All about the cats

So this is how lame I am, I am home on a Friday night blogging about cats. I swear I am not a crazy cat lady. Mostly I am just bored. I am taking a night off from life, and this is the most interesting thing I could come up with. Anyway, I just wanted to post some old and updated pictures of the cats and tell you all a little bit about each one so you can get to know them. Wow. I am lame.

Oliver

Oliver was my original cat. I picked him out because he was so cute and I loved how his ears looked too big for his head. He was the only boy in his litter, and for some reason I wanted a boy cat. After I picked him out, I had to wait a little while until he was weaned so I could take him home. Born on July 1, 2007, he was around 12 weeks when I finally picked him up. It was a Thursday night, which was my first mistake. He was so scared and sad. He cried all night long and I didn't get much sleep, which was a bummer because I had to work the next day. I was so worried about leaving him at my house alone. I took two 30 min lunches that day so I could run home and check on him and John checked in on him a couple of times too. He was doing ok, but he just cried and cried. I talked about it with John and I decided maybe I should adopt one of his sisters too so he could have a playmate. John took me back to Melissa's (she runs a cat sanctuary) and found out that his sister, Gypsy, had been crying a lot since I took Oliver so we decided they must have been friends and we took Gypsy home with us. Oliver seemed so much happier, the crying stopped, and he was really protective of his sister; it was very cute.

Baby Oliver, at about 8 weeks the first day I met him

At home, probably around 14 weeks (yes, I lived in a place with blue shag carpet)

Oliver is truly a curious cat. He gets in to everything. He like to chew on things, mostly paper (especially cardboard). He likes to crawl into boxes, he can just very high, and he likes poking around (I assume looking for trouble). He loves to cuddle and be petted. He purrs very loud, and very often. He goes wild for tuna fish or any wet/canned cat food. He likes to play with q-tips and bottle caps. He is very good at opening drawers. He likes to pull clothes out of my drawers, which I find all over the floor when I get home. He sleeps on his back a lot, which I think is really cute. He is very playful, loves to chase things, and is always trying to get outside. One of his favorite spots in perched near the window so he can see everything going on outside.

Yep, always getting into everything

Hoping to go outside-Logan, winter 2008

Last weekend, in Logan at John's

Gypsy

Gypsy joined the family just one day after Oliver. I worried I wouldn't love having 2 cats, but I was happy Oliver had a playmate. Gypsy bonded with John from the beginning and I think she has always preferred him over me. My love for Gypsy has grown slowly over time, and now I may even prefer her over Oliver because she is very independent and not as demanding as Oliver. I think I traumatized her the first weekend I had her because Izzy came to visit and was really excited to see the cats. Of course the kitties were terrified, but I cornered Gypsy under the bed and pulled her out so Izzy could see and pet at least one of the cats. I'm not sure Gypsy has ever forgiven me for that.

Kitten Gypsy...I don't have many pictures of her that little because she spent so much time under the bed

Just lounging

She is a very skiddish cat. She seems nervous all the time, like somebody is always going to attack her. She can be very playful too, and she is very determined. She is very well behaved. She is content to lay in bed while Oliver runs all over the house. She also wants to be petted, but will always keep an open escape route and will run if you make a sudden movement. She is hard to catch, but once I can get her she has a lot of patience when it comes to getting her nails clipped or brushed or whatever it is I'm trying to do. Gypsy is a beautiful cat and has great coloring.

In the cat tree at our house in Lake Powell

Gypsy now

Their favorite spot in Lake Powell

Aren't they cute?

Oreo & Tinkerbell

John has 2 cats as well, and for 3 months he had all 4 together at his house. The cats get along pretty well. His cats are Oreo and Tinkerbell. He adopted Oreo from the Humane Society about 7-8 years ago. They are best friends and it's pretty cute. Oreo has a nickname, "double stuff" because he is a very large cat. He does like to eat. He is high maintenance though. He likes to have his food "fluffed" before he will eat it and he prefers to drink water from a glass. He also likes boxes and will always get inside one, even if it is really too small for him. It's very funny to watch. He loves to sleep on John's lap or next to John's face at night.

See? It's funny.

Tinkerbell started out as John's sister's cat, which I think her kids picked out and she was named by a 3-year-old girl. When his sister moved to Oregon, they didn't take the cat with them. She stayed with John's mom for awhile, but they didn't get a long too well. John decided to take her when he moved out of the fraternity house and was able to bring Oreo to live with him at Jeff's. Tinkerbell has now adopted John's roommate Braydon and prefers to sleep on his bed at night. She is a very independent cat and loves to go outside. Sometimes she comes home very dirty, but so far, she always comes home.

Tink

Tinkerbell and Oreo

So now you know more than you probably ever wanted to know about our cats. For us though, our cats are basically like our kids. John spoils all the cats much more than I do and I am more strict. John is a true cat person though, and I am still learning. I have actually loved having my cats though and I missed them when I was staying with my parents. I've gotten used to their company and I would be sad if there was ever a time I had to give them up. One of the reasons I decided to get a cat/cats was to help me with my committment issues. I know that sounds weird, but it has worked. I now think about their needs as well as mine, I have had to make comprimises and sacrfices. Finding an apartment was much harder. Vacations take some extra planning to make sure the cats are taken care of. They have been to Lake Powell and back with me and they have put up with several moves and always seem to adjust quickly. I really do love my little fur balls, and I don't care who makes fun of me for it. :-)

Just doing their thing (I couldn't get them all 4 in the shot at once)

restless ramblings

So I'm feeling kind of restless lately. Really it's just been this week. I think overall I am happy with my life and the way things are going. I keep saying that I want to have stability, stay in the same job for awhile, stop moving every 4-6 months, and really just stay in one place. Well now that I am feeling settled in to my job, mostly unpacked and organized at my apartment, paying all my bills...well, I just start to feel like my life is boring. I guess because it's just regular. It's not all bad, but I like to anticipate something...so my solution is to plan a trip. I have some ideas: Lake Powell, Washington, D.C./NYC, Amsterdam, Moab, Southern California/any beach. Who's in?

The other thing is, I think I may be job searching. I wasn't planning on it, but I'm going to apply for a job that I found out about and just see what happens. I'm not going to talk about what it is just yet, but it is very much what I want to do with my degree and it's something I'm really excited about.

It's not that I don't like my job now...but I don't love it. It is just a job to me. It's not what I want to do for the rest of my life. In comparison, it isn't nearly as fulfilling as my last nanny job with Henri was. Henri was my little buddy and I loved watching him grow and helping him learn and I got excited about all his development. We had so much fun together and I truly loved my job...it was hard to think of it as "work" actually and sometimes I felt bad for getting paid. Seriously. And while I do care a lot about the kids I watch now, life is so much more hectic and the schedule is crazy and I don't have the same bond with the family that I felt I had with Henri's family. Then I worked in the USU Admissions office. It was sooo different that my nanny job, but I loved it so much. Everybody in the office was so great, it felt like one big family. My boss and supervisor were so awesome, friendly, gave me great feedback, and valued me as a part of the team. And then there was Lake Powell. Need I say more? So I guess my job now is kind of a let down compared to the last few jobs I have had.

Anyway, the point of this post is not to complain. What I'm really trying to do is focus on all the great things I have and how grateful I really am. In this economy, I should really just feel lucky to even have a job. I make decent money, my job is fairly drama-free, I can go to work in my pajamas, I have a cute little apartment, I can provide for myself, I have food and warm clothes and a car and an amazing family, cool friends, and a loving boyfriend. I have two furballs that seem to unconditionly love me. Life is actually pretty good. I just want to be more fulfilled in my daily work (is that selfish?) and I want to pursue a career that utilizes my degree and work exerpience and interests. I want to have my cake and eat it too.

I guess I just wanted to put some of my thoughts down so I can stop worrying about these things. There was one year in college where I had to write in a journal every night just so I could sleep at night...otherwise I would stay awake worrying about anything and everything. So I guess I keep this blog journal now, so it can serve the same purpose.

Now I can go to sleep.

A love story

I agree with my sister, Valentine's Day is over rated. I've never really gotten caught up in it, but this year I did have a great Valentine's Day. John flew back from Amsterdam on Friday night, so it was great to have him home safe. We just went to dinner and to a party at a friends house yesterday, but it was great to get to spend the weekend together.

Anyway, in honor of Valentine's Day, I thought I would share our love story because people ask me all the time because we haven't had the most conventional relationship. This is really long and probably boring for most, but it's our history and I want it recorded somewhere...so really this post is more for me than anyone else, but feel free to read on if you would like!

(for photos of the last 5+ years that this story covers, please refer to the slide show here)

John and I met at the beginning of the school year Fall semester 2003 at USU. I was living in the Kappa Delta house and he was living in the Delta Sigma Phi house, which they had for the first time that semester. My good friend Steve was pledging DSP that semester, so I started hanging out at the house with him. Also, my friend and sorority sister, Jami, was friends with a lot of Delta Sigs, and I think she is the one that officially introduced us. I saw John's room and he had yellow walls and a yellow ceiling and he also had a big blue shoe in his room (which I later found out was an old prop from an Old Navy store). I was amused by his room and thought he was pretty cute when I first me him. I didn't think much of it, but we started talking more and I would make a point to stop by his room when I would visit the guys at his house. We started hanging out and I definitely had a big crush on him.

This was the year I was the Arts and Lectures VP for ASUSU. I had a visit by a guy named Gary who has done filming with Warren Miller on his ski movies. He was in town to present the latest installment in the film series. Turns out he also does a lecture/presentation about his filming and skiing experiences, so he gave me some free tickets to the film (I think so I would consider him for our series). I thought this would be a perfect date opportunity with John because I knew he was a snowboarder. So we had our first date in late October 2003. We had a great time, he held my hand, and I was really excited.

Well the sad part of the story is that John was also hanging out with another girl at this time. I knew her and I guess was hoping that he was having more fun on our dates than with her. Well, I was wrong...sort of. He had met her before me and she really like him and was ready to start "exclusively" dating, so suddenly John had a girlfriend and I was pretty sad about it. I decided that I liked him enough to try to stay friends, plus we had so many mutual friends, so I got over it and we stayed friends.

Fast forward to the next summer, and his relationship with that other girl ended. It was hard for me to see how unhappy he had become in his relationship and to support him as a friend because I did still have feelings for him. He admitted to me that he felt the same, but also needed some time to get over things and be single for awhile and I supported that idea. I was living in Salt Lake that summer and didn't think it was good timing either.

Well I moved back to Logan and school started again and it wasn't long before John and I were hanging out all the time again. I really felt like it was time for us to finally make it official, so we did. On September 25th, 2004 we had a good talk and decided we only wanted to date each other.

It was a really busy semester for both of us; I was still busy with ASUSU and was a chair for the HOWL, I was on Greek Council and in charge of sorority recruitment and was on Council for Kappa Delta. School was crazy for both of us too, but we had a pretty good balance and still made time for each other. Looking back on it now, I can't believe anyone gets married in college because I can't imagine how I would have fit that into my life. That year was filled with lots of homework, endless sorority and fraternity activities and formals, or first real fight, another summer apart, me moving to CA for a nanny job (then moving back 6 weeks later when they turned out to be crazy) and then me moving back to Logan. I took a semester off from USU and was working full time and John started in the Professional Program for Computer Engineering and then was elected as President of his fraternity. Needless to say, we were super busy and it was getting harder and harder to put time into the relationship. I wasn't able to find a permanent job in Logan, so I took a nanny job in Salt Lake and moved yet again. We were both trying our best, but the stress of our individual lives and the fact that the relationship was going no where led to John and I breaking up in March of 2006 after about 18 months of being together. I was heartbroken, but we both knew it was for the best. We tried being friends for a few months, but that just led to more contention and hurt feelings, so we decided to take a big break from each other and not even be friends.

This was both a very hard and very good time in my life. As hard as it was to get over John, I loved my job, was closer than ever to my family, had great support from my friends, and started dating again. I dated some really great guys, some really weird guys, and one guy that was just plain creepy. I truly took some time to focus on myself and I didn't worry about John. I got to the point that I didn't think we would ever be friends again and I was ok that he was no longer in my life.

Well one day I was shopping for a wireless router and I wasn't sure what I was looking for. I flipped open my phone and started dialing John's number. It took me several seconds before I realized what I was doing. I hadn't talked to him and months, but once upon a time, I always called him if I had a computer question. I stood there in Walmart, feeling quite silly, wondering why I had ever been so mad at him or so hurt. I decided maybe we could still be friends, but I didn't know how he felt about it. So I wrote him a letter, told him how sorry I was about how things had ended and let him decide if he wanted to start talking again. I was happy to hear back from him that he was sorry too and he hoped we could still be friends too.

Turns out that John had gotten himself into another relationship by this time, which was actually a relief for me because then we really could just be friends. Things were great, we talked every once in awhile, I had someone to help me with my computer issues again, and all was right in the world. Well, that worked great until his relationship started to fail and again I had to see that he was unhappy, but I tried to support him as a friend the best that I knew how. Well, it wasn't long before they broke up and John was single again. We started hanging out more and soon it felt like we were dating again. About once a month, we would talk about how things were going and we both always agreed that we didn't want to get back together, we were having fun dating other people, and we just wanted to be friends. I think at some point we started to say we were "casually dating" because people started to ask if we had gotten back together. All along, I knew I could never get back together with him, but I loved our friendship.

In June of 2007 I moved back to Logan for a great job with the USU Admissions office. I was so sad to leave my job and life in Salt Lake, but I was finally ready to finish school and was on track to graduate! John was so amazing and supportive, but we continued to just be friends, although we did go on occasional dates and we hung out all the time. It was one of the most fun summers we've ever had! Life was good.

Fast forward to March 2008 and we had a big fight (details not important). I got my feelings hurt and I was so mad at him. Turns out he was mad at me too. We didn't talk for 2 days, which was a big deal for us. And it was his birthday. It was then that I realized I might be falling in love again, because I decided I wanted to work it out with him and I wasn't willing to give up our friendship over something so stupid. If I hadn't cared about him, that fight probably would have been the end of our friendship again. By this time, though, I had already taken a job at Lake Powell and was planning to move in May. I figured that would be the end of my relationship/friendship with John because we were both graduating and going our separate ways.

We finished up that semester and we both graduated! Yea for us! I was sad to leave Logan, but was excited for the next chapter of my life. John drove me down to Lake Powell and I had very mixed feelings about the situation with John. After a very emotional goodbye, we decided to just wait and see what happened. I knew in my heart that it was the end for us and said goodbye to my best friend.

Well just when I had given up on John, he surprised me by continuing to call me all the time. He wanted to know what I was doing, how much fun I was having, and right away he planned a visit to come back to Lake Powell. He came for a whole week in June and we had an amazing time. I knew at this point that I had fallen for John again. Somehow these feelings had snuck up on me. Well, it turns out John was falling in love too. We made the decision to continue to wait and see how things would play out. Living 7.5 hours apart was no time to start a relationship again!

What has happened is that we decided we want to be together. After everything that has happened, all the good and the bad, we have fallen in love again. *cheese* Against the odds, we have ended up together (sometimes after trying really hard to stay apart). We have a crazy history (believe it or not, this has been the short version). I finally admitted to him while we were in Hawaii that I was ready to "officially" get back together. So on December 9, 2008 in Kailua, Hawaii we made it official.

Our relationship is still not perfect (what relationship is?). I live in Salt Lake and he lives in Logan. We both have very busy work schedules. We only see each other on the weekends (and not even every weekend, but most). Things are going really well though and I am very happy. I think we have both grown up a lot in the last couple of years and we are in a better place to be committed to a relationship. So even though the odds might be against us, we have a solid foundation of friendship and we love each other. I can honestly say he is my best friend and we have so much fun together! No one makes me laugh like John does, he truly understands me, I can completely be myself when I am with him, we can talk about anything and we talk about everything, he is so supportive, he wants the best for me, he encourages me every day, I am constantly learning new things from him, and he balances out my strengths and weaknesses with our differences.

I can't tell you what the future will bring (because at one point I said we would never get back together-I guess I was wrong about that!). For those that are curious, no, we have no marriage plans. We both want to focus on some individual goals we have with careers, finances, travel, etc. but we plan to be there for each other to be as supportive as we can. We have stopped trying to predict what will happen and we don't want to force things to work out...so far our strategy of being happy and waiting see what happens has worked well for us. I can tell you that I am a better person because of my experiences and relationship with John. No matter what happens, I will always be grateful for all we have been through together (of course I hope it works out in the long run though!).

So on this weekend where we have been able to celebrate love and romance, I am celebrating my relationship with John. As unconventional as it has been, I am happy with the place we are now and can't wait to see what happens next! I love you John!

25 random things

I did this on my facebook page, so I thought I would add it to my blog, just for fun and for those of you not on FB. I tag anyone who hasn't done this yet who wants to!

1. I have very small ears. I have a hard time wearing headphones, hands free Bluetooth things, etc.
2. I find windshield wipers very distracting while I’m driving, so I only use them when I absolutely have to and on the lowest setting I can get away with.
3. I hate the sound of friction. The worst is when people drag their feet across carpet.
4. I love kids, adore and spoil my nieces, and have basically made a career out of taking care of children, but sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever want kids of my own because I worry I won’t be a good mother.
5. I have 2 cats, even though I’m allergic to them.
6. I’m allergic to everything: animals, dust, pollen, trees, sagebrush, grass, pollution, etc. I’ve just learned to deal with it.
7. When I was elected as the Arts and Lectures VP at USU, I accomplished a goal I had set in Jr. High…I just never had to guts to run for anything before then.
8. My sisters are my best friends, even though we are so very different.
9. I lived in the same house growing up for 21 years, but I’ve moved more than 10 times in the last 3.5 years.
10. I really love video games. My current love is Guitar Hero, of course.
11. My favorite band is Counting Crows. I’ve loved them since 1994 when I Anna had a cassette tape of “August and Everything After.” I’ve seen them in concert 5 times and I used to be a super nerd fan and posted to the newsgroup on their old website…we had t-shirts and everything.
12. My oldest friend is Steve. We met on the swim team sophomore year; we weren’t friends Jr. year, and then we were dance partners in Hello, Dolly! Sr. year and we’ve been close friends ever since. He’s my only friend who knew me “then” who still knows me “now.”
13. I love Broadway musicals. I’ve seen Aida, 42^nd Street, and Chicago in NYC and will hopefully see something new this summer.
14. I have very little singing ability…but one time I sang with a group of girlfriends on a stage, into a microphone, with a large audience. We had rehearsed for about a month before and Nat made me cry when she made me sing by myself to see if I could hit the right notes without Sarah to blend with. But we rocked.
15. I spent one year living outside D.C. in No. Virginia. One of the best years of my life; I grew up a lot that year and learned a lot about myself. I was there on 9/11 and during the 2002 Olympics, so I gained one valuable experience and missed out on a really cool one.
16. Contrary to popular Utah culture, I think I’m too young to get married so please stop asking me when I’m going to.
17. I grew up in Utah, but I didn’t start skiing until college. I heart cross-country and telemark skiing. I’ve never caught on to snowboarding though and don’t care much for Alpine skiing.
18. It’s harder to think of 25 random things about myself than I thought it would be.
19. I’m a little OCD when it comes balancing my check book/bank account. If I buy anything, I have to balance my account that day or I will be bothered until I do. Don’t confuse this with being responsible with my money though.
20. My first car was a 1971 convertible VW bug. And it was yellow. I loved that car. His name was Sherman.
21. I consider myself a social person, but in my “old age” I’ve come to appreciate solitude a lot more. I’m ok going places by myself and it’s not uncommon for me to stay home on a weekend night.
22. I am not very girly, but I love to get dressed up for special occasions.
23. I started wearing glasses in kindergarten (now I wear contacts).
24. John and I grew up in the same town and even went to the same high school…but we didn’t know each other because I was in 8^th grade when he was a senior.
25. I had never been to Lake Powell before I moved there for a job last summer. Now it’s one of my favorite places and I hope to go back every year now.