Kat's Note: YES A NEW NOTE!!!
The really sad part about life is that there is NOT NEARLY enough time to enjoy what you're working for. So.....
Greetings all! If anyone is actually reading this, yes. I'm still alive. Anyone that actually KNOWS me reading this... Hi there! I'm working really hard and making sure I get this note right because it's been SO long since I've touched HTML, I'm sure I'll manage to screw it up somehow. Thank the gods for cut and paste!
We've had some major changes in our lives. Let see... Last time I updated this... Ah yes. Almost two years ago. Wow. Well, an update for anyone who cares. ;)
So, Jon and I got married in May of 2004. Crazy. Bon and Remi were in the wedding, and did fantastic. I'm so proud of them! Remi walked me down the aisle, and Bon waited with her daddy to receive us. It was so darn cute!
Problem with all of this was in January, 2004, Jon interviewed for a new job. (We already had the wedding plans). In March of 2004, he was hired, and we were off... To Chattanooga, TN! So, a major move, and a wedding in the span of 2 months. Yeah, not really my idea of fun. But we were already in full swing, so there was no turning back. Thankfully, everything went pretty much without a hitch (considering I was doing everything long distance. Wedding was in NY where the family is!) and we had a wonderful time.
So, then in August of 2004, we decided we liked Chattanooga enough to settle down. So, we started house hunting. In October, we moved into our new home! This is VERY exciting for me, since I've never lived in a house before. Fenced yard, all the good stuff. We're in the process of some decorating, but it was mostly move in condition (except for the Winnie the Pooh wallpaper in the master bedroom and master bathroom! Yeah, that came down before we moved in.) We're still settling in, but we're happy.
And finally. In the middle of November 2004, I decided it was time to leave PETsMART. Many bad issues at this particular location, along with the problems I had in Houston just soured me. So, I will now be starting to train at a different location. It is a private business called Pawsitive Connection, run by a woman that I met here back in April. Megan has been trying to get me to join her for most of the year, and I finally called her and asked if the offer was still open. She was thrilled. I've been doing a little work with her over the past few weeks, but will not officially start until January.
So, it's been a little crazy this year. New city, new home, new job, and married. I don't do anything small, do I? ;)
Also, our family has changed a little. Phantom passed away in September, 2003. It was a very shocking loss to us as she had not been sick at all. Friday she was normal, Saturday she started acting a little strange, Sunday she seriously went downhill (a morning vet appointment showed serious chest congestion), and died in my arms Sunday night. That is as far into that as I will go because I can't say that I've completely gotten over it, but I am glad it was quick. I'd decided that I would add no new kitties to our home, and Jon just let me make that decision. Well, apparently a cat in the shelter at the Houston PETsMART had other ideas. Twyla got my attention that following week, and finally stole my heart on Saturday when she licked Bon's nose, and wasn't even phased by Remi, the cat lover. We brought her home that day. Yeah, I'm a sucker. About a month later, a man came into the store with a little orphaned tortie. Well, normally orphaned kitties don't do much to me. I've seen hundreds of them. Something about this one tugged at me, though. Jon just laughed, and agreed that she was cute. Took us about 2 weeks, but we finally decided to name her Guinness (didn't take that long to decide we would be keeping her... Just took us that long to name her!). She was 4 weeks when we took her in, and Bon immediately decided that this little thing was her puppy. So.... Guinness, I swear, thinks she's a dog most of the time. We can't have a normal animal.
Well, that's it for the moment. Now that I'm not working at the moment, and it doesn't look I'll be working as much with the new job (yeah!), I might just have time to do some stuff around here. I am thinking SERIOUS changes, so do not be surprised to pop in and see everything DRASTICALLY different. Course, don't be surprised to pop in here in 6 months and find that nothing has changed, either. *sigh* I'm just never sure what I'll be doing minute to minute!
And don't be afraid to drop me a line. Email link still works, and I will check it regularly over the next few weeks. It's not my main account, but I'll get back to you if I know you, and give you my permenant address to talk with. Hope to hear from anyone that has taken the time to still check the site!
--Kat, 12/04/2004
Well, hello there! Life has been very crazy, and I'm not saying it'll get any easier, but I am going to put some time aside to do some MAJOR revamping to this page. Over the next few months, many of the animal pictures will be gone, and there will be more of just my pets. I'm not sure what else I will do with the page, but there will be come major changes.
If there is a picture of your pet here, make sure you get it now. I will, of course, keep a copy of it (I couldn't lose my graduate's pictures!), but they will not be accessible anymore. Pretty much guess about 3 months, and they will all be gone. (It will take about that long to copy them all back to my computer and then copy them over to disk)
If anyone has any requests on what they'd like to see on here (within reason, of course), drop me an e-mail and I will do what I can. If anyone has any animal-related jokes and pictures, send them along too.
--Kat, 02/22/03
Aahhhh... Well, for anyone that has looked at the page recently, you will of course notice that nothing has changed. *sigh* Due to lots of work, I have literally not touched the page in way to long. And, again, due to work, I will not be touching it for a very long time. Essentially, the page is temporarily shut down. It will of course be still accessible, but nothing new will be added for a long, long time.
I apologize to those that enjoyed looking through, but it's just getting to be a little busy.
--Kat, 09/28/02
Well, guys..... Life has taken a bit of a turn, and I just wanted to let everyone know what is going on. This especially is to my newest graduates over the last week or so, to whom I apologize whole heartedly.
On Monday, December 10th, our apartment was broken into, and burglerized. Both computers were stolen, my digital camera, track ball, PC games and CDs, our playstation and a lot of games, radio, joy stick and Jon's katana. Not a good week so far. Sooooo... Consequently, all pictures taken with the digital are gone, and will not be put up. Again, I apologize for this, and I just should have done them on Sunday, but it was our first day together all week with him working. I figured I'd put them up on Monday night while he was working. Instead, I spent Monday night with the police looking for serial numbers, and then went to work with Jon because I didn't want to stay home alone.
I will try to contact you guys over the next few days and hopefully we can get together to take a second one. It will be with a regular camera, but he can put them on a disk for me. We still have his old (and I do mean OLD!) computer, so I can still get online, but it will just take a little longer. I still haven't gotten through everything to see what I still have for software, and need to see if I still have the photo editing program that will make things easier for me.
The good things is that noone was home, the dogs were with me at work, and Phantom is fine, although she did escape through the broken window, but did come back. (Wish she could talk and tell me what they looked like, and when they were there.)
Good luck to all. I will be doing very little work on the page until we can get a replacement computer that I can do major work with. Might be a while. Otherwise, I will try to get all new graduates up as soon as film is developed and put to disk.
Happy Holidays all!
--Kat, 12/12/01
Greetings again! Yes, I'm just kicking along here! I've added a few more pages in the Funnies Pages, and they are now working, so be sure to take a look. I never realized they weren't working until I went to take a look at them! Yikes! But all is well now, and I have uploaded a whole bunch of pictures that I will make available over the newxt few weeks or so.
Goodness is it getting COLD in Houston! Brrrrr.... I think we only had a high of something like 79... ;) (Ok, so I had to stick that in for my Buffalo friends). No, I'm not going soft. But I will admit it feels rather chilly after all this nice, warm weather. Jonathan actually wore his coat to go to the store tonight! Heck, we don't even have the A/C on at the moment! But never fear... The weather men say it will start warming up.
I'm off. I am painting a Christmas Villiage this year, and I should get back to it. I figure if I get a good amount of them done this year, and I add one or two new ones each year, by the time we buy a house I'll be able to set up a whole room! Yes, a little silly, I know, but that's me!
--Kat, 10/18/01
Ok, guys. It's just about done. I have all pictures that were taken with my digital camera up, and ready to look at. Those that were taken with a regular camera, I still have to scan in and it may take a while. But everything else is done.
I've also gotten Bontemps' pages up. You can access them from the main page. Be sure to look at her picture page, and see what she looked like when we first brought her in!
AND the page has its own domain again. It's www.katsanimalgallery.net. You can either change your bookmark, or leave it as is. The Geocities address will automatically take you to the correct sight for as long as Geocities is active, which I assume will probably be forever.
Well, just a quick note today. I'm off to watch football and paint!
--Kat, 10/14/01
Greetings all! Ok, all of the links for the Houston pages are now in the Gallery, but not all of them are going to work yet. This is a long process because of the way that I build my pages, and the fact that after writing the note yesterday, Geocities (which is OWNED by Yahoo, BTW) decided that working with pages and saving them yesterday would not work. It is working today, and I've put up a group of pages, and will continue to do so for the next week.
Soooo... In the interest of time, I am not proofing all pages after I've done them (because they've ALSO decided that previewing the page after I'm done with it won't work entirely either.... UGH!!!). If your pet's page comes up with information next to the name, b-day, etc., but no picture, please let me know. I will check them all once I'm done, but not until then.
Also, if there is information that is not there, send me an e-mail with that info. Be sure to include your pet's name, first AND last!
Well, off to work again. Just wanted to get this up in case the saving stops working again!
--Kat, 9/24/01
UGH!!! Ok, here's the newest news... The 'new' page is NOT working at the moment, so I have made some MAJOR changes to this one to be able to fit all the new pictures on it. I'm having a minor arguement with Yahoo, and will hopefully make the last call tomorrow to get things straightened out. *SIGH* It's been fun.
To all Houston Graduates: I apologize for taking soooo long to get your pictures up, but take a look again (if you haven't already) and it should be there. I've set y'all in a new section, so just look for the "Houston Graduates" and then find your dog's name.
To ALL Graduates: The picture pages no longer work, and I will be slowly removing the link from all pages, but it might take awhile. If the picture on your dog's page, i.e., the graduation picture, or at least the one next to all the dog's information, doesn't work, please e-mail me, and I will be sure to get it fixed! Just click the e-mail link on the page.
Well, I'm off. I've got a LOT of things left to do! Hope all are well, and I hope to hear from all od you soon, whether by e-mail or in the store!
--Kat, 9/23/01
Hello all. See? Working again. Seems to come in spurts. The new page is coming along, and I've actually gotten most of the main pages up and running. Be sure to take a look at it (not that it's any different from this one at the moment!). Go to www.katsanimalgallery.com and be sure to change your bookmarks. Not everything is fully functional yet, but I'm working hard at it, and it actually should be all up within the week. The picture pages are NOT going to work, and I'm still considering on whether to keep them or get rid of them. It really is a lot of extra work for me. Still debating that. For now, they will not be on the new page. I have a bunch of new graduates from here to get up on the page. Yes, new graduates, you will be on the new page ONLY! That's the point of the new page was more room for you guys!
When you get to the new page, check out the note there. It's not much, but it's mostly new. It also has some info about the new page.
In other news, the new puppy, Bonton is doing fine. She's about 50 lbs, and we're working on getting her bigger. There will be pictures of her up on the new site as well, as soon as I get that far!
Well, back to work for me. I'm just waiting for all the pictures to finish uploading, and then it's offline, and more pages to work on!
--Kat, 5/28/01
Yahoo! Ok, Kat has just opened a HUGE can of worms now! Geez.... Leave well enough alone...
My webpage will be moving... Sometime. Not sure when yet. Don't worry. Once the move is actually complete, I will leave this one up with a link to the new site. Man, did I jump in big! hehehehe Not exactly sure how to work on the new site, or how to get everything over there, or anything. This may actually take quite a few months. But don't worry... This site will still be here and completely accessible until the move is entirely complete. What I've done is given myself a TON of room to play, so look forward to lots of new stuff... If I can figure out how to use everything on there! Otherwise I'll have to do stuff the 'hard' way (as if I don't already do that now!), and I won't bore you guys (yes, still haven't picked up the Houston-speak yet!), but it will mean the instructor will need to learn things all over again. I must be nuts... but then you guys already knew that!
In other news.... A new addition to the family! Me and my boyfriend had a stray dog running through the complex where we live, and were planning on taking this dog with us when we move into our new apartment in July. Then, I come home from work today, and it started to POUR!!!!!! Any of my new students in Houston know the storm I'm talking about. Yikes! Hope that isn't a prelude to the hurricane season! Anyway, Jon looked at me, and I looked at him. He simply said 'The puppy!', and I agreed. He tried calling for her, but she didn't respond. So he got out the umbrella, and went looking for her. (Side note here, the reason I hadn't already brought this dog in was we are not allowed to have a dog bigger than 20 lbs. in our current apartment, which is WHY we're moving in July!) And he found her.... UNDER MY CAR! If that isn't a sign, I don't know what is! Well, he brought her up to the porch, and I opened the door... And we haven't really looked back. After making sure she wasn't going to eat Phantom, we decided that was it. A trip to good ol' PETsMART for a quick flea bath and some supplies... And the power had gone out! Of course. So we gave her a bath in the dark, and then went shopping by flashlight. Yes, I'm crazy.
She's a yellow lab, VERY thin, (couldn't weigh her 'cuz the power was out!)with a wonderful temperment, pretty good manners for a dog that was a stray, and appears to be housebroken, or at least mostly. Since I'm getting my standard poodle in July (YEAH!), this is really Jon's dog, and he's named her Bonton, which is 'Good Times' in french (this is what I get for dating a guy that's spent the past 6 years in New Orleans!) Actually it's Laizeas Le Bonton Rouler (and that's just a guess really) which means 'Let the good times roll'. BIG phrase in New Orleans. So, we have a new family member, and Phantom isn't exactly pleased, but she only took one swipe at the poor girl, and didn't scratch her at all.
Well, that's the craziness in Houston at the moment. Look for more notes, as things calm a little at work (and of course, now that I've said that....), and I hopefully have a little more time to work on the pages, and figure out what I've done! ;)
--Kat, 5/26/01
Greetings folks! Here I am again, adding a short note. I have changed my guestbook, hoping this one will look a little better, and might be a little more interesting. I apologize to everyone that's already signed, but this ones a little different, so, please resign!
I will be putting a new note up this week (I hope!) and will also be adding more room to the page, so look for some new things added!!!
--Kat, 5/8/01
Greetings from sunny Houston! Yes, it's been a fun time, and I haven't had nearly the time I had hoped to have! Yikes! I'm hoping over the next few weeks to get caught up, but I'm not sure that will happen...
Started my 'new' job, and walked into a mess... An old instructor who had no idea what she was doing. So I've been spending a lot of time getting the program back in order, reteaching a lot of her former students, and generally cleaning up a BIG mess. But that is pretty much taken care of now (still a few things to work out, but that's just going to take time), and I'm starting to focus on my own life again! Which means getting back on here and doing some cleaning. Looking into increasing the size of this site, and then I'll start adding some of the really fun stuff I've been accumulating over the past few months that's just been taking up room on MY computer!
I will be writing to those of you who's e-mail addresses I have over the next few weeks, just for a little catch up. I miss you guys, but I can honestly say I don't miss the weather... It's in the 80's down here! Wow! Of course, it's only April, which means I HAVE to get the A/C on the car fixed, and soon!
As always, keep checking back, because you never know when I'm going to pop up on this page, and just start adding things like crazy!
Anyone that has not sent me the information for your dog, please do so! I have filled out what I can, but I need your input! Leave me E-mail and I will add it in!
Keep in touch, and let me know how you're doing! Also, be sure to sign the guest book on the Home Page!
--Kat, 4/6/01
If you would like to comment on anything about the page or my notes, leave me
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