Happy Birthday Adrina Renee!!!

An Open Letter to My Very Missed Cat, Adrina

Happy Birthday Adrina Renee!!!

 

Wow, my sweet little girl, you would be 13 years old today!!!  But no matter how old you get you will always be my little one!!!  I wish you were here to help us celebrate this special day of yours!!!

Even though it’s been five years since you went to Kitty Heaven, we have still thought of you and missed you EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!!  We have of course kept your photos up all over the home, we are continuing to feed your squirrel friends, and we keep a close eye on your car dealership lol...  Your sister Dolce still misses playing with you!!!  Sadly, she spent several months looking for you and crying out for you…

We could NEVER replace you nor would we want to, but with soooooo many kitties needing homes and Dolce seeming so sad without a playmate we decided we needed to help so we brought home Bailey Jean…

Unfortunately, Bay is NOT a fan of Dolce and there has been soooooo much stress and tension…  It’s truly heartbreaking to see them refuse to get along and be forced to live on separate sides of the home…  I keep thinking if only you were here, you could talk some sense into these silly little girls…  Their lives would be soooooo much better if they could just get along…  Instead of having to split my day going back and forth between them, we could all spend the day together and they wouldn’t have to be left alone for part of each day…  Hopefully one day we’ll finally get to that point and be able to live in harmony…

We also started taking care of a new kitty we’ve seen in the neighborhood…  We named her Lily and we’ve been inquiring about her home status…  So far, we haven’t been able to turn up any family members, but we’re still trying…  She’s usually pretty clean, but SUPER skinny!!!  And every time we feed her, she quickly gobbles it down like she hasn’t eaten since we last fed her…  I’m soooooo worried about her being outside all day and night, especially with these crazy hot summer weather we’ve been having most days…

Unfortunately, since we don’t know if she has FeLV or if she’s been vaccinated, we can’t bring her inside if she could potentially infect Dolce or Bay…  And we’re not certain if she has fleas so we just can’t take those risks…  I’m sure you remember those couple times we had to flea bomb the house, wash down EVERYTHING, and you had to take that horrible flea bath that you were NOT too happy about lol…  But we did get to go on that fun road trip up to the mountain while we waited for the house to be safe again…  Still, not exactly what we need right now and as you may remember, Dolce HATES car rides…  But feeding Lily 2-3 times a day is not healthy or fair to her…  So, hopefully we will find her owners soon…  But if we can’t find anyone, we talked about taking her to one of the shelter’s we work with so she can find her furever home and have a good life…

So, if you have any kitty pull up there, please help us find Lily’s family or give us the strength to be able to say goodbye to her and take her to the shelter…  She’s such a sweet kitty, but we just don’t have the space or resources to have three cats in our small home…  Plus, Bay and Dolce are both going through some medical issues that require a lot of time, money, and care…  Hopefully, you can also continue to keep an eye on them and keep them in your prayers…  Sadly, with the pandemic right now vet care is still not up and fully running so there’s so many labs and tests that are on hold…  Hopefully, we will be able to find out something soon and can start getting them the proper treatments they need to get better…  Oh, you would soooooo hate the prescription cat food diet both girls are on lol…  I think about that quite often – there’s NO way you would eat this stuff lol…

Hopefully, you are enjoying the good life up there and getting to eat all those yummy, delicious cat treats and the lip-smacking people food that you often tried to get away with eating lol…  I hope you have made LOTS of wonderful furry friends to play with and are enjoying endless kitty cuddles and tummy rubs…

We miss you soooooo VERY much!!!  But we are grateful that you are no longer in pain!!!

You brought us soooooo much love, joy, happiness, and laughter!!!  We will NEVER forget you!!!  THANK YOU for being such a FABULOUS cat and allowing me to be your mom!!!

LOVE YOU ALWAYS,

<3 MOM

Happy 9th Birthday Adrina Renee!!

Happy Birthday Adrina Renee!!  Today you would have been 9-years-old!!  Still such a young, beautiful little girl!!  I can’t believe you’re not here to celebrate…  It’s the first birthday you’ve missed…  I miss you sooooo much!!  I hope you are happy and safe in Heaven!!  You are still on my mind everyday…  I love you sooooo much – forever and always!!  Happy birthday, my sweet baby girl!!

Happy Birthday!!

Another year older…  Another year wiser…

Well at least the first part is true lol!!

Wow, I can’t believe I’m 21 again LOL!!

Haha, okay if you’ve read my profile page you know that’s not exactly true, but at least still in my twenties J

I love being a blogger and am so thankful to have you all here!!  Whether you come by for the giveaways, exciting posts, or just to say hi – I am SOOOOO happy to have your support and readership!!  Thank you again for all the kind words and love – I truly appreciate it!!

Today I will be out with my best friend spending the day shopping, going out for a nice dinner and drinks, and of course some gambling lol!!  Wish us luck!! J

Hope you all have a fabulous day as well!!

Eiffel Tower Turns 126 Years Old Today!

Happy Birthday Eiffel Tower!

Photo Courtesy of Holland America Line

Wow I can't believe the Eiffel Tower was completed in Paris, France 126 years ago today!  The Eiffel Tower has always been one of my absolute favorite landmarks.  Although I have never had the opportunity to visit Paris yet, it is on my list, and one day I will be there. 

In honor of the Eiffel Tower's birthday I thought it would be fun to learn more about it's history.  Here are two incredible articles that provided detailed information about the birth of the Eiffel Tower and how it has influenced and impacted the world over the last 126 years!

Photo Courtsey of Wikipedia

Here are 10 interesting facts about the Eiffel Tower that I found on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiffel_Tower).

1. The Eiffel Tower was named after the engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower.

2. It took 2 years, 2 months, and 5 days to complete the construction of the Eiffel Tower.

3. The height is 324 meters (1,063 feet) tall – which is about the same height of an 81-storey building.

Photo Courtesy of Wikipedia

4. During its construction, the Eiffel Tower surpassed the Washington Monument to assume the title of the tallest man-made structure in the world, a title it held for 41 years, until the Chrysler Building in New York City was built in 1930.

5. Because of the addition of the aerial atop the Eiffel Tower in 1957, it is now taller than the Chrysler Building by 5.2 metres (17 ft).

6. The tower has three levels for visitors, with restaurants on the first and second. The third level observatory's upper platform is 276 m (906 ft) above the ground the highest accessible to the public.

Photo Courtsey of Wikipedia

7. Tickets can be purchased to ascend by stairs or lift (elevator) to the first and second levels. The climb from ground level to the first level is over 300 steps, as is the walk from the first to the second level.

8. The tower is the tallest structure in Paris and the most-visited paid monument in the world; 6.98 million people ascended it in 2011.

The tower received its 250 millionth visitor in 2010.

9. The Eiffel Tower is married.  In a commitment ceremony in 2007, Erika Eiffel, an American woman, "married" the Eiffel Tower.

10. Maintenance of the tower includes applying 50 to 60 tonnes (49 to 59 long tons; 55-66 short tons) of paint every seven years to protect it from rust.

Photo Courtesy of Business Insider

via MoonSoleil on Flickr

Here are 13 cool facts I found on Business Insider (http://www.businessinsider.com/eiffel-tower-facts-2015-3)

1. The Eiffel Tower wasn't the brainchild of Gustav Eiffel. Instead, his senior engineers Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier designed the building. Gustav Eiffel wasn't overly interested in the project, but sent the engineers to the head of the company’s architectural department, Stephen Sauvestre. With Sauvestre's edits, Eiffel got behind the final plans and bought the rights to the patent.

2. The Eiffel Tower in numbers. 300 workers, 18,038 pieces of wrought iron, 2.5 million rivets, 10,000 tons, 984.25 feet high.

3. The tower was built as a symbol of modern science. Or as Eiffel himself said, “not only the art of the modern engineer, but also the century of Industry and Science in which we are living.” At the time that the tower was being built, another technology was also in its infancy — photography. As the tower was assembled, many photographers captured series of photographs to show the tower’s construction.

4. At the time of its construction, the Eiffel Tower was the tallest building in the world. It wasn't until 1930, when New York City’s Chrysler Building rose to 1,046 feet, that the tower lost that title.

5. The Eiffel Tower's elevators weren't operational at first. On May 6, fairgoers were allowed to enter the tower, but the 30,000 visitors had to climb 1,710 steps to reach the top. The lifts finally entered service on May 26.

6. Parisians originally hated the Eiffel Tower. Newspapers received angry letters that said the tower didn't fit into the feel of the city and there was a team of artists that rejected the plan from the get-go. One apocryphal story says that novelist Guy de Maupassant said he hated the tower, but ate lunch at its restaurant every day. When he was asked why, Maupassant replied that it was the only place in Paris where he couldn't see it.

7. It changes height by the season. Because it’s made with puddled (wrought) iron, the tower’s metal expands when exposed to the summer sun, causing the structure to rise by as much as 6.75 inches.

8. The Eiffel Tower was only meant to stand for 20 years. But the French military and government began using it for radio communication and later telecommunication. When the permit expired in 1909, the City of Paris decided to keep it.

9. The Eiffel Tower has stood up to quite a lot during its lifetime. It transmitted radio signals during WWI and during WWII the elevator wires were cut so that the Nazis could not use the tower (after Allied troops entered the city, the elevators were fixed). It has even survived a fire on its top floor and over 250 million visitors from around the world climbing on it.

10. The tower is not painted one uniform color. To counteract atmospheric perspective, the tower is painted darker at the top and becomes gradually lighter toward the bottom.

11. Every seven years, 50 to 60 tons of paint are applied. The new layers are needed to protect the tower from rust.

12. It’s not just a tourist attraction. The Eiffel Tower has housed a newspaper office, a post office, scientific laboratories, a theater, and the first level becomes an ice rink every year.

13. It is the most visited paid monument in the world. The tower attracts almost 7 million visitors every year, 75% of them from other countries.

Photo Couretsy of Business Insider

via Bibliotheque Nationale de France

For more cool facts on the Eiffel Tower, visit the monument's website here: http://www.toureiffel.paris/en.html

Also be sure to check out the full articles about the Eiffel Tower on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiffel_Tower) and on Business Insider (http://www.businessinsider.com/eiffel-tower-facts-2015-3)

Have you been to the Eiffel Tower?  Or do you have plans to go someday like I do?  What was your favorite fact about the Eiffel Tower?