Well actually my reservation was for 3 days, but you get the idea.
I am driving on route in the middle of nowhere Maryland. My new Blackberry (that I am unable to operate)rings, and I answer, unsure if the state I am in allows talking while driving. It's the hotel. They tell me since I am not staying that long ,they will move me to the Holiday Inn next door. I ask if it allows dogs. It dosen't. "You're bringing a dog?". Yes, I am. Well there's a fee.
Now at this point in the story I should explain when I stay in hotels, I always stay in pet friendly ones. I usually don't mention the dog, to avoid the fee. My very honest friend KT ended up shelling out 150 dollars for 2 nights at a Hilton. I did not.
So my plan is to bring the cats in through the side entrance, on the DL.I arrive at the hotel, and ask for a room down the hall, "for the dog". They tell me they only have one room left. NEXT TO THE LOBBY. AS IN, YOU CAN SEE THE LOBBY FROM MY ROOM DOOR. CRAP.
Hmmm. Ok. Well after only telling them I have 1 dog, I can't say, well I forgot I have 2 cats, hope they can come in too. So I hatch a plan.
I place the 2 cats into Leroy's ginormus crate. (2 cats don't really care for each other, tolerate is better description). I place several large pillows over the cats, and hang a pillowcase over the front of the crate. I struggle to drag the big crate with 35 lbs of cat in it inside, and hope Teetums dosen't MEOW because he's freaked out. I put the crate down, and go to open the door.
My key dosen't work. After frantically trying several times to open the door, I determine that I have grabbed the hotel key from the night before.(They look the same! Stupid Dominoes advertising!) I leave cats in front of the door, begging them to be quiet, and sprint to the desk and ask for another key.
I get the cats in the room, phew! I'm home free. I open the door and go outside to get the litter box.
During my attempt to put the cats in a new carrier, I put the Tidy Cat liter bin into the front seat. Apparently upside down. Litter has now filled my front seat. Oh, ok, well, I can deal with that. I attempt to move the litterbox and litter into the hotel in a non suspicious black trash bag. The trash bag starts leaking in the parking lot. Litter, everywhere. In the parking lot. Now I'm piling litter into the litter box with my hands, hoping no one is looking out the window.
I get everything inside, leaving a litter trail to my room. No one has said anything yet.
I found a place to live. I used this as a reason to tell them about all 3 animals, and negotiated a place to live. We move tomorrow. When I leave with the cats, I don't think I will hide them.

The Heart of Life is Good

This song by John Mayer is sticking with me today. I have included the lyrics here.

I hate to see you cry lying there in that position
There's things you need to hear
So turn off your tears and listen
Pain throws your heart to the ground
Love turns the whole thing around
No it won't all go the way it should
But i know the heart of life is good

You know it's nothing new
Bad news never had good timing
Then the circle of your friends
Will defend the silver lining

Pain throws your heart to the ground
Love turns the whole thing around
No it won't all go the way it should
But i know the heart of life is good

Pain throws your heart to the ground
Love turns the whole thing around
Fear is a friend who's misunderstood
But i know the heart of life is good.
I know it's good.

I am going to Pennsylvania alone now. Well, I have Lois, Leroy Brown, and Mitter T. I also have the support and love of my friends and family, and a new job to start, so I am not alone, not at all.

Changes

There's a place that I go,
But nobody knows.
Where the rivers flow,
And I call it home.

And there's no more lies.
In the darkness, there's light.
And nobody cries.
There's only butterflies....


Big changes are being forced my way. I don't know if I can handle it. But there's only one way to find out I suppose...

Packing....

I started packing yesterday. Although I assure you we have only been in this house 13 months, we bought alot of stuff this past year. It was like a buyer's deprivation that had built up over 3 years of us both being out of the country. When I explained to the PODS lady we had a 2/1, she assured me that a 16x8x8 container would fit all of our stuff. Carl is already planning to overfill the POD just to prove he was right. And while I have normal stuff to pack, let me introduce you to the person whom with I shall be sharing the POD.



This is a box of WIRES. There are many other boxes like this that will be making the trip. Perhaps I should forward this to the PODS people....(I love you Carl :P)

And now I'm back, from outer space....

I apologized wholeheartedly for falling off the face of the earth. I shall summarize the last 2 months of my life as follows.

July
Chicago. Had a GREAT time visiting my sister, did an externship that I didn't care for, and had a job interview at a place that I wouldn't work for even if they offered me 300,000 dollars a year. Which they didn't. Actually they didn't offer me anything, or return my call or email after they asked ME to contact THEM after the interview. A-holes. I wouldn't work for them, but at the same time, wanted them to want me. Weird.
Also went to see Elton John/Billy Joel courtesy of sister Sallie. LOVED it. Didn't love feeling claustrophobic after getting stuck getting out of the concert. Apparently claustrophobia can come on later in life. Or maybe I'm generally going insane.
My Aunt B and Uncle John held a Congratulations to me/Engagement Party for Sallie and Aaron. I got to see my family, and it was nice to catch up with everyone.
Aunt Noraleen, Amanda, Beth, Sallie, and Kelly

Ummm, icing.





Love this picture of Wrigley Field. LOVE.


Sallie and I channel the inner Tyra Banks after a few Summer Shandys.



Sallie also chose her wedding dress! This is not it, but rather a dress I felt was designed for ladies in a more "delicate condition".




August
Finished clinics at UF. Got all A's in all things Large Animal over the summer. Had a great time, mostly because the hospital was very slow, and I spent alot of time looking for jobs. Also spent 2 weeks in South Florida spaying and neutering dogs and cats like it was, well my job. Which it sort of is now. Interesting. I stayed with sister Melanie, her hubby James, and nephew Avery! And the day after I drove home, their family grew by one more! Jackson Finn born September 6th, 2009, weighing 5 lbs, 5oz! His surprise arrival slightly ahead of schedule gets me excited because next year I see a combined birthday party! 1st and 31st!
Avery, Melanie, and aunt "Telly".






Which brings me to.....

Job
Sent out 12 resumes. Applied to one head hunting service. Went on two job interviews. (See results of first one above)
Result.....
1 new emergency associate position at Northeast Referral Hospital in Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania!
Carl,Myself, Lois, Leroy Brown, and Mitter T are all moving to the great white north. I hope to instill a blog sub-section called the Great Snow Experiment. Stay tuned.

Why I cannot ride public transportation

Hello my internet peeps. I have survived another large animal rotation, and my good luck streak of not getting called in much seems to have continued to another rotation. We shall see what the last month brings. Right now I am in CHICAGO. I go on my first JOB INTERVIEW AS A DOCTOR in one week. I am SCARED. I also have a SECOND JOB INTERVIEW, a mere hour south of KT. In Pennsylvania. When I was asked on the phone today if I would move there, I said sure, why not? (Is the place that bad they would have to ask? They want to pick me up from the airport, maybe to make sure I don't get back on the plane, like Ross did at St. Kitts....hmmm)
Anyways. Today I started my externship.
I took the bus. I don't really take the bus. One time freshman year in college Leya and I got on a bus without knowing where it went. (By the way, don't do that. It's stupid. And then you have to call someone and tell them to come get you, when you panic after about 15 minutes of getting further and further away from campus) Ahhh 1998.
Sallie was nice enough to purchase two 7 day passes for me to ride the bus everyday. Hurray! I get on the bus, and I insert my 7 day pass into the slot. The unmarked slot. The unmarked slot that was apparently meant for cash. The card didn't come back out. It went into the black hole the cash goes into. I said, "my card didn't come back out". The bus driver laughed at me and said, "you put it in the wrong hole!". Me-"oh.Can I have it back?". Then she dosen't say anything and I sit down. I mull options for 15 minute bus ride, and then pull cord to get off, and approach driver again. Me" Can I somehow get my card back? I need it." Her-" You can write down your address and we can mail it to you" Me- well its a 7 day pass so by the time it gets back to me, then it will probably be close to expired...then I panicked cause people were pissed the bus was still stopped, so I wrote...my Gainesville address, which makes no sense." My consolation prize....drumroll....
a 2 hour emergency pass that expired before I took the bus home.
Alas, I am meant to drive a car, do emergency surgeries, save pets, make complex animal shaped cakes, sing lyrics to every song created....
but not to ride the bus.
Sallie also got me surprise tickets to Billy Joel and Elton John on Thursday! On a rooftop overlooking Wrigley Field! Thanks Big Sal!

Dear Lois,

Lois you are my first cat. I remember the day I got you. It was 11/15/98, and my roommate at the time Lauren found you in Tallahassee on Campus Circle, and you were pregnant and all alone. We brought you home in a paper box from a copy center, and you ate a loaf of bread on the counter. You were forever home, and I was smitten. We had you spayed, and gave you a name, after the movie Corina Corina, with Whoopi Goldberg. My what a good cat you were. You would cuddle with me, and you loved to play under the covers.

You saw me through my college and vet school years, multiple boyfriends, roommates, houses, roommates pets, and 2 pets of our own. You didn't appreciate me adding either of them to our house, but you tolerated it, as you always did.You moved 1200 miles with me to St. Kitts, and when I knew no one and cried myself to sleep at night, you slept on my bed. You are the constant in my life that has been riddled with such change the past 10 years.
This last move was hard on you, physically. You aged greatly the past few years. But all I have to do is scratch your head to get your purrs started, and your place in my heart cements itself forever.


Lois today taught me that you will not be with me forever. I hope you know that I love you more than anything, that you are what taught me about everything cat related, that I will do everything for you to keep you as happy as possible.

(Today Lois went with me to school. She has some serious health issues that we are going to face as soon as we have the answers to them. I hope this is a bump in the road, and she has a few years left on her yet, but today was a sad, and scary day for me, and I needed to get this out)