cast of charcters

zen- that's me! 41 years old, wife, mother, jewelry designer and zookeeper! we have two dogs, two iguanas and four parrots! also two tanks of fish. the hubby calls me "his medical nightmare" as much of our life is ruled by my medical problems. i have battled an eating disorder for over 25 years and am currently working on recovery. i have degenerative disc disease, osteoarthritis in my hips, osteopenia and a blood clotting disorder. the blood disorder causes my blood to clot too much leading to me having many episodes of blood clots. my vena cava was plicated when i was 20 years old because i had clots so often, they wanted to make sure the clots couldn't go to my heart or lungs. all of the clots have caused a lot of damage in my legs - i have chronic venous insufficiency and peripheral neuropathy due to nerve damage. last year i had a spinal cord stimulator implanted which helps immensely with pain control. due to all of the health issues it has been difficult for me to hold down a job. when i have worked i've been fired for missing too much work for doctor's appointments or being in the hospital. luckily i LOVE designing jewelry and have started my own business. i am hoping the business continues to grow so that i can actually make a decent income from this. as you read my diary you will find i'm madly in love with my parrots, especially my nanday conure, thea-bella. she is the light of my life and keeps me smiling even on difficult days!

the hubby - my darling husband of 11 years. he works in computers, he's a systems administrator...i love having my own personal computer guy available 24/7. he's smart, funny, handsome and and loves animals and anything to do with computers!

em - my 19 year old daughter who is away at college. she's my only child and i had a really hard time when she first went away to school. she is smart, creative, independent and level-headed (she didn't get that from me). when i say smart, i mean brilliant, she skipped her junior and senior years of high school and went to college. she loves it and is doing excellent! but she's still my little girl!

mom and dad - my parents, they live a few hours away and i wish i could get home more often. my dad and i had some really rough times during my teen-age years but we've resolved them now. my mom is the most amazing person i know. if i could be even half the woman she is, i would consider my life a succes.

will and wes - my brothers, both live in different states and we mostly just see each other on holidays. we've always been close though. will is married to lynn and they have three kids. wes is divorced with one little girl.

kitten - my neighbor and friend. we like to go thrift store shopping together and going out for chinese! she has custody of her granddaughter who has autism. she loves cats and i don't even know how many she has; hence the nickname!

guinness and lily - guinness used to work with the hubby and he's one of our closest friends here. he recently started dating lily and things are going hot and heavy. the hubby and i just recently met lily and we both liked her. guinness has a wicked snarky sense of humour and does the best impressions!

guy - one of my closest friends. we went to high school together and just got back in touch with each other a couple of years ago. he recently moved to my city and we talk often as well as having a standing wednesday night date! he's single and one of the funniest people i know! gigi - this is guy's girlfriend and she's just adorable! i love seeing the two of them together! she's smart and funny and i love to just hang out talking with her. she's someone i'd be friends with, even if she weren't dating one of my closet friends!

buster - another close of friend of the hubby and mine. he's a fellow fid (feathered kid)lover and is sweet and funny and single. any single girls out there? *smile*

dragon-a friend of hubby and mine, he works with hubby. he's a sweetie, in his twenties but really has his shit together! just bought a new motorcycle and thinks he's all that now! must be all the girls he has chasing after him...he is never without a date!

well those are the cast of characters in my life. i will update as needed!

~zookeeper zen!
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