Postcards From The Summer Of George, er Gord...

Ok, I'll start off by trying NOT to state the obvious lack of blogging. So far, I seem to suck at that almost as much as I do at keeping up to date on my blog. Ok, now I'm just a complete failure.

Now that that is out of the way, I'll take a walk down the lane that is Summer of 2007... which should explain why it's taken this long for an update... (actually, I am probably going to leave out all the T.V watching and stumbling I have been doing, which is the missing link as to why it has taken this long to get a postcard written).

So, I'm going to fly through most of the summer, and probably try and use a bunch of filler and visual aids, which should get me through, so here I go...

Well, we finally got the back splash done and finished painting the dining room and kitchen:

We spent Canada Day (plus a week) up in the 'ol hometown:







(Perhaps I should mention this was when Gord began his compulsive obsession with Hi-5...)



Gord also got his first 'official' haircut (as me with scissors technically doesn't count):

My folks were here quite a bit throughout the summer as they got ready to move in across the street. Also, my buddy Ryan who was getting married this summer (who has spent the last two years WAY up north teaching) spent a good month or so in town so Kim and I got to see him a whole lot. In late July I got the two other dudes from our highschool band down for a weekend. It was great being able to embarrass Ryan by introducing his fiance with some of the old videos from back in the day. After anticipating this weekend for several months, I ended up spending most of Saturday curled up in bed nursing a hangover... really sucked. Damn you red wine! But at least we got to get some jamming in.

The weekend following the 'reunion', Kim and I were off for our first official vacation since Gordo came on the scene. My folks were once again at our place and watched Gord for our trip to Northern Michigan.







Our night in Traverse City... mmm tasty Traverse City.



I did get a nasty burn on our beach day... what's the point of a beach umbrella if it doesn't block out THE SUN??




The Golf was awesome! Absolutely amazing views throughout the course...



We also got some kayaking in... Very nice. Very hot. Very long.
The highlight of course... the big flat screen TV at the foot of the jacuzzi tub... mmm Big Brother Jacuzzi time...



But of course we spent a good amount of time missing the boy, so we were very anxious to get home to see him.

We had planned on going camping immediately following this trip, however we were so wiped that we gave up on the idea. All is well, Kim ended up going back to work. I got to enjoy some quiet hometime to myself - finally, my TUESDAY & THURSDAY! (See, the way I look at it, while Kim was off, I was still working all summer, mind you mostly from home, but I would still be juggling work AND Gord duties. On Tuesday and Thursday when Gord was in daycare, Kim would have the days to herself, while I would be technically working. I really wanted to know when my TUESDAY & THURSDAY was going to happen, and I finally got it the week I was on holidays while Kim and Gord were at work/daycare.)

The following week, it was back to work for me, and in full force. It was my summer sales meeting up in the Muskoka's at Deerhurst Resort. It's hard trying to get Kim to understand that YES, I'm going to a 'resort', YES, the food is free, YES, booze is all free and there are 'social events' every night that we are encouraged to attend... but it is still work. This honestly was the least enjoyable conference I have been to so far. Partly due to the fact that the older Gord gets the more I miss him, and partly due to the phone call I got Monday night (the second night).

Apparently The Dude (our cat) had been acting strange the whole day and really starting to act oddly. Lot's of loud meowing and a few near vomits. Kim called me and suggested that she will probably be taking him to the Vet. Unfortunately it the only one open was an after hours clinic. I encouraged her not to spend more than $200 (thinking it was a flu or nothing non-life threatening). An hour later while I was at one of the 'social functions', Kim calls me in hysterics and informs me The Dude has a urinary tract blockage and is in so much pain that they either need to put him down immediately, or operate. The operation isn't cheap obviously but when forced to decide how much you pets life is worthy, it's a hard call to make. Let's just say the IMAC I was just about to buy is now on hold. Of course we operate, but the whole ordeal isn't over as there is no guarantees that he will pull through.

Kim unfortunately had to play transporter for the remainder of the week as she needed to bring The Dude to and from different clinics for the night/day. When I got home on Thursday, Kim was going to be picking him up for the last time. We were told that he was stabilizing and all looked good that morning. However, when Kim went to pick him up, she was told that he took a turn for the worse and was still not passing urine on his own.

It was a very solemn night as we could tell The Dude was not healthy. At times he would crawl into a dark corner in the laundry room behind the washer and dryer and hide away - a sure sign that he thought he was dying. We actually spent some time offering our goodbyes to the poor little Dude, however when we woke in the morning we were happy to see him up and about.

We took him back for some follow up at the clinic (who I must say absolutely LOVED him. They offered so much service at no charge and could tell for whatever reason, they really cared for The Dude). That night, it appeared he was starting to recover.

That night also happened to be our 5 year wedding anniversary! We had a pretty low key night with some chinese takeout and watching our wedding videos.

The next day however The Dude still wasn't passing fluids. Though he was more lively, he wasn't making anything happen in the litter box. Not a good sign. Sure enough when I brought him in on Sunday morning, the Vet presented the new options. She found a new blockage due to scar tissue resulting from the catheter that was inserted following his surgery earlier in the week. Our options were dropping another 2 grand on more operations or the one thing we were dreading all week. Unfortunately we had to opt for the latter.

I got to spend a few minutes alone with the little cat which made me realize how much I actually cared for him. When we first got him three and a half years ago, he was all we had. We loved him and I many a times cradled him as practice for the baby that was on the way. But when that baby did come, there were days that passed when I barely even pet him. Lately even there were times when I felt only frustration for his shedding, meowing, constant seeking of affection etc, however that morning, all I could think of was how much I wanted him around. I got to hold his head up and keep him calm as the Vet injected the anesthetic which ultimately passed him on.

I brought him home and we buried him in the backyard. Kim bought some flowers and we made a little garden out of it. Poor Dude. I miss him.





That was last week. Not much else has happened since then... So, till next time.