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Thanks a bunch, Joyce! :D

Putnam is a sweet male cat. I first heard about him last week when I was preparing my Asian buffet at Price Chopper. Many of my associates know about my work for the CCC, so I tend to hear all of the cat stories and "OMG I NEED TO GET RID OF MY CAT HELP MEEEEE" questions. Pat (one of my associates) happened to mention a cat living in the Price Chopper parking lot who was very friendly and lovable, and how Deb (third shift cashier) was worried he wouldn't make it through the winter since it was obvious he was abandoned. We have a lot of feral cats who live in our parking lot, so it didn't surprise me to hear some scumbag did this.

What did upset me, however, was that Deb said he was declawed. It takes a certain level of evil for someone to drop off a declawed cat. I made Putnam a top priority and said I would get him into the shelter, even though we are trying really hard to adopt out all of our current cats because we have to revamp and reconstruct the place. Sometimes we have to make exceptions to our "no more cats" rule, however, and it was clear an abandoned declawed cat was one of them.

I was told he was very easy to find and often hung around by the pumpkin display we have outside. I went out after my shift with no luck. I figured he wouldn't be there because it was only 1 PM, and the third shift had mainly been the ones feeding him. I came back around 8 PM after my shift at the shelter, still with no luck. The second shift employees all knew about the cat, though, and told me to come back around 11 PM.

At this point, I knew I had to employ help. It seemed like catching the cat would be easy, but I did not want to bring him to the shelter in the middle of the night. Walking around Main Street in Webster at midnight just seems like an unnecessary risk to me, so I began calling everyone nearby on my cell phone. No one picked up, so I started leaving voice messages. My good friend Ryan called me back, and he agreed to meet me at 10:30 PM. We headed down to Price Chopper and began our mission.

Ryan and I spent a good hour and a half to two hours looking for this cat. We bought food, searched around Price Chopper, called out "kitty" in that annoying voice, and drove around the entire plaza looking for him. We happened to find two other cats who weren't him. At this point, one of the employees recognized me and asked what I was doing. I explained the situation, and she said, "Oh yeah, of course you're taking him to the shelter."

I questioned how she knew about my work at the shelter, and she said, "Don't you remember me? I'm Haylie's Mom!" Haylie is one of the younger volunteers at the CCC, so I was happy to see more shelter-friendly people. I knew she seemed familiar, but I couldn't place how I recognized her. She said she had been trying to get him into the shelter for a while, but Joy had kept telling her we were full and not accepting anymore cats.

I told her that was true, but that we make very rare exceptions and I had deemed the cat an exception. She said she had been planning on bringing him to the shelter when we had room and naming him "Putnam." I wasn't too pleased with the name choice because I can't stand this town (haha), but this guy was her rescue first and I felt she should be able to name him whatever she wanted. Ryan and I went out some more to look for him, but we still had no luck. When it became clear he wasn't showing up for the night, I went home disappointed.

The next night, I met up at Victoria's Station for some coffee with Ryan and Kenny (another one of my very good pals). The topic of the cat came up, and we decided to go looking for him once more. Yet again, we spent another hour and a half with no sign of the cat at all. I began to worry that maybe something had happened to him, which upset me because that meant I would have been only one day late. I gave Deb my cell phone number and told her to call me if she spotted him, no matter what hour of the night it was.

Around 3 AM, Deb called and left me a voice message that Putnam was there. Unfortunately, I slept through it and didn't hear it until I woke up for work at 8:30 AM. When I clocked in, Pat told me she had seen the cat when she came in earlier that morning. I cursed my luck and decided not to look at that moment because I knew I couldn't just leave my paid job to bring a cat to my unpaid one. My food service boss is super nice, but not THAT nice.

After my shift at the shelter that night, I had this feeling to go look for the cat again. As I pulled into the parking lot, I spotted him sitting right by the left entrance door to Price Chopper! It was as though he was just waiting for me to arrive. I slammed into a parking spot and raced up to him. It was our first time meeting, and I regretted that he would have to trust me after such a short introduction. As told to me by other employees, he was most definitely friendly. He came right up to me and started rubbing my hand with his head.
I couldn't miss this moment, so I scooped him up and made a beeline for my van. He started to struggle a little, confused about the situation and probably nervous about my quick pace. I somehow managed to get him into my van, which he did not enjoy. I quickly drove home with him trying to sit on my lap because I knew I would need him in a carrier at this point.

He disliked the carrier even more than being in the van. He howled the entire twenty minutes it took me to get to Webster. Seriously, there was not a moment when he was not screaming. He sure does have a pair of lungs! I quickly brought him inside the shelter and prepared one of our bigger cages for him. Once he was in the cage, he seemed to calm down and understand I wasn't going to hurt him.

When I brought him in, I immediately noticed he had an eye infection and blood on his nose. I wiped off his eyes and nose, but the blood still kept appearing on his nose. He had a little cut there, which I'm assuming came from a fight. I also noticed that bits of his ears were missing at the tips. It looks as though they've been burnt off because there are black marks where the bits are missing, but it could also be from fighting.

I gave him a whole can of wet food, which he scoffed down. Then I gave him another one, which he also proceeded to decimate. I knew I shouldn't give him too much or else he'd be sick, so I refrained from opening a third can. I wanted to spend more time getting to know him, but it was already late and I had class in the morning. I spent a little time petting him and then bid him goodnight, hoping he would be all right in this new environment for the night.

Oh, and for the good news: he's not declawed! I think someone just assumed he was because he's such a gentle cat and rarely uses his claws, but he definitely has them. He loves to be pet and have his neck massaged. Putnam went in for his combo test today, so I am hoping the results came back negative. In the meantime, he is enjoying the attention and food!

We're very excited to announce that on Monday 22 September at 11.58am, Ryan James Sercombe was born by cesarean at St John of God Hospital in Subiaco.

It's now almost 3 weeks since Ryan was born - yes, it's taken a while to get into a routine and be able to get time to post this.  We are absolutely besotted with "our little man".  Of course he demands a great deal of time and attention, but he rewards as ten fold with the joy that he brings.

We've been inundated with requests for pics and updated information on Ryan, so in response to your demands we have dedicated a blog just to him.   Check out the latest photos at: www.ryansercombe.wordpress.com

- I've noticed that Jack is starting to look a lot like Ryan. I love it. Ryan has such a great look (of course) and I can only hope that Jack will continue to grow into Ryan's little look-alike. It's so sweet!

- Over this past week, my 9-week-old baby has grown roughly to the size of a grape. Isn't that amazing? At 6 weeks, the baby was only the size of a lentil. That's a lot of growing in 3 short weeks!

- I've been doing a lot of thinking about how to turn my home into a haven. Each time I would ask Ryan to tell me how to make him more comfortable and relaxed in our home, he'd say something like, "New furniture!" or "This apartment is just too hard to make comfortable! We'll just have to wait till we can move." I was never satisfied with those answers because I just knew there had to be a way to bring peace and comfort to this home without breaking our bank or moving (before we're ready). Honestly, Ryan knew that, too, but both of us were at a loss. How else would I do it? 

Then, the other day, I spent a fair amount of time just sitting in one of our armchairs and staring at the room. I noticed that the furniture felt too spread out - it didn't feel cozy. Then I noticed the way all of our furniture looked like it had been haphazardly positioned - nothing really flowed. I noticed the bare walls, too, but I had already decided I'd refrain from painting any more of this apartment and I wasn't sure how else I'd make the walls less noticeable. I considered creating artwork, which I love to do, but in these super-tight financial times, I don't really have the money to spend on supplies.

I thought and thought and thought. Soon after, Ryan came home from work. I had come to a conclusion - reorganizing the furniture! After lots of huffing and puffing and dusting and surveying, we finally figured it out. The difference, my friends, is huge. It feels organized, comfortable, relaxing, and right. The next morning, when we came out to spend some time together before Ryan went to work, his first words were, "Ahh...this room is so relaxing." SCORE!

- Nursing has been going well. I really appreciate everyone's comments on my previous post, To Ask or to Be Asked. I've decided that I will let him ask for the most part, but when he's cranky, tired, or unhappy, I will offer to nurse him. We've been able to maintain a fair amount of nursing sessions per day, and I'm satisfied with this approach. I just don't think I'm ready (nor do I think he's ready) to let it fade away altogether!

- In my quest to learn more about creating a peaceful, comfortable home, I've realized a few important things. 1, you don't always have to spend money to create comfort. 2, scented candles do wonders for the "feel" of a room. And 3, rearranging furniture or using wall decor eliminates the need for paint (although I prefer painted walls, it's nice to know that I can do without in a time where painting would be more trouble that it's worth).

- Today, Ryan brought home lunch from Mom's Deli. I had egg salad on squaw bread with alfalfa sprouts and shreds of carrot, Sun Chips, and rootbeer! It was delicious...possibly one of my favorite meals ever.

- Tonight, I'm going out with a group of long-time girlfriends for my birthday celebration. Yeah...my birthday was in August, but it's taken a while for everyone to clear their calendars! I'm excited for a girls' night - Ryan has graciously accepted the task of caring for Jack and I'm happy to have an outing to look forward to. We're going to Olive Garden because, well...unlimited breadsticks and salad sound just right to me!

Explore the universe like never before in Art Style: ORBIENT. Take control of gravity and antigravity to carefully maneuver your small star through 50 stages set in multiple galaxies. Collide with other stars to absorb them and make your own star expand in size, or capture the stars in your orbit and have them become your satellites. Space isn't empty though, and you'll have to avoid bumping into obstacles or getting pulled into a black hole. If you feel like relaxing while still being challenged, this is the game for you—its combination of simple controls, atmospheric sound, and unique environment make for an experience unlike any other!

Games in the Art Style series feature elegant design, polished graphics, and pick-up-and-play controls, creating an experience focused purely on fun and engaging game play.

Wii Points: 600

Credited to Nintendo.com

Midnight Bowling

Plunge directly into the trendy and electric atmosphere of Midnight Bowling! With awesome playing sensations, prepare for ultra-fun gaming thanks to a new physics engine that lets you control your throws precisely and easily with your Wii Remote controller and make spectacular spins that will impress your opponents! Face up to three friends in the fun party mode, where your playing abilities will be put to the test! Whatever your level, launch yourself into the immersive career mode, where you will play in the trendiest bowling spots of the planet against charismatic characters that will give you a run for your money!

Wii Points: 800

Credited to Nintendo.com

MadStone

Time is short… The earth trembles as the forces of nature stir and grow restless. Can you turn the tide? In this dynamic puzzle game, you must clear the path for your elemental MadStones to reach the bottom of the screen. Blocks can be broken by striking them directly or by the force of falling objects. The novice tries frantically to break enough blocks, while the master sets up cascading collapses with only a handful of direct strikes. As two sides struggle for domination, titanic forces build—only to be unleashed in an earth-shaking final confrontation! Experience the mystical single-player journey, or challenge a friend in competitive two-player mode.

Wii Points: 800

Credited to Nintendo.com

Tak: Mojo Mistake

Tak finds himself exhausted from trying to help everyone in his village. He decided to use his Juju magic to create little helpers called Hackies. But when these little critters became unruly and then unexpectedly multiplied into hundreds, they invaded both the Pupununu village and the Juju realm causing havoc and devastation. Now Tak must do all he can to get rid of the troublemakers and restore balance to both worlds!

* Cast spells and mix alchemical ingredients using the touch screen!
* Flip the DS sideways to play in the magical Juju realm
* Share ingredients with other players to create special spell "recipes"
* Dodge Ball Mini Game — Use the stylus to throw balls to defeat the Cage Juju
* Chase Mini Game — Avoid obstacles to escape the Belly Juju
* Block Buster — Pop the clouds to get to the Juju world

Coming Oct. 14, 2008

Credited to Nintendo.com

Bomberman Blast

Wii Points: 1,000

Credited to Nintendo.com

High School Musical 3: Senior Year

The Wildcats are back for brand new adventures in an unforgettable senior year! High School Musical 3: Senior Year invites you to an all new rhythm-based game with brand new music from High School Musical 3: Senior Year. Explore the sets and capture photos of "High School Musical" characters to create memorable layouts for the East High Yearbook - the High School Musical way!

* Play as familiar "High School Musical" characters - Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay, Ryan, Chad and Taylor
* Discover your HSM personality. Answer trivia-based quizzes to find out which HSM character is most like you.
* Collect amazing photos of memorable moments of Senior year to create your custom East High senior yearbook layout!
* Plays new music from "High School Musical 3: Senior Year," even when the Nintendo DS system is closed

Coming Oct. 21, 2008

Credited to Nintendo.com

Yeah, my teeth hurt too.  Ow.  After he recovered, I got the cutest picture of the two of them.  See?  Aw!

After the resturaunt.  We headed over to Jerisch Dock to take some more pictures or the boats and the kids looked for fish in the water.  I got this great picture of the birthday girl.  It's my favorite so far that I have of her.  See her tiara?  Awesome!

I also got some great shots of the kids.  Lilli dressed herself and it was very Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face, topped off with her bat ears from her costume, oh and the hot pink converse with white polka dots that I found in Hawaii.

Kaleb just had so much fun running around in the rain and hail.

And looking at charts with Richard.

Later we headed over to Katie's house for her party.  Yummy food as per the last post.  Here's my family enjoying the party.

All in all it was a nice day.  I hope Katie had a happy birthday and fun at her concert!

Exchange student Jamie Penich left her small Pennsylvania hometown to see the world, but her journey ended with a brutal attack in a shabby motel room in Seoul, South Korea, where the raven-haired 21-year-old was found naked and stomped to death. Investigators zeroed in on soldiers, turning out barracks and trolling seedy bars for the GIs who partied with Jamie in the hours leading up to her death. But every lead produced only new mysteries. There were unbreakable alibis, a roommate who claimed she had slept through the crime, and lab tests that hinted at a secret lover. The investigation seemed destined for the cold case file until a high-powered American senator pressed for answers. Soon, a greenhorn detective settled on a shocking new suspect, a pretty blonde exchange student named Kenzi Snider. During an interrogation, the teenager confessed to killing Jamie during a lesbian encounter . . . but it was what happened next that was truly surprising.

What really happened in Room 103?

Court TV Presents: Murder in Room 103 is available at Amazon for $6.39. To Order click here
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Other Products of Interest

• By Their Father's Hand
• Too Late to Say Goodbye: A True Story of Murder and Betrayal
• Die, My Love
• Nightmare in Napa: The Wine Country Murders
• Never Enough

Isn't he just the cutest?  I took Ryan and Nate up to the hospital to meet their new little cousin today. Payton had sports commitments after school so couldn't make it.  They both thought it was pretty cool having Eli here - finally!  Sounds like he is already eating like a champ and will be wrestling with his big boy cousins in no time!

Would I trade my former life for the life I have now?  Absolutely not!  Ryan has been a blessing for me, for Karen.  I love having Ryan around and though he is a lot of work, I don't know what I would do without him.  He is finally down after a fairly fussy day.  He did not nap for longer than 1/2 an hour and he finally went down for a few hours.  This is the time I cherish.  Time for silence and stillness.  Time to fold laundry, clean dishes, and possibly get some reading in and who knows, maybe even some song writing.  I wish there were just a few more hours in the day and who knows, I might still be saying this.  So goes life.

In any case, I am so grateful for Ryan in my life.  I am so blessed to be able to share it with Karen.  And now, I am blessed to have a little me time.  Thank God!!

I think the whole city was in a funk today. The lack of communication on my part is attributed to this, at least in my mind.

I cut a call from Doug short in order to meet Ryan sooner. Peculiar not so much in the action but in the indecisive feeling afterward. Proud, hesitant, questioning, happy? Still not quite sure.

Ryan knows funks. It's a good thing. I don't even want to write. Tomorrow.

I hope the sun shines on us.

Damnwells

I did what I only knew how to do.  I started from the beginning of the list and tried again.  And the second time through the list, Ryan fell asleep.  And I mean that he literally fell asleep 15 minutes ago.  So after changing his diaper, feeding him again, burping him, swaddling him, giving him tummy time, and walking around the house for an hour, Ryan finally went down.  What was different the second time around?  Was he so exhausted from all the screaming the first time around that he finally went down?  All I know is that when I finally laid Ryan down in his crib, he smiled and had a peaceful, contented sigh.

By no means am I an expert parent.  There is so much I don't know.  It often scares me to think that I don't know everything about how to best care for my son.  But as I hold him and stare into his eyes, I know that I would do anything for him.  It is a love that is so free, unconditional, and limitless.  Still, I do lose my patience and get frustrated, but I am eternally grateful that Ryan is a part of my life, of Karen's life.  We are forging a new world together as a family.  And Ryan is helping me grow to be more patient, more generous, and more attentive to the world in which I live.

Parenting is not an exact science.  It is a delicate dance of love, accountability, support, laughter, tears, pain, and unbelievable joy.  There are no handbooks on how to be good parents.  Each child is different, unique, and beautiful.  Ryan is such an easy child to be around.  Yes he was fussy tonight, but he loves being around people.  He is so laid back and so warm.  He coos and smiles at Karen and I and it melts my heart.  Tonight, as I feed him at 3am, he will melt my heart again as he falls asleep in my arms after a warm bottle.  And the struggle of getting him down, the inability to do anything else will vanish because all that will matter is this love I have for Ryan.

I have heard some of my friends tell me that once you have children they experienced love in a whole new way.  It was as if someone came in and unlocked the key to their heart.  I have experienced an opening to my heart through Ryan.  There are moments when I am with him that my heart opens in ways I never knew it could.  It shows a love for Ryan and for the world that is boundless and full.  It creates a world filled with hope and possibilities, a world that is good and true.  And the glimmer of light I seek turns into an eternal light that makes my heart dance in ways I never it could.

As I write this, I feel so tired.  It has been a hard day of work and of parenting.  I am looking forward to a night of decent sleep.  And then a day filled with unbounded possibilities.  I guess parenting and life both have something in common.  They are both inexact sciences filled with much mystery and beauty.

Clean up kitchen

Do at least 2 loads of laundry (wash, fold and put away)

Vacuum downstairs

Locate the giant inflatable pumpkin

Get out the box of Halloween decorations

Finish cutting and start sewing the head of Kaleb’s yellow alligator costume (don’t ask) Got the pattern cut out and started to cut out the head.

Sew both kid’s trick or treat bags

Make dinner (Meat loaf, mashed potatoes and green beans

Snuggle in with Ryan after the kiddos go to bed. Well we are snuggling on the couch and will move upstairs in a minute.

Katie came over to use my sewing machine.  She spent her morning at the DOL getting her license renewed(There was a screw up the last time and it only renewed for 2 years.  LAME)  her alternator went out and luckily it was still under warranty since it was under a year.  We spent the day making a dog bed for Chloe.  Her pattern sicked and we came up with a MUCH better one in my opinion.  I will post pictures after tomorrow since she wants it to be a surprise for Richard tomorrow.  I love it and I want one for myself, even though I don't have a dog.  By the time we finished that up I was no longer in the mood to sew the trick or treat bags and then Ryan came home shortly after that.  I did get all the pieces to Kaleb's pattern cut out and all the little pieces really make me want to cry.  A lot.  It's ok, he'll love it and I will hold onto it forever for him.  Still have no idea where the heck the inflatable pumpkin is though, but I have an idea of which tote it might be in.  Ryan will have to move a few things for me.  The Halloween decoration box is right out in front so that was easy.  Tomorrow I am making the cake for Thursday.  I'm excited!  While I would love to do it professionally, I really enjoy making these cakes for the ones I love.  OK off to snuggle upstairs!

Atlanta vs Green Bay - Aaron Rodgers vs Matt Ryan. Both very young inexperienced, starting quarterbacks and Lambeau Field on the first weekend of October, it does not get any better than this. People were unsure of how Rodgers would play because of his shoulder injury, but in an attempt to beat Brett Favre's record setting streak of continuous starts, Rodger suited up and played. In the end, Matt Ryan was the quarterback who was leaving the field as a winner. This is the third week in a row that I have had to write about the Packers which is not a good thing. Hopefully they get the team back on track on their way to Seattle to visit former head coach Mike Holmgren.

San Diego vs Miami - So as I should have done when picking my picks for the week, the Chargers will now be known as the Padres. Hopefully this will give them a reason to start winning... Miami once again surprised the league with another upset victory. The Miami Dolphins are the team that everyone is going to overlook this season. Expect the Dolphins to finish at least .500 this season. They are that good. Or that average. However you want to look at it.

Buffalo vs Arizona - If any Buffalo Bills fans thought that JP Losman was a good quarterback hopefully this week proved something to you. The only good thing JP is good for is riding the bench and maybe giving the plays to the quarterback. On his first drive, JP lost a fumble and the Cardinals subsequently scored on the following drive. Hopefully, Trent Edwards can heal up over the bye week and come back in two weeks and start at quarterback. Concussions are so unpredictable so I'm sure we won't find out until next week whether he can play or not.

Pittsburgh vs Jacksonville - Once again, the Jaguars let me down. Their lack of a running game has imploded my fantasy teams all season long and until they find a decent tandem in the backfield, it's going to be a long season for the Jags.  Jones-Drew and Taylor must pick it up for Jacksonville's success. The Steelers are going to have another dominant year in their division and will end up making the playoffs once again.

So, as this will be my last blog before the NHL Season officially starts on Thursday, let me finish this by saying Go Wings... HEY HEY HOCKEYTOWN!

- Nathan

Boy do they love each other but some days they just want to pick fights at every turn....which is kind of how things went down at the pumpkin patch!

What are your thoughts on this new blog theme? I kind of like it but then wonder how it will look if I don't have a new photo to post every time...I always seem to go back to the "Simpla" theme, I should probably just stick with it - but that gets kind of boring! Opinions??

Maxy had to watch me cry last night. Ryan kissed me at the river's edge. Doug is probably not who I thought he was.

You are my favorite.

The difference between men and women is the level at which we communicate, decided a Max and a Kate - women put so much thought and energy into carefully choosing our words while men really do state the simplicity of the moment.

And we'll never completely understand the other. Does that make sense? Rainy day rescue blues.