Oh-Nine was fine

On this day last year, we found out that Jason was going back into the Navy (and angels sang).

2009 was a good year before it even started.

I have a peanut butter ice cream pie chilling in the freezer, a Big Kitty cuddled up next to me, and a glass of Silk Nog and rum waiting for me on the coffee table. Oh, and an adorable husband waiting for his turn to cuddle.

2010 is looking good from where I sit.

Happy new year, everyone!

Where in the World Wednesday: Disney Magic

I've never been one to participate in those day-of-the-week blog things that other people do, but Ashley's post about visiting a creepy Czech church decorated with human bones got me totally convinced that this project, Classy in Philadelphia's Where in the World Wednesday, will be awesome and right up my alley.

Who in the what when? Says she (Classy in Philly, that is): The idea of WITWW is to post a picture of you in someplace in the world... it doesn't have to be somewhere foreign or tropical. Just a picture of you somewhere that you consider traveling.

I've been a place or two, and I take a lot of pictures. Sometimes I even manage to get some taken of myself. So without further ado, I give you my first Where in the World Wednesday:


This picture was taken aboard the Disney Magic cruise ship on December 28, 1998, when I was a junior in high school. My mom, sister and I did Christmas and New Year's Eve Disney-style. We spent Christmas at Disney World in Orlando before setting sail on the Magic, which had stops in Nassau and at Disney's private Bahamian island, Castaway Cay, and culminated with a party and fireworks on the boat on New Year's Eve. I wish I were there now, sipping a fruity drink and basking in the Caribbean warmth!


That is the absolute tannest I have ever been in my entire life. I fakebaked before we left (hey, it was the 90s!) and did my fair share of laying out during the trip. Gosh, do I miss my high school body--I look so skinny! I've gained at least 60 pounds since then. Gross. Seriously.


Our waiter, Tom (on the left), was from Croatia, and our busboy, Neil (on the right), was from England. I was pretty much completely in love with Neil, who said to us, in his adorable accent the morning after an apparently raucous New Year's Eve, "Wrong socks, no shave, DISASTER."


Our photographer, Sash, was also one of those charming, ambiguously European men who you can't help but love a little. Doesn't every girl have an ambiguously European man somewhere in her life story? I have a few, actually (wink, wink).

And now I am craving strawberry daiquiris and coconut rum...

I think I just figured out my plan for bidding adieu to 2009.

1,000 vegan recipes (for me to screw up)

For last night's belated Christmas dinner with Jason, I was inspired by the main course that was served at our wedding, a beautiful pastry and vegetable concoction shown at right, and this recipe for pastry-wrapped portobellos from vegan cookbook goddess Robin Robertson's new book, 1,000 Vegan Recipes.

I've been following (and obsessing over) the "Cooking From 1,000 Vegan Recipes" blog for a while now, and I finally got the cookbook from my dad and stepmom for Christmas while I was home. It's a hefty, 612-page hardcover tome; I'm surprised it didn't send my suitcase into the "overweight" category. Once I get into cooking the goodies in it, I imagine my backside will go even further in that direction.

My recipe concepts don't always turn out as intended. I didn't have portobellos, so I used a package of sliced mushrooms. I sautéed them with garlic, onion, artichoke hearts, and a shake of Victoria Taylor's Sicilian seasoning (also a Christmas gift). I was running behind in my timing from the very beginning because I forgot to defrost my puff pastry dough ahead of time, so the pastries were still in the oven when everything else was ready. As a result, the dough didn't cook all the way through. Jason was hungry, so I served him an underdone one and he liked it, but I was frustrated. I made six of them, so I let the rest of them sit in the hot oven while we ate, and by the time Jason was ready for seconds they looked a lot better--more fluffy and golden.

I cut a few corners and made a packet of roasted garlic instant mashed potatoes to save time. I've never gone the instant potatoes route, but Jason had bought a box while I was gone, so I figured I'd use that up (also, I've been way tired since I got back from Michigan and didn't want to peel and slice a pot full of potatoes). I made the same cornbread stuffing that we had at Thanksgiving, and a slice of Field Roast rounded out the plate.


I love the nubby look of the Field Roast; the final plate wasn't so bad either--the pastry just needed more time to develop some color.
I'll definitely try the pastry-wrapped portobello recipe again--but next time I'll follow the directions properly.

Back in California + Bo2k9BC: Best Social Web Moment

Today's Best of 2009 Blog Challenge prompt is: Best social web moment. Did you meet someone you used to only know from her blog? Did you discover Twitter?

Affirmative on both counts!

I joined Twitter on April 17 this year. The reason? Joey McIntyre told me to. Why yes, I am a sheep.

On March 28, I met Jamie, who has been my friend since the Diary-X days. We'd "known" each other since 2002-ish, but now we can say it without the quotation marks!

I got back to California Friday night. There was apparently a botched terrorist attack on a plane landing in Detroit just before my flight left, but I didn't know about it until yesterday when I checked the news. Scary stuff. I'm glad I didn't know.

I'm making Jason a belated Christmas dinner tonight since I got home so late on the real day. I have some Field Roasts to fire up and I'm contemplating some sort of puff pastry-wrapped vegetable concoction. Add stuffing and mashed potatoes and he'll have a meal fit for a king. I've missed taking care of him.

At some point I'll probably attempt to unpack my suitcase, but for right now, I just want to cuddle up with my cats and the DVR (and the ginger fudge my dad and stepmom gave me for Christmas).

Meowy Michigan Christmas

Happy Christmas eve!

I'm watching the weather anxiously here. If the headlines say "Travelers beware if leaving Michigan," it can't be good news for my flight out of Detroit tomorrow. All the more reason not to leave. Except that I miss my husband and kitties terribly and every happy moment is tinged with sadness that Jason isn't here to share it.

Angst aside, Merry Christmas to one and all, from:


Erin


Dustin


Alexander


Casper


Spike


Sophia


Nigel


Amy


Mittens

...and me.

the mitten kitten

I'm in Michigan. It's cold. It smells good. Does cold have a smell? It does here.

Last night I sat down on the chilly streets of Ann Arbor and hugged a beautiful black dog close to me until her homeless guardian came out of the restaurant in which he was warming up. Her chattering teeth tapped a drum line beat. My heart broke a little right there on the sidewalk. I hope I gave her a temporary reprieve from what must be a difficult life.

Another orange cat was sitting at our door when Jason took me to the airport yesterday morning. He didn't want food, just love. We left him some food anyway. The kitty was still there when Jason got back, so he sat and petted him for a while before he had to go to work.

I can't save them all. But we did save my mom and stepdad's (as yet unnamed) kitty up there, who showed up at their door like she owned the place. And now she does.

Welcome to the family, Kitten.

increasing my carbon footprint

Tomorrow morning bright and early I'll be heading to the land of these guys:


see more Sports Pictures
No, not Sweden and Russia. Rather, Hockeytown--a different mother land entirely. Mine!

I'll be taking these tasty snacks with me since I'll be in airports from 4 AM Pacific to 8 PM Eastern time. I love my random imported commissary food!

I have all of my holiday shopping done (and paid for).

I only need to add a few more last-minute items to my suitcase.

I also need to get the cats off of it.


My parents' cats are going to have a field day smelling my luggage. I think the cat lady disease is starting to spread, because my mom and stepdad have a cat now, too. And my dad and stepmom have a mighty flock as usual. If you don't want to end up with a cat sleeping on your head at night, I suggest you stop being friends with me posthaste.

Get ready, I'm coming home.*

* Holy crap, I love that song. It needs to be on iTunes, stat.

Party! + Bo2k9BC: Best Change to the Place I Live

Friday night we went to Jason's command Christmas party at the Visalia Convention Center, along with about 600 other people. I had never been to one of those things before, so wasn't sure what to expect. Luckily, I managed to dress appropriately (black pants and sparkly top with big hair and dramatic eye makeup). The food left something to be desired, but I managed to pick around the piles of beef and chicken on my plate and salvage some vegetables and potatoes.

We ended up having a fantastic time: the drinks were flowing, we won a $10 gift card to Jamba Juice, and even went to an awesome club with some of Jason's coworkers afterward. At one point we saw a Corvette (not ours) on the street and I said I should lick it. One of Jason's coworkers said he'd pay money to see that. I probably should have taken him up on it, but the poor guy had already bought Jason a shot and a beer and who knows what else for other people so I didn't want to take advantage. The only casualty was an earring that somehow fell out of my ear; presumably while dancing at the club (because I am awesome and spastic like that). No worries, though, it was a cheap set I've had for years.

There may have been barf the morning after, but I'm not saying what species the barfer was. There are multiple choices around here.

Today's Best of 2009 Blog Challenge prompt is: What's the best change you made to the place you live?

I kind of already wrote about this in my first Bo2k9BC blog. To sum that up, moving to California was exactly what we needed to do. The next best change is moving from the fail apartment to base housing. Since we've gotten settled into base housing, we've made some nice changes--like getting our washer and dryer and our new bedroom furniture. I've successfully battled the ant hordes and my cuckoo neighbor. I've befriended my feline neighbors, including Coco (who may actually be a boy, but I haven't confirmed that yet).

All in all, we are very happy in our new state, new home, and new life.

Even if Coco is always trying to break in:

I'm addicted to a tuberous rhizome.

Lately I have had this obsession with ginger. I'm becoming adept at working it into every meal (like this one) and I often find myself craving the taste of it. I don't know what's the matter with me.

Peep my delicious gingery accomplices: Torani sugar-free gingerbread syrup, Makoto ginger dressing, Newman's Own Lighten Up low fat sesame ginger dressing, Reed's Extra Ginger Brew, and Bundaberg Ginger Beer. I got the dressings at the commissary and everything else at World Market.

On Sunday I decided to use some of my leftover Thanksgiving baking supplies to make some gingerbread cookies. I had creamed my wet ingredients and was combining the dry ingredients when I realized that I didn't have any ginger. How that key ingredient never made it onto my shopping list, I do not know. You'd think that I wouldn't have trouble remembering that gingerbread contains ginger, but apparently I do.

It was getting late at that point, the commissary was already closed, and there was no way that I was going to make a trip into town to see if any of the civilian grocery stores were still open. So I improvised. Pumpkin pie spice has ginger in it, so I dumped in some of that and an extra shake of nutmeg. I've made similar swaps before, so I figured the end result wouldn't be that bad. The cookies turned out nicely, although I prefer very spicy gingerbread and spicy, these aren't. Nevertheless, they're moist and delicious in their own lightly-gingered way. They're perfect with a cup of gingerbread-flavored coffee in the morning.

P.S.: This one's for Bev:

Bo2k9BC: Best Night Out

Today's Best of 2009 Blog Challenge prompt is: Did you have a night out with friends or a loved one that rocked your world? Who was there? What was the highlight of the night?

I can't limit this to only one. With the amazing concerts I've been to this year, how could I? So here they are in the order they occurred (click the dates to read more about the shows):

April 16, 2009 - New Kids on the Block concert at the SaveMart Center in Fresno.
September 18, 2009 - Pink concert at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

My companion for both of these was Jason. Being so far from family, he's the only person with whom I can share those rock-your-socks-off moments. Luckily for me, there's no one else with whom I would rather share them.

Best night out honorable mentions go to the couple of times we've let loose at Saddle Ranch. Earlier tonight we were talking about how much fun we've had there. perhaps we'll go there again once our new bedroom furniture is paid off. Until then we'll just hang out in our room reminiscing (and hoping that we don't break the bed again).

kitteeeeeehn

I was sitting at my desk yesterday morning when out of the corner of my eye I saw a kitten dart across our yard and under my car. I hauled ass outside, bent over next to the car, and cooed at the kitten to come to me. She toddled right over and let out the tiniest, most adorable squeak of a meow that I've heard since my dad and stepmom's cat Nigel was a little one.

How do all of these cats find me? First the tortoiseshell kitten and Black Kitty at the fail apartment, then Princess and Orange Boy Kitty here in base housing. Not to mention Coco. So before today my tally was two cats whose homes I've found, and two I've taken to animal control. Not bad. There was also a feral cat at the fail apartment who I never managed to catch before we moved out, but feral animals are another situation entirely.

The kitten spent the rest of the day exploring the house and sleeping under the bed in the office. I ended up working overtime yesterdary, so I didn't have the opportunity to run her over to the base vet to check for a microchip. She had a brand new collar on, so I knew she must be someone's and was probably vaccinated, so I kept her overnight. Our cats--Lola especially--took great offense to her extended stay and kept me up past 1 a.m. with their hissing and growling. She didn't care, she just wanted to play. When I got up this morning and headed to the kitchen to make Jason his coffee, she came running after me from who knows where. She spent the day chilling with me in the office and playing an epic game of chase with Jacob. Today was equally as hectic work-wise, so I figured I'd make a point of taking her to the vet tomorrow. And honestly, I was enjoying her company and her kitten-ness.

But then Jason came home. He brought in the mail and a hand-written sign that he found at the mailboxes. Black and white female kitten, seven months old, purple collar... sure enough. He called the number and left a message while I jumped in the shower. When I got out he was still waiting for a call back. I was drying off when the phone rang. The person was right down the street and was going to come over right then. She lived next door, in fact!

Guess who it was, you guys. JUST GUESS.

If you guessed Crazy Navy Wife, DING DING DING, you're the winner! We found out her first name, too, so now I can think of more nicknames for her.

I made Jason answer the door and give her back her kitten (whose name, incidentally, is Boots, due to her white paws). CNW was all thank yous and we missed hers and her tone of voice was in normal lady mode, but I know the evil lurking within her could strike at any moment. I listened from behind the bathroom door. My neighbor is Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde.

My mom is probably going to say that I should try to be friends with her since she was nice this time and we have a fondness of cats in common, but it doesn't work that way for me. I don't cast my lot with people who can't be level-headed, civilized human beings all the time, and I'm not one to hand out second chances like business cards. Part of the reason we left Massachusetts is because we needed to surround ourselves with stable people. Trust me: being fond of cats is not enough to make a friendship or any other kind of relationship work.

Bo2k9BC: Best Restaurant Experience

If you're looking at this in a reader, click on through to the real thing, baby, because I decorated for the holidays up in hurrrrr. I like the new look so much that I might even keep it around in the off-season.

So here's today's Best of 2009 Blog Challenge prompt: Share the best restaurant experience you had this year. Who was there? What made it amazing? What taste stands out in your mind?

We've eaten out a lot this year. We eat out a lot in general. But I'm going to say that the best dining out experience I had all year was the brunch at the Universal City Hilton. We ate there two times this spring whilst flitting about Los Angeles. I remember four things: the coffee, the free champagne, the pineapple, and the gorgeous atrium in which the spread is set up.

I remember the coffee because I needed it after having been out late (among other things) the previous evenings.

I remember the free champagne because, HELLO, free! Champagne! And drinking bubbly at breakfast feels so decadent.

I remember the pineapple because it was fresh, not canned, and it was so sweet and juicy that it practically melted in my mouth.

I remember the atrium because the ceiling was sky-high and the windows flooded the space with SoCal sunshine. Sitting there with coffee in one hand and champagne in the other, my handsome husband sitting across from me, I felt like the world was my oyster. I felt like we had a glow surrounding us, because for all the people at the tables around us knew, we were somebody. Isn't everyone in LA somebody? Even if it was all in my head, we were that much more important for those two sun-drenched mornings.

P.S. Check out my butt-shroom:



It reminds me of my carrot.

The Best of 2009 Blog Challenge

It's the first of December, and you know what that means.

Yes, it means that you only have 24 shopping days left until Christmas (I only have two people left to buy gifts for, suckahs!).

Yes, it means that it's World AIDS Day (use a condom, people).

It also means that it's time to look back on the year behind us--and what better way is there to do that than The Best of 2009 Blog Challenge? (That was a rhetorical question, so don't answer it.)

Here's how it works: there's a writing prompt in question form for each day of December. For example, today's question is: What was your best trip in 2009? And so forth for the next 30 days--the list of prompts is here (there's also a list of participants on that page--I'm number 240, so seriously, all the cool bloggers are doing it). Easy, yes?

Well, maybe not. I am by no means promising that I'll blog every day or that I'll write about the prompt question if I do blog. I can commit to a man, but I sure as hell can't commit to blogging every day. Nor can I be counted on to summarize my year properly. Regardless, mad props to Gwen Bell for adding a little bit of organization to these here intertubes.

On to today's topic: my best trip in 2009. I've done a bit of travel this year. Most recently to Virginia for work, to Oakland for work, and to Los Angeles a few times, definitely not for work. And I'll be going home to Michigan two weeks from today (side note: SQUEEEEEEEEEEE!).

But the best trip of all this year was by far when I drove 3,100 miles from Massachusetts to California with a car full of disgruntled cats. (In case you missed it: part the first, part the second, and part the third.) And I don't mean "best" in an ironic or sarcastic sense at all. Leaving Massachusetts and knowing that I'll never have to live there ever again made the unpleasant parts of the journey fade into the background. California was my light at the end of the tunnel highway, and blasting across the Massachusetts/New York border throwing a one-fingered salute was better for my mental health than a bottle of Zoloft.

The move (and the Navy reenlistment that prompted it) was also an integral part of reclaiming our lives, which seemed to be stagnating in the morass that is Massachusetts and its accompanying familial entanglements. (Hehe, I said morass!) It was tough at times, like when Jason had to leave me in Massachusetts (for we didn't know how long) when he reported to his temporary personnel unit in Illinois. He certainly had it worse than I did. We ended up only being apart for two months, but that separation made joining him in California even sweeter, despite our less-than-ideal temporary accomodations and sleeping on the floor for two weeks while waiting for our moving truck to arrive.

I never thought I would drive cross-country, let alone with no other company than my cats. I feel grateful to have had my situation necessitate it. Making the trip was rewarding in that it taught me that I can handle that kind of stress. When Jason first reenlisted, I told him I wanted us to be sent anywhere but California because I knew that I would have to drive the cats to wherever we ended up, and I didn't think I could do it on my own. Now I know that I can!

This trip got me out of a negative place (literally and figuratively), boosted my self-confidence, and reunited me with my husband. It doesn't get much better than that!

piiiiiiiiiie

Last year, we spent Thanksgiving sick in Massachusetts. We also bought a car--so I guess there was something good that came of that. We were in Michigan in 2007 for the lovely wedding shower my aunt threw for us. In 2006 we were on our own in Virginia Beach. In 2005 we went to see my sister in D.C., where she was interning at the time--that's when I told my family that I'd be engaged by Christmas. In 2004 I hadn't met Jason yet, so it was me, my roommate, and my mom and stepdad at my place in Norfolk.

This year we were on our own again, so I had the autonomy to make an entirely vegan feast. The ethical choices I've made are very important to me, so cooking an entire meal of delicious food that didn't hurt anyone brings me a lot of joy. And it was delicious. Jason requested traditional Thanksgiving food, and that's what he got. I made way too much food for only two people, so we're still picking away at the leftovers. I had stuffing for breakfast this morning and pie for lunch.


I made my pie first. No store-bought pie crust for me. I had a helper for all the prep work. He's an expert bean-snapper.


Lots and lots of chopping.


Our appetizer, artichoke puffs, and our main dish, a Tofurky roast (which is delicious--Jason specifically requested it).


The finished product, served on our wedding china reserved for special occasions: green beans, corn, Tofurky, cornbread stuffing, and mashed red bliss potatoes with mushroom gravy. And it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without a pumpkin pie!
We had a formal meal, but everything else was casual. We stayed in sweatpants all day and dinner was served on the couch. I miss my family, but I also enjoy making special times with Jason, the man I've chosen to be a part of my family.

Not only is she crazy, she also has horrible taste in holiday decor.

Jason is home!

He got back last Thursday. He was scheduled to arrive back in Lemoore at night, so I had planned to spend a few hours after work cleaning up the place and myself, and then going to pick him up looking super cute. Instead, he called from the airport here on base two hours before I expected him, while I was elbow-deep in dishwater. I scurried over there without putting on makeup, brushing my hair, or even brushing my teeth (I did chew a piece of gum on the way there so as to not be completely disgusting). Oh well. He was sick and had been awake for at least 26 hours at that point so he didn't notice. We went straight to bed.

When I woke up Friday morning, my poor man was sleeping at the very edge of our bed, scrunched up like he was still in his coffin-like rack on the ship. My heart just broke for him thinking about how uncomfortable it must have been. Since he's been home, he has been enjoying such luxuries as sunshine, soy milk, and sheets.

Over the weekend Jason witnessed another Crazy Navy Wife incident: he was out in the driveway when he heard her hollering at her son--and not a teenager, mind you, but a little boy--that he could never have his friends over to their house ever again. And just wait until I show you the Christmas monstrosity that is her yard.



Not only is she crazy, she also has horrible taste in holiday decor. From left to right, that's an inflatable Santa being pulled out of a chimney by a reindeer, an inflatable Santa on a motorcycle, and a light-up Santa hat-wearing dolphin that rocks back and forth. The front door is covered in shiny wrapping paper. It could be much worse. Luckily for the normal people on our street, hanging lights on upper levels and placing anything on the roof are strictly prohibited in base housing. Otherwise she'd probably have shit up there, too.

I'll be honest: I hate those inflatable yard things. Christmas, Halloween, Easter... I don't care what holiday they're for, they are beyond tacky. My cold, black heart swells with glee when I see one of them flopped over, half deflated and buried in snow. We don't get snow in this part of California, so some other arrangements will have to be made with Mother Nature. Perhaps some wind gusts? Hail? Locusts? Or maybe her son can just invite his friends over on the sly.

Wordless Wednesday

My security detail is growing.

Things that are making me smile today

• I just watched my Michigan State Spartans play basketball on ESPN in high definition, on Jason's most excellent TV. It was like being at the Breslin Center, except with a better view. And they won (and that article was written by a fellow MSU School of Journalism alum)! Spartan sports are central to my existence.



• I got a shot in my arm today and the guy who gave it to me was shorter than me... I'm 5'3". I wanted to hug him. Then he put a neon yellow bandage on my arm and I wanted to hug him even more. But I didn't. Because he had needles.



• The Oatmeal's "How To Use An Apostrophe." Read it. It makes my journalism major spidey senses tingle.



• The Oatmeal's "15(ish) Things Worth Knowing About Coffee." It makes my inner barista squeal with glee. "Clearly humanity has a thing for black drippy liquids."



• The Oatmeal's "17 Things Worth Knowing About Your Cat." Because this blog seems to revolve around cats lately (sorry about that). Hell, I like everything on that site.



• This is for that high school principal in Massachusetts who banned students from saying "meep":
  
  



• Joey Mac's new solo video (I think I just drooled on myself):
  
  



• Lastly but not leastly and best of all, Jason is coming home in a couple of days!

When I checked him, I saw balls and left it at that.

My Orange Boy Kitty stopped by this afternoon, so I grabbed the opportunity to run him down to the base vet to see if he was microchipped. Surprise, he wasn't. So off we went to animal control, orange boy yowling bloody murder all the way.


The intake officer double-checked for a chip (no dice), and then we discovered that he was neutered. When I checked him, I saw balls and left it at that. Turns out (and this might be kitty anatomy TMI for some of you), orange tomcats tend to have bigger scrotums than other cats, big enough that even after neutering they still look, well, ballsy. Sometimes the only way to tell for sure is to just give them a feel back there. I left that part to the intake officer. Luckily for this kitty, she took quite a shine to him, carrying him up to the front desk for all of the other girls to see. When she brought him back, thoroughly kissed and cooed at, she had him cradled in her arms like a big orange baby.

She said that since he's so sweet and already snip-snipped, they'll have no trouble finding him a spot at a rescue. I'll miss his evening visits, but I know I did what's best for him. There's no such thing as a safe outdoor cat.

There's also no such thing as a safe indoor cat... trash can. I had an unfortunate casualty tonight--the kitty bathroom trash can my family has had since I was in elementary school. That's almost 20 years! I picked it up to empty it, and it slipped out of my fingers. The bottom cracked and shattered when it hit the floor.


Ooooops. I do still have the toothbrush holder, shower curtain, and tissue box cover. Sorry, cute little trash can!

Get your towels ready, it's about to go down.

This is for Jason. (NSFW for language.)

Creepy, Creepy Coco

Every night I sit in the living room wondering if I'll be watched tonight.

Visited.

By a specter so horrifying that she wears a bell around her neck to warn her victims that she is coming.

A phantasm known as COCO.

Our neighbors' cat.

I mentioned before that she likes to sit on our back patio and look inside. But she does more than look. She sits there, absolutely still, staring, eyes as wide as an Alice raccoon.

Frankly, it creeps me out. I'll glance away from my computer or the TV... and there she'll be, eyes locked on me like she's trying to mind-meld me. Last night she was sitting out there looking so pathetic--she was even meowing--that I let her inside. She had tried to let herself in, and has successfully done so before, but I keep the screen door latched now so she can't get in when I'm not right nearby. It was pretty chilly, too, so I thought she might like to warm up. She wandered around sniffing things for about ten minutes before Carmen, the nice mom from next door, came over looking for her. I 'fessed up that Coco was here, because, well, she was standing right behind me. Carmen leaned over to pick Coco up and she bolted into the kitchen. Carmen had to chase after her and get her in a sleeper hold to drag her home.

So now my neighbors probably think that I'm some weird child-hating cat stealer, but whatever, I can't help it that Coco likes it better over here than at her own house. She's not the only one.

We know we're cute, but you don't need to be acting all catarazzi on us all the time.

Happy Veterans Day! I've been busy missing my man in uniform today, but these videos of soldiers reunited with their doggies made me smile (...and sob).

I mentioned that the cats love our "office" bed... Well, here's proof:





Jacob says, "OK, lady, enough with the pictures already. We know we're cute, but you don't need to be acting all catarazzi on us all the time. Either pick me up or get into the kitchen and feed me."

My bad, dude.

The funny thing is, all three cats prefer to be in whatever room I'm in. When I leave my desk for the day, they migrate into the living room on my heels... and then promptly find a spot and go back to sleep. When I head to our bedroom for the night, it's the same. They orbit me.

It's nice to have little somebodies to make me feel loved.