I have never quite gotten the knack of decorating but this is our attempt to bring a little Holiday in our home for our first christmas in our first home.

Memphis News.

Good News / Bad News:

She tested negative for ever having Valley Fever, She tested negative for Tick Fever, and unfortunately, they were not able to get an adequate sample to get a correct reading on her Toxoplasmosis levels to get a conclusive diagnosis.

Every other parameter came back with in range. Thyroid, Liver, and Kidneys.

They found no heart Murmur.

So whats next? Will she have this episode again? More then likely.

Since the "Normal" tests have been ran and came back good they need to start looking outside the "box" and test for some not so common theories. If we can discover what originally triggered her Neurological Disorder we can no how to treat it.

They are still recommending we see a Vet that specializes in Neurology. We will see how we handle that decission as time goes on. She has had no other episodes since last Monday and as far as what is causing her to have these episodes are yet to be determined, and how this may effect the quality of her life we do not know the answer to that either.

There are many questions still left unanswered and we are uncertain at the this time if we will even be able to get answers. She needs to see a specialist something we just can not afford at this time.

Thanksgiving 2009

Here or some pictures from Thanksgiving. If you want to see more find me on Facebook.

Sharing my life online is wonderful! I like the fact that I can share my life with those I care about around the world that do not see me on a day to day basis or do not see me for periods of time.
This is my way of letting everyone know I am here and would like to stay close whether it is through email, blogging, or FB.

My Family 2009The band on my head was given to me by the waitress. It was 70's night

My dad and I - 11/2009

A good cheese cake recipe

Cheese Cake:

Crust:

24 Graham Crackers (Singles) (Crushed)
1 T. Sugar
1/4 pound butter (melted)
Mix ingredients together and press into spring form pan covering bottom and half way up sides.

Filling:

4-Eggs (Beaten until smooth)
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 pound cream cheese (room temp)
1 T. Lemon Juice
Dash Cinnamon
Pour over crust and bake at 325 * for 40 minutes

While warm, top with 1/2 pint sour cream sweetened with 3 T. sugar and 1 tsp. Vanilla. Chill over night if possible.


Enjoy!

My idea

The vets office told us that Memphis is not a German Shepard Mix as we were originally told but a Whippet Mix. (Probably mixed with German Shepherd, but predominately a Whippet) we also have reason to believe that Memphis is not 2 1/2 but closer to 6. So the vet decided we should make her "6" as of 12/3/09. So Happy Birthday Memphis. Memphis health is still being determined. We have not heard back from the Vet in regards to the blood work. (The blood work will determine if she ever had valley fever, the mumps, or any other type of illness that might have lead to her neurological problem.) The doctor believes she probably has canine distemper and or degenerative myelopathy. As far as really understanding the depth of her neurological disorder we would need to take her to a Veterinarians office that specializes in Neurological Disorders. This would involve her getting an MRI. (Way out of our ballpark of this ever happening based on $$)

So I have idea........

The Bible Says: All animals belong to God (Psalm 24:1). So,we should all help in caring for them.

It is not a new idea , and I have researched a little on the Internet but the concept of the idea is few far and in between.

I want to partner up with someone and start a non profit origination for owners who own pets and can not afford extensive cost involved in there pets medical needs. I am not talking about routine vaccinations or getting your pet spade or neutered. I am talking about pets who quality of life would benefit from surgeries or treatment that may be to costly for there owners. Animals that need insulin, pets that have neurological disorders, you get it. There are foundations out there but they are slim pickins. My thought is that someone would write grants, collect private donations, solicit animal hospitals to volunteer there services, etc. and then we would have people write in with there story and try to choose a family accordingly and hopefully help with some of there pet costs. We can post there story online and share with the world.,we can put plugs in on the blogs for the services that support us, etc.

Any ideas or any takers? I would not even know were to start.

Memphis

Bad News, We have reason to believe that our latest addition to our Family "Memphis" has Canine Degenerative Myelopathy and / or Canine Distemper. (Google it) We are still waiting for a 'formal" diagnosis from the blood work being done. When the blood work comes back we will be able to discover a few thing but there but there is no way we can figure out the "official" problem without visiting a Veterinarian Neurologist. Unfortun. We do not have the money for this at this time and are concerned about the quality of her life. I will write more about what we know once we get the blood work back (72-hours) and what our next step will be. Does anyone know of any kind of pet care assistance for people who want to get good quality care for the pets without going broke?

Finally an update

I try to post pictures on a regular basis but a written blog seems to be few far and in between.

Life has been great! John and I are finally starting to feel like we are settling into the house. We are still in desperate need of a few solid pieces of furniture to get the rest of stuff out of boxes but we are trying to pace ourselves with our spending so we do not go into debt. The bedrooms are still in need of a paint job but I figure we have the "rest of our lives" to settle in.

My parents have "officially" moved to the Phoenix area! Woo Hoo.. and though my life is busy with balancing work, home, and life I am so excited they are 6.5 miles from my home.

In three days both of my brothers will be in Phoenix for Thanksgiving! In years past we have all traveled up to Vegas where my parents were, another great thing about my parents living locally is that we will have more visitors. This will be the first year in a long time I / We will not be going to Vegas for the holiday, I will dearly miss my Vegas friends but we are hoping to go visit after the first of the year.

It has been a long stressful yet rewarding year. As most of you know who follow this blog in May I was laid off of my teaching job and an opportunity at my "other" job to go full time presented itself and though the transition has been stressful I am very grateful i have a job that provides me with opportunity. I enjoy it and the challenges it gives me daily. In June I landed a part time job with ChildHelp which I am grateful for. It is only about 6-9 hours a week which is okay I am exited about it because I feel I still have a strong passion and love for the kids and fell like I am able to give something back when I am serving them.

John is three years into his job, and when we are not working we love to take advantage of all that Arizona has to offer. We are looking forward to a New Year and all that it is going to bring us.