This is one strip of a series I created called, "When I Grow Up, I Want to be a Vet" from 2011 - 2012. You've asked if I am going to draw the comic again, and I loved doing it, so maybe. I started the comic to process difficult things in my career, and thankfully, I have not had so much to process once I got this all into comic form!
I will post the next strip of the series every Friday. The entire series can be found at When I Grow Up I Want to be a Vet.
Luna came home Friday! She did well at VCA Midwest Veterinary Emergency and Referral Center, and is on all oral medications now.
Another cute picture from Luna's great medical team!
She does not have chemotherapy for four weeks instead of two to give her little body time to recuperate.
We are glad she is home.
This is one strip of a series I created called, "When I Grow Up, I Want to be a Vet" from 2011 - 2012. You've asked if I am going to draw the comic again, and I loved doing it, so maybe. I started the comic to process difficult things in my career, and thankfully, I have not had so much to process once I got this all into comic form!
I will post the next strip of the series every Friday. The entire series can be found at When I Grow Up I Want to be a Vet.
We check Luna's complete blood count before every chemotherapy event to assure her white blood cells are not too low for her little body to handle chemo.
This week when we checked, her white blood cell count was way too HIGH. Dr. Clemens hospitalized her and went searching. Our biggest fear was that her cancer had spread.
Photo update from Luna's awesome medical team!
It turns out Luna has a urinary tract infection, which is very treatable. She stayed overnight at the hospital last night and will come home tomorrow if all continues to go well. We went to see her last night.
Amanda and Luna
Abby and Luna
Abby and Amanda and Luna
Thank you for your prayers! The little goofball continues to hang in there.
Besides the stellar medical care from the doctors and team at VCA Midwest Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center, they have gone above and beyond taking care of Luna and taking care of us. The team let us visit last night and is letting us visit again tonight. They have sent us pictures and texts with updates that have meant the world to all four of us. It is so unnerving to not have Luna here - she is very much a snuggly and in your face dog, and her presence is sorely missed! The sweet updates have taken the edge off for all of us and made this separation bearable.
Photo from one of Luna's nurses, Tasha <3
Next update - hopefully Luna's homecoming! Then...a series of photos by Abby of Joy and Luna in flower crowns.
Have a wonderful weekend!!
This is one panel of a series I created called, "When I Grow Up, I Want to be a Vet" from 2011 - 2012. You've asked if I am going to draw the comic again, and I loved doing it, so maybe. I started the comic to process difficult things in my career, and thankfully, I have not had so much to process once I got this all into comic form!
I will post the next strip of the series every Friday. The entire series can be found at When I Grow Up I Want to be a Vet.
Mom, I love you more than mountains!!
Amanda and her friends Rosalie and Alex dressed up for prom and went to dinner instead of the actual dance. How cute is she??
They had planned on going to an escape room and a movie afterwards. The night was cut short when Amanda became ill and had to return home. Boo!
Part two, arranged by Russ, is this coming weekend with an escape room. Hopefully the two gatherings will be as much fun as one entire prom night should have been!
We've been so blessed this entire time Luna has had chemotherapy. She has not had any serious side effects. One of the drugs makes her a little nauseous for a day or so. Otherwise, she has been her normal healthy adorable self.
Abby was incredibly amused at Luna's fluid lump. She is such a cute camel!
This week, she was really nauseous to the point of vomiting and not eating and running a fever. Russ, Abby and I took her in to work Saturday evening and got her Cerenia and carprofen and fluids under the skin.
We would appreciate your prayers as Luna recovers from this! She seems to be feeling better today. She is still not eating great, but is improving.
Luna resting with Abby after her big evening.
While we were driving home from the hospital Saturday night, the sun was still shining and it was barely drizzling. We saw a rainbow, which Abby said was a good sign. I agree.
Baby Snookie Jones!
Erika's baby piggy <3
Joy the Puppy as a puppy!
Happy birthday to my best friend, my partner, my husband and my co-parent.
You are the best, and I love you!
Also, you look super cute holding baby animals.
The bread basket from Black Tie and Tails was wrapped with a beautiful sparkly PURPLE bow. So of course I put it on Joy the Puppy. She was a good sport, and left it on for a couple pictures.
This is one strip of a series I created called, "When I Grow Up, I Want to be a Vet" from 2011 - 2012. You've asked if I am going to draw the comic again, and I loved doing it, so maybe. I started the comic to process difficult things in my career, and thankfully, I have not had so much to process once I got this all into comic form!
I will post the next strip of the series every Friday. The entire series can be found at When I Grow Up I Want to be a Vet.
Once again Dr. Pete Bashara and his family invited the doctors and their spouses and other special guests to the Nebraska Humane Society party and fund raiser, Black Tie and Tails. It was held on Saturday, April 21, 2018. And once again it was one of Russ and my favorite evenings!
Here is a beautifully artistic super secret picture of the Bashara family. In reality, I just didn't get the lighting right : )
The night started with a silent auction (We won the bread basket and the bird feeder basket!). Next was dinner and a summary of some of the incredible things the Humane Society has accomplished this year.
I hardly got any pictures! We looked pretty dressy, and Dr. Taplett and Andrea Bashara (as always) looked GORGEOUS. The dogs were adorable. The cutest of the dogs was a black and tan Greyhound mix up for adoption (Nope, still holding steady at 2 dogs and 3 fish!)
We had such a good time, and are encouraged about all the Nebraska Humane Society continues to do for the animals and people of our city and beyond.
Thank you Dr. Bashara! We had a wonderful evening with all of you!!
Kelly and her family adopted a new puppy! Her name is Violet, and she is a Vizsla puppy. How cute is she?? And so sweet!
Good night Violet <3
Recently, Hannah called me from the West Gentle Doctor location, and after we had talked said, "Oh you have a package out here."
A package! I was like a kid. Even though the long week was over, I talked Russ into driving out to work to pick up the package after hours.
It was a huge box! I shook it. I heard nothing. Hmm. I tore it open to find...more boxes!
More boxes!
How fun!
Inside each box was...lots of snacks!
It was actually a gift for the team (I DID share) from Dr. and Mrs. Horstman. We had done dental work on their two adorable dogs, and it was a thank you gift.
Abby, Joy and Luna help sort through the snacks.
Thank YOU Horstmans! You totally made my day! You are the best, and we are so blessed to have you in Omaha!
In the midst of their own grief, her Moms made the sweetest care packages for us. They were filled with things that reminded us...and them...of Whiskey, including...whiskey : ) ...and a lavender candle because that was Whiskey's favorite scent.
Thank you Pamela. Thank you Christian. You are among the best of the best, and we love you <3
I took Joy and Luna to Beals Elementary to play. Only Joy was being photogenic!
Thursday was a rough day. I finally worked up the energy to be productive and went into the garden to pull last season's weedy growth off the fence.
No sooner had I started (thinking, "this is easier than I thought it would be!") then I accidentally pulled down a tiny bird nest with three tiny speckled eggs.
I started crying and called Russ, who, along with Jeff and Travis, was working hard to finish building a second story deck.
Russ said to put the nest upright and he would build a stand for it.
And he did.
I hope the birds come back to their nest. I will keep you updated.
This is one strip of a series I created called, "When I Grow Up, I Want to be a Vet" from 2011 - 2012. You've asked if I am going to draw the comic again, and I loved doing it, so maybe. I started the comic to process difficult things in my career, and thankfully, I have not had so much to process once I got this all into comic form!
I will post the next strip of the series every Friday. The entire series can be found at When I Grow Up I Want to be a Vet.
Dr. Ethics took me on a ride in his hot air balloon once. It was so fun. I think he really would have loaned it to me to get home. He has some very kind tendencies. Also, it is a hot air balloon going to Omaha, like in Wizard of Oz : )
The other day, just because, the flower shop down the street from the 120th and Blondo Gentle Doctor location brought us this beautiful bouquet of flowers! It brightened our whole week <3
Thank you Stems! We love being your neighbors!
Kelly and I were finishing a cystotomy. This is a surgery in which the urinary bladder is opened to remove urinary stones. I must have removed 99 stones. The dog was only three years old, and she had impressively made more stones than I had ever seen at once.
After stone removal surgery, we always take an x-ray to assure all the stones have been removed. Almost a formality. I always fret a bit though between the surgery room and the x-ray table.
The x-ray appeared on the screen, and one lone stone remained in the trigone of the bladder. I was mortified. This happens in a reported 20% of stone removal surgeries in which x-rays are taken afterwards, but it had never happened to ME.
Back to surgery we went, Kelly reminding me, as she often does, to BREATHE. I sure love that friend. As basic as it sounds, I was NOT breathing, and needed to in order to complete surgery.
We reopened the surgery site, I removed the stone with a hemostat and returned to take another x-ray. The stone was out, and I was glad I had returned for the one last stone.
Luke 15
or something
From a Friend, when I was recently dealing with writer's block...
"Slumps are OK. You know how you let a field lie fallow so it can grow stuff again? That’s you. Your writing is lying fallow."
Thank you Friend. You always know what to say.
