YES! The holiday season is here and that means it’s time for my yearly vacation to Disneyland with Mama! I’m beyond excited — our Christmas Vacation has been a tradition for YEARS and it’s always nothing short of amazing. We’re switching things up just a bit this year. Instead of staying at the Disneyland Hotel or the Grand Californian, we’re staying in either Laguna Beach, Newport Beach, or Irvine, because…we also want to hit the beach! Haha. The beach in DECEMBER?! Hell yes! Barely any tourists and the weather is still amazing.

We’re leaving early on Dec. 9th and heading home on the 12th. Perfect length. I love getting away but I can’t stay away from my babies (my cats) for very long, haha. I just miss ‘em way too much!

Another great part about vacation? SHOPPING! And I’ll be seeing one of my very best friends, Mel (from undi3s.org, remember?!). Can’t wait to see her; It’s been way too long!

What does everyone else have planned for the holidays? Any trips or vacations planned or just staying home? Do tell!

Happy birthday to…uh, my site? Haha yes, dolcezza.net is 7 years old today. Aww. Seriously, time flies.

…And since the last time I blogged was in MAY, I figured today would be the perfect time to finally update this bitch.

A LOT has happened in the past 5-6 months. I had my personal ‘hell week’ last week, which was tough as usual but also easier to get through. The week of Nov. 4th – Nov. 11th is insanely tough for me for many reasons, all which surround my Dad. The 4th is the anniversary of his death (it was 14 years ago on Wednesday the 4th, but still seems like yesterday that I was at his funeral). The 10th is his birthday (he would have turned 64 last Tuesday) and the USMC’s (U. S. Marine Corps) 234th birthday, and my Dad was a Marine who served in Vietnam in the late ’60′s. Then the 11th is Veteran’s day, so obviously I don’t have to explain that one. It’s insane how much can happen in the span of just ONE week. But, it’s over, and it was made easier this year by my Mama, my Aunt, and my Dad’s friends from the USMC. Jerry called me on the 4th to just let me know he was thinking of me and just said the nicest things about my Dad. I wasn’t home when he called but he left a voicemail that made me cry like a baby, but in a good way. I swear, I may have lost my Dad but I am still so, so lucky to have tracked down his friends and to have met and got to know them. They’re all just…I don’t even know the words. Nothing can describe how amazing and caring they are. I could spend all day trying to explain how wonderful they are but it wouldn’t do them justice. And just thinking that my Dad’s friends are now my friends (and practically family) is…amazing. Absolutely amazing.

We’ve had some hard times with the pets over the past few months as well. We had to put Sadie, our Shiba Inu, to sleep on the 11th (which is a hard day already, having to suddenly say goodbye to her forever broke my heart). She’d been showing some signs of arthritis and has been having some trouble walking and staying afoot on the tile (about 1/2 our house is tile flooring), but arthritis is quite common in animals just like people, so we took her to the vet, Dr. J (most amazing vet ever, I love him) said she seems fine but put her on Rimadyl (an arthritis medication for dogs; Very common), and we thought things would be fine. We’ve used Rimadyl on many of our dogs in the past and it worked very well for them. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for Sadie. On Wednesday morning she just looked terrible. She was barely able to get up, she was slipping all over, and she just looked so…sad, I guess. I don’t know how else to explain that look she had. So, we knew the Rimadyl obviously hadn’t helped her and we had to make the decision to let her go. It was so hard because it was so unexpected, and she wasn’t an old dog. She wasn’t a puppy by any means but she wasn’t an old dog, either. She still had so much life and personality inside, but her poor body just couldn’t keep up with her. There’s no surgery options for her physical state, it’s just how she was. So as much as it killed us to have to say goodbye and put her to sleep, we had to do it, for her. Keeping her alive any longer wouldn’t have been fair to her, and she would just be struggling and constantly suffering — that’s no way to live.

We also lost Buddy, our Lhasa Apso, about 4 weeks ago. However, Buddy’s death was very different because we knew it was coming and expected it. He had lost his hearing about a year ago (Sadie was also completely deaf but it never hindered her from anything; She was still very bright but damn stubborn!) and he was starting to lose his sight, too. Then he got an eye infection and this thing spread unbelievably fast. We tried treating it but the drops and medications didn’t work, and when it got even worse the vet said he’d have to remove the actual eye because infection could spread. So that was when we knew it was time to let him go.

Buddy’s death was much different from Sadie’s. We’d had him for at least 7 or 8 years, and he was an old dog. We lost Sadie 7 days shy of her 2 year ‘homecoming’ (or day we found her), which is this Wednesday the 18th. Ironically, we found Lilly the same day and I HAD to keep her. I just bonded with that little brat crazy fast and couldn’t part from her. It seems like yesterday we brought her home, but it also seems like we’ve always had her.

We didn’t have another death, but a HUGE scare about 3 months ago with Tibbies (my oldest cat, he’s 20 but in amazing shape. Vets have never believed me and have always been shocked when they see what great condition he’s in for a cat his age!). He was fine as he’s always been, then one day I saw him sitting down in the hallway. Now I’ve had this cat since I was 4 years old and I’m 23 now. I know him better than myself. I could just tell by his stance that something was…off. I started talking to him and petting him and quickly discovered that he couldn’t see. …At all. He lost his sight out of NOWHERE. And this wasn’t something that was slowly coming on. He’s NEVER had any sort of vision or eye problems and that day I looked at him and his pupils were huge. They were dilated with the lights ON, which isn’t normal. Then when he was walking around and bumping into things…oh man. I lost it. Talk about a nightmare; I living one. Seeing my boy in that condition, not being able to see…it was horrible. I immediately got on google and looked up ‘sudden vision loss/blindness in cats’, and found an article that said high blood pressure can cause just that. T’s never had any B/P problems but we took him to the vet immediately, and Dr. J say his blood pressure was sky-high. 400-something I think? So in a sense that was a relief because we had an answer as to what caused the vision loss, but I was still worried sick because no one knew if he’d get it back. Dr. J put him on 2 medications — one for the B/P, and one for his Thyroid. Hypothyroidism is common in older cats. It’s no death sentence, it just happens in animals like it does in people. Dr. J said that he didn’t know if Tibbies would get his sight back, and if he did get it back, how much he would get. So he said to wait about 3 weeks and by then we should know if the medications helped or not. 9 days went by and they were pure hell. EVERY time I saw or heard him bump into something, I would just burst into hysterics. It was like my heart was being punched every time it happened. My Tibb-sters is my world; Anyone who knows me knows that my cats are my world. They’re all special and unique in their own ways but Tibbies is special in that he’s my ‘first born’, if you will. He’s always been with me. I can’t remember any point in my life when he wasn’t a part of it. …And the idea that I might lose him just…oh man. Unacceptable and unexplainable. That’s all I can say.

So 9 days went by after he lost his sight. Those were definitely the longest and hardest 9 days of my entire life. Then on the 9th day he was on the windowsill (he somehow still managed to jump up there even without his sight; He’s amazing), and I noticed he started moving his head. …Like he was looking at something. I went over to look at him and I immediately noticed that his pupils were frickin’ restricted. …And it was on a sunny afternoon. I screamed and Mama ran in and saw him and we both just cried our asses off in joy. HE GOT IT BACK. He got his sight back in 9 damn days. I still can’t believe it, even now. I am so, so grateful. I prayed to my Dad, my Grandpa…asking them to help him, to save him. Call me silly if you want, I don’t care. I’m convinced they saved him for me. Dr. J was shocked when he heard he [Tibbies] got his sight back completely and so soon. We all were. Hell, I still am! He’s been doing wonderfully and Dr. J even said that there’s no reason or signs pointing to why he won’t live on to be a record-breaker. Tibbies is my world, my sunshine, my “boo boo kitty”. Knowing he’s still with me and doing so well…well, to me, it’s priceless.

It’s after 12 and I have more stuff to do today than time to do it (errands, shopping, dance, etc.!), so I gotta go. Have a good week everyone! <3

Hey guys! I gotta make this post quick because I’ve gotta get on the road and try to beat the traffic. So here’s the deal (or just check the post below, hah) — I’m heading down to Cali (LA) today, probably going to do some shopping on Robertson & Rodeo, relax@ the pool by the hotel (which is amazing), and hopefully meet up with some friends down there!

Then tomorrow is the HEROES for Autism cocktail party & auction event! I’m so insanely excited..! As always, I’ll be updating Flickr and twitter with tons of photos and updates, so be sure to check those out if you wanna keep up and ‘travel with me’!

I’ll be back next week with a TON of photos and lord knows, some great stories. Everyone have a fantastic weekend!  Love ya!

So…this time next week I’ll be in LA!

I decided that I need want a vacation, so I just bought a last-minute VIP ticket to the amazing HEROES for Autism event, and will be spending next weekend in Cali! I’m so excited. Not just for the party and to have the opportunity to go, attend, and support a great cause with great people…but also to get outta town for a weekend. And of all ways to spend it, what could be better?!

I’m hoping my darling Mia will be there. I’d love to see her and get the chance to meet her! She’s one of my favorite tweeters and I adore her.

I have no clue who else I know who’s going sans some awesome people from the HEROES cast & crew on twitter, but if you are, do tell!

If you’re not going but would like to help out and support the cause, be sure to visit AutismSpeaks.org. Donate, spread the word, and show your support!

Needless to say when I get back, photo MANIA! I’m sure I’ll post before I go though..!

Ah! Scusa me! So sorry for not having blogged in…one month and a day! Bad Liz! Tee hee. Things have been SO insanely hectic ever since early May. Let me give y’all the low-down:

May 9th: Went to my counseling appointment with my grief therapist, Dawn. (Wonderful session by the way. My Mom and I decided to stop in Riverside on our way to San Diego since we were driving down and starting our trip on Father’s Day. We bought a boquet for my Dad’s site, and another for my Grandpa and Grandma’s site, too. We visited my Dad’s site and it was a feeling I’d never experienced before. I couldn’t describe it in writing to save the life of me, but it was…bliss. Tranquility. Peace. And, a bit of closure.)

Anyway! Back to the 9th. At the end of my sesssion, as I go to drive home, I’m in a left turn lane which has 2 lanes. I was in the outside lane, and an old lady in a Cadillac was in the inside turn lane. So the light turns green, and half-way through the turn, right as we’re coming out of the intersection, I hear this huge SMACK sound and my body jerked to the right, then to the left, and I smacked the left side of my head on my driver’s side window trying to get back into my lane. She had hit me with such speed and force that she actually moved my SUV an entire lane over. THANK GOODNESS no one was in that far right lane because I would have been sandwiched and something horrible would certainly have happened. I called my Mom, she came down immediately, and we all exchanged information. The kicker? This old cunt never ONCE apologized to me. Not one time.

The thing I’m the most angry about is the fact that my back AND neck are messed up now. I’d had my back injury from cheer since 2003, but over time it eventually healed on it’s own. I’ve never had any neck injuries from cheer (shocker), so I knew this was a result of the sideways whiplash. My attorney’s sent me to an amazing chiropractor and, get this — his daughter Megan and I used to cheer together for 2 years! Haha, small, small world it is. He knows all about cheer injuries so he’s a gem to me. And, he’s by far THE MOST thorough chiropractor I have ever been to in my life. He’s number 5, and surpasses the others like you wouldn’t believe.

On my first visit, he took a series of x-rays. Some of my neck, upper, mid, and lower back. There was a total of 9. When he got them back, we didn’t like what we saw. I’ve lost 100% of the natural curvature in my neck, and I have scoliosis (or curving of the spine. It’s just a medical term, not a serious diagnosis thank goodness, but a major and important observation). I looked at my bone scans and MRI’s from 2003 and 2004, and my spine was PERFECTLY aligned. No curves at all. Something obviously happened between then and now, and this recent car accident is the ONLY major source of hard impact/accident/injury I’ve had in the past 4-5 years. Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what fucked up my spine and neck.

UGH. I could kill myself — I knew I had a TON to blog about but I’m running on empty all of a sudden! I guess I’ll end this entry but will definitely edit it when the rest of my, “stuff to blog about list” comes back to mind!