Well, he will be turning 5 years old this May, and he is sort of becoming an old man. He limps really bad sometimes and I wanted to try and help him out. He looks really painful when he does this. So it was time for his yearly exam and some vaccines so I brought him to work with me. His doctor did his exam and gave him his shots. But then I told her about his limping and that I want to get to the bottom of it.
So poor Flippy had to be sedated, majorly! Basically, they used reversible anesthesia. It took awhile for it to take effect, but when it did, he was sleeping like a baby.
**sleeping in his dog run at my work, the vet clinic**
So as you can imagine, it was easy for the technicians to get 11 different views of x-rays on his front shoulders, elbows, and neck.
**still passed out on the x-ray table**
Well, can you imagine how frustrating it was to spend all that money on all those x-rays and the doctor to tell me they all look normal? Well, it is good news, but there is obviously something going on with his front legs. If you have seen him limping in the mornings, then you know what I am talking about!
A radiology specialist comes to my work once a month and our doctors ask him questions about cases like Flip's. So he will be checking out his x-rays next week. Poor Flip! All that for no answers.
Once he got home, he was still pretty loopy for the rest of the day.
It's not always a bad thing. This morning, my Chem 101 professor announced that there is a tutor available for free after class. Since I have a 2 hour break after that class, I went over there. I just did my homework, and if I got stuck, Jessica would put me back in the right direction. In all the years I have been in college I have never gone to a tutor. What a shame. She is going to make that class much easier. Ok I need to pay attention, my History professor is beginning class.
I guess it is that time of the year. I have been pretty sick since Monday, and now Dexter is sick. I was up all night with him cleaning up vomit... ewww. And then when he finally was feeling better and we were both falling asleep, Flip and the coyotes were having a howling contest. Uhh! It was bad. But one cool thing that happened last night when I was cleaning up half digested dog food was I could hear the concert that was happening at UCSB. It was not just any concert either... it was Jack Johnson!!! I could hear it pretty clear and was singing along with him. So cool. Ok, I'm at work so I should go... im taking mom and pops to the airport tonight! party on saturday
I have been using the cool editing thing on Flickr and making some cool pictures like Lissa. Here are some of the things I have done. I have been printing them out on my pops cool printer and now I need to get frames to put them up in my room.
This picture Lissa took while we were in Bass Lake. I edited it.
This picture was taken by me. It is the twins and I. Felix is wearing the blue, Lili the black, me the gray, duh.
To start, I should introduce you all to my new boyfriend :) His name is Max, we work together at the vet clinic, and he is basically the coolest person...ever.
So last night he went to get his back piece started. When we got there, they were finishing up the stencil, and it was huge! I knew he wanted it big, but I had no idea it was going to take up literally his whole back. So I got comfortable in the tattoo parlor and they started.
I had seen my dad getting one of his tattoos done, but for a brief couple of minutes, and I wasnt really in a position to actually watch the ink go into the skin. But for this, I was right there in the mix. It was pretty freaking cool. So after almost 6 hours, and lots of cigarette breaks (not me) the outline was done.
Now, I have always said that i am going to one day get a tattoo, but now im more excited than ever. I know where I want it, and how big it's going to be, but I have no clue what I want it to be. That is a pretty important part of that mix, so I am doing lots of research now to figure it out. And I need to save a pretty large amount of $.
So as we left, I got a cool Mogly's Tattoos trucker hat... hot pink! It was a good night, and also a very cool bonding experience for Max and I. He will be there when I get mine... fo sho.
Here is when they first started. You can tell what's been done, it's a little red.
First off, we are home, everything and everyone here are safe. So let's start from the beginning.
Day 1, Tuesday July 1st. 7:00pm I am driving back home after a long, boring math class. When I start up the hill to my house I notice smoke from behind the hills. I first thought it was one of the controlled fires my dad does for work. When I pulled into the driveway, my mom told me of the fire and that pops was at the bishop ranch checking it out. My first thought.... Not Again!
Day 2 Wednesday July 2nd. Driving home from that same long math class, I notice all the traffic lights are off! Weird and sort of scary. I get home and there is no electricity at our house. My pops busted out the generator and we plugged in the refridgerator and tv to watch the news. My pops told us to pack bags, because depending on the winds that night, we might be evacuated.
Day 3 Thursday July 3rd. We planned on going to Moorpark for their annual fireworks show. I got an email from my teacher telling me that class was cancelled, so as soon as mom got home we all headed to Moorpark. I did take Dexter with me, but Flip stayed here because we had no idea how crazy this fire was about to get.
This is what I saw before we left for Moorpark
We left for Moorpark around 6pm. Around 9:30pm we get word that our house was evacuated at 7pm that night! Poor Flip! And those bags we packed the day before... still at the SB house :( We stay the night at Cari's house knowing we would be unable to get into our house.
Day 4, Friday July 4th. We wake up, my mom and dad and dexter and i get in the car and drive back to SB, hoping to be able to get Flip and some clothes. When we get into SB, all the streets are closed down. We had to talk with a sherriff for awhile before he told us another sherriff will be escorting us to our house so we could get Flip and some clothes. While we were waiting for that sherriff, our neighbor from up the hill was walking down the road and let us know that Flip and the house was fine. She has just been up at the houses. It was nice hearing that since we had no idea what to expect when we got up to the house. So a sherriff followed us up to the house and we quickly packed up.
As we walked into the house, we realized it was not the way we had left it. All the blinds were open, the curtains pushed aside, anything close to the windows were moved into the center of the room, and there were these bright green flags tied randomly around the house. There was also a weird bowl of some sort of liquid on the floor of our kitchen. Obviously the firemen had been here. Scary...
I ran into my room, and saw my empty suitcase on the floor, and then I paused.... WHAT DO I PACK? of course i had no clean clothes so i just grabbed the first things I saw and tucked them into the suitcase. I also got my laptop, dexter's things, and my math book and homework. All those long classes and assignments i had done were not going to burn!! I also took my stuffed dog Pecas. Later at Cari's house I laughed when I realized that I had taken the time to grab Pecas and take him with me. I packed down my car and we were out of there.
We all then headed back to Moorpark. Of course I had Dexter and Flip in the back of my little car. It was a nice drive back lol.
In Moorpark, since it was the 4th of July, we decided to go to Chuys for some good food and beer. I was finally able to relax and enjoy the evening, even though the status of our house was unknown.
Day 5, Saturday July 5th After a night camping out in Cari's livingroom (and i mean everyone... mom, pops, me, dexter, and flip!) we woke up for some breakfast, then lots of Guitar Hero. Chone and I made a trip to the Simi Mall and had a nice shopping trip. In the afternoon we went out to Limo-ville to visit with Nana & Tata and my Reno family, The Iglesias. I then made my way back to SB, to try and get to the house, and if not, my friend offered up a place to stay. Which I definitely needed because they were not letting anyone into the ranch. So I had a relaxing night watching movies with my buddy.
Day 6, Sunday July 6th Mom and Pops secretly made their way back up to the house by using the dirt roads through the orchards. They were still not letting anyone in. So I stayed with my friend for most of the day. The SB house had no water, since the water pipes melted in the fire. Then the electricity has been going off and on throughout SB. But we are home! The house, our dogs, the chickens, and everything here is fine! It's nice to be home. The electricity is on now, but still no water.
Right now I can hear the helicopters flying overhead again. The sound of planes and helicopters will now always have a bad feeling that will come along with them. It seems though they are slowly containing this fire, and it is going away from us. What a long weekend! It is going to be difficult going back to work and school tomorrow.
**Click on the photos to see them larger**
Driving home from school, this is what I was greeted with
This is what i could see day 2 of the fire, from my backyard
The night of the big power outtage, we let Flip inside.
Driving back and forth between Moorpark and SB was tough on little Dex.
At Chuy's, the twins were all about the race cars!
After Chuy's, we stopped at the grocery store for ice cream, but Chone got hit in the parking lot... lol
Through Cari's window to the backyard, the dogs wanted to come inside. Look at those puppy eyes
Lola, my friend's cat, kept me company as I camped out at my buddy's place.
Big Thanks to the Cuevas/Gomez/Contreras Family for letting us take over their house and backyard. Cari, I owe you a plant. I think Dexter broke one.
So if you didn't know, my parents and i go to a different, new place for dinner out here in SB every thursday night. Last night was my mom's turn. She choose The Palace Grill on State. It was awesome. The drinks were great, food amazing, and the servers were cool. At one point they passed out the words to "That's Amore" and then they played the music. everyone sang along and when the line "thats amore" was sang, everyone raised their glasses. Even the servers walked around with their wine glasses cheersing everyone. It was probably the most expensive dinner so far, but the most fun! Pop's Jalepeno Martini
My Rum Drink
Mom and her Water
Me trying to get a picture of us singing and cheersing
