Foster Parents

Vance's photoshoot of Lil girl and Lil boy

Bedtime Invasion

Vance and I have been foster parents to a couple of black cats that were abandoned at Torre Argentina. It is now time for their last vaccination and their departure from our home. Fortunately, my dear friend Heather is able to adopt one, Lil girl. I'm gonna miss their playfulness and affection. Lil boy usually helps me fall asleep by constantly purring up against my neck. Very soothing sound. Now the early am chase across my head and territorial piss war I will not miss so much. As much as I'd love to keep him, it's not the best idea. I look forward to being able to offer other abandoned kittens a foster home. It's like always being able to experience the kitten phase!

Mama Idra and Lil boy

I'm grateful that I've had an opportunity to love something that someone didn't want to take the time to love. My hopes are that when Lil boy returns to the sanctuary, there will be someone who wants to love him more and take him home. Until that day, I can continue to see him as I volunteer during the week.

Clean Laundry is never safe

While Vance is away...

I do all sorts of things like travel, have girls night out, dance til dawn, play with the 4 cats in the house and stay up until the sun comes up on multiple occasions.

But now it's time to get serious. Choir has started back up again after having off the month of August and I will begin to teach yoga again next week. It's time to get crackin!!!

2008 Beijing Olympics and our friend Sherraine

Sherraine Schalm is competing in this year's Olympic Games in Beijing China. It is only a matter of days before she competes in the division of Women's Epee Fencing representing Canada. August 13, I will be glued to the tube waiting to see our girl in action.



Sherraine is a force to reckon with on and off the piste. She's an amazing woman! Her sense of humor alone would make you fall in love with her. And yeah, she's currently ranked 5 th in the world for epee fencing.

Vance and she went to high school together in Brooks, Alberta. She has trained in Paris and Budapest. Vance and I were fortunate enough to hang out with Sherraine in Budapest and visit her training center which was an old Catholic church. We have also watched her compete several times in the World Cup Championships along with the Canadian Women's Fencing Team in Rome Italy and St Petersburg Russia.

You can follow her on her journey at the following links.

The Official Beijing Olympics website


Her blog for the Canadian women's magazine 'Chatelaine'


And the Canadian Broadcast Centre



Sherraine, we wish you good luck and a wonderful experience. I hope to see you in Budapest soon.

Summer Wave part 2

After the camp was over, I had to go with the Amazing Grace Gospel Choir on a retreat to Pentolina, a small town near Siena. Visiting Professor Ramon Rebird came from New York. We practiced everyday for 8 hours and at the end of the week we performed for the guests at the Happimag resort. It was a beautiful place where we learned beautiful music. I was able to assist Debbie Ross with the daily Astanga Yoga class after we completely our own personal yoga practice. It was a great week!



July 18th I became another year older. My last year of my 20s. I plan on enjoying it! Vance and I went to dinner and went to the beach the next day! Perfect! Thank you Marcy for the ITunes cards! August came with the heat! The fans are going in attempt to move the hot air! I have a constant shining complexion. 3 liters of water a day is the minimum! Vance and I entertained a few guests few days and then he was off traveling for work. This month it is Cairo Egypt and Tripoli Libya. I'm looking forward to Lisa's return from the States and Misty's visit to Rome at the end of the month!

I'll end this with another video of our sweet Cicciona playing with her favorite toy, a Qtip.

Summer Heat Wave

It's been so long. Between Facebook and Myspace, I've neglected my blog. Sorry! I have to remind myself to put things in perspective. Since the last post in May, I've done a few jobs, adopted a kitty, traveled, retreated and enjoyed life.

Our newest addition is Idra. She is a great friend for Cicciona, especially after the death of Timido. I adopted her from the Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary. She was rescued and found to have had a hernia in her diaphragm. After major surgery, I have to wait a week for her to finish her antibiotics before taking her home. Cicciona loved her instantly and wanted to play. Idra healed up quite well. The only thing was that beacuse of the intense nature of the surgery and her condition at the time she could not be spaded. Unfortunately she was in heat for a good portion of the time. Finally we spaded her and are now learning her true personality. She was so affectionate and lovable when she was a horn biscuit! Now she's a typical cat. Only comes around when she wants and is a bit of a biter! She also likes to pee in our shower! Hey I can't complain...it's not of the walls nor the furniture! We hope it passes! Isn't she precious?!



Marcy and Chris came to Rome and we took the ferry from Bari to Korcula Croatia. Words cannot express how much I love Croatia! We stayed in Vela Luka and the city of Korcula. Pics speak louder than words.





Mid June I met my dear friend Lisa at the train station and we went south to Formia. I small city just north of Naples. We were a part of small group of English mothertongue speakers that taught at a local school of 7-11years old. I found myself speaking 60%English and 40% Italian. The kids loved me, of course! I worked with a great group of ladies. Nicola and Alex of London and Lisa, a Cincinatti girl transplanted to Florence. We stayed at the Nocca family home and had a wonderful experience. We even got to experience the wonderment of a voyeur! Mr. Wanky across the street. The overall trip was such an opportunity and we left with a new appreciation and new friendships. Little Italians can be a handful! Nicola and I were even able to make a trip down to Naples. Surprisely it wasn't as filled with trash as we expected. (There has been a trash issue over the past year. Trash is overflowing into the streets, not enough space at the dumps and is being barged over to Germany).





Cicciona was feeling left out of the conversation...

Touching base

Ciao all. Just wanted to touch base with those who I haven't spoken to and to those who are just curious and feel like reading other blogs.

All has been well in Rome. Summer is coming. I think if it will just stop raining then the sun will shine and shine some more. I'm craving the sun and yet when it is I'm not going out to get any either. I've come to like the inside with my kitties and yoga mat. I'd love to do more yoga outside but the bugs are horrendous. I swear they sneak onto the mat in a nanosecond...faster maybe.

I've had a few sad days where I just wanna stay in bed and cuddle with the kiddies...those are my america-sick days. I wouldn't say homesick cuz I really don't consider it my home, more 'where my family and many friends live' and I miss them.

This is also my in between time. I'm not teaching yoga right now nor has my summer volunteer programs started so I'm free to do whatever. Very liberating I know, but I tend to waste time. Mainly on the computer. Then I wonder why I'm so tight when I start my yoga practice...umm miss 'i've been siting at the computer for the past couple of hours without moving'!!! At least the cats come visit me and cuddle on my lap for a few seconds! I don't have to chase them for attention (like vance does! eheheh)

I'm excited that Marcy and Chris are coming at the end of the month and we're going to Croatia! Beach!!! Sunny days!

Hope everyone has a nice day, week, month! Take care.

Prayers for the Hyman Family

Hey guys! It's praying time!!!!

My dear friends, the Hyman family Brandon and Elisa, are in the process of adopting a little girl from Ethiopia. I have no idea how adoption works but I know that this special family looks forward to getting their daughter that is already out there waiting for them. I pray that the 'process' goes smoothly and that God helps to bring their daughter to their arms soon.

Little Miles will be the best big brother! He is so full of love and can't wait for his sister to come along.

Brandon, Elisa, Miles....I love you guys! I hope that God provides for you. It all happens in His time! Patience is our lesson. Stay strong and you are always in my prayers. ;)

Home Sweet Home

After many weeks in Texas, I have finally come back home to Rome. I was starting to scratch at the walls! I'm back with my own things and my sweet little girl, Cicciona. I would say Vance too, but he's in Sicily for work.


I had a great time. So many things occurred. Mom and I were able to gets lots of fun time together. I got certified to teach yoga at the Yoga Institute and then the week after I went on a Carnival cruise with my friend Amy. We went on a rip line tour in Jamaica, swam with the stingrays in Grand Caymans and whipped around on a speed boat in Cozumel Mexico. It was amazing! I highly recommend it.



Then I worked and worked at several hospitals in the Houston area. I loved ever minute of it and every paycheck!! Nursing rocks!!


I was able to visit many friends and family! Marcy and Chris, I'll miss our visits! My niece and nephew are the cutest! My sweet friend Kristy has a pleasantly plump pregnancy belly! I hope she has a smooth delivery in April. I went to New York for a friend's wedding where I met up with Vance who took the photos for John & Cami Boots. Cristina was available to visit me in my Pod! Then the next weekend, I spent time in New Orleans to celebrate my dad's birthday and my cousins wedding. It was a nice family reunion for the most part and I had the opportunity to see Elvis!




So many good times and nice memories. Don't get me wrong, my life isn't fine and dandy all the time. My 94 year old grandmother, Josephine Burgard passed away. Vance and I are grieving the loss of our little angel Timido. And I not only got into a car accident, I got a speeding ticket all in the same week! Now it's back to life and yoga! I start my yoga classes at The American University of Rome on Tuesday.

We'll miss youTimido

Little Timido went to heaven Feb 19 2008. Our sweet kitten (7 months) lost his fight with Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP). Vance and I adopted him along with his sister from the Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary. We loved him from the start even when he ran and hid from us. In just a short time, he won us over. And we did him too. He was a cuddler! So loving and tranquil. He loved to play and loved to get right under your feet! Timido will be missed.

The Gift of Giving

Have you ever donated blood? If not, go do it.

I went to the Blood Center in Katy on Valentine's Day to give blood. I attempted to donate platelets. To give platelets or plasma, you are connected to a machine that separates the platelets/plasma from your blood and then returns the blood to you. The process can take up to an hour. I got a little light headed and decided to stop. I was able to give whole blood though.

People really need blood! As a nurse, I see this first hand. Recently I took care of a gentleman who had a gastrointestinal bleed. He did not know the cause and after a couple of days of tests and procedures the doctors and patient was still clueless. The next day he was scheduled for exploratory surgery where I hope they discovered and fixed his bleed. Over a couple of days, this patient receives 11 units of blood. THIS WAS JUST ONE PERSON!

Imagine how many accidents there are in a day...how many people are in the hospital...how many people can donate...

Find your local blood center and donate... www.giveblood.org (They'll give you free beverages and snacks!)