Polar Bear Head

Polar Bear Head is one of the many nicknames of our lovely cat, Pepper. Actually, we never call her Pepper.

The name we call her 95% of the time is Beeblur. I know it's weird, so I'll describe how it came about.
It went from Pepper to Peppler to Pebbler to Bebblur to Beeblur. She answers to Beeblur, and she seems to like it. Beeblur has spawned gems like Beeb, Beebs, and Shbeeb.

At one point in time I started calling her Meemaw. Then Meemler, then Meemalah, then Mammy, then Mammily, then Mammily my Family.

We also call her Gummy because she always rubs her cheeks on things, but sometimes she leaves her mouth kinda open and rubs her gums too. I've also thrown in Gumz, Gumita, and Gumlaut (pronounced Goomlout), and Goomer.

I also randomly came up with Mitty. I still sometimes call her Mitty, but that has also evolved into names like: Mitta, Mitts, Mrs. Mitts, Mitty-Moo, Mitty-Mooter, and Muddy.

She also has a weird meow that just sounds like "MEHHHHH!" So after watching one of the seasons of Next Iron Chef, I started calling her Mehta (one of the contestants). I have since graduated from calling her Mehta to the full title of Chef Mehta.

So there you have it. The many nicknames of Pepper Anderson. Oh, and let's not forget "Fat Disgusting Pig Monster" aka FDPM. I won't even bother trying to explain that one, Jimmy came up with it!


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Lame cat

The rabbit has been pretty frisky lately. He has actually been chasing the cat around. She usually cries and runs away which is hilarious. I caught them spending some time together in this photo. They were actually laying together, but when I came back with my phone they had moved. So cute!



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Snails!

We have two new tank friends: Gary and Snelly. Yes, I got the names from Spongebob. I am a completely well adjusted adult. Just thought you should know that.

Gary! He's a naughty one. He hides really well in the rocks.

Snelly! She's pretty active!

Snail bffs.

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More pet pics, as always!

I can't help it. I love them!

Beeblur hates her harness and leash!

Forbidden love.

Bailey loves his hamburger.

Beeblur napping with me.

Idiots.

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First blog on my iPhone!

I feel so tech savvy! Now that I have this app I will probably blog a lot more often. I don't think that anyone really reads this blog, but one day when Jimmy and I are like 70 we will look back on all these posts and remember our animals, school, work, and how much fun we had!

In Jimmy/Ashley news: we still have no car. They said it would be delivered this week. I am happy to get the car, but the better business bereau will definitely be hearing about Freedom Motors. We have been passed off to 4 different people and we are still waiting on the car. This is ridiculous!

In pet news, Bailey has finally ventured into the living room! It took him from late November until now! He came in and hung out with all of us (but mostly his bff Zorro). Here are some pics:










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RIP Orange, and Introducing the others!

Our orange glo fish died on Thursday.  I'm not really that sad. He was an idiot. He perpetually liked to swim into the filter and get himself stuck. And he never ate. He would go up to the fish food flakes and then just swim away while the others gladly ate. The others grew and seemed happy, but Orange was super skinny and didn't really swim in a school with the other two. He was a fail fish. Today I replaced him with a long-finned zebra fish. Believe it or not, he is the same species as the glo fish, but he hasn't been genetically modified to glow. Jimmy named him Stripey. Anyway, here are some tank photos of our little fish friends.

Here is a photo of the tank. I used to have a really pretty long plant that reached the surface of the water, but when we got the danios I decided to get a short plant so they wouldn't be so crowded. The beta loved the long plant because he could be lazy and rest in the long leaves. The danios have a lot of energy and like to swim fast circles around this tank. You can see our pink glo fish on the left. We just call her Pink. Or Pinky. I'm not even sure that it's a girl. I just think it's a girl because pink is a girly color. 

Here is a photo of Pink and Stripey. Yellow was being shy behind the plant. They move so quickly this was the best I could do! Right now I have their day-light turned on. 

And here is a nice picture of them with their new moonlight turned on. You are supposed to watch them glow under a black light, but when I shined a black light on them they TOTALLY FREAKED OUT. They also seemed to freak out when it got dark and when we turned out all the lights in the apartment to go to bed. I decided to get online and buy them a moon light. The nice thing about the moon light is that it has a sensor so the blue light only gets turned on when the apartment is dark. Pretty nifty! They glow pretty well under the moon light. You can see Yellow (who glows green) and Pink. They're so pretty!

I love my fishy babies! They are so fun to watch. The cat seemed to lose interest for a while, but while I was introducing Stripey this morning and had the lid off the tank, I caught her reaching in to get at Stripey while he was still floating in the bag from the pet store. Bad kitty! I yelled at her, then she yelled back and walked away. I just love it when she's sassy! :)

New video

No names for the fish. We will wait for the tank to finish cycling before we name them. It seems pointless to name them before the tank is properly cycled because they could die during this period of time. For now we just call them Pink, Orange, and Yellow. I think Pink is pregnant. Either that or she's just getting really really fat. We definitely don't have room in the tank for these fish to reproduce, so hopefully they'll just eat the babies. That sounds really mean.

No car. Still waiting on delivery. It's paid for and the paperwork is all done. Literally just needs to be put on a truck and brought to Madison. We are so tired of waiting!

A few posts ago I wrote about Bailey and his fur mites. Everything seems to be going well! His fur is growing back! His vet says his medication does a great job of eliminating Cheyletiella parasitovorax. The cat and dog are also being treated just in case, but they aren't showing any symptoms of having mites. Jimmy and I have no bites, so we are pretty sure that the mites were just on Bailey. I went ahead and went crazy with a carpet/upholstery spray that kills fleas/eggs/larvae/ticks/mites/silverfish/earwigs/and lots of other terrible things that you don't want in your house anyway. It seemed like a good idea. Again, we have no bites so we are pretty sure that only Bailey is gross. I'm keeping a close eye on everyone to make sure that no one starts to lose fur, scratch excessively, sneeze excessively, gets flaky skin, or has little bites. It has made me so paranoid. Everytime I have an itch I'm like "OMG I HAVE MITES" but it's all psycho-somatic. As soon as I sprayed the house and had a shower I stopped freaking out. I'm crazy, I know. Takes me back to the good ol' days living in our apartment at CSUMB. Zorro got fleas at one point and it was so awful. Jimmy and I were covered in flea bites. We ended up treating Zorro, getting all the pets out of the house for a few hours, and setting off a flea bomb in the house. It worked like a charm. I haven't seen a flea on him since then, and that was probably 4 years ago. Hopefully our mite treatment for Bailey will work just as well!

Bailey has been in such a great mood lately. And by great, I mean frisky. See for yourself!

RIP Noodle

Noodle, our new betta fish has passed on. We had him for about a month. He was a pretty good boy. Jimmy says I shouldn't be sad because we gave him a huge tank and a really happy life until the day he died. My poor Nood. I miss him already!

I went out today and got 3 glo-fish. They are danios who are genetically modified to express fluorescent proteins. I got one of each color: green, red, and orange. I like them because I'm a geek and I like to think about the process of engineering these fish to glow. I haven't taken a picture yet, but this is what they look like.

I'll post a photo of ours when we decide on some names. It is unusual for us to let any pet go un-named for more than a few hours, but these guys are an exception. We need 3 names that work well together. Here are a few of our options in no particular order:

1. Snap, Crackle, and Pop
2. Ketchup, Mustard, Relish (red, orange, green)
3. Stop, Go, Yield (Red, green, orange)
4. Since they are Danios, we were thinking the names could be famous "Dan" names: Danny Zuko (from Grease),  Dani California (Red Hot Chili Peppers song), Danielle Rousseau (from Lost), Daniel Dae Kim (LOST, Hawaii Five-O), you get the picture.
5. Maybe something video game related?


We'll be thinking of the perfect names this weekend. I'll post whatever we come up with!


And we still have no car. All the paperwork is done and they just need to put it on a delivery truck. WHY CAN'T THEY JUST DO IT ALREADY?!

Vet Week

This week was vet week. I decided that everyone will be getting their checkups at the same time so I can just get it over with for the year. Here are the results:

Bailey (Tuesday evening): Has a mite infection. Easy to treat, not too worried about it. The vet said he's "far from skinny" and shouldn't gain anymore weight. She picked him up and said he has a gut. Whoops! He grunted the whole time, which was pretty funny. The vet also showed me how to check his boy bunny parts and keep an eye out for testicular cancer. Wonderful!

Pepper (Wednesday morning): Believe it or not, she is a healthy weight! I have been dreading taking her to the vet because I thought I'd get scolded for her fatness. YES! Anyway, she was a very good girl at the vet. They wished that all kitties could be like her.
-Side note: this vet visit almost didn't happen. She was lounging in bed all morning, and when she saw me grab the crate she disappeared. I looked all over for her and then I finally found her. She had ripped a hole in the cotton mesh that is underneath our box spring. She was literally IN THE BOX SPRING. I had to lure her out with Gravy Lovers' Fancy Feast. She loves her some gravy.

Zorro (Wendesday afternoon): Was super excited for a car ride. And super excited to arrive at the vet office. FLIPPED OUT when he had to step on the scale. He's gained a pound since December. Whoops! FLIPPED OUT when they tried to get an ear temperature. He let them get a rectal temperature, but he screamed at the end when it was over. It was like that one time when I got on the log ride at Six Flags. Completely silent for the drop and didn't start screaming until the ride was over... He must get that from me. Anyway, he nipped at the vet and the vet tech a bunch of times. He was horrible and had to be muzzled. He screamed for the blood draw for his heartworm test, and he yipped when he got his distemper booster. I've never seen him act so terribly and like such a weenie. His teeth are a bit gross, some tartar but no gingivitis. He is not a fan of getting his teeth brushed so he's scheduled for a cleaning in 2 weeks. He'll go under anesthesia and when he wakes up his teeth will be super clean. He had a bit of a slab fracture though and the vet will have to take a closer look when he's under. The tooth might need to be pulled (not that expensive), or he might need to go see a dental specialist for a filling (very expensive).


I love my beasts.

Another week without a car...

Ok, I am getting really upset. We are working with Freedom Motors in Michigan and we are having a hard time getting any answers from them. When we were expressing our interest in the Honda Element the guy was super nice. He seemed like he really wanted to help us out. We did everything that he asked us to, sent him copies of our IDs, proof of insurance, all that good stuff. And then we paid for our part of the vehicle plus the shipping. The department of vocational rehab is paying for the modifications to the vehicle which, believe it or not, cost as much as the vehicle itself. The DVR has sent the purchase order, and we've paid for our half. This car is paid for in full. So where is it?

Apparently, it takes that long for them to title the car to us. When the guy told me this I was like "WTF! We walked into a Volkswagen dealership and 3 hours later drove out with a brand new Beetle five years ago. It didn't take over a week to title it!" And he replies that their titling works a bit differently (which I can understand) because they purchase the Honda Elements and then modify them. So each Honda Element is titled to Freedom Motors first, and then they have to switch it over. But still. We paid for the vehicle on May 5th, but it was late and on a Friday. So let's just say they've had our cashier's check since Monday May 8th.

We've been dreaming for this car for a long time. I'm trying to tell myself that of course 13 days feels like a lifetime when you've been wanting something for such a long time. I keep trying to tell myself to be patient. But you know what? I really don't care that the car is not in our possession yet...It's the fact that the guy at the car dealership can't even give us any sort of timeline on when the car could possibly be shipped. He says he has "no way of knowing". Eff you, man! Do you understand that we paid you a check that is equivalent to my old graduate student stipend?! Umm dude, that's what I used to make per year, and we just handed it to you! You need to have a better answer than, "there's no way of knowing."

This place is reputable. They are one of the best places to get a car with wheelchair modifications in the US. We know someone who has gotten modifications to his Scion there. They should not be acting sketchy. Paying customers should get their questions answered. That's all there is to it.

In lighter news, here's a picture of Jimmy! He got some new clothes and looks so dang cute I had to share. I'm a lucky lady!

Has our car been delivered yet?

No, it hasn't. I am so excited I can't wait!!!! Will they just put it on the truck and get it here already?! It's coming from Michigan...it's practically next door!

We have been dreaming of our converted Honda Element since September of 2010. When Jimmy was still in rehab we started looking at wheelchair accessible vehicles. I remember the day I found the Honda Element online. I showed everyone, and was so excited to see that we may have more options than just minivans. We are way too young for a minivan, or a "Loser-Cruiser" as my family calls them. I learned to drive in our old green van. It was so unstylish.

Finally we got the Department of Vocational Rehab to pay for the modifications, and we paid for the actual body of the car. It's completely paid for...awesome! So it really needs to get here. I want to stop relying on buses and having to plan our lives out 24 hours in advance. I want to go places with Jimmy and not have to stress about timing, bad bus drivers, etc. This car is going to be the greatest thing ever!!!

Check them out here!

A couple of photos...

Here we are!

Vet school open house for Ashley.

Law school banquet for Jimmy. 

We are lifetime students, and support each other through all of the madness. Can't wait until we both get started up this Fall!

Freedom List

Our car should be delivered soon. Hopefully next week! I'm trying to compile a list of all the things that we need to go do!

1. Stella's bakery!
2. Mini vacation: probably Chicago for a couple days. Stay in a nice hotel, spend lots of time at parks with Zorro, Shedd Aquarium, Sears Tower, go visit that big silver bean thingy that everyone takes pictures with, etc.
3. Shopping at Target, the mall, the grocery store. Now we can take as long as we want!
4. Date nights whenever we want. Spontaneously instead of planning everything out 24 hours in advance.

I'm really looking forward to having Jimmy in the car with me again. It gets lonely driving by myself and doing all the errands by myself. WE CANNOT WAIT TO GET THIS CAR!!!

It's been a while...

It's been a long time since we have posted a blog. I spent a long time playing catch-up and get all of Jimmy's recovery posts from the facebook group to the blog. When we went through the accident and hospital stay last year we posted everything to facebook, and I'm pretty sure you can't export facebook to blogger. SAD FACE! I just copied and pasted all the posts here, and actually took the time to change all the dates so it doesn't look like I made a billion posts today.

We do have some updates though:
1. At this time, our nursing is paid for! WHOOOOOO!

2. I quit my job and am getting paid to be Jimmy's care giver. Yes, I get paid to spend all day with my favorite person.

3. Jimmy will be going back to law school this Fall, and I will be starting veterinary school. I did the entire application process for vet school in the hospital. So weird to think that we lived in a hospital so long. Jimmy and I will enjoy a nice long summer together before we are both back in school!

4. WE BOUGHT A NEW CAR! It's a 2011 Honda Element! We paid for the car and the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation paid for the modifications. It has a fold-out ramp so Jimmy can drive his wheelchair right into it. It's completely paid off and totally ours! It's done being modified, and should be on its way from Michigan this week. We'll be free from our dependence on buses! It's going to be awesome to go wherever we want whenever we want!

5. We got a fish, his name is Noodle and he's super cool!

That might be all, but who knows!

Dec 21, 2010

Check this out!http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/health_med_fit/article_6fcf4b0c-0b86-11e0-b121-001cc4c002e0.html?mode=story

I'm really happy with how it turned out! One correction is that we had fellowships, not scholarships. Minor detail. And mine was only a 2-year fellowship; Jimmy's is a full fellowship.

The folks in the first picture are Jeremy and Renee. Jeremy is Jimmy's mentor and is super duper nice. Renee was Jimmy's primary nurse at UW Hospital. Since she is also married to a quadriplegic, Renee was a HUGE source of knowledge for me! I'm so lucky to know her!

Dec 18, 2010

I can hardly believe it, but Jimmy has been home for a month now! Crazy! We are doing really really well, and are so excited for Christmas!

Jimmy got his permanent wheelchair today! It's super awesome and shiny and new!

Also, Jimmy has been interviewed by the Wisconsin State Journal about the mentoring program at UW Hospital. We had a photographer stop by our house and he stayed for about an hour and a half. He kept telling us to act natural, but it's hard to do that when a stranger is snapping pictures of you while you are trying to cook dinner. haha! The photos might make it in the paper, but might not. It should be printed on Sunday!

Nov 26, 2010

Hey everyone! Happy Thanksgiving! Jimmy has been out for over a week now! It feels so so good to have him home. Here is a quick run-down of how everything went. You all know how I love to make lists!

1. First night was a disaster. No exaggeration. Disaster. We hit a major speed-bump and had to call the hospital and ask for help. A nurses's assistant from the hospital was nice enough to come over our house at midnight after her shift ended to help us out. Since then, everything has been going ridiculously smooth! It has been great!

2. Nick and Jessica came to visit us! It was great having them with us for 5 whole days and we miss them already! Familiar faces made this unfamiliar apartment really feel like home. Not to mention that they cooked us wonderful meals and took charge of a lot of errands! Jimmy and I are both so thankful to have such fantastic friends!

3. All our pets are back under one roof! We started out with the cat, then the bunny, then finally the dog. Seeing the pets crawl onto Jimmy's lap and lay with them is sooo cute. He loves that they don't treat him any differently after his accident. They don't stare or get uncomfortable like many people do. They just want to snuggle him as usual.

4. Thanksgiving! I think it's obvious what I am thankful for this year. I get more time with my best friend in the whole world, I really can't ask for anything more than that! He made it, he's happy, and we're slowly getting back to normal.
Hopefully everyone is having a great holiday!

Nov 16, 2010

Jimmy is being released today and I am so nervous! I hope I do a good job and take really good care of him. I feel experienced enough, the hospital did a great job teaching me all about spinal cord injuries. For those of you that are friends with Jimmy and saw his Facebook post last night, YES that was really him! He has a sweet program on his laptop now called Dragon Speak. It types whatever he says; so of course he got on Facebook to say hello to everyone! Okay, I'm rambling now. It's only because I'm nervous!

Nov 9, 2010

 If all goes according to plan, Jimmy comes home in a week! I've got my to-do list about halfway checked off and I feel like I'm scrambling!

Nov 8, 2010

Hey folks!

Thanks to some wonderful folks at the law school our apartment is now full of our stuff and live-able! It is such a strange feeling to unpack boxes of your stuff that you haven't seen in months. I about had a heart attack when I came across my Uggs! It has been way too long since I've worn them! And all my favorite beanies! And when I get tired of unpacking I can lay down on our bed! I am so over the bed in the hospital. Only 8 days until our release date! YAY!!!!!