Misty's DONE!

Today was the 6th and final dose of radiation for Misty's tongue and lymph nodes!!

She has been uncomfortable this past week and the next two weeks will get slightly worse. I am managing her pain with pain pills and I'll step up the dose starting today just to make sure she hurts as little as possible. I've switched her to moist food so she is still eating well and always wants to go on walks. I think that as long as both those things continue, we are doing just fine! We'll go in for a recheck next week and then every 3 months.

Life is slowly getting back to normal after the trip to Dubai. Sleeping is still irregular, at best! Can't keep my eyes open after work and am then up at 2am. I am hoping that I can beat the clock this weekend and actually sleep a full, 8-hours when normal people are sleeping :).

Adventures didn't stop with my return to SoCal. My first day back at work, I blew a front tire on the 'vette. Not just a little hole, but a great, big, gigantic hole. Thank goodness for AAA. Although, it was late, car rental place was closed so... I took a cab into work the next day. Finding a cab to take me and Misty to work (she had her 5th radiation treatment that day) was a little challenging, but I perservered! Thanks to the generosity of co-workers, I borrowed cars and made it everywhere I was supposed to that day! And of course, I now have two new tires because you can't just replace one... And you don't even want to know what those tires cost!

Hope all is well in your world(s)!
TGIF!
Love, Kathleen

Dubai... the adventure draws to a close....

Day Six

Today was a fun day again. We slept in a bit – we are on vacation and sleep has been a bit challenging so we take it when we can get it! But down to breakfast for our final breakfast buffet.

After breakfast we dressed for our day at Ski Dubai (http://www.skidubai.com/ ). A quick cab ride through the city and we were at the Mall of the Emerites, home of Ski Dubai, the world’s largest indoor ski slope!

Neither of us were “expert” enough to ski the slopes, but we did rent ski pants, jackets and boots to go inside the snowpark. It lived up to my expectations – quite amazing the amount of snow that they have and that the can make it feel like the actual ski slopes I have been to!

We did buy lift tickets and we rode the chairs to the café, stopped for a hot chocolate, got back on the chairs for a ride all the way to the top… and then back down again. And then we repeated it one more time :). It was a ton of fun to watch all the skiers and snowboarders. We did sled down the hills and had a blast laughing like kids! Playing in the snow in the middle of the desert! Who would have thought it possible!!??!

After we were done playing in the snow, we met Eliza for lunch Eliza and her family live in Dubai so it was fun to pick her brain and ask her a ton of questions! Lunch was enjoyable but then Jenny and I were game to squeeze in a bit more touring.

Another quick cab ride and we were in the middle of downtown Dubai. We briefly peeked in the Dubai Museum and we weren’t impressed so we walked around and wandered through the Textile Souq and an area that appeared to be Little India. But the BEST find find of the day was the Abra (boat) loading and unloading stations. The Abras are used as mass transit and the only way I can think to describe the chaos that goes into docking and loading/unloading is to say…bumper boats! The boats plowed into each other, honking horns and slamming into the docks. It was the craziest thing! Jenny and I just stood there and I am sure our mouths were hanging open!

After that little adventure, it was back to the hotel to get ready for our early flights in the morning. We took a break and went for a drink at the hotel bar to relax a bit. We met two nice gentlemen from Dubai and they were quite fun to quiz about their country. That makes only three people that we have met this entire trip who are actually from Dubai. My guide book says that only 10% of the population is actually from here… so guess we were lucky to meet the three locals that we did!

So this will be my last post :). My flight leaves in 6 hours and so I am wrapping things up. I enjoyed the trip, but all good things must come to an end. I really miss the pets so I am very much ready to go home. However, I am not looking forward to the 29 hours that it is going to take me to get there! I’ll land at LAX Saturday night at 10pm…

Thank you very much for keeping up with me – I hope you enjoyed reading my travel log and looking through the pictures!

Love, Kathleen

Dubai...still an adventure!

Day Five

Another day in Dubai, but it was very foggy when we first got up. Neither of us slept really well again, I think that we are still fighting a bit of jet lag. A 12-hour time difference is quite a change for my body clock! Jenny read somewhere that it takes a day for every hour of time change…so 12 days later… I’ll be back home.

So we got out of bed and head down to yet another breakfast buffet. Then back up to the room for a little catnap before we met our car for our trip to the Jumeirah Mosque, which was one of the highlights of our trip so far!

The Jumeirah Mosque is the only Mosque in the city which is open to non-Muslims. We made it for the 10am tour and the next 1.5 hours were really enlightening. I had been to a Mosque in Malaysia, but it wasn’t a formal tour or educational experience. This tour was incredible.

We started by observing the pre-prayer cleansing ritual, as well as the religious meaning behind it. Then we were shown into the Mosque (we had to remove our shoes and as women, we had to be all covered except our feet.) We were given “lectures” on Islam – history, tradition and beliefs. We tried to learn as much as we could in the 1.5 hours, but still has many more questions. We were also shown the prayer ritual and the meaning behind the steps. Our teacher was a Kuwaiti gentleman, who lived in the US for 20 years, and a British woman, who had lived in Dubai for over 15 years. I wish I could explain what we learned but it was just so much! And I wonder if so many of the world’s problems could be solved just by learning more about each other and discovering that we aren’t as different as we think!

Then after our Mosque tour, we headed back to the hotel and grabbed lunch – Chinese food :). We enjoyed a relaxing meal. Then, for me, it was off to do my helicopter tour. One of the pricier ones that I have been on, but it was enjoyable. The best part was that the pilot was a friend of mine from college so it was fun to reminisce and catch-up. We then took off to meet another friend of mine who was also in town, and Jenny met up with friends of hers. So all-in-all, it was a night of great fun!

Love,
Kathleen

Dubai...The adventure continues!

Day Three

Jenny and I both had trouble sleeping in – we were both out of bed by 6:30! On vacation! We finally gave up and got up, but not without a few complaints!
The rest of the morning was rough… we ate breakfast and lounged by the pool! Then it was off to the spa for massages :). Life was good!

Then for me, it was back to the arduous task of laying by the pool while Jenny went horseback riding on an Arabian horse! She went riding on the beach while the sunset and had an amazing time.

Dinner was similar to the night before – Arabian meal with Arabian entertainment, but a bit more upscale. We took a buggy to a restaurant on the property and enjoyed pictures with Camels, Falcons and Arabian horses. We also shopped a little at the booths, sponsored by locals. Dinner was excellent, but all these all-you-can-eat buffets are going to be the death of me! After dinner, there was a show with some local entertainment and dancing, plus a camel and horse show (hard to explain what it was…but there were camels and there were horses…:))

Because we were still wide awake, we went to the rooftop bar and enjoyed the view and the guitarist, who tried to entertain us with American songs :)


Day Four

Today we left Bab Al Shams and headed to the city. The drive was about an hour and we were able to see a little more of the desert before we hit the big city. The amount of construction here is amazing. Jenny and I made a game out of who could get the picture with the most cranes in it – Jenny won with 6! Although, we did notice that a lot of the cranes weren’t moving – a sign of the economic crisis.

Pulling up to the Al Qasr (http://www.jumeirah.com/en/Hotels-and-Resorts/Destinations/Dubai/Madinat-Jumeirah/) was very impressive The hotel and the grounds are massive! There are the most majestic statues of Arabian horses as you pull up the driveway and the entryway is amazingly intricate. Words and pictures probably won’t due it justice so I won’t even try. Dubai is extravagant!

We checked in to our suite – we were upgraded so life was good. We had rooms to spread out in and a balcony with a great view of the skyline. We didn’t waste much time exploring the room because we were eager to get started exploring Dubai!
We headed to the concierge with our list of “must-do” and “wanna-do” things and started planning. Once we fit in everything that we wanted to do over the next few days, we hopped on the Gondolas and just rode around the property – it goes on forever with a lot of restaurants, gazebos, pools, rooms, beaches, cabanas and shops. In theory, you wouldn’t ever have to leave the property at all!

After the Gondola ride, we ran back to our rooms to get ready for tea at the Burj Al Arab, the world-renown, self-proclaimed 7-star hotel in the shape of the a Dhow Sail. We had a tea reservation for 4pm and we were bound and determined to make tea last until the sunset. Tea was at the skyview bar, on the 27th floor, facing the ocean, and the view was fantastic.

We were easily able to stall long enough to watch the sunset because “tea” was a five course meal of a glass of Moet Chandon, finger sandwiches, scones, petit fours, fruit, and…tea. We thoroughly enjoyed it and it was really amazing to watch the sun go down.

Then it was back to the room to change and then we hired a car to the Gold Souq, which is shop after shop of gold and diamond jewelry. We wandered for hours admiring everything. We had a blast bargaining and exercised amazing restraint when we couldn’t get the price that we wanted. Sometimes I was just bargaining just to practice! However, we both did buy…jewelry. But I think that we were both happy with our purchases and that we got good deals.

So after a few hours of being girls and admiring shiny things, we hopped back in the car and back to the hotel!

Love,Kathleen

Dubai...The adventure has begun!

Day Two



We slept in – or at least tried to. Housekeeping knocked on our door at 7am? Who does that? But we managed to fall back asleep for a few hours before we crawled out of our beds.

Since we arrived in the dark last night we explored the hotel and the grounds. The sun was out and the grounds are really beautiful – a lot of pools and a surprising amount of green for being out in the desert. We are staying at the Bab Al Shams Resort and Spa (http://www.jumeirahbabalshams.com )

Breakfast was a little bit of an adventure, plus it was an all-you-can-eat buffett which are evil :). Besides the traditional breakfast fare, we had camel milk, veal bacon, chicken sausage, A LOT of prunes (do they know something that I don’t) and a smoothie bar!

After breakfast and more strolling, we headed back to the room, changed into our conservative, one-piece bathing suits and lounged by the pool. Jenny got a massage poolside while I read a cheesy romance novel (hush - I am on vacation!!). We enjoyed attentive service by our own cabana boy who was bringing us $6 diet cokes (yikes!!)

After a few hours of fun in the sun, then it was time to get ready for our Arabian Adventure tour. We left that hotel around 4 and after a 30-minute drive with our Pakistani driver and 4 other tourists, we ended up at the Sand Dunes and the fun began.

First step of dunbe-bashing is to let air out of all four tires on the SUV (Chevy Tahoe) so that you can properly slide on the sand. We spent the next 30 minutes off-roading in an off-road vehicle, exploring sand dunes. There were 15 cars in our caravan and we followed the car in front of while our “professional” driver took us through various stunts, like sliding down hill sideways, nose diving off the top of a dune, kicking up sand higher than the vehicle, roaring up a hill – all in a Chevy Tahoe! Thank goodness for seat belts and roll bars!

After the dune-bashing, we stopped for pictures and to watch the sunset. It was quite beautiful to see the sun set below the tunes – we got some great pictures and took a few minutes to calm out stomachs!

Then it was back in the car for a short-ride to base camp where we spent the rest of the evening riding camels, eating dinner, watching a belly dancer and Jenny smoked honey-flavored shisha.

The camels were bigger than I expected. But we were up for the adventure and Jenny and I climbed on one for our short ride together. Riding the camel was understandably bumpy, but the most adventurous part of the ride was being on the camel while he/she/it stood up! I thought we were going to fall off! But we lived to tell the tale and will ride another day.

Next on the agenda was dinner, which was okay. Nothing gourmet, but yummy nonetheless. I *think* it was chicken…. The Belly Dancer was entertaining and worked the crowd a bit. Jenny also bought some local artwork and then we were back in the SUV for the ride to our hotel.

Kathleen, under the influence of Dramamine (in preparation for dune-bashing), crashed and went to sleep. Jenny, being the more adventurous of the two and not in a Dramamine-induced coma, went to the rooftop bar and listened to Arabic guitar player and enjoyed the local scenary.

So now we are ready for day three!
Love,
Kathleen

Dubai...28 hours later....

Day One

I spent the whole day traveling - 28 hours from when I left my house in Orange County, I landed in Dubai!

I flew out of LAX and landed in JFK a few hours later. After a short layover, then it was back on a plane to Heathrow. Another short layover, and back on another plane, this time to Dubai.

My seat partner from LAX to JFK didn’t do well in the air and required the use of a barf bag…not so much fun. Thankfully, I always bring a change of clothes for transatlantic flights – they were needed!! As was the shower in the Admiral’s club at JFK – I spend so much time traveling, that membership is worth every penny! “Always prepared” isn’t just for Boy Scouts – it should also include 28-hour flight itineraries!

JFK to Heathrow was much better. I used FF miles to upgrade and the plane wasn’t full so I got two BIG business class seats to myself – it was pure heaven! I had space to spread out and the leg room was amazing… I really am a spoiled brat!

There is a 12-hour time difference between Orange County and Dubai so I tried to make myself adjust to Dubai time and slept a few hours during their “night” on the JFK/Heathrow leg. But that was only about 3 hours and I am exhausted and really want to sleep… I hope when I find Jenny and we get to the hotel that I’ll still be exhausted and have no problem falling asleep!

So right now, I am safe and sound in Dubai. I’ve collected my bags and am waiting at the baggage claim for Jenny. Her flight just landed so I am off to look for her and then make the trek to our hotel!

For those of you not following me on Facebook, here are today’s travel tips, which I hope are as much fun for you as they are for me :)

Travel tip #1 – Choosing not to wear makeup on the plane was unwise… I am sitting behind The Office’s Jim… do you think he likes the natural look?
Travel tip #2 – Business Class. Leg Room. Food. Worth every penny. And the rude, snotty guy next to me – free of charge.
Travel tip #3 – Avoid the seat near the bathroom, it can be kinda’ stinky
Travel tip #4 – Always check for a barf bag… u may not need it but rude, snotty guy next to u might… Also, pack a change of clothes for just such occasions.
Travel tip #5 – Be nice to the gate staff, it isn’t their fault that airlines are inherently evil…
Travel tip #6 – Auntie Annie’s pretzels are a must – they make everything all okay 
Travel tip #7 – it is rude to sit in my BizClass seat and take pity on people passing by on their way to their small, cramped coach seats….pray for my black soul 
Travel tip #8 – Pay due homage to the travel gods when u get 2 BizClass seats to yourself for a JFK/London flight  Aaaahhh – Appreciate the good things in life.
Travel tip #9 – Pilots now carry guns, remember that when they ask you to turn off your electronic devices.
Travel tip #10 – When running the Heathrow Marathon (the 26.2 miles it takes to get from gate to gate) drink plenty of water.
Travel tip #11 – Be prepared to pay $5,000 for a bottle of water after currency exchange
Travel tip #12 (From Dubai!!!) – Whenever possible, take the time to make new friends!

Overall the trip was long, but uneventful. Now the adventure begins!
Love,
Kathleen
p.s. The internet engine is in Arabic – took me forever to figure out how to post this! :)

29 and holding....

I am a year older than when I last wrote... 36. Yup, 36 years OLD :) Thanks to everyone for the great birthday wishes. I was able to celebrate with a great group of friends while we were in Vegas for a mini-conference. A great day!

Also, thanks to everyone for the kind thoughts and prayers for my dog, Misty. She has done 2 radiation treatments and is doing well! Although I know it will get a little more painful for her as we finish up the treatments, I am cautiously optomistic she'll be fine after the recommended six treatments. The best news came Thursday night - her lymph nodes show no sign of cancer so THAT is great news and the best birthday present!

I just arrived home, but I leave for Dubai in the morning. I stopped in long enough to repack and play with Misty! I'll be driving up to LAX bright and early in the morning and then traveling for 25 hours! I fly from LAX to JFK to Heathrow to Dubai! Thankfully, I was able to use FF miles to upgrade to business class which will make the 25 hour travel-itinerary tolerable, but barely....

Assuming we have internet access, keep checking back for regular updates and pictures. Although, I feel 99% confident that if I had crackberry reception at the top of Machu Picchu, Dubai will be no problem!

I am sure Jenny and I will find a few fun adventures so more to follow!

Love, Kathleen

Misty was just diagnosed with cancer, but I feel blessed!

So the news is as good as it could be considering the circumstances. A routine dental cleaning leads to the discovery of a mass on Misty’s tongue. After a torturous FOUR days waiting for results, I got the bad news.

And so the journey begins, again... Could life really be this brutal? The odd thing is that Samantha was diagnosed in January 2007, she passed away January 2008 and now Misty was diagnosed January 2009… I think I am just going to skip January next year…

But what I found out today was as good as it could be under the circumstances. The mass was smaller than was originally thought and so we are going to skip surgery and instead radiate the heck out of it. Even though all her blood work looks good, we still want to avoid putting this 13-year old dog under anesthesia more than we have to! Misty’s lungs also looked good and we did an ultrasound to make sure the rest of her organs looked good. (By saying "we", I mean the vet did the ultrasound and I took out a second mortgage to pay for it... j/k. I would have paid twice as much - can you really put a price tag on your pet's life? Treatment is far more reasonable than most people think!) The vet also aspirated (?) her lymph nodes in the area to check to see if the cancer has spread. I’ll know more on that later and even if it has, we won’t alter the treatment plan. For now, she is other-wise healthy and the only worry I have is the %^@ malignant melanoma.

I am a big fan of finding the silver lining in every situation and I think that the (only?) silver lining in losing Samantha to cancer last year was that this time I knew what to do, who to talk to and what questions to ask to increase Misty’s chances. I immediately asked for Dr. Rosenberg, the world’s best Veterinary Oncologist (!!!). Although, it wasn’t anything personal, but I really didn’t want to have to find myself in her clinic ever again… but here I am. HOWEVER, there is NO other place I’d want to be in treating a pet with cancer. Her reputation is well earned and she really is the best of the best (cue Top Gun music). She is forthcoming, honest, caring and the best chance any pet has of beating this disease. http://www.vetcancergroup.com/.

There is also a fabulous article about her in the Orange County Register http://www.ocregister.com/articles/cancer-rosenberg-people-2045783-hailey-vcg. After you read it you’ll understand why, before Misty’s regular vet even finished saying “malignant melanoma,” I was interrupting him to tell him I was going to switch Misty’s care to Dr Rosenberg. VCG worked me in on Monday, less than 48 hours after Misty’s biopsy results came back. Time matters in these situations, another lesson learned from Samantha’s treatment. I am considering a second career in veterinary oncology, as a veteran, a self-appointed expert and with Google as my database, I know lots of big words now….

Anyway, so Misty will go in for her first radiation treatment tomorrow. She’ll need a total of 6. She is also getting a vaccine which is supposed to prevent/treat Melanoma (depending on what studies you read and what it is “approved” for) so she’ll be getting that every two weeks for a total of 4 shots. After that she’ll go in for six-month booster vaccines and two-month check-ups. Dr Rosenberg told me it was all good news and I have every reason to be relieved and cautiously optimistic! Plus, she hasn’t lied to me yet, even when the truth was hard to hear.

The radiation shouldn’t be too taxing on Misty. We are only doing six treatments and only hitting the tongue and lymph nodes so it is a small, concentrated area. However, that is not to say it will be pain free. I know February will be rough and Misty will feel some significant discomfort. Dr Rosenberg explained that the radiation burns will make it uncomfortable for her to eat for a few days/weeks and that we’ll manage the pain with pain pills. It’ll be hard to see her hurt, but I think discomfort for a few days will be worth the tradeoff of adding months (or possibly years!!) to her life. I hope I am making the right choices for her.

Beyond the radiation and the vaccines, I’ll just have to be vigilant. Like skin cancer in people, I think I understand that it can come back in the same place or other places. Unfortunately, it tends to be quite aggressive in dogs, but I think we found it early enough and so for that I am blessed!

So THANK YOU for all the kind thoughts, prayers and patience with my tears. For 13 years Misty has been my constant companion, friend, life force and given me unconditional love, of which I was rarely deserving! Go hugs your pets!

K

U.A.E A.S.AP!

Jenny and I started talking about this trip a few months back so it is hard to believe that it is almost here! I leave on Wednesday for a quick trip to Vegas and then on to the United Arab Emirates - Dubai!

Hotel 1: The Al Qasr on the beach (3 nights)
Hotel 2: Bab Al Shams in the desert. (2 nights)

So check back for pictures and time permitting, I'll be blogging about our adventures! I am quite sure we will find ways to make this a memorable trip!

Hope that this year has already been full of adventures for you and yours!
Love, Kathleen

Out with the OLD & in with the NEW

So... 2008 is drawing to a close and I am trying to figure out where the year went?! Is it just me or does anyone else think the years are passing by faster and faster? Possibly related to Global Warming? The El Nino Effect? Mad Cow disease? The fact I am now closer to 40 than to 30...?

Sigh.. the reality is that 2009 is just around the corner and as I look back and take stock of my life, or at least the last 360+ days... I know I am really blessed to have such a great family and amazing friends. If you are reading this, you most likely fall into one, or both, categories so thank you!

But ringing in the new year is more about looking forward and less about looking back. We should be celebrating and I've been thinking a lot about 2009 as it approaches but that also means I feel the weight of having to come up with resolutions for the New Year! You know, those grand promises we make ourselves with the best of intentions. For instance, in 2009, I will lose 10 pounds, eat healthy, save more/spend less, walk my dog every day, stop procrastinating... I'll work on my resolutions later...

But whatever 2009 brings us - I hope it is filled with much love, laughter and adventure for you and yours!


Happy New Year!
Love, Kathleen

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone is celebrating the start of the Holiday Season with friends and family! Eat a lot of turkey and sweets!

Love, Kathleen

West Coast versus East Coast

I just spent the last week on the East Coast and had a great time... if it just had not been so cold! But I layered up, drank lots of hot chocolate and it was just fine. Spent the first half of the week in NYC celebrating T's birthday, shopping and seeing FOUR Broadway shows: Wicked, Grease, Chicago and Spamalot. Life is good :)

Then I rented a car and headed to Farmingdale, NY. Now... I am a big city girl and learned to drive in the big city, BUT NYC is off the charts! Straddling the lanes, stopping in the middle of the intersection and running red lights are apparently generally accepted driving practices! My nerves were a bit frazzled as I maneuvered through rush-hour traffic! But all was well in Farmingdale (work trip) and so then I headed to Easton, Pennsylvania.

I arrived in Easton and had a great time - work and pleasure. Thursday and Friday I was in the store and Saturday was spent flying around in a Bonanza. My adventurous pilot, TW, took us out to the quaint, little, seaside town of St. Michaels where we did a bit of shopping and stopped for lunch. Then back up in the air for the ride back to Easton. LOVED every minute of it! See below for the pictures of our fun!



Happy Thanksgiving! I hope this holiday season begins with many blessings for you and yours!

Love, Kathleen

Boston

Spent a nice long weekend touring the Boston area. I only had three days so it was a quick tour, but we sure crammed in quite a bit in those three days. Now I am getting ready for a trip to NYC and Pennsylvania. More pictures to follow!



Love, Kathleen

November 2nd...really?

Can't quite wrap my head around the fact that it is November already... Only 53 more shopping days until Christmas? Say it isn't so...

Took a trip to Portland last weekend - a little bit of work and a little bit of fun. Posted pictures from a hike we took on Sunday. The weather was just about perfect and I was able to really enjoy the fall colors. Although a word of caution... if you're hiking with KD and he says you are going on a hike with a "gradual" climb. I'd clarify whether your definitions of "gradual" are in sync... :) He made me work for that view! But what a fun day!



Love,
Kathleen

American Red Cross - Your Platelets Matter!

Every other Tuesday night, I sit in a comfy chair for two hours and watch a movie. A nice lady brings me juice and offers me cookies, tucks me in and makes sure I am comfortable. What am I doing? So glad you asked! I am donating platelets through platelet apheresis. It doesn't hurt, just takes a bit of my time, which in the grand scheme is a small, small contribution.

You don't have to do it every other week. You can do it once a month, four times a year, once a year... but no more than 24 times a year. So every little bit matters!

Most patients undergoing a bone marrow transplant, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation treatment or organ transplant need platelets in order to survive. In fact, doctors are finding platelets play a vital role in more and more new therapies.

With just a five-day storage life, platelet donations are delivered quickly to the patients who need them. Platelet donors have the satisfaction of knowing that their donation will be saving a life within just a few days!!!

Click on the link below for a center near you -

http://www.redcross.org/services/biomed/0,1082,0_19_,00.html

Think about all the good your platelets will do!
love,
Kathleen

Cabo - Fun in the sun & Hurricane Norbert

A well deserved (even if I do say so myself) vacation in Cabo San Lucas. Samantha generously offered her time share and Simone and I weren't stupid enough to say no! So off we went! We spent three days by the pool and one day lounging around the spa waiting for Hurricane Norbert to pass us by. A Category Two hurricane is really only a minor inconvenience! Plus, when you get the three of us together, you know an adventure is brewing!

Love,
Kathleen

Fall is here

So fall is here and the weather is supposed to start cooling down, but... we had record breaking temps of 90+. Not that I am complaining because I much prefer it hot to cold!

Life has been busy and abnormally chaotic. Although, I am certainly NOT going to complain. I have a bunch of trips coming up - now that summer is over, traveling starts again! I head to Cabo San Lucas next weekend for a LONG girls' weekend. Portland, Vegas, New York, Pennsylvania and then San Antonio (twice).

Pets are fine, house is fine and work is fine! Hope the same holds for you!

Love, Kathleen

100+ years

My great-aunt who recently turned 100 (see previous blog) passed away on Friday. Although she will be missed, she lived an amazing life full of vigor, love and sucess!

________________________________________
Helena (Hogan) Shea

SHEA, HELENA (HOGAN) 'PAT', age 100, of Greenwich Farms Assisted Living passed away Friday at Kent County Hospital. Born in Ballyea in Inagh, County Clare, Ireland she was the daughter of the late Mary and Patrick Hogan and came to the United States in 1909 settling in Providence.

She lived in Cranston for many years before moving to Warwick. She graduated magna cum laude from Pembroke College and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi. She received her masters degree from Brown University in Psychology and had completed work towards her PhD from Boston University.

During her career she was a teacher, chief clinical psychologist with the state's department of MHRH division of alcoholism and served as the state alcoholism coordinator.

She was a member and former president of the Pembroke College Alumnae Association, a trustee of the Pembroke College Fund and it's national chairman for 10 years. She was the second woman to receive the Brown Bear Award, and a former member of the Dunes Club.

She is survived by her sister in law Shirley F. Hogan, several nieces, nephews, and cousins. Her four siblings predeceased her, Mary Hogan Kelly, Kathleen Flanagan Sweeney, John P. Hogan MD, and Thomas J. Hogan Esq. She was the wife of the late Frank Shea Esq.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday at 9:00am in St. Mark's Church, Garden City, Cranston. Burial will follow in St. Ann Cemetery, Cranston. Visitation will be held on Sunday (TODAY) from 4-6pm in The Butterfield Chapel, 500 Pontiac Avenue, Cranston. In lieu of flowers donations to the Hogan Library Fund, C/O Providence College Alumni/Development Office Harkins Hall 109, Providence, RI 02918 or the Alzheimer's Association of Rhode Island, 245 Waterman Avenue, Providence, RI 02906 would be appreciated.



Love, Kathleen

My great-aunt turned 100!

From the local paper in Warwick, RI.

Even at 100 she's ready to party
By John Howell

Patricia Hogan Shea is a tease.

Perhaps it has something to do with being born in Ireland, all the reading she does or maybe because she is 100 years old. She was teasing her friends and relatives Sunday who had turned out – one coming from as far as Texas – to celebrate at Greenwich Farms where Pat is a resident.

It was all a surprise for Pat, after all her birthday wasn’t until Monday, so she was caught off guard. You wouldn’t have guessed it from what she was wearing, a pink jacket and matching pink skirt. Her white hair was neatly in place. She doesn’t wear lipstick or rouge. She doesn’t need to.

When the elevator door opened on the third floor of the assisted living facility, Pat suspected something was up. In front of her was one of the facility’s home-like dens with a bar and chairs and tables. Balloons were tied to chairs and there were colorful pointed hats and noisemakers at each setting. There was an elaborate spread with freshly made scallops wrapped in bacon and other delicacies. There was white wine and a champagne punch with orange sherbet.

Pat eased into a chair – she uses a walker but can get along without it.

A glass of punch was placed in front of her while Marilyn Schavone of Greenwich Farms pinned on a corsage with a rose that matched her outfit.

Pat beamed at all the attention and looked up into the face of lawyer Richard Pierce who bent down to congratulate her. A member of the Providence firm of Hinckley, Allen and Snyder, Pierce had worked with Pat’s brother, Tom Hogan.

“How old will you be?” he asked.

“Twenty-one,” Pat replied with such aplomb that it would have been hard to question her.

“That means you can have a drink,” Pierce declared. Pat had no doubt she could have a drink.

But this reporter thought he better check, just to be certain.

“Twenty-one, but your birthday is tomorrow. Do you suppose you ought to wait?” he inquired.

Pat pondered this for a second. “You’re fresh,” she declared. “I think you like fresh men,” the reporter answered. Pat smiled a naughty smile.

“I do,” she said softy so as not to be heard by those gathered around.

The only one still living of four siblings – two brothers and two sisters – Pat has had a full and active life. She has traveled extensively and has a soft spot for her native Ireland and in particular County Clare. “It’s so green you hardly have to worry about the snow,” she said.

Also close to her heart is Brown University.

Pat graduated from Pembroke College, received a master’s from Brown University and went on to enjoy a distinguished career in the field of psychology, both professional and academic. She was the chief clinical psychologist for the Division of Alcoholism for the State of Rhode Island from 1960 to 1975, as well as a teacher and author. She lived much of her life in Cranston before moving to Greenwich Farms in Warwick.

Pat keeps up on what’s happening at her alma mater as evidenced by the alumni magazine in the rack of her walker. Beside it was the paperback romance novel Dream a Little Dream by Debra Clopton, that had her first cousin Eileen Ryan questioning if in fact it was Pat’s walker.

Ryan said history and biographies are customarily on Pat’s reading list, so fiction and romance didn’t fit the mold.

But then, Pat is one hundred. There’s no telling what she’s up to.

Jill Evans, who befriended Pat about 18 years ago, was there to give her a hug and extend her best wishes.

She said she loves Pat’s “directness and old fashioned honesty.” The family stories have also been a wonderful part of the relationship, she said.

Pat has a penchant for questions, especially of newcomers such as this reporter.
“What do you do? Where do you live,” she asked. Some of the questioning got a little redundant, but then she’s 100.

“You would make a good reporter,” she was told.

Pat smiled. News reporting wouldn’t have been in her plan.

When told she had lived a very full life, Pat nodded in agreement. Then she added, “I wish I could do it again.”

**And that is my mom's aunt :)**

Love, Kathleen

Is the room moving or is it just me?

So turns out it was an earthquake - a 5.4. Have to admit to being a bit unnerved. I was at work and 30 seconds of rolling waves seems like hours! Both stores were/are fine, but my house was another matter. Apparently the epicenter was 5 miles north of Yorba Linda. I live right on the border of Yorba Linda and Anaheim Hills. Yup, there was a lot of shaking going on at my house.

I went home to check on the pets, and the house. A lot of glass every where but thankfully no structural damage that I could find. Pictures off the wall, dresser drawers open and empty, mirrors broken, TVs tipped over, lamps and bulbs shattered, books on the floor, waterford crushed, China cracked.... Thankfully, all just "stuff". Most importantly, pets were fine and didn't seem to be too shaken up.

It'll take a bit to get it all cleaned up, but I am sure lucky. Could have been a lot worse. Phone service was restored a little while ago. I am supposed to have water back by morning, which will be good since I am sweaty and stinky right now from trying to get the garage cleaned up so I can pull my car in!

Thanks to everyone who called, checked up on me and offered to help clean up!

Love,
Kathleen