100 and Done! (Countries that is...)

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We are back! This last trip brought the total countries visited to 100! It is a crazy milestone. It is difficult, time-consuming and can be (IS) expensive. After I got back from Antarctica in 2007, I started thinking about it. After 2010 I was thinking about it more (as I moved from NY to Georgia) and in 2014 it had become a real goal. Between Angie and I we have been to 109 Countries. We are tied at 100 countries each. We have 9 countries different in our lists. For example, I have been to San Marino. She has not. She has been to Israel. I have not, yet. There has been some fun competition in this area. That's why we had to establish rules. 1.) Must be listed (as a country) with the US State Department 2.) Being in an airport doesn't count. You have to get through immigration somehow and not in a DMZ or a no-mans-land 3.) A passport stamp is not required. I have been to Canada, Paraguay, and Uruguay without getting my passport stamped. There are friendly borders in many places...
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It has been a tough week. When I started discussing what a tough week it was with my favorite cat Tioga, he was sympathetic. He was purring and comforting. All in all his week was tougher than mine. We let the vet get the mass that was growing under his skin. He had to spend a night away from his home. They also took out the huge tooth he had.. they cause problems since the root is as large as the tooth. This is a tough cat and even "the toughy" was somewhat distracted by all the procedures.

Everyone will be ok. He has tough battle ahead though since he can't go outside until the stitches come out in 12 days. He will have to relax and settle for the window for a bit.

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