Don't be a Fraidy Cat

My mom came to Vegas to visit me for 2 weeks over the holidays this year.  It was LOVELY.  We had such fun--my mom and I, that is... not my cats.  (I know... there she goes, talking about cats.  Just call me Taylor Swift.)

Cosmo and Lockwood... well, they're used to having ME around.  Just me.  When other people come over, they're really good at running away and hiding.  When my mom came to stay with us, the boys were off their game.  They hid a lot, and only came out when they wanted food, water, or belly rubs.  They eventually got used to That Lady staying with us and became more comfortable interacting with her.  She even got Cosmo head-butts on her last day.

But Lockwood... Lockwood is a beast.  He's almost 25 pounds of long, black fur.  He's huge.  And you'd expect a huge beast like this to know that he could eat most things that get in his way.  That's not his reality, though.  His M.O. is to hide.  From everything.  We'd come in the door and he'd run back to my bedroom, and scramble under the end of my bed, where the blankets draped over perfectly to form a perfect cat-cave.

One day, as he was trembling in self-induced fear, I looked into the darkness, seeing bright eyes, shining huge and golden, reflecting the bathroom light, hidden safely under the blankets.  I rolled my eyes in exasperation.  "Dumb cat.  Get OUT.  You're not SAFE under there.  You're MISSING things; you're missing LIFE!  If you came out, That Lady would give you belly rubs and catnip, your favorite things in the world!"

Fat Cat

Then I stopped...  I've certainly jumped off cliffs before in my life--heck, I live in Las Vegas; that move alone was a jump--but am I missing out on God at times because I am hiding, trembling beneath the blankets?

I know there are things I've missed out on, the human equivalent of belly rubs and catnip, because I've been willing to sit at home, despite that feeling in the pit of my stomach telling me to DO X, Y, or Z.  You know what I'm talking about.  I have a feeling you've felt that feeling, too.  Where you're home or somewhere you think is safe, but your stomach starts to get tight and you feel nauseated... knowing that there's something that's a little scary out there, but you'll probably end up a better person (or at least have a lot of fun!) if you do it.

Here's my encouragement for you (in other words, my kick in the pants for myself): Next time you feel that punch in your gut that you should be doing something, I want you to put yourself in my Fat Cat's body, huddled under the bed and blankets, afraid to come out because what is outside just might be worse than the wonders that could be explored and the adventures that could be had, then make the decision to live, to choose the adventure.  Don't be a fraidy cat!

Traveling Cross Country With Cats

Before I moved from Washington State to Las Vegas, Nevada, I scoured the internet to try to find resources for how people have traveled with their felines when they drove multiple day trips.  Blog posts, FAQs, etc., were virtually unfindable.  As a result, I'm posting MY experience for the internet.

THE SITUATION
Moving me, my STUFF, my two LARGE Maine Coon cats, and my car on a two-day trip from Washington to Vegas.  I was towing my small car behind a 17-foot Uhaul that my friend was driving with me.

Here are my cats.  Cosmo and Lockwood.  Cosmo is a svelte 12 pounds.  Lockwood, a full-figured 24 pounds.  This makes things trickier than normal!

You can see that when I put all 36 pounds of them in their carrier, they take up every inch of space.

 MY OPTIONS
-Let my friend drive the Uhaul and I drive my car with the cats in it.
     The point of her coming with me was to be able to do it TOGETHER.  It would have been increased gas, additional wear and tear, plus I'm not sure I could have driven 12+ hours a day for 2 days alone.
-Put the cats in a carrier in the front of the Uhaul with us.
     My friend is slightly allergic to cats.  She would have had a migraine.  Things would have been TIGHT if we'd done this.  It would have been possible... but difficult.
-Fly my cats.
     Expensive and a logistical nightmare.  Who do you ask to bring your CATS to the airport for you???
-Cats in the back of the Uhaul.
     BAD idea.  Things adjust back there, especially considering all of the mountain passes we went over.  Don't do this.
-Cats in the towed car.

I stuck the cats in the back seat of my small car.  It was NOT perfect.  It was a pain in the rear.  But... they made it.  Here's the whole process.

 THE SETUP

 It was tight.  Their carrier is really a dog carrier.  Lockwood is BIG.  Bigger than most small dogs.  They STARTED in there.

I went to Target before I moved and got a soft-sided kennel for $30.  I loved it and it was HUGE.  The sides were made from mesh, so the boys could see out if I left it open.  There was enough room in it for a small litter box and my monstrous beasts.

The first night I dumped the boys in the red kennel and that's where they stayed.  At night I had an old blanket that I threw away afterward that covered the kennel.  They were cold, but it kept them insulated, as did Lockwood's tubby body, and their 4-5 inches of fur.  It surprisingly worked REALLY well.

I would pop in and check on them at EVERY stop.  As the day would go on and the car would warm up, I'd pull their blanket off of the kennel.  I actually cracked the windows open for fresh air at times. 

FOOD
I fed them canned food for the whole trip.  Less than they normally would eat, but we were on the road 3 nights and 3 days. I used canned because it gave them higher moisture content.  Plus, when we stopped, I'd put a little bit of bottled water in a bowl for them to drink.  I just paid attention to how much they ate and gave them just enough.

I also purchased some natural remedies to help the boys chill.  I went to Mud Bay Granary, an amazing local chain of stores in Washington.  I highly recommend going somewhere like this and asking their opinion.  First, I used a dropper of something that I can't remember the name of to add to their food.  It was Nature Something... I think!  Anyway, it helped them calm down a bit.  Plus, I used an area spray that I would spray in the car to calm them down a little as well.  I needed everything I could get that was on my side!!!

LITTER
I have big cats.  Big cats means...  Big... well... litter was an issue!  I used a small box that I already had and (tried) to keep a liner in it.  Every morning, I'd take out the liner and the used litter and throw it away, then reline and add a little more litter.  The boys would often readjust the liner... but it was OK for temporary use.  The litter box was the same size as the width of the kennel, so it fit perfectly.

THE HILARITY
OK, you can't travel for this long without stories.
TWICE I went to the car to check on the boys... and they were nowhere to be seen!  The first time was at a gas station where my driver-friend and I desperately needed to stop for us to use the human litter box!  We RAN to the bathroom and I almost didn't even check on the kitties since we'd just stopped not long before.  Good thing I did!  I walked up to the car, looked at the kennel and noticed 2 things...  1) it was crushed a bit in the back and looked really strange, and 2) there were no felines in sight.  Then suddenly--a flash of black moving in the front seat!  Needless to say, I had to carefully open the door, grab the carrier, and get BOTH cats into the carrier outside without losing them!  When my driver-friend came out of the gas station store and saw me wrestling my 24-pound Lockwood, I'm fairly sure she thought, "WHAT have I gotten myself into!!!"

THE RESULTS
They made it!  We had very few problems.  They were SO happy to get out of the car that they didn't have much trouble acclimating to their new home.

If you have questions about our trip, let me know.  I'm happy to share what I learned!

Cosmo the Quacking Cat

Y’all.  I have a cat who quacks.  Seriously.

Cosmo and Lockwood are Maine Coon cats.  That means they’re BIG.  Lockwood weighs upwards of 20 pounds.  Cosmo has lost a lot of weight recently--he’s now a svelte 12 pounds.  But he still LOOKS big.  These cats come with a LOT of hair, long bodies, and huge plumes for tails.  It’s after seeing them that most people laugh when they hear their tiny little mews to communicate.  It’s like a little mouse squeak coming out of a big bulldog.

But sometimes…  Sometimes when Cosmo wants something… he quacks.  LOUDLY.  Consistently.  Irritatingly.  And at 3:00 am, when I’m already having a hard enough time staying asleep?  I wonder how he doesn’t get drop-kicked down the stairs.

Sometimes he quacks because he’s hungry or bored.  Most of the time he quacks because he’s thirsty.  In the middle of the night, I yell at him when he quacks because he’s thirsty.  Don’t think I’m a horrible person, though.  They have a water fountain down in the kitchen where there is constantly running water.  He just wakes up at night and wants water from the River of Kitty Life… i.e. the bathtub faucet.  He doesn’t stop quacking until I get up and turn the water on for him.  Usually that means a trip to the bathroom for me, and some time checking Facebook.  My 3:00 am posts?  Blame Cosmo.

I will sit on my bed or stand by the sink until he finishes drinking.  When he’s done, I ALWAYS expect a “Thanks, Mommy!”  Some sort of head butt, rubbing my leg, hopping on the bed to snuggle for a minute… But I get nothing.  NOTHING.  He saunters out of the bathroom without a care in the world, looking for his Mousie and jumping on his brother to wake him up to play.  I’m left grumpy and tired, and wide awake now.

“Darn ungrateful cat!” I think.  “Doesn’t he understand that I give him everything he needs to live?!  A water fountain AND the bathtub faucet?  This cat is SPOILED!”

And then I hear the voice of my Savior.

“What is the way to the abode of light?

   And where does darkness reside?

Can you take them to their places?

   Do you know the paths to their dwellings?

Surely you know, for you were already born!

   You have lived so many years!”  (Job 38: 19-21)

God gets a little sarcastic here, which makes me love Him that much more.  In part, it's a reminder to Job, Job’s crazy friends, and to me and you, that we have SO MUCH to be grateful for in our own lives.  That our Lord CREATED everything, even the things we take advantage of and are never grateful for… like running water.  There are places on this earth where people do NOT have access to the water that we, and Cosmo, take so for granted.

So… the next time that Cosmo quacks at me and I’m tempted to get exasperated and tell him to be more grateful, I’m going to pause… and thank God for the “simple” things in life…  you know… like running water, gravity, and light and darkness.

What My Cats Taught Me About Jesus...

Last night my cats got into the garbage. They spread it ALL OVER the kitchen. I was so irritated. When I got home tonight I had to clean it up. But all they wanted was to be fed. Now keep in mind two things... 1--I am exhausted right now. I'm so thankful for all I'm doing, and I'm loving my life, I'm just tired... and today was a tiring day, filled with being in charge of a bake sale at work, etc. 2--I feed them raw food and ran out of it last night... kind of improvising this morning. Tonight I had to stop at the store to buy 4 chicken thighs to get them through the next day or two.

Anyway, I got home and was exhausted and had a lot to do before they could eat--before *I* could eat, too. And the crying started. Meow. meoooow... meeeeeeeeeeeooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww..... I was getting SO irritated. SO frustrated. They wouldn't be quiet. "Can't you SEE that I'm trying to chop your chicken here?" I exclaimed.

Then I looked down...
...and came eye to eye with the sweetest, pleading, golden eyes ever.

All they wanted was their dinner. And they KNEW I was getting it for them. They just wanted it sooner than I was ready to give them.

Enter God's gentle reminder... those things that *I* keep asking for? Yeah, I COULD be annoying God... but He's so gracious, so loving... and He loves me SO much. and when He doesn't answer me right away? Well, maybe He's just chopping my chicken... so to speak. ;)

Of Life and Death...

I have sometimes thought of the final cause of dogs having such short lives and I am quite satisfied it is in compassion to the human race; for if we suffer so much in losing a dog after an acquaintance of ten or twelve years, what would it be if they were to live double that time?
~Sir Walter Scott

Tonight's post is dedicated to my Gus. See... Mom, Bob, and I were adopted by a whiny, wriggly lump of puppyness about 12 or 13 years ago. We wanted a dog, and Bob and I were insistent that we get a big breed. The puppy we found was a Shepherd/Rottweiler mix--sure to be a big boy, and with good breeding... at least on his mother's side. She had loose morals, though, and fraternized once to often with the Rottweiler down the street.

I remember 2 specific things about Gus being a puppy. He whined. A lot. And he knew, at his tender, baby age, that he was certain to become an escape artist. Bob and I worked tirelessly to build him a classy kennel. He had a dog house, plenty of room to stretch out, shelter... it was perfect. Our only flaw was that we let him watch us build it. When he saw any weakness in the structure, he stored it away, knowing it would be good for future use.

That smart-dumb dog eventually put his knowledge to use. When put in his kennel, he would take a flying leap and crawl up the 8 foot walls--free to hop down to freedom. When we blocked off that escape route, our Houdini popped the lid off his dog house. Of course that got reattached. He then managed to rip through the chain link fence and squeeze through a hole just big enough. After that was enforced by rebar... Yes... he BENT the rebar. The final attempt at the kennel (to keep him out of doggy jail!) was an electric fence all around the kennel. Sure enough, moments after put inside, one would hear a yip, Yip, YIP! coming from the electrocuted canine, and then a WOOF! of freedom. Needless to say, the kennel has remained empty for several years.

Gus was my helper-dog. I'd work on something outside and shout, "Where's my helper-dog?!" He'd come running! We washed cars, clipped rhodies, weeded, planted, and even ran from the attacking Bald Faced Hornets together. We went for walks on the beach whenever we went to the ocean. We would start with him on his leash (he scared small-dog people) and he'd run out in front of me, every bit my pet dog. As soon as that leash was unclicked, though, he'd fall in line, just behind and to the right of me. I was alpha in our pack of two, and he was sublimely happy to have it that way.

Gus licked all the time. I'm serious... ALL. THE. TIME. He used to have the nickname of Mr. Licky. Then he became Captian Licky... and moved up the ranks. I think that tonight... tonight, the silence will be eerie.

My Gus let us know last night that it was time for him to move on. He was tired of his arthritis. His hair loss. His sore, old body. Today we said goodbye... we shared our last, "I love you's" and "Thank you for being my friend." He got his last belly rub and ear scratch. Tonight he's running and playing again, finding the perfect stick. Meeting up with old friends who've gone on before him. To them and to God, I say... please give my Gusser an extra hug tonight. He couldn't make it here any more, but I'll see him again, every bit the crazy puppy he used to be.

Gus-Gus... I love you. I miss you. I'm so thankful that you're not hurting anymore, but now it's my turn for my heart to hurt for awhile. Despite the insanity that you sometimes brought, you were my good dog, and I'm so thankful and honored to be called your Emmy. Sleep well, Puppy. I'll see you when I get there. Save a walk on the beach for me.

Gleeful Feeding :)

So I just watched the second to last episode of last season's Glee. Do you watch Glee? It's the most fantastically fantastic show on TV right now, at least in my opinion. And when you watch the episode for the second time, you catch the little bits that you missed the first time - and laugh even harder. This was the Lady Gaga episode and it was so fun this time to sing along to Bad Romance and Poker Face--songs I'd never even heard of before this... that I know own on CD! I can't wait till next week when the new season starts! I have to watch it the day after after it airs, though--it's on too late for me. :)

Today we had the Combined Fund Drive fair at work. CFD is through the state, a way for state employees to donate to charities. Today was several of those charities in one big event. I LOVE these fairs. (We have Public Employee Appreciation, a Safety Fair, CFD... the diversity fair was cancelled this year... but they're so fun!) I always get a ton of STUFF at them... and when I moved my office a few months ago, I had a "garage sale"--all the crap that I'd collected over the years went out on the file cabinets for whoever wanted them. I probably had about 20 or 30 items! It was great!

Anyway, today's fair was fun because I got to see the folks from Feline Friends. that's where I adopted my kitties from. They're such wonderful people--and I got to see my babies' foster mom, too! She loves seeing pictures of the boys and hearing stories about them... they were her first fosters! They're having a bit of a rough year this year... They did a rescue of 42 cats from a horrible environment and had astronomical bills. If you can help them at all, I'm sure they'd appreciate it. You can even donate online.

While talking to them, I mentioned that I'm transitioning the boys to raw food. THIS has been an adventure. This week I chopped up my first raw chicken into tiny little bits... very gross. ;) But... they seem to be happy. Cosmo has lost about 4 pounds... I'd like to see him up about 1 lb--then he'll be really healthy. Lucky, on the other had, has gained weight. He weighs approximately 20 pounds now--he's a beast. I want him to DROP about 4 pounds. I'm hoping that this diet will do just that. As of yesterday, they're on 100% raw at night, but still with kibble in the morning. I don't have any organs in the meat that I have, so I'm nervous about completely switching them. Plus, Lockwood isn't completely keen on the bones yet, so I'm giving him time to learn how to eat it. They seem content, though... they do love their chickens!! I'm kind of looking forward to watching for sales and seeing what other meats I can get for them... they can have beef and poultry and rabbit... pork... occassionally a fish, but you've got to watch the mercury levels--that could get dangerous. For right now, as I'm learning, I'm staying away from raw fish. If you're interested at all, I'll keep you updated. If you're grossed out... I'm sorry! ;)

Cat Story and a Winner

...how's that for a blog title. ;)

The Winner first... Mandy won last night's question! My new favorite TV show is the Dick Van Dyke show - SOOO funny! :) As a prize, she is featured in today's blog! If you click on her name, you can see HER blog... Mandy and I met in college - she was my very first roommate, back in the 96-97 school year at Central. She's married and has a cute 4 year old who loves to laugh - at least to laugh at me. Mandy's daughter makes me think I'm the funniest person in the world (finally someone who agrees with me!!). Mandy's actually one of the people who first got me to go to Salt (a campus ministry at Central) where I committed my life to Jesus. I think I still have an email from her from 1996 (yes, we had email way back then - barely... it was my first email address, I think!) that said that Bruce was passed out in the hall... (4 years later, Bruce became student body president. Hmmm...) Anyway, Mandy's a kool kat that I'm really grateful to have as a friend, and I'm thankful that she's moved back so she can be close to ME! (no, that's not why they moved back. ;) LOL)

And now for the cat story. Well, I'm not really sure which one to tell. I'll just let you know... my two boys, Cosmo and Lockwood, are quite characters. Tonight I accidentally left my closet door open (a no no with two curious kitties around) and Cosmo wandered in to get lost among the clothes, shoes, and bags. Lucky snuck in after him, but leapt out when I hollered his name. I got up to go shut the door and started looking for my Cosmo... the only thing I could see was a little bit of a fuzzy tail sticking out. He'd burrowed up against the back wall behind and on top of a box, almost covered by a bag. As I reached down to pull him out, I swear I could hear him say, "Aw Mom... You ruin all my fun."

Don't worry. He's happily stretched out on the window sill right now, enjoying the cold night air... and plotting his next escapade.

For now... it's off to bed. G'Night!

I'm ignoring Brittany

She's posting a million times on her blog and I think *I* need to post.

I am sore. and tired. but it feels good. :)

And... I think I might make cookies for small group tomorrow night. But that means that I have to clean the kitchen first... what I should be doing now.

OK - britt asked for updates... Here's what the boys do while Mommy's on the computer.

Lockwood is sewing. (See the velcro and the measuring tape, and a little bit of burgundy thread?) He won't tell me what he's making, but I'm sure it's going to be fabulous.
Cosmo is into moon watching. He's got a really good view from his window. I think he talks to it, but I have yet to hear it talk back...


And this was them this weekend... Wrestling, enjoying the end of their teenage years and some of the last bit of summer we get.

Meet the boys... :)

First person to guess the song and artist in the background wins! :)

Happy Tuesday

It's freezing here. I can't believe how cold I am. After this, I think I have an email to write and then I'm going to go to bed to read and turn on the electric blanket. MAN. I'm COLD!

I can't believe it's the 10th. 10 days till 30... This is actually the first year in a long time I'm looking FORWARD to my birthday. It's kind of surprising. But... once I turn 30... that's just... strange. I mean, I've complained for the last DECADE that people think that because I look like I'm TWELVE, I'm not capable. Now at least I'll be able to say "I'm thirty" and have perhaps a TINY bit more credibility. But... it just hit me the other day... I'm happy with my life, I am. I just...wanted more by this point. So that's hard to take. And, to be honest, it's hard for me to BE completely honest on this blog because most of you are married and have no idea what it feels like to be staring that new decade in the face wondering if God's promises are really true for marriage and family. (Please no trite answers to that statement--I've heard it all before and have no desire to hear it again.) I trust God. It's just... Well, here - I'll pose a question to you all:

A pastoral team prays about a "word for the year" and gets something that, straight from Scripture, gives hope to the congregation. The believers at that church begin to pray that God would move in their lives--and, feeling led by God, they write down their prayers for the year... Things they truly feel like God is going to accomplish in their lives. They focus on prayer and reading the Word, truly seeking after God's heart in their lives. Story after story come in... miraculous healings, people getting out of debt, families reunited, hearts mended and brought closer to their Savior. And yet... though led by God to pray specifics for that year... some people do NOT see these miraculous things happen. They are left empty handed--YES, closer to Jesus (and yes, that's the point). But... I suppose the question is... why do SOME people have their prayers answered and OTHERS don't? It's the question of the ages, isn't it?

Tonight I completed a household task... in triumph! ;) My kitties... rascals they are... they like to open up cupboards. That means that they try to go in and out and in and out of my 3 cupboards in my bathroom. At night. When I'm sleeping. (Imagine major GRRRRness at 2 am.) Last week I bought some latches (the kind you use for kids). I just installed them tonight. :) the cats just stared at me... four golden orbs crying "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" Muahahahahhaaaa... let's see how far they get TONIGHT. :)

I should have a rule...

I should have a rule that says when it's late... I go to bed. No such rule. Instead, I bake brownies, watch movies, and play Packrat. Oy. At least it looks like John and Kathy are playing, too. lol and John's all the way over on the other side of the country. lol I'm just grinding Jetpacks 'cause there's no powerdrills to be found. ;)

Cosmo is sleeping on my desk. I can't see the bottom part of my computer because he's completely covering it. he's so cute, though... I can't make him move. hehe they've been really sleepy today... therefore, very snuggly!

Today I cleaned my kitchen. AND went grocery shopping. Nice to have some food in the cupboard. And I like going to church at night on Saturdays. it's really good. I really like my church. I've met so many people who've grown up there or have been going for YEARS (15 years for one woman tonight)... and it is really good to hear stories like that... sometimes people stay in churches because... it's habit. Or family is there, or something. But this lady said, "I've been coming for 15 years. I love it here. and I come on Saturday's because I love the way Pastor Peter preaches. and besides, don't you just love sleeping in on Sunday mornings?! :)" I couldn't have said it better, lol.

BTW - I've really been in the Bible lately... I can't believe how I've grown from it. Remember my 30 List - how I'm supposed to be reading every day? Well, God's brought me through... Matthew, Philippians, Romans, Titus, Isaiah, Hebrews, working on Hosea right now... I feel like I'm missing something. It's incredible. I feel like every day I'm praticing obedience first... getting in the Word and simply obeying God. I'm learning about and from Him. I'm growing in joy like never before. I feel like I'm completely different than I was 3 months ago. How I respond to stressors in life is SO different... completely evolving. Like... like I have my Jesus filter back - it's been so long since I've looked at life through Him.

Anyway, it's totally late and I have to go read and then go to bed. Any suggestions for the next book? Jenni suggested Hosea (while we were youtubeing) - I'm up for any other ideas, otherwise I'll just jump in to something!

Night all!

Lockwood

My sweet Lockwood! :) Fuzzy-ball!!!

Hello

I have a sore throat. It's been plaguing me for a few days, but today it feels the worst. Pretend with me that it's not there.

My cat has some kitty dandruff. Poor boy. Next time I go to the store, I need to check with the sales people - perhaps change their food. I sort of just picked one of the three kinds in the brand I've always bought once they became adults. I'm hoping that a simple change in food will stop his skin from drying out.

I'm frustrated because I feel like every time I try to get close to God, I get... left.

I've cross stitched a LOT over the past week or two - and it's fabulous. I forgot how much I missed doing that. I've watched a lot of Friends while doing it. Today, I watched a 3 1/2 hour movie, Giant, with Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, and James Dean. Very good.

I left my book at work on Friday and didn't get it this weekend, so I haven't read in it for awhile.

I bought some new clothes on Thursday, and I LOVE them.

I'm going to see a hockey game (my first ever) on Friday.

Peek-a-Boo!

First off, Here's my Christmas tree. :) I got it yesterday from Clyde N' Dales. I love it - it smells SOOOOOOO good. :) And look - no crooked star this year!! :)


And here's Cosmo playing Peek-a-Boo! He figured out pretty quickly that he likes trees. :) He's a 100% indoor cat, so never has time to play with them outside! Luckily, they've both been really good so far... I've only seen the tree shake once... ;) (You'll have to ignore my cardboard... I haven't cut it down yet. ;) Just protecting the carpet a bit.)

Kittens

OK, here's an update of the boys. At their first birthday, my mom got them a laser to play with. They LOOOOOOVVVEEE it. Seriously. This picture is of them and their laser (it's on the wall). Lockwood is on the boxes, Cosmo is staring at me.



This is of the two of them. Happy Birthday, Babies! (Lockwood in the back.)

Cosmo - 1 year old. Look at how good he looks. (It's all a facade.)

A new step!!!

My boys got this today:

ADULT CAT FOOD!!!!

They say YUMMY! :)

Morning time...

OK - it's 6:54 am. I am supposed to leave in 6 minutes for work. Still have to get my shoes on. However, my iPod is charging (it was almost dead) and I want to give it at least a few more minutes of extra charge... sometimes it's what saves me at work and allows me to focus on my job instead of other things going on! lol

Quick update...

Saturday is the Olympia High School BearZaar. If you're in O-Town, swing by! It's fun times. I'll be there with my mom's booth (Heartfelt Treasures) and I get a corner for TOHE.

The kittens are almost not kittens anymore. The 30th is their first birthday and then they'll be officially adults. They're finishing their last bag of kitten food... it's so weird. Lockwood is up to 13 pounds--and growing! Cosmo is 11.5.

We're having a bake sale at work on the 29th. Raising money for our adopted family from ADWAS. Pretty fun - this is our third year. We went with a mom and 2 kids this year. I'm buying the boys cross necklaces... I'm looking forward to that.

I've gone to Faith Assembly of Lacey a few times now. I like it there. I'm meeting one of the pastors for lunch today - Excited for that.

OK, it's 7:00. Happy day to you all. :)

5 am hilarity

So last night my boys were SO good. I got to sleep around 11 and woke up for no apparent reason at 3:30. only when I started stirring did they. That’s why, at 5 am this morning (I normally get up at 6), the strange noises they were making at my open window were odd. Deciding that I could really use that last hour of sleep, I got up and called, “Kitties! Babies! Kitties come here!”

Nothing.

They always come when I call them. Strange…

I stumbled over to the window and plucked Lockwood off the windowsill. Reaching for Cosmo I stopped – I was eye to eye with a raccoon.

The Kittens

Almost 7 months old!

Baby Pictures

Pictures of the kitties! :)

My snuggle bugs...

Cosmo:

Lockwood's a little camera shy... this is a forced pose, can you tell? ;)

Cosmopolis (Cosmo) and Lucky Duck (Lockwood) say HEL-ROAW to you all!