Updates

Two days in a row? I know, I'm spoiling you!

I'll just give a quick update on a few things from the past year:

School/work: I will begin student teaching on January 2nd. In order to do this, I have to quit my job and try to survive through the semester on student loans and prayer. Probably more prayer than student loans at this point. My last day at work is on the 27th. I am TERRIFIED. It's not like I didn't know this was coming, but it was always in the future, and since I turned in my official notice at work, it is sinking in more and more every day. This semester is over, and I have managed to continue my run of a 4.0 GPA. I have passed one of five Praxis exams I plan to take. You will be hearing more about this, trust me.

The drrrrama: So I've mentioned the divorce before. That ended up being finalized at the beginning of the year and sadly, you will not see any more of Spidey's antics on this blog. That's about all I'm going to say about it, other than I wish him the best and I've realized this really was the best thing that could've happened to me. It's still not fun to have the "twice divorced at 30" label.

I also went through another relationship this year which got intense way too quickly and did not end well. Once again, though, no airing of dirty laundry here. I just know that once again, it was a good thing this ended and I've learned a lot from it.

Now? I've been dusting myself off, taking my lessons learned, and applying them to dating, which is this newfangled thing all the cool kids seem to be doing these days. Historically, my relationships have basically went from 0 to 80 instantly, with no natural progression in between, so you can imagine what this dating experience has been like for me. There are some unique stories to tell, which I will save for another day. Sadly, this experience has not restored my faith in men all that much.

However, there may be one shining light in this new journey. I've been dating K for almost two months now, though we talked through email for about a month before that. K is hysterically funny, sweet, and just a stellar guy all around. Because of his work schedule, we've only been able to go out every other weekend, but every date ends up going for hours because we can't seem to stop talking. The last date ended with a kiss and him stating "I've been wanting to do this for a while." This weekend, I have been invited to a game night with him and his three best friends, so we are moving to the mysterious "meet the friends" phase. So there is definitely potential here.

Things are going very slowly, which is good considering my history, and understandable concerning his, but this also makes things difficult to gauge. It seems like there is this whole mysterious interpretive dance portion of dating with a lot of unknown moves and steps that I struggle with. I try to be a pretty straight black-and-white person when it comes to my feelings, and apparently that is not how dating is done these days. However, I will continue to be patient and have faith this will work out one way or another for the best. And especially because my normal way of doings things seems to not work out so well for me.

My christmas gift to you, dear reader

As you can see, I've been doing a bit of sprucing up around here.

2011 has been a, well, interesting year. That's the best way I can describe it. It was far better than 2010, even though it has been full of enough chaos that I've considered moving even farther out into the country and adopting a hermit lifestyle, if for no reason other than simplicity. Though trying to finance my hoard of guns and food for the inevitable zombie apocalypse would likely not make it so simple.

I struggle with what to write here. There are some experiences I would love to share with the two people who still follow this blog, and one day, I'd like to actually increase that number. Consistency and actually posting would probably help with that. Perhaps five readers? I suppose I can dream.

But some of what I would write involves other people who were in my life. Oddly enough, I want to thank them more than anything, because I would not be who I am right now if it wasn't for the extreme shifting of life in this past year. There are days where I struggle with life, but that heavy dark cloud of depression and insecurity that has hung out over me for years is shrinking every day.

So, perhaps anything super sensitive, I'll post to another, lesser known blog. I'm not quite sure yet. This blog and I are old friends and we're just getting reacquainted. At the very least, I should be able to post more, even if it is just randomness about the cats and rants about this whole "dating" nonsense I've been experiencing.

Now, after all that seriousness, let's get down to business. What would this blog be without a cat picture?

Bagheera does not really have the grace of his panther namesake. He's actually more of a bull in a china shop. And he looks like a panther that swallowed a basketball. As you can see though, he is quite offended when I refer to him as Sir Chunk.

Carnival of the Cats #388

Kal-el: Mommy apologizes. She had a last-minute emergency come up. She's posting today, but she says sorry for the rotten pictures and that she will do better next time. If she doesn't, I'll smother her with my floof, I can promise you that!

Let's get started with the carnival!

Over at My Cats and Funny Stories, Arthur and Rosie debate whether to fix a mousie or just get a new one. Good luck fixing it...we tried to use glue once and Tiger got stuck to the wall!

Luna enjoys a drink of water and takes a peek outside over at CatSynth. We love our water too, but Bagheera likes to make a big mess with our fountain.

At Meowsings of an Opininated Pussycat, Elvira and Nikita investigate an awesome grab bag of feline (and human) goodies from the Kitty Bungalow Charm School for Wayward Cats. Surely one day we'll see Elvira in the sweater...

Elvira takes a break from checking out the goodies to do battle with the Foot Monster. Be brave Elvira...he is a wily one we know all too well.

While Elvira battles the Foot Monster, Nikita opts for a written battle and takes up the issue of the new Petco logo. It's been a busy week for this dynamic duo!

Over at Friends Furever, Allie investigates the new "addition" to the household and gives approval. We generally don't like anything new Momma brings in, so Allie must be one laid-back kitty.

Buddy kicks back and cuddles with Aunt Tracy on Sunday over at Animal Shelter Volunteer Life. A cuddle sounds like a great idea any day of the week!

Samantha & Clementine from Life from A Cat's Perspective have some fun during their visit with the GDB. Well, it looks like they're not having fun, but we know better!

Over at Strange Ranger, Maddie goes in for more bloodwork and mayhem at the vet's office and we get a vintage photo of the lovely Ivy napping. We hope Maddie's bloodwork comes back OK.

Meowza goes for a roll in the dirt, then washes up for his Sally over at Mind of Mog. At least he doesn't dirty up the sofa like Ritzi does!

We get another Meowza roll and also an adorable curl over at his blog iMeowza. We hope you & Mog stay cool!

What a great bunch of entries this week! Thanks everyone!

Bagheera and Maggie: We're going to enjoy our little cat grass salad bar now. Thanks for letting us host & we'll see you next time! Next week's carnival is at iMeowza.

Carnival of the Cats #380

Carnival of the Cats is a long-running weekly roundup of cat-related blogs that is hosted by a group of kitties and kitty staff/owners. You can find more information about it here.

Maggie: Look Momma, I killed a BIG rat! Aren't you so proud of me? I'm such a mighty hunter! I deserve a huge reward...tuna please!

Reepicheep: Silly Maggie. That mouse is fake! It didn't even taste right...though it was still tasty! *slurp*

Bagheera: That's right Reepicheep. All cats know that real mice are fuzzy, blue, and make chirping noises!

Clearly, these "mighty" hunters have never had to stalk more than a can of cat food. And Bagheera, from the looks of it, has stalked more than just a can.
Let's get the carnival started, shall we?

Over at CatSynth, Weekend Cat Blogging is combined with a Photo Hunt and Luna gets to show off some of her lovely cards from birthdays past.

Nikita from Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat writes a review of an essay called "In Defense of Cats" and shares his personal experience with his Daddy. Nikita is absolutely right. Cat owners and cat bloggers usually get a few raised eyebrows when other humans find out they love cats. Our Momma has had personal experience with this!

At Life From a Cat's Perspective, Samantha prepares for her weekend by chilling out in her favorite box and Clementine sniffs out her secret hiding place.

Salome from Three Tabby Cats in Vienna invites Meowza over for some snuggling and box investigating. Sounds like the purrfect date for a kitty!

Over at StrangeRanger, Maddie goes in for her senior pet visit, and the vet was lucky that Maddie did not do the blood drawing instead. Atta girl! Glad to hear you are doing well!

Tiger: Momma, these young whippersnappers know nothing about hunting. Now get off of this laptop and get me some food NOW!

I think I know who the "best" hunter in the house is, don't you?

As always, thanks for letting us host! Next week's carnival is at Meowsings of an Opinionated Pussycat.

The Carnival submission form has been having some trouble this week. If you did not see your post and you submitted one, please let us know in the comments and we will be glad to add it!

House Projects: Phase 1 of...Many

So it's been a busy time for me. Well, honestly, I think not being busy is more of a rare occasion at this point.

But one of the many benefits of my recent life change (HA) is that I was finally able to get some projects completed around the house. I've lived with so much nonsense (house and otherwise) for...4 years? 4 YEARS. While I can't get it all done right this minute, it's amazing what I've been able to accomplish in just a few months:

1) Front window was finally replaced. Glass was completely missing when I moved in, and temporary board became permanent due to financial reasons & numerous other reasons we will not discuss here.

But window is now replaced and the kitties can bask in the sunlight to their heart's content. Not that they didn't have a gazillion windows to choose from in the first place.

2) The front door was in BAD shape. It was a full pane-glass door, and a number of the panes were broken and kept together with a "redneck patch job" of duct tape. The screen door, which was so old it didn't have tempered glass, flew open a few months ago and shattered into a gazillion pieces. There was no deadbolt, and to make sure the door was secure, I used the reliable security method of "butter knife in the door jamb."

I know. Boarded up window, butter knife in the door jamb. I was the queen of CLASSY living.

So screen door? New tempered glass. Front door? Custom steel door complete with more secure locking system.

3) The house has a front porch that runs almost the length of the front of the house. The porch posts were in terrible condition. Peeling paint & rotting boards = fear of collapse. So decorative trim & support posts were yanked & new posts put in place.

A few hanging plants, a little clean up work, cushions on the chairs, and TA-DA!

So needless to say, I am thrilled with the progress. Of course, this just makes me want to chill on the porch more and go out less, but considering how much I am gone during the week, I'm totally OK with that.

Definitely looking forward to some of the other projects I've got planned this year.

Monday, Monday

It's really surprising how big Reepicheep has gotten. He's probably around 9 months old now. He's still "the kitten" though. And a big spoiled one at that!

Wow. What a day it has been. Of course, I got nothing done I had planned to do. Other than updating here. But what a Monday!

Normally, Mondays are not the happiest days of the week for me. It's usually bye, bye, fun weekend...it's time to shuffle off to work now! But today has been...interesting. I wish I could share more, but I guess I need to see where these events are going. I'm just grateful today has been a fun day and am actually looking forward to tomorrow! (Tuesdays are usually worse than Mondays)

Of course, all this excitement does not help me accomplish all that is on my to-do list for today. But

I've had a lot going on so far this year. The divorce was final on March 25th. I'm still chugging away at graduate school. I've lost 23 pounds since the beginning of the year (45 overall!). Tiger has been diagnosed with some arthritis and borderline kidney disease (more on that another day). Work is still...work. I've made a ton of new friends. It's been stressful and emotional and exhausting...but there's hope. And not to go all Lifetime Movie Network on you or anything, but that hope has kept me going. I am healing, I'm learning a ton about myself, and I'm really getting excited about my future.

On May 20th I will be 30 years old. And surprisingly, I feel like life really is going to begin at 30 for me. I squandered away my 20s on bad choices, depression, and on people who didn't deserve all that I sacrificed. I don't want to do that again. And I have the opportunity of a fresh start. It's both terrifying and exciting at the same time.

For the first time in a long time, I can honestly say I felt GREAT today.

Carnival of the Cats #369

Reepicheep: Sorry the carnival is so late. We got distracted by this new fun toy!

Felix: I'm not all that excited about the toy. I'm more focused on my exercising...my speciality is power napping!

While Felix works on his, um, snoozing skils, let's get started with the carnival!

Wednesday's owner decides to formally submit a complaint letter to lovely Wednesday about recent behaviors. It is very entertaining, and we have taken notes on what we can try next with our Momma!

Uh oh...Arthur decides to add his own special fertilizer to enhance his owners' flowerbed and tells Rosie all about the "fancy new litterbox." We don't know how happy their humans will be, but it sure looks nice to us!

Nikita Cat posts about his daddy's scenic bike ride and the lovely cats his daddy encountered during his ride. Forget the lovely flowers and landscaping...spotting gorgeous felines is always the perfect way to enjoy the scenery.

Elvira and Nikita Cat may soon be a Youtube sensation. Elvira posts about her daddy's hard work on a slideshow presentation featuring the fabulous feline duo. Good luck!

We would like to say happy 4th Blogoversary to Samatha, Clementine, Maverick, and in memory of Mr. Tigger. Here's hoping you continue to post for many more years!

Maddie and her humans enjoy the beautiful spring blooms over at StrangeRanger. We are happy to hear that both humans and feline in good health!

At Mind of Mog, handsome Meowza enjoys the sun (and we're sure all the Temptations, love, and mousies too!).

Tiger: If we're talking about power napping, I could be a professional!

Sidonia: I think we should all go into training for that! Good night!

Thanks for letting us host, and sorry for the delay! The next carnival will be at Pet's Garden Blog.