2002 in Review

So many of us have had a lot happen, this year - how about a thread, hitting the high (and low) spots?

january- Bill and I get settled, in our new house and adopt Opie. I get online and find this site.

February- Valentine goodies and Bill's birthday.

March- Pretty quiet.

April- we adopt Rowdy.

May- My divorce is final. We bring Ike home, to live with us. I, finally, get my job transfer.

June- another quiet month.

July- Mom has gall bladder surgery and follow-up complications. Fortunately, she recovers. Bill and celebrate one year, together.

August- We buy a newer truck.


September- Mark and Sam get married and inform me that I'm going to be a grandmother.

October- The VA comes through and I can quit my job.

November- we go out, for a nice dinner.

December- Our trip to Las Vegas was wonderful. My parents

come to MY house, for Christmas (the first time). We adopt Pearl.

That's my year - some bad but, more good. How was YOUR year?

January - my birthday
February - same old same old
March - Jubby and sister have birhtdays and my parents respect Hubby's wishes for a change not to celebrate his birthday
April - Toronto Rock in the playoff - we win the NLL championship!
May - My niece is born
June - do a triple feature at the drive-in
July - My dad's birthday
August - MIL is diagnosised with TB. Very hot in Toronto - record high hydro usage for air conditioners
September - My 6th anniversary is celebrated by a trip to the cottage.
October - My mom and aunt's birthdays
November - My grandmother has knee surgery
December - MIL is diagnosied with COPD. quiet Christmas at home

Great thread !!

January : Sydney's heart-murmur is getting worse
February : I joined my first forum (Pettalk)
March : Sydney is sleeping a lot
April : lots of new plants , bushes , etc. are bought for our garden
May : Sydney is having fever ; no reason found
June : sssttt , my kids are studying / Sydney not feeling well again ...
July : sad month , as my sweetheart Sydney died of a heart-attack
August : We get a new kitten at a shelter : welcome dear Maya !!!
September : enjoying our newbie Maya !!
October : another kitten finds it's forever home at our house : INKA
November : good month for the cats , but bad month for my health (back)
December : enjoying Christmas and the tree , with the whole family , AND our two kitty-cats !!

Wow! I can't even remember that far back!

And I'm so sorry about Sydney. I didn't know.

January - Gary met the President and had lunch with the First Lady.
Also, we had Booger (our first encounter with a cat) spayed - except it turned out she already was! She was a stray, not a feral!

February - Valentine's day and my birthday.

March - Gary's esophageal surgery.

April - Gary's stomach surgery.

May - Business became worse than terrible (stock market stuff) and work stopped paying us.

June - kittens turned up in the yard and I found TCS!

July - We rescued Lazlo (by bringing him inside) two days after the fourth, then Shelly a week later. ...but Gary's back became unbearable.

August - We trapped and had spayed or neutered A LOT of cats! Gary had his first back surgery.

September - Gary had his second back surgery - and turned 40.

October - We had the boys neutered. ...and got Samoa rescued!

November - We rescued Munchkin! :tounge2:

December - We adopted out two of the outside cats! But it didn't work out. We brought Spooky back home - inside.
It looks like we're going to close a deal at a new firm... we've been negotiating for two months - keep your fingers crossed!
Oh - almost forgot. Got the two cat sites up!

No way am I that organized that I remember month to month what happened! But it is a great thread and nice to read. The high points of this year were: my best buddy moving only 50 miles from me. Mike and I scoring a sweet knife contract from the military. A successful knife show with lots of residual sales and new friends made. The arrival of the latest batch of kittens. Being asked to partner with Anne in her internet ventures. Meeting some really cool people via that opportunity. Talking to LDG on the phone and finding out she is just as cool on the phone as on the boards. Landing RC advertising commitment here. Being accepted by the Cat Writers' Society and seeing my stories in print, on the internet. Being able to help cat owners make good judgement calls instead of ditching their cats at a shelter like they wanted to. Also finding out the cat books are still alive and traveling.

The lows were losing Shredder and Dunkin. Mike's mom breaking her hip, my sister battling cancer, and my best friend's dad passing away.
But ending on a high note, after over a year of trying to catch an elusive feral, Gangster was finally trapped and my vet bills went way down. I probably missed a bunch of stuff because I am not organized unless I write it down first.

What a great idea!

To all of you who have something to celebrate - congratulations!

Also, to all of you who have had a bad time or a loss - my commiserations, and my thoughts are with you.

Well, my year was pretty boring, except:

March - my birthday!

April - Rosie's birth month. As she is a rescued cat, we are not entirely sure of her actual birthday, so we designated 1 April.

June - 10 June was Leon's birthday - a special day, as he was 10!

September - we went on holiday to Menorca - a gorgeous Spanish island in the Mediterrarean (sp?)

December - I went to my first cat show! Oh Wow! Leon and Rosie got lots of Christmas presents I bought from the stalls, and the cats on show were just gorgeous. I lost my heart to two Devon Rex kittens - I had to be dragged away from the cage!

Well, I am like Hissy. I can't put it down month by month. I'm not that good! But here is a list of my goods and just a few bads!

Finally got started on some home renovations after living here 2 years ( all of our money went to our down payment when we bought so we had to build up the bank again first). My son started first grade, and my daughter finally potty trained. I got to meet AirPrincess in person finally, and met Hissy and Debby by phone. Became a member of the mod squad around here...woohoo!! I went on Weight Watchers and lost about 35 lbs, and am able to get into most of my old clothes again! yay! Had a great year w/ my business, had great kids w/ great parents as well ( home daycare ). Just got a new dining room set w/ a beautiful china cabinet! Boy, lots of other stuff too but way too much to write here!

On the bad side, lost Cymone to the road. Lost a relative to cancer. And my grandfather who is 101 is not doing well and has failing health right now.

But cheers to all of you for a great new year in 2003!!!!!!! And cheers to TCS and to Anne!!

Well Mary Anne - I don't know what month that was, so I can't go back and edit my post! But now I want to add - talking to MaryAnne on the phone, and finding out she's just as sweet on the phone as she is in person!

I've had loads of fun on TCS and a blast helping out when I can with website links and other miscellaneous stuff.

I also HAVE to add that finding the cats and TCS is just about the best thing that's happened to me in a long time. I know that says a lot about how quiet and work-oriented my life is otherwise - but I've made some great friends here, and my life has been completely altered. I now manage two cat-oriented websites dedicated to rescue and research (well - both are "future sites of...," but they're in the works!).

It was a big a year for me - on the good side - because of TCS.

January: Met Roger on the 7th and have been attached since
February: Spent weekend in Windsor for VDay. Started medical leave at the end of the month for 4 weeks. Roger's Bday

March: Took a trip to Cleveland and the Rock/Roll Hall of fame

April: Colored Easter eggs together! Was written up for being gone on medical leave even though it was doctor ordered Started looking to buy a home.

May: Went to Cedar Point and Roger rode his first roller coaster!

June: Lost my job for attendence (MEDICAL LEAVE!)

July: Moved into our home on the 13th, Became engaged in Pentwater on the 26th

August: Hmm...installed Central Air and a new furnace

September: Spent another weekend in Windsor over Labor Day weekend.

October: Ran out of candy on Halloween within 30 minutes! 4 BAGS OF IT!

November: Cooked my very first Turkey dinner

December: My grandma died, Angel died, Christmas Eve was spent with my parents, Christmas night with Roger's dad.

January - Started courses in Logistics for a career change. Also decided to get a kitten because it didn't look like we were going to find a new home. We had looked at over 100 homes over a 6 month period and didn't find anything that we liked. Found my breeder of Russian Blue's "Bluemews" and decided to get a kitten from them.

February - My partner Rob received a huge promotion and job stability after only being with the company less than 8 months...woohoo!

March - Our real estate agent calls and tells us he has the perfect house to show us - a century old schoolhouse. We put in a bid and got the house! Have to postpone kitten's arrival! Had to *quickly* get our condo on market and sell. It was a whirlwind of painting, changing carpet. Sold the condo after one day on the market.Woohoo!

April - Saving money for downpayment.

May - Saving money for downpayment. Turned 30...Ick! Now I'm old!

June - Saving money for downpayment

July - Saving money for downpayment

August - Move into our new home. Start thinking about when I can get a kitten in the midst of all this renovations.

September - Started renovations. Ick! No working bathroom till November!!Have to postpone getting kitten, to many holes and dust! Start looking for a cat site...found TCS and became a member!

October - Finally finished replacing the roof, re-wiring all the electrical for the house, and replaced the ancient boiler for our radiators. Finally picked up kitten....and named her Nakita! Everybody at TCS put up with too many Nakita pics! Also found a better job closer to home in the Logistics field.

November - Quit my job. I only stayed there a very short time since they made promises the company did not keep! Not such a bad break, since I had more time to spend with Nakita and deal with the contractors. Finally finished renovating washroom and now have a working shower! Celebrated my 7th anniversary with Rob.

December - Paid bills, bills, and more bills. Enjoyed having a home that was finally dust free and kitten proof!

As you can see, everything in this past year revolved around the new home and kitten. Now, what will next year bring?? Hmmmm....

January....pregnant
February...pregnant
March...pregnant
April...pregnant
May...pregnant
June...pregnant
July...hot & pregnant
August...overdue...Amber born on the 16th. Sheena disappeared (My German Shepherd)
Sept...sleepy (up all night with the baby)
Oct...turned 37,(old) had to leave Amber at daycare and return to work. (Cried alot.)
Nov...Thanksgiving
Dec...Christmas

Oh my gosh Debby, I didn't realize Amber is just a baby baby!! Wow, I just assumed she was a toddler or something. How sweet! Only child or do you have others as well?

LOL Debby thanks for the much-needed smile

January: Began teaching English as a Second Language (ESL). I'm not certified or trained in this area, but what the heck.

February: Valentine's day.


March: Spent a week in Philadelphia attending a bilingual educators conference.

April: My birthday.

May: Chaperoned school trip to Hershey Park. Rode lots of roller coasters.

June: School ended, taught a short summer PSAT prep course.

July: Stayed inside in the air conditioning as much as possible.

August: Visited friends on Long Island. Cried when I drove by Manhattan and saw the empty space where the World Trade Center once stood.

September: School again, this year I am teaching 6th graders.

October: Went to the PA National Horse Show with a friend from college I hadn't seen in over a year.

November: Asked to be a mentor for the new ESL teacher, despite my lack of tenure and training.

December: Began teaching several classes of Spanish in addition to ESL.

Originally posted by Vikki
Debby, your post was hysterical. But really, did you send that one after your 5th or 6th beer :laughing2 ?

Click to expand...

Beer really had nothing to do with that post.

That WAS Debby's life, in 2002. It DOES get better - they grow up! And, since when, is 37 OLD? I'm 45.

37 is old when you are 37...:laughing: Five years from now I won't think it was so old.

January-The last month in the worst job I ever had. One month of discomfort and unhappiness.

February-Unemployed. I have a new job lined up, but it doesn't start until March. Boy, do I watch way too much daytime TV.

March-Start my new job. Life is good.

April-Find TCS (and begin my addiction).

May-Dad visits for his birthday. Take him to the Football Hall of Fame and dinner as his gift.

June-Start writing my first grant. I'm a scientist, not an author-why do I have to write?

July-Submit grant. Glad that's over.

August-The transmission dies in my piece-of-junk Tempo. Have the joy of car shopping. Finally settle on a '98 Cavalier, a MUCH better car.

September-Nothing exciting.

October-My 32nd birthday. Ivo has been with me for a year. Ivo's 2nd birthday.

November-Getting ready for our national meeting in Philadelphia. Dad comes up for Thanksgiving.

December-Meeting-what a waste of my time. Go home for the holidays.

Debby, I loved your post!!!!!!!! Boy when you are pregnant, it certainly does seem like a lifetime, doesn't it????????? Now that I haven't had any babies in a few years I am getting that itch again. OH NO says hubby.....its too late though, I've been tied and I am not having any more!!


Its ok though, I can enjoy everyone else's and then they go home at night!!!!!!!!:tounge2: :tounge2:

January: went to work w/ hubby & found out I was being transferred to a closing fab Upset me then, now I am glad it happened!

February: Valentine's Day

March: nothing special during that month

April: nothing special

May: nothing special

June: nothing special

July: July 7th last day at that hellhole!:tounge2: Also bought a 2003 Eclipse that at the time it wasnt such a bad idea, NOW IT IS!

August: became a temp employee.

September: 9/20 celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary.

October: nothing special, or that I can remember

November: Hubby's birthday; Thanksgiving

December: my birthday; hired on as permanent employee; Christmas; New Year's Eve.