Sintra, 40, and thriving! Happiest 40th birthday Mark! I hope the memories weāve made so far last a lifetime and the events to come make it the fortiest 40th possible (pastel de nata later?) Amo-te, feliz aniversĆ”rio!
I was feline fine after some good food and drink, and made a lovely little friend along the way. She jumped on my shoulders, then cat-pulted into my heart. Just another day in purradise.
#cats_of_instagram #cats #catsofinstagram
At age 3 I left my birth state of Virginia and moved to Washington state by car, so got an early start coast to coast exploring the interior of the United States. Now, I donāt count those as states I have āvisitedā as I donāt remember nor do I know the exact route. So, over the years having developed a yearn for travel and the desire to āsee it allā, the haughty task of visiting all 50 was never at the forefront of my mind, but was an accomplishment I knew, if met, would give me a sense of pride; a turning point in lifeā¦ a ābefore all 50ā to āIāve visited all 50 states.
That goal I noticed became easily attainable within the last couple years when I noticed there were only a handful left - a couple black shapes in the sea of orange on my Been app (not an ad), and last week when an opportunity to visit Portland, Maine, my would-be state 49, I noticed it was a quick Amtrak ride to Dover in what would become my 50th state, New Hampshire. So I did it!
Qualifying āhaving visitedā as outside an airport, and doing something as much as eating or stopping to use the bathroom and be amongst the people, itās done. Post 50 state era. Cheers toā¦ the Mexican states next? Canadian provinces and territories? Who knows. Suggestions welcome šŗšø
#mainething #newhampshire #maine #50thstate #all50 @been_app
**WARNING: GOOD NEWS POST**
If youāve been following my stories, youāll know a little of the background. A couple months ago, we found a lump on Bronxās back left leg at the hock. Labs came back saying itās a mast cell tumor, meaning Bronx has cancer. To say itās been a devastating blow to us is under selling it. We had the lump removed later that week, and due to the location the margins to remove enough tissue to ensure complete removal of any cells proved challenging and would have to work with a smaller area with a risk of leaving behind something unseen and a course of radiation or possibly amputation could be necessary for the best results of a full recovery. As a possibly detrimentally optimistic person I knew the best was to come, but of course in the back of my mind was lurking the real possibility that this had a decent chance of being something much more serious.
We were told 7-10 business days for the results.
Last night (4 business days later) at 6:58pm we missed a call from the vet, frantically tried to call back but after prompt after prompt we couldnāt get back. Voicemail was they had the results. His tone was chipperā¦ but why did they come back so fast? Is that good? Bad? A good night of sleep was not in the cards.
Got the call today and ā¦ š„ š„
It is a benign mast cell tumor, lower than low grade. No follow up treatment recommended. Bronx is essentially cancer free!!
I have to give a HUUUUGE thank you to @medvet in Chicago for all the wonderful people we met and worked with. Your bedside manner and sensitivity made this grueling issue somewhat manageable. And please excuse if I said anything medically somewhat inaccurate as this news was delivered to me via a game of telephone and Iām speedwriting impassioned and thinking of how Bronx is going to be spoiled this weekend.
Thank you to everyone who has reached out, sent vibes, prayers, well wishes. Iām not a religious person but for this little guy to have a long healthy life I have to thank any higher being should have had any hand in this.
Ok Bronx, letās go play!
Four Christmases ā¤ļø
From our little family to yours, wishing you Merry Christmas and a season full of love, laugh, and a little chaos.
Christmas Card 2025 āļø
In the third season of Black Mirror there is an episode titled āSan Juniperoā where the premise is the town is literally heaven on Earth. It was filmed right here in Cape Town seemingly because the city truly came be idyllic enough to represent real paradise. From the drama in the towering mountains to the tranquility of the bright blue coves hugging white sand beaches on an unforgiving ocean, rarely have my eyes been spoiled with a display so magical.
Itās my 40th birthday post, yāall. Letās see what else is in store for middle age.
Happy 40th Birthday to my favorite adventure partner, Angel.
āØSouth Africa gave us memories weāll be replaying forever. From checking off the Big 5 on safari, to literally swimming with penguins (even if they refused our cuddlesā¦ but at least they invited us into their caves for dinner), to trekking across dune terrain to go to a nude beach on my knee that barely held it together, to standing on top of Table Mountain having a moment to ourselves thinking, wow, weāre really in Africa and this is something we have both wanted for so long. Cape Town was truly magical and I am still in awe over what adventures we had, and Iām forever in awe that youāre my person I get to share life with.
Youāre the one who taught me the magic of wanderlust, the beauty of immersing yourself in new worlds, and the joy of saying yes to the unknown (as hard as that is for myself). Angel, youāre the one who taught me how magical it is to get lost in new places. Youāve seen over 40 countries before 40, and somehow you still choose to explore the world with me. Thank you for igniting my wanderlust and for loving me into becoming the person I never knew I could be.
Iām forever grateful for youāfor this trip of a lifetime, and for the lifetime of trips still ahead. Today (and every day) I celebrate you. And for the next 5 months, I fully reserve the right to call you the older oneā¦ and Daddy! āØ
Happy 40th, Ang. I love you.
More animals! Bigger, better, Africaner. Thanks @markanardone for the birthday Safari! Canāt do Africa without one. They wouldnāt let me pet anything though š
Bucket list item ā
Swimming with wild African penguins in the tranquil waters of the South Atlantic next to these gorgeous monoliths wasnāt what I expected to be doing on the eve of my 40th but itās gonna be hard to top this one.
