kitty

[Picture taken in May 2008]

Kitty has been in my family since I was 19, and then W and I took him when we got married in 2004. That's 11 years that this cat has been a part of my life. Before Oliver was born, we decided that Kitty needed a new home. He is old and grumpy and jealous and we didn't think he would do too well with a baby. We were torn about what to do with him - who wants an old, grumpy, jealous cat? I was stressed out about it because I felt like I was the only person in the world he wasn't scared of. Thankfully, my sister-in-law, Britney, and her husband, Ron, offered to take him for us. It was such a relief! They are cat lovers and he is lucky to be there with them and their two other cats in Portland. I miss him but I'm happy he has a new home where he is loved.

more than you ever wanted to know about me

My friend Crystal sent this to me in email form and I was supposed to respond and email it back to her and others. I've done similar email type things in the past, so I thought I would post this one here on my blog (minus a few things that might not be safe to post for any random person to read. I took out #6 after finishing everything and didn't want to retype all of the numbers.) So there is a lot of random, likely boring stuff to follow. I won't be offended it you would rather do anything else with your time.

1. What time did you get up this morning? 7:30

2. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds, but I love both.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Transformers and Hairspray on the same night at the dollar theater a few months ago...it's been a while.

4. What is your favorite TV show(s)? The Office, Heroes, Friends (I never saw all of the episodes when they were originally aired so I'm loving the reruns)to name a few... and even though it has been canceled, I have to list Gilmore Girls because I think it's my all-time favorite.

5. What did you have for breakfast this morning? An everything bagel with butter and garlic powder on it because our cream cheese is reserved for a meal I'm making.

7. What is your favorite cuisine? It's such a tough choice, but I'll go with Thai.

8. What foods do you dislike? Ground meat of any kind and mussels come to mind pretty quickly.

9. Favorite chips? These are pretty good.

10. What is your favorite CD at the moment? I don't really listen to cds much anymore, but today I came across one that I loved years ago and I am remembering why. It is Hear My Praise by Kenneth Cope. Such a beautiful cd.

11. What kind of car do you drive? We have two but lately I have been driving our Ranger. I love it.

12. What is your favorite sandwich? Bagel veggie sandwich.

13. What characteristics do you despise? I hate it when someone is rude to a person behind his/her back but nice to the person's face. Basically being fake.

14. What are your favorite clothes? I love wearing pjs when I have days off from school. When I am just hanging out at home doing homework I don't see a reason to get all dressed up. I am all about comfort! But in public, I like jeans, a long sleeved shirt (this time of year) and comfortable shoes. Again, comfort wins over anything cute and flimsy.

15. If you could go anywhere in the world on Vacation where would it be? I will say Russia because that is a goal of ours but I would also like to go back to Australia. I am craving so many foods there. Rough, I tell you.

16. Favorite brand of clothing? Ideally, American Eagle. But I will settle for Old Navy to get three times the stuff for the same price.

17. Where would you want to retire? Arizona

18. Favorite time of day? It sounds cheesy, but I love it when W comes home and we can hang out.

19. What is your favorite sport to watch? Does dancing count? No? Okay, baseball then.

20. Pepsi or Coke? Neither. I don't like soda at all, actually.

21. Are you a morning person or a night person? I am such a night person. I love to stay up late and sleep in.

22. Pedicure or manicure? I would take either.

23. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? I got all As last quarter in school. Yay!

24. What did you want to be when you were little? I wanted to be "a Veterinarian and live in Virginia." That's what I told everyone. Funny how things change drastically.

25. What is your best childhood memory? So many good ones. My family would often go to "the bike track" and ride our bikes or "the caboose park" and play. Basically spending time with family.

26. Piercing? Just one in each ear.

27. Ever been to Africa? No.

28. Ever been toilet papering? Too many times to count.

29. Favorite day of the week? Saturday. Usually sleep in, hang-out with W, get stuff done. It's a good day.

30. Favorite restaurant? There are so many good ones, but right now I am craving a salad from La Grand Orange. The Sonoma Garden Salad on their menu that I linked you to. My stomach just growled when I read the description, no joke. Too bad it is in Arizona.

31. Favorite Flower? Gerber Daisies.

32. Favorite ice cream? Dryer's Peppermint is one favorite. (I'm noticing a pattern of indecisiveness...)

33. Favorite fast food restaurant? Chipotle.

34. How many times did you fail your drivers test? None.

35. From whom did you get your last email? Becky

36. In which stores would you choose to max out your Credit card? Treasury of Memories, American Eagle, Pottery Barn, Target, and Home Depot, among others.

37. Bedtime? It is rarely earlier than 12.

38. Last person you went to dinner with? If breakfast counts, it was Josh and Laurel last Saturday morning. Dinner would be Jon and Christa.

39. What are you listening to right now? Hear My Praise.

40. What is your favorite color? Green


I will leave you with pictures of the boys. I was sitting here typing away and Squeak was laying next to me on my desk. Then I looked up and Kitty had taken his place. I hadn't even noticed. When I

turned to see what Squeak was up to, this is what I saw. He cracks me up. The other picture is of the two of them, Squeak on my scanner and Kitty right next to me on my desk. They're my blogging buddies.


PS Feel free to put this on your blog so I can read random things about you.

*gratitude *

I have been tagged by Marci to list ten things I'm grateful for. I love this tag - it's always so uplifting to reflect on my blessings and my happy life.

1. School. I am so grateful to be back in school, studying something that I am passionate about. I absolutely love my program. I love all of my classes, especially Historical Approaches to Social Welfare. I am learning so much I didn't know about America's history (not all good, but I'm still glad I'm learning it). I really love school.

2. Dub. I cannot describe how much fun we have. Our inside jokes would sound crazy, but I will say that I never knew I could be so silly, so happy, or laugh so much on a daily basis before I met him. He's amazing and I feel grateful every day to be married to him. (This is a bad scan but I love this picture so I'm posting it anyway.)

3. My faith. It is truly the compass in my life. There is not a day that goes by that it is not integrated into my life in some way. It brings me hope, peace, love, endurance, strength, and happiness.
4. Modern conveniences, such as plumbing, electricity, and heat. I take these for granted most of the time, but I really am grateful for them.
5. My family. (Since I already had a layout about them in one of my mini books, I'll share that.) They're wonderful.

6. The amazing experiences I've had in my life. I was a nanny in Minnesota, I was able to serve a mission for my church in Australia, I've lived in numerous states, and I've met wonderful people along the way.
7. Good health.
8. Our boys. (Yes, they have pink tags on their collars. It was the only choice at the time. Poor things.)


8. My computer and the internet.
9. Our camera. (And our mutual love for photography.)

10. And on this Veteran's Day, I would like to express my gratitude for those who have sacrificed, and continue to sacrifice for our country. Thank you.


I also wanted to point out how great gratitude journals are. Anyone who knows me well knows that I am all about keeping journals and preserving stuff for the future. I started this journal in 2003 during a particularly difficult time in my life. I love flipping through the pages and reading about how blessed I am. Try it. It's so uplifting. I like that I don't feel overwhelmed with writing a long entry either - I just write a line or two, sometimes even just a word or two. It has really blessed my life.


And now I am going to tag Andrea, Becky Householder, Crystal, Kamarah, Kristi Pace, and Eryn. (And anyone else who wants to join in.)