Happy 4th "Birthday" Buddy!

It's been exactly three years since we hauled ass to Little Rock Animal Village and adopted a one year old cat they had named Jazz. On the drive home he pooped in his box, tried to run away at the gas station when we stopped to clean out the box, and then pooped in it again. 

Once we got home, and got him settled, he relaxed and we fell head over heels in love with him. He's loving, affectionate, so smart and just the most precious little cat in the world. 

He's happy to see us after we've been away for a few days. 

He forgave us quickly for giving him a bath. 

He curls up with us on the couch every night. 

The day Graham left for Kuwait for six months was hard for all of us. Buddy spent the whole day curled up with me while I read chick lit & cried. 

He likes to hang out under furniture...

Curl up under bedding...

... and investigate any new additions to the home.

I was super worried about bringing new additions (aka new animals) into our household. But other than the three days where he ran away after we adopted Hermione, he gets along great with his sisters. 

The joy this little cat has brought into my life can not be put int into words. He helped make Arkansas into a home for me. He was my companion when Graham deployed. His mischievousness never fails to make me smile (even when he's walking through wet paint & leaving paw prints all over our house or jumping on my shoulders while trying to get to flowers). He's only been in my life for three years, and I can not imagine it without him.

 I know it will happen someday, so in the mean time we try to make his life (and Charlotte & Hermione's) as wonderful as possible.

(A quick drawing I made describing the horrible scratch marks on my shoulders.)

So, happy "birthday" to the furry love of my life! 

(And you can all refer to me as a crazy cat lady. I don't mind.) 

A weekend filled with cats, food & wallpaper struggles.

Hope everyone had a good weekend! I took Friday off of work, and other than an excruciating headache, it was a wonderful weekend.

 We started with some cat cuteness, as Buddy & Charlotte investigated the pineapple.

I made really delicious dinners.

Roasted Brussels sprouts & carrots, garlic & herb tilapia, & greek orzo.

Roasted broccoli, grilled pork tenderloin & hasselback potatoes.

I baked. A lot. I blame hormones. And headaches. And the fact that chocolate does cure any & everything that ails you.

Whoopie Pies with strawberry cream cheese frosting

Rolled in sprinkles for added festive-ness =)

Homemade brownies with Grater's Mint Chocolate Chip

 

Saturday, we had a date night at Sushi Cafe. 

Wasabi steamed pork dumplings. Amazing.

We devoured this platter of sushi!

And 9 months after we initially demo-ed the bathroom, we finally did something else to it. And keeping with tradition, nothing went smoothly. FYI: check batch numbers very carefully when buying multiple rolls of wallpaper. 

Oh well... it'll be really pretty when it's finished. 

Wallpaper going up... (and no, those are not stylized rain clouds =))

LOVE the pearliness of the lines in this.

I absolutely can not wait to see it finished.

It was an absolutely wonderful weekend! I hate that I feel like I'm wishing away my life, but I'm so glad we're already one day closer to Friday!

Happy "Birthday" Buddy!

On January 14, 2011 Graham and I hauled ass to Little Rock Animal Village to check out a cat I saw on PetFinder. His name was Jazz, and he was a beautiful tabby with big green eyes and the most adorable round face. Graham got home from work just in time and we made it to the shelter right before they closed.

He was apprehensive about getting a cat, but he put his fingers to the cage, and the cat immediately began to play. That sealed the deal and we filled out the paperwork and brought him home with us. We got off to a rocky start. He pooped in his cardboard carrier, and when we stopped at a gas station to clean it out, he tried to run away. He cried the whole way home. We kept talking to him, telling him over & over "it's okay, Buddy. It's okay". That became his name. Once we got home, he calmed down & we fell completely head over heels for him.

I've professed my love for this cat multiple times, so I'm not going to gush about how amazing he is. I'm just going to say that two years ago Graham & I went to a shelter and picked out a cat that needed a home. That cat became an integral part of our lives. He helped make a newly engaged couple into a family. He helped make Arkansas a less lonely home for a homesick Carolina girl.

I don't know his exact age. I know the shelter had his age listed as one. But since he came into our lives in January 14, that will be his birthday. So happy birthday Buddy. We can't imagine what life would be like if we hadn't made it to the shelter on that Friday afternoon in January.

National Cat Day

Everyone knows how much I adore Buddy. This cat is seriously the furry love of my life. And if you weren't already convinced that I'm becoming that crazy cat lady, just keep scrolling...

Graham & I adopted him on January 14, 2011. We saw his picture online, hauled ass over to the shelter and instantly fell in love with him. On the way home he pooped in his box (something he still does within five minutes of being in the car...) and tried to run away when we stopped at the gas station to clean it up. After that experience, Graham wasn't too sure about this whole cat thing. But once we got home and Buddy relaxed, they were both completely smitten.

Buddy is seriously an awesome cat. He's so playful, smart & affectionate. He makes the most precious noises and loves all people and (most) animals. Every time we go home to North Carolina, he has a blast playing with my mom's cat. He also gets along with Hermione & our new kitten, Charlotte, exceptionally well.

When Graham deployed on May 7, 2011, I had been in Little Rock for just over four months. I had great coworkers, and a few friends, but I was essentially alone. No family, none of my best friends, no husband. Just Buddy. We spent over six months alone together, and he became my companion. He was a constant source of comfort and companionship. He made me less lonely. I know he's not a child, but it meant everything to have a living, breathing being in our house that needed me. The day Graham left I was really down. I laid in bed all day reading and just being sad. Buddy was sad too. He came in there with me, curled up at the foot of the bed and slept all day.

This past January, we adopted a puppy. I don't think Buddy initially handled it all that well, because on January 24, he ran away. He was gone for three days, and those were the longest three days of my life. I honestly don't know how many parent handles losing a child, because my heart was absolutely broken. I cried nonstop and couldn't imagine not ever seeing those huge green eyes again.

Luckily, he did come home. And we were all thrilled to see him. Even Hermione was =)

Just a few months ago, we adopted a new kitten, Charlotte. Buddy took to her instantly. He really is the sweetest cat you'll ever meet. I know I've said this before, but every time I think about the fact that he spent some portion of his life in a cage at the shelter blows my mind. The fact that he ever ended up in a shelter to begin with really blows my mind. How could anyone not fall completely head over heels in love with him after a few seconds is unfathomable to me.

But for whatever reason, he was at that shelter, and I found him. We may have rescued him, but he truly rescued me. I don't think I would have made it through that first year in Arkansas without him, and even now I can't imagine not having him. He's traveled from Little Rock to Charlotte with us countless times, he's kept me company while I hand stenciled a quatrefoil wall. He sits on the coffee table and distracts me while I'm working on crafty things. He steals food. He sits on the side of the tub while I take my bubble bath every night. He paws at the door like a madman when he wants outside. He lets me dress him up. He's the perfect cat and I implore everyone to head to a shelter and find yourself a cat you will hopefully love as much as we love him.



May Photo Dump.

May was a good, yet bittersweet month. Lot's of time with my family (human family & fur family). A too short visit to Charlotte. The last birthday of my 20's. My husband's deployment. As good as it was, I'm glad it's over. Now if June, July & August world hurry & fly by as well =)

Happy June!

Buddy was as adorable as ever.

Hermione spent more time than ever in the water.

Probably one of my favorite pictures of all time.

BFF's =)



We ate so much good food!
(My mission is to make the rest of the world love livermush as much as we do.)



One of our favorite meals in Little Rock @Union Bistro

Said goodbye to my husband, yet again....

Deployments do not get any easier...