Rest In Peace Ridley

Rest In Peace Ridley - Sep. 15, 2006 at 06:42 AM

Well, we were able to keep his health and quality of life up for the summer, but on Sunday the family decided it was time to let Ridley go. Sad day indeed, especially for Ursa who is left brotherless and solo. She'll have only a short time alone I'm sure, as we're on the lookout for doggie friends for her! I'm taking her camping this weekend for a change of scenery, should be good times!

A dog's day...

A dog's day... - Jun. 01, 2006 at 09:37 AM

I haven't updated in a while, so here's the latest. I'm on the mends as far as any strange illness, weird lumps or crazy rash are concerned, so that is great news! The latest sad news is that one of my beloved and cherished dogs has lymphoma - cancer in the lymph nodes. While I was away on my trip, my parents noticed lumps on Ridley's throat - oddly enough, around the same time I had my lump! Since I've been back, I found that all his external lymph nodes were inflamed, so our vet put him on antibiotics for a week. Like my lump, there was no change with the drugs. My mum and I took Ridley to the vet yesterday for a 'fine needle aspiration' to check the fluid in his lymph nodes, and cancer was confirmed. The prognosis isn't great I'm afraid, the vet said without any treatment, 1 month would be a stretch. So we've placed him on a solid dose of Prednisone (a steroid which slows down the division of the cancer cells) and will just make sure he is not in any pain. Our biggest concern is Ursa, as she has not known life without her big brother and litter mate. My family is open to getting another dog, but we're not actively searching - we tend to end up rescuing dogs as they come along! Those of you who have had the pleasure of meeting these friendly furry members of our family know how much they are a part of the Kaye household. Those of you who have not met them just know how animal crazy I am, so in turn know how devastating this news is. I just like to think that we've given Ridley a happy 4 1/2 years and that he has touched our lives greatly, and will be sadly missed when he is gone.
So, my family is heading to the lake this weekend with the two 'beasts' and we will cherish the time we have left with them together!

Home early...

Home early... - May. 06, 2006 at 11:58 AM

Hello All!
Well the mumps it was not...infected lymph node or something to that effect! Who else hey?! Anyways, long story short, after 6 days on French horse-pill-antibiotics the massive lump on my throat had not deminished one bit and was in fact quite worse. So, I spent 8 hours in the emergeny ward of Hospital Del Mar in Barcelona communicating in broken english/spanish with 7 different doctors, all of whom had no clue what was wrong with me! Early in the morning I was quite high on the heavy doses of Paracetamol, so the whole scene was hilarious "look at me, I'm in hospital in Spain, don't speak a sniff of Spanish and there are 7 doctors poking at me and chatting to eachother and I haven't a clue what they are saying!!!" Yeah well the drugs wore off in a couple of hours and nothing was funny anymore, especially when they told me to come back in 2 days to see a specialist! Tuesday morning I trodded back to the hospital and spoke to said specialist who informed me I needed to be admitted to hospital for 5 days on IV meds. You bet I started bawling! How scary is that?! Well then, I got on the phone with my travel insurance people (so glad I bought that!) and arranged how to get back Canada early. All I need is a simple release form from the hospital - should be a piece of cake...super! Oh yeah, next morning the doctors went on strike - beautiful! I guess this is a long short version, sorry. Anyways, I tracked down the doctor who admitted me - turns out the docs were at the hospital, just not seeing anyone (?) and he gave me a long letter in Spanish and some crazy harsh meds to get me home safe. And here I am now, home safe. Went to the hospital yesterday and got more meds (!) and will check back when I've consumed them all. My lumpy throat is much better, I don't feel like I'm growing another head!!!
I missed seeing much of Barcelona, but I have a great excuse to go back!
On to my next adventure - living in my parents' house after 8 years...scary...
Thank you for sharing my memories with me and I look forward to seeing you all again soon!
Love and Cheers,
Liz

Mump-tastic!!!

Mump-tastic!!! - Apr. 26, 2006 at 05:38 AM

Who gets the mumps? Who gets the mumps while on vacation in Europe? I'm in Barcelona, Spain at the moment, 2 feet from the Mediterranian Sea but I'm not pumped on the idea of going outside to expose my GARGANTUOUS face! Seriously, I have no neck right now, just a solid swollen lump from my ears to my shoulders! Super hot! I'm taking 3 types of drugs I got from a pharmasist in France and I slept until 1pm today! It's a good thing I have 2 weeks in Spain, and I better get rid of this Elephant Man head soon!

Moncontour Tour!

Moncontour Tour! - Apr. 18, 2006 at 11:12 AM

I now find myself in my friend Patrice's bar in a very small medieval town in the north west of France! I can't wait to explore Moncontour tomorrow! My journey of the last few days took me through Prague to London Stansted, then over to Luton by coach, then flew to Brest, France where I met a girl (Nadege) on my flight who gave me a ride from the airport to the train station where I took a train to Lamballe, then Patrice's friend picked me up and drove me here! You can always count on the kindness of strangers...well sometimes!

I Heart Prague!

I Heart Prague! - Apr. 14, 2006 at 07:02 AM

Made it to one of my all time favourite cities in the world - Prague, Czech Republic! After a 12 hour plus journey from Saarlouis yesterday, Melissa and I arrived ready for a great sleep in the warm, clean and super friendly hostel owned by a friend of Suska - teammate of Lynda! Crazy how the world is connected, and so wonderful!

Saarlouis Germany!

Saarlouis Germany! - Apr. 10, 2006 at 03:26 AM

Been a crazy journey thus far, but oh so fun! Melissa and I saw the Lion King on Thursday then headed off to Bath, England for Friday night and Saturday. Saw the Roman Baths, went on a comedy tour of the city as well as a historical tour and just chilled in this gorgeous place! Back to London Stansted airport Saturday night where we treated ourselves to a hotel! Holiday Inn Express right by the airport, so we could catch our 8am flight to Munich on Sunday morning. Flew to Munich, grabbed the train to Wasserburg to watch our friend Lynda play basketball. We then hopped on the team van back to Saarlouis where we are hanging out with Lynda until Thursday. Then off to Prague for the weekend!!! So excited - I love Prague! There, Melissa and I are meeting up with Gordo and James - Aussie friends from London, so it should be good times!

London Town

London Town - Apr. 04, 2006 at 09:41 AM

Made it into London last night and reconnected with Melissa at the hostel! Went out with some of her Contiki Tour friends and had a great sleep in a cozy hostel bed. Today Melissa and I puttered around London - getting familiarized with the Tube and planning what sites to see in the coming week. The sun made some surprize guest appearances today, but it hasn't rained yet, so good times! Going to watch some Aussie Football with Melissa's friend Gordo tonight, should be fun! Tomorrow will consist of a city bus tour and possibly the purchace of a Lion King the musical ticket?

Last Day in Edinburgh...sigh...

Last Day in Edinburgh...sigh... - Apr. 02, 2006 at 03:57 AM

Well then. It's been a blast here in Edinburgh - Scotland is indeed an amazing and magical land! Met some really fabulous people, saw some breathtaking sights and created some great memories! I will definitely plan a trip back in years to come.
So super sunny out yesterday - went for a long walk down by the shoreline just outside of the hostel. Visited with a bunch of dogs - good times! Had a wonderful meal at The Castle Arms with Alicia and Melanie, followed by a very tame Saturday night early to bed! Just heading into town for my last bit of touristy stuff before I depart for London tomorrow afternoon.

Rain, then Sun, then Rain again...

Rain, then Sun, then Rain again... - Mar. 30, 2006 at 03:38 AM

Well now, it's raining in Edinburgh today, but yesterday was the sunniest I've seen on my journey so far! Perfect day to go check out the Rosslyn Chapel. Gorgeous! So full of mystery and amazing architecture and such skill in craftmanship. No wonder there are so many people flocking to see this place - this summer is going to be nutso there when the Da Vinci Code movie comes out!!!
Tuesday was pissing rain all day, so why not climb a mountain?! Erin, Ryan and I decided to trek up Arthur's Seat, the hill in the middle of Edinburgh - it wasn't raining when we climbed up, just a little soggy. The trip down was by far the best part - we kinda slid down on our asses, me most of all because I had my boots with zero grip on. Fun times, muddy once again! Did laundry last night, so all is good!
Chilling today, making plans for the weekend with folks in the hostel and heading into town to buy an alarm clock because mine cacked. Hopefully it warms up a bit in the meantime!

Haggis Tour Rocked!

Haggis Tour Rocked! - Mar. 27, 2006 at 02:26 PM

Wow! So much fun in 3 days! Saw amazing waterfalls, sexy castles and tonnes of hairy coos (highland cows)! Made some wicked friends and experienced some unforgetable times in the highlands of Scotland! More details to follow, just wanted to update so you all knew I was still alive!
Back in Edinburgh today and heading out to Rosslyn Chapel tomorrow with some friends I made on the tour (Erin and Ryan - both Aussies). Stay tuned...

Sunny Scotland!

Sunny Scotland! - Mar. 24, 2006 at 03:12 AM

The sun was out all day yesterday as I toured around the famous Edinburgh Castle. So much to see and do here, I've booked myself in for another week! Heading out of town tomorrow morning with my new roommate Erin from Brisbane for the 3 day Haggis Tour to Skye, the highlands and Loch Ness - should be good times!

Scotland Day 1

Scotland Day 1 - Mar. 22, 2006 at 12:00 PM

Had an amazing sleep last night - this hostel rocks! Got up at 8:45am, had a HOT shower(good times), and took my time getting down to the free breakfast, which I thought ended at 10, but of course it ended at 9:30 (I sauntered in at 9:45am and paid 2 pounds for toast, oj and Frosted Flakes). Guess I'll get my ass down there a tad earlier tomorrow!
Took a tour bus to get my barrings and hopped off to tour around the Brittania Yatch - the big ship the Queen used to tote around the world in. Very cool, got some good pictures and loaded up on my Royal Family history! Laundry tonight, followed by planning the rest of the week!

In Edinburgh!

In Edinburgh! - Mar. 21, 2006 at 02:40 PM

Made it to the Scottish leg of my adventure in one piece! My day began in Dublin at 6:30am, grabbing a cab at 7:10am heading over to the Busaurus (sp.) bus station for the 8am bus to Belfast. Got there at 7:30am, then proceeded to MISS THE BUS! Not sure what happened there, I was looking at the loading dock, waiting for the bus, but failed to actually go up to the electronic gate to read the small print on some random piece of paper with the tiniest arrow pointing to the corner of the terminal where...oh, yeah, there goes my bus! Freaked out for a moment, then thankfully got a full 12 euro refund and walked next door to the train station to make some magic! Chatted with the information guy for 30 minutes - super helpful! He called buses, trains, ferries and planes to find me the best deal - finally settling on a 39 euro train/ferry ticket! Sweet! Train to ferry port just outside of Dublin, ferry to Holyhead, Wales, then train to Edinburgh! All said and done, I left Dublin at 10am and arrived here at my hostel at 9pm. Very fun day actually - ferries are fun!
Love this hostel - very clean and so far I'm the only one in my room! Plans for Scotland train/bus tours will commence tomorrow - stay tuned!

Last day in Dublin!

Last day in Dublin! - Mar. 20, 2006 at 03:02 AM

Well, it's been a very lovely ride indeed! Dublin has given me a terrible cold, I have no voice AT ALL, but my mental health more than makes up for that! It's raining again today, but I'm feeling well and have booked my bus to Belfast then the ferry to Glasgow with bus to Edinburgh! It's an all day trip, but that's what I wanted. I leave at 8am from Dublin and arrive in Edinburgh at 6:30pm - just in time to check into my hostel for the night! I'm booked in there for 5 nights, so I'll plan my Scotland adventures from there!
Saturday night was a bigger party night than my birthday night! Got together with some of Shannon's friends - very cool and fun folks - and we watched the Ireland vs. England rugby match with a pub full of fans. Great match! Ireland won - awarding them the Triple Crown, having beat the other 4 countries of the British Isles in the 6 Nation competition. Dublin was a great place to be on Saturday night after the game - parties were spilling out onto the streets everywhere and love was in the air! Good times for sure!
Went to the movies yesterday with Shannon, we were both a little 'ill', so it was nice to chill and lose ourselves in dark theatre. This morning was an early one as Shannon had to be at work at 8am - so I hung out at a cafe, then booked all my tickets. I'm heading off to Dvblinia - the medieval area of the city for a last bit of history!

Happy St.Patrick's Day!!! Indeed!

Happy St.Patrick's Day!!! Indeed! - Mar. 17, 2006 at 07:34 AM

Sorry, been out of sorts lately - stupid cold kept me dazed and confused, so any 'spare' time I spent sleeping! Melissa and I checked our cold selves out of the hostle on Wednesday and so have spent the last 2 nights at Shannon's lovely flat in Kilmainham. We toured Wicklow and Glendalough on Tuesday; did the 'hop on, hop off Dublin Tour bus' on Wednesday, to get all the historical info we could in one day!; then yesterday we took a train/bus tour to the Cliffs of Moher and Galway! Very cool stuff! This morning I was finally feeling like myself (thanks to Benylin 4 Flu and vitamin C!!!) Melissa and I headed out to participate in the St.Patrick's Day Parade at 8:30am (the parade itself began at 12 noon). You will never guess where we were in the parade!!! RIGHT AT THE FRONT!! Yeah, that's right, Melissa and a nice Polish guy named Christian were on the right and left sides of the street respectfully, and I, Liz 'It's my Birthday Today' Kaye, was right smack dab in the middle of the street, walking in front of all the bands and floats and street performers! We were the first thing everyone saw of the parade all day! The 3 of us were carrying St.P day banners that kept catching the wind, almost tossing us into the crowds! So super crazy fun! Gotta buy a few papers tomorrow and see if my mug made the cut!

Crush of the Day - Rory!

Crush of the Day - Rory! - Mar. 12, 2006 at 01:12 PM

Yup, got a new one! Melissa and I did the Kilmainham Gaol (Jail) tour today and the tour guide was so cute! Very Irish and a kind of a cross between Ralph Fiennes and George Clooney - ya, that's right. And super awkward - you all know how intriguing I find social awkwardness! Total history geek = HOT! Anyway, I asked him and his tour guide friend out for a pint later with Melissa and I and he totally turtled! His buddy had the 'sick-in-bed-girlfriend' excuse, but Mr.Rory said NOTHING, just stared at me and smiled. Oh well, painfully shy loses again!
On non-crush related news, the jail tour was really cool and it warmed up a bit here, but is still rainy and chilly. I'm losing my voice in true close-to-my-birthday-sickness fashion, so hopefully my cold goes away for this weekend!
Off to eat at the Hairy Lemon - chat soon!

Falling in LOVE!!!

Falling in LOVE!!! - Mar. 11, 2006 at 07:48 AM

Okay, so this place is so me, it's a little ridiculous! Green everywhere, check; tonnes of beer, check; friendly people drinking beer, check! Oh, and I've totally met my future husband - although, no, because he's married, boo! A barkeep named Frank, so cute - tall, dark brooding type who rarely smiles, but when he does...
Anyway, on to a new crush - I usually have a new one daily! Melissa arrived last night, so her, Clair, Vicki and I went out on the town! Their last night here, so we wanted to make it memorable! I had met some random Irish guys at the Brazen Head (oldest pub in Dublin) earlier that day - and one of them is a barkeep at Spy Bar - posh club in Temple Bar, so we went and had a pint there. Before that, visited with Frank (sigh) and had an Italian feast - yum pizza! Today we visited the Guiness Factory - and I got all the beer as I was 1 of 4 who likes it! Sweet!
So, Melissa and I will have new 'roommates' tonight - hopefully they are not smelly boys! Stay tuned for epic tales for sure!

Dublin Day 1

Dublin Day 1 - Mar. 09, 2006 at 10:50 AM

Guess what? It's raining! The sun did appear for a bit around 1pm, but it's been raining off and on all day. Still amazing here though! Hung out with the 2 girls from my room in the hostel - Victoria and Clare from Devon, England. We went over to Trinity College and saw the book of Kells and the massive old library with tons of ancient books. Had a cheap lunch at the student cafeteria - 4 euros for stirfry and dessert! Then we walked over to Dublin Castle and took the tour - amazing decore! Meeting some very cool people at the hostel and am invited to a party on Saturday night - should be fun! Melissa gets here tomorrow, so the two of us will rip it up! Stay tuned, and I'll try to get some pictures downloaded!

I'm really here!!!

I'm really here!!!! - Mar. 08, 2006 at 09:16 AM

I can't believe it! Dublin, Ireland!!! I feel like a little kid on my birthday - close enough I guess! Tiring flight - couldn't get a window, so I did the bumpy nap in the aisle. Gatwick London was uneventful and hopped on the plane to Dublin sans problems! I'm all checked into the hostel and heading out to find my first of many pints!
Cheeeeeers!!!!

Off I go...

Off I go... - Mar. 07, 2006 at 01:25 PM

This is it, last few hours in Canada until my grand adventure 2006!!! Getting excited! Hope I can sleep on the plane a bit. I'll post as soon as I get to the hostel in Dublin and am awake.

Familial visit...continues

Familial visit...continues - Mar. 06, 2006 at 08:35 AM

Dined with cousin Norm, Amy, Ken, Michele and Mike at the famed "Cafe Diplimatico" yesterday afternoon. Amazing food!
I can't believe it - one more sleep until I jump the pond!

Picture: Uncle Ken, goofing in the background, (l-r) Amy, Michele, Mike and Norm

Toronto Love

Toronto - Love - Mar. 02, 2006 at 01:38 PM

Left Kamloops Tuesday afternoon heading for the big TO where Michele awaited my arrival. So great to hang with my sis again - miss her terribly! It's chilly in Toronto, not Winnipeg chilly by any means, but the wind is piercing. Mum is here on business, so I get to sleep in a comfy hotel bed for 3 nights! Then I'll move over to Uncle Ken's where Mich and Mike live for the rest of my stay. Leaving for Dublin (via London) on the 7th, which is fast approaching!

Week 3 in Kamloops - it's snowing! - Feb. 23, 2006 at 05:18 PM

Well, it's just like home here today! Snowing and cold. Should be nice in the mountains though. Going up snowboarding again on Sunday with Dea - I'll try not giving myself a concussion this time around!

re: Picture
Claire, Carly, Uncle John, Aunt Siegi and Deanna - all seeing me off at the Kamloops airport!

Plans...

Monday, January 28th 2006

All canadian tickets booked!!! The count-down to departure begins, with the pinacle of excitement on Saturday 'going away party'...