Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

New contact information for Abby:

Email: abbymasterman@gmail.com

Phone (I Phone!!): 207 992 3199

Address (for good measure): 788 Main Road, Carmel ME 04419

My how fast time passes.

This summer has been all but a blur. We've done some fun things, which I'll get to, but let me do the personal updates first. Abby's work is going pretty good. She likes going to the clinic, but I don't like it when she has to stay at the hospital overnight- boo for OB, but she does like delivering babies- or so she tells Daddy. Daddy is fishing as much as possible this summer. He's also crusading to save the Sandy River. Boof is, just boofy - she is getting skinnier since she's been on a diet and since she has been playing with Rosa. And Rosa, the new one, is pretty cute. Sometimes when I'm getting pets and loves from Momma, she chases and tries to bite my tail, then she runs away when I turn around. I don't mind too much because I love getting pets from Momma. But sometimes she frustrates me because she acts like she wants to play chase, but she only runs and hides under the bed when I chase her. Ugh- cats. She is getting bigger, but she still looks like a mini-Boofy. I'm doing pretty well. Looking good, and behaving - most of the time.

Now for the fun stuff. What about this weather we have been having this summer. June and July were just deplorable. August things started to get a little more seasonable, but still. We had a few fun camp days and a few good hiking days. One day we went to Bigelow and hiked all the way up the Firewarden's trail- that was steep. Then we hiked across the top and down a different trail. I love doing loops. On the way across the top, in a wooded section- you'll never believe what we saw- a HUGE Mama moose and her baby. Daddy was wicked scared (I was trying to just get out of dodge) and Mom bearly noticed. It was a beautiful day for hiking. I was so pooped at the end I think i slept for nearly 3 days straight.

Hmm. What else did we do for fun.... well I didn't get to go, but Abby & Ethan had their first vacation as a working couple. I had to stay with Nana & Papa, then with Aunt Andrea & Bill (and those cats, you know the ones that eat the bacon!). Anyway, they went to PEI for 4 days. I guess it was pretty nice, lots of farm lands then right next to the beaches. They saw a couple shows up there - one was a hilarious dinner theater, the other a music-montage about disco music. Both were very entertaining.

On the way home, they stopped in the middle of Maine to go White Water Rafting on the Penobscot River. Abby's been bugging grandpa Jim for quite some time now, so he gave her the trip for her birthday. It was AWESOME!! The sun was shining and the waves were big. BUt I get really nervous when she tells the story about how she fell out of the raft, then got stuck under the raft before coming to the surface again so the guide could haul her into the raft. Phew, I'm glad I wasn't there for that!

Anyway.

Then, finally they came back to get me!! Ethan and I went on a little scouting fishing trip while Abby went to southern Maine to meet up with Sarah & Caitlin. They did more kayaking on the river (with LLBean's) and walked around Freeport for the whole day! It was so nice to see them and hang out. Man-oh-man, true friends are really gems and wonderful blessings in our lives.

New Addition

Great news Folks. We have a new member of our family to announce. Her name is Rosa, she's a 9 week old kitten. She looks just like Boofy, but in miniature. They weren't really planning to get another kitten but on of the MA's in Abby's office had some kitties move into her barn and they decided to keep this one so it didn't have to go to the shelter. It's been a great decision so far.

Except that she's still on quarantine because technically she was a stray and they want to make sure she's healthy and doesn't have any diseases that could infect Boofy or me.

I'll write more and give you more pictures as I can.

Catching up

Hmmm. I don't know what to say it's been a LONG time since I've posted anything. I'll do a quick re-cap of the last 8 months- ugh.

November- Abby's travling slowed down and things returned to a little more normal.

Around Thanksgiving time we moved up to Nana Frances and Papa Dave's house while Abby was working at the clinic in Kingfield. It was a great time because she got to work with the great people from Kingfield and have lunch with Grammie, Grandpa and Nana everyday. This lasted until Christmas time.

In January, we moved back to Carmel- phew that was a nice return to normal. Then I had to go back to Nana & Papa's house for 3 weeks while Abby & Ethan went with Papa Jim to Big Sky Montana to go skiing- I wish I could have gone because I heard there was a little puppy out there- I love puppies.

February was pretty normal.

March started normal until Abby left for 3 weeks. She went on this life-saving-trip- and left ME HERE! Ugh. Anyway- she was in Nicaragua for 1 week and El Salvador for 2 more weeks. I stayed home with Daddy & Boofy. She finally came back in the beginning of April. April was pretty normal- except Abby worked at night (in the ER) and was sick during the day. I felt bad for her, but she survived.

That brings us to May- which was great. Abby stayed home most days- hooray. She peeled all the blasted pink flowers off the walls and in 3 days time she and Grandma Julie painted every horizontal and vertical surface in the whole house. I can't believe how hard they worked- well past 8 every day. It's a much nicer place now- no more flowers and no more pink.

The last of May Abby & Ethan went to Arizona. Technically, Ethan went for a work conference in Scottsdale. But they went out earlier- and left me with Nana & Papa, who left me with Andrea & Bill. They went to Flagstaff, the Grand Canyon, and Sedona before going to the conference. Apparently, it was a great trip- but I wouldn't know because I DIDN'T get to GO!

This brings us to June. The first week of June we stayed at Little Sebago- I love camp! Abby's friends Gretchen and Denis stayed with us for a couple days- they have a little human too, Pedie who's very cute. Abby had dub graduation stuff to do before the big day on Saturday June 6.

After that we came back up home. There were two really relaxing weeks before the madness began again. This week Abby started learning lots of things she needs to know for residency.

She is specializing in Family Practice at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor Maine. So far, she really likes the other 8 interns (first year residents). She has one more week of orientation- mostly learning about the clinic. Then the next week - the first full week in July- she'll be starting real doctoring and patient care. Her first rotations are Opthalmology and Orthopedic surgery, followed by Obstetrics.