Alive and Well in Tornado-Ville

Just a quick post to let everyone know we are alive. It's so strange not to be posting every day. I miss it. However, the computer here must have been built sometime in the last century...it is slower than the U.S. mail. I am only braving it for this one post because I've gotten emails asking what happened to me. I thought I was clear in my last post that we'd be away..lol. But it's nice to be missed, so I won't complain!

So here is what we've been up to: Thanksgiving with my entire family (including a surprise visit from my brother Jim and his family who are stationed overseas.) We also hit Seaworld and the Magic Kingdom, and hope to go to Epcot this week. We survived a near tornado...really! One touched down in the community we are staying in, and the wind was amazing! It was like being in a really intense nor'easter at home. Lastly, God put a little rescue mission on our agenda. We went out to dinner with the entire family on Sunday, and when we came out, Anastasia found a stray cat begging for food just outside the restaurant door. It was really skinny and was crying, which of course got Anastasia crying. The staff told us she had been 'dumped' there a week ago, and that no shelters would take her because they were over-full. My mom refused to take her home, but -- thank God-- my brother Dan relented and let us bring her back to his house. Here is 'Olive', so named because we found her at the local Olive Garden Restaurant.

We brought Olive home, under strict orders that she stay only 24 hours while we try to find her a family. We fed her and held her and gave her as much love as possible that whole night. We checked with animal control to make sure she was not lost. We posted info about her on the community noticeboard, and I took her to the vets yesterday. It turns out she is 6-8 months old, and very healthy. She weighs less than 6 pounds and is very tiny, though you can't tell from the photo. She looks menacing in the picture, only because she was afraid of my flash and blinked! She is a really sweet cat, house-trained, and only wanting lots of love. My brother consented to one more night, and tonight I am paying to have her stay at the Vet Hospital. We've had one person contact us about her, and I soooo hope she decides to take her. The ASPCA is a kill shelter, and I just cannot bear the thought of her being euthanized. I've spent the past three days trying to find a home for her..and spent all our vacation money in the process..lol. Anyway, please pray that the right family takes her in before Anastasia and I have to leave.

Hope everyone reading this is well. Anastasia is doing remarkably well. The medication has obviously made travelling less anxiety-provoking for her. Every single family member commented on the change. There is always a bit of trangulation that goes on when she is around my brothers, but I'm making sure to have ample cuddle-time morning and night to remind her I am her mom!