The last five days were filled with happiness and tons of fun. Robert and I had the privilege of flying to Missouri to watch my brother marry his best friend. What a great celebration! We originally met Taylor over Christmas break, and it has definitely been a bummer to live so far away during their dating and engagement, but we know we will have many many years to continue to get to know Taylor even better. Did I mention they met on a blind date? How cool is that!
We left bright and early Wednesday morning. Please tell me we aren't the only people who always take off super early and return unbelievably late. We were flying , with Mittens which definitely had me on edge. We had done our homework: called and reserved a spot, double checked the dimension requirements online. We got the the check-in counter and the worker said the kennel was too big. Uhh, what? She kinda just looked at us like "Sorry, not sorry." She also commented on Mittens being a huge cat. Mittens took that to heart and was very self-conscious as she prides herself on maintaining a petite kitty cat frame. Thankfully, another worker came by and said everything was just fine. Next came security. Robert had to take Mitts out of her kennel which we had expected. We made it through just fine. Mittens was fine as long as we weren't moving around a ton. She likes stability and predictability. She might have been meowing on the airplane, but the engine was so loud that we couldn't hear it. We made it one piece. Definitely don't want to do that again any time soon. We are so thankful that my parents will be fostering her these next few months. Mittens took in all the new sights and sounds very cautiously. New sounds: garage door, storm door, recliner, piano (we have a keyboard), sliding closet doors. She's super ed excited about all the new hiding locations. Her fave spot is under Dad's side of the bed. She also loves all of the squirrels and groundhogs. In NC she was used to hunting cardinals, skinks, and rabbits. I will say that she hated having so many people around, and she was shedding like no other due to the stress, but I think she's adjusting more now that it's just my parents.
My grandparents, aunt, and cousins flew in from Philly. They had delay after delay and ended up getting in an entire day late. We also had aunts, uncles, and cousins come in from Colorado and Texas. Robert's dad even came in from Alabama. It was quite the reunion!
I wish we could have had just another day or two so we didn't have to feel as rushed to see all the family and friends that we wanted to see. We did, however, get to meet up with a few friends: 3 G's with Dee Dee, Leigha got to come along to get my hair cut, catching up with Emily and Tiffani and church. We also got to spend a morning with Robert's dad at Stockton Lake. It was great!
Now, to the wedding. We went to the church on Thursday to help with some decorating. Taylor was definitely blessed to have tons of friends and family who were ready and willing to help, and everything turned out great! The rehearsal was on Friday, and we ended with a delicious meal at Boone's BBQ. On Saturday I woke up and headed to Leigha's house. They're family has been such a blessing to my family. Leigha did my hair, and Olivia and Rita joined us so we could all chat while Robert and Greg chatted over coffee. Perf! The weather was rather overcast, but it turned out so perfectly - it just rained during the drive from the pictures to the ceremony. And as our photography said on our wedding day, overcast days make for the best pictures, so they have that working for them. :) The ceremony site was very pretty. It was Stonegate Chapel in Branson. After the ceremony we headed to King's Way Church in Mount Vernon. The food was delicious, the company was nice, and the dancing was fun. And now I have a new sister and a very happy married brother.
Monday, May 26, 2014
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Mittens
I have wanted a cat my entire life. We didn't have an indoor cat growing up due to the potential scratching, hairballs, and excessive fur on everything, and I never wanted an outdoor cat. I kid you not when I say that my mom used to say, "When you grow up maybe you will marry a man who let's you have a cat at your house." I had a lot of waiting to do. Fast forward approximately 15 years, and...I married a self-proclaimed cat hater. Robert's family owned a cat or two while he was growing up, but all I know is that one of them couldn't be litter trained and that ruined his perception of cats.
The day we moved to North Carolina (June 1, 2012) we saw a litter of kittens in our parking lot. We soon found out that they lived in our water runoff drain in the parking lot. How sad/adorable is that? I feel like a a Disney cartoon totally could have starred this little furballs. We would see the cats periodically, and it was fun to watch them grow up, but I always felt badly for them especially during extreme weather conditions.
In the fall of 2013 we started seeing a particularly cute grey cat sitting on our porch and our front door mat. I think she was scoping us out. I remember Robert texting me a picture of her and me replying with, "Can we have her?" to which Robert said, "If she's still here next December." More than a year to wait??? A few days later (October 21, 2013) Robert and I were taking one of our traditional evening walks through the neighborhood, and we came across the same grey cat again. She was eating a potato chip in the parking lot. She was so hungry and focused on eating the potato chip that she didn't even notice us sneak up on her. Robert scooped her up, even though I begged him not to, knowing that the instant I held her I wouldn't be able to give her up. We decided to take her in and just feed her a bit - stupid, stupid, stupid. We just so happened to have a can of tuna on hand which is hot since I hate fish. We put it down on a plate for her and she scarfed it down. I started weeping while watching her eat. Just thinking about feeding her and then throwing her back out broke my heart. I asked Robert if we could name her anyway, and he said yes, we should name her Mittens. She is grey with white paws. Robert decided we should let her stay with us until we could take her to the vet to get checked out.
October 22 was actually my last day at my former job, so it was super easy to take Mittens to the vet the next days since I was jobless. We took her in, and the vet was shocked with how healthy she was. She's a feral cat. Maybe you're like me, and you're not quite sure the difference between stray and feral. Stray: grew up in a house, family ditched the cat on the side of the road. Feral: born in the wild, never been owned by a human. So Mittens is a feral cat. The vet said she has perfect teeth, eyes, ears, and nose. The pads of her paws were in remarkable shape for being used to walking on hot asphalt and rocks and sticks in the woods. Her fur was shiny and not matted. Her digestive system seemed good. No fleas, ticks, or worms, but we got her a de-worming pill just in case. Rabies/tetanus shot? Got that too. Trimmed her nails. We left knowing that this was a cat for good. I firmly believe that Mittens was God's gift to me to keep me company during the coming weeks of unemployment. She kept me company and kept me from getting bored out of my mind. A couple of weeks after getting her we got her spayed. She was so pitiful. She licked her wound too much, and it got infected which meant she had to get an antibiotic shot and was forced to wear the cone of shame for a week. The first time we put the cone on her she literally cried a real kitty cat tear and it fell onto the blanket beneath her. Broke my heart.
Since then, Mittens has mesmerized us with her general cuteness. Some of her favorite things include her kitty teaser (a fuzzy pink toy with a jingle bell inside), her laser, dental treats, anything pink or purple, looking at her reflection in windows and mirrors, having her ears/lips/cheeks/chin scratched, being brushed, laying in the sun, and attacking our feet under blankets. Her least favorite things include being picked up, having her belly scratched, when we turn on the lights after it's been dark for a long time, the vacuum cleaner, having her nails done, and closed doors. And after a few short days Robert officially loved her. He loves her so much he even built her a scratching post/perch.
However, on Valentine's Day or sweet Mittens ran away while the door was open for a bit. I was devastated. We searched high and low. The positive is that she was born in the wild and grew up in it for a year and a half so she knows the neighbor and forest like the back of her paw. She knows the safe places and the places the avoid. Unfortunately, because of all of that she wasn't that anxious to get home. I was heartbroken. The fact that it had just snowed the day before didn't help. Thinking about her being so cold was terrifying. I will say that this experience made me love Robert more than ever. Robert willingly stayed up until the wee hours of the night every night that she was gone. Knowing that cats are nocturnal, we figured nighttime was the best time to try and catch her. We sat out her favorite things on our porch: her food, the litter box, her favorite blanket, a toy. We sat out our shoes and a hoodie so she could find our scent. We went on hikes for hours on end - just trying to find her. I can say that I found a part of the woods I had never seen before, and it would have been very serene had it not been for our given situation. We saw her a couple of times which was both encouraging and very frustrating. She'd come up on the porch, but the second we'd move to get her she'd run away. Her food attracted plenty of other feral cats as wells as possums. The most terrifying night was the night that she was on our porch and then a coyote chased her into the woods. Later that night we heard some terrible noises coming from the woods, and then we didn't see her for two whole days. When she reappeared we experienced such a rush of relief. She had been gone for six days when one of our friends came up to our sliding glass door and said that he had found Mittens. Robert was in his night class, so I went out with Adam to go see her. Unfortunately, the cat he had found was one of Mittens' siblings, but when we got close to that cat she ran away and stumbled upon Mittens which terrified her and made her run across her path. "That's Mittens!" I got super pumped. It was totally exhilarating. She went to hide under some cars. Adam and I walked slowly toward her. We crouched down to be less intimidating. I was saying her name and Adam was meowing. She was starting to walk closer to us when one our neighbors pulled into the parking lot and started saying things like, "You don't want to do that. You'll make the stray cat want to come home with you." Little did he know that that was exactly what we were trying to do. He left, and I got Mittens to let me pet her. I asked Adam what to do, and he said to just pick her up like normal. Unfortunately, I had always been too petrified to pick her up. Robert always did it. I knew that I had to just do it. I scooped her up and got very excited, but Adam reminded me that we weren't home yet and there was still time to blow it. I got her inside, confirmed that it was her and she was healthy, and then Adam went on his way. I'm going to be honest - I bawled like a baby. I FaceTimed Mom and Dad. They were very happy as well. I didn't tell Robert because I wanted it to be a surprise when he got home from school Well...
I am pleased to say that she was in perfect shape when she returned. We made sure to go to PetSmart ASAP so we could get her a nametag with my phone number on it. It's been smooth sailing since then.
On Wednesday Mittens will be moving to Missouri. It's her greatest adventure yet. Mom and Dad will care for her until Robert graduates. She's very excited to live with her grandparents and is looking forward to getting spoiled.
The day we moved to North Carolina (June 1, 2012) we saw a litter of kittens in our parking lot. We soon found out that they lived in our water runoff drain in the parking lot. How sad/adorable is that? I feel like a a Disney cartoon totally could have starred this little furballs. We would see the cats periodically, and it was fun to watch them grow up, but I always felt badly for them especially during extreme weather conditions.
In the fall of 2013 we started seeing a particularly cute grey cat sitting on our porch and our front door mat. I think she was scoping us out. I remember Robert texting me a picture of her and me replying with, "Can we have her?" to which Robert said, "If she's still here next December." More than a year to wait??? A few days later (October 21, 2013) Robert and I were taking one of our traditional evening walks through the neighborhood, and we came across the same grey cat again. She was eating a potato chip in the parking lot. She was so hungry and focused on eating the potato chip that she didn't even notice us sneak up on her. Robert scooped her up, even though I begged him not to, knowing that the instant I held her I wouldn't be able to give her up. We decided to take her in and just feed her a bit - stupid, stupid, stupid. We just so happened to have a can of tuna on hand which is hot since I hate fish. We put it down on a plate for her and she scarfed it down. I started weeping while watching her eat. Just thinking about feeding her and then throwing her back out broke my heart. I asked Robert if we could name her anyway, and he said yes, we should name her Mittens. She is grey with white paws. Robert decided we should let her stay with us until we could take her to the vet to get checked out.
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| Our first picture of Mittens |
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| She was so embarrassed, but she rocked that accessory with style |
However, on Valentine's Day or sweet Mittens ran away while the door was open for a bit. I was devastated. We searched high and low. The positive is that she was born in the wild and grew up in it for a year and a half so she knows the neighbor and forest like the back of her paw. She knows the safe places and the places the avoid. Unfortunately, because of all of that she wasn't that anxious to get home. I was heartbroken. The fact that it had just snowed the day before didn't help. Thinking about her being so cold was terrifying. I will say that this experience made me love Robert more than ever. Robert willingly stayed up until the wee hours of the night every night that she was gone. Knowing that cats are nocturnal, we figured nighttime was the best time to try and catch her. We sat out her favorite things on our porch: her food, the litter box, her favorite blanket, a toy. We sat out our shoes and a hoodie so she could find our scent. We went on hikes for hours on end - just trying to find her. I can say that I found a part of the woods I had never seen before, and it would have been very serene had it not been for our given situation. We saw her a couple of times which was both encouraging and very frustrating. She'd come up on the porch, but the second we'd move to get her she'd run away. Her food attracted plenty of other feral cats as wells as possums. The most terrifying night was the night that she was on our porch and then a coyote chased her into the woods. Later that night we heard some terrible noises coming from the woods, and then we didn't see her for two whole days. When she reappeared we experienced such a rush of relief. She had been gone for six days when one of our friends came up to our sliding glass door and said that he had found Mittens. Robert was in his night class, so I went out with Adam to go see her. Unfortunately, the cat he had found was one of Mittens' siblings, but when we got close to that cat she ran away and stumbled upon Mittens which terrified her and made her run across her path. "That's Mittens!" I got super pumped. It was totally exhilarating. She went to hide under some cars. Adam and I walked slowly toward her. We crouched down to be less intimidating. I was saying her name and Adam was meowing. She was starting to walk closer to us when one our neighbors pulled into the parking lot and started saying things like, "You don't want to do that. You'll make the stray cat want to come home with you." Little did he know that that was exactly what we were trying to do. He left, and I got Mittens to let me pet her. I asked Adam what to do, and he said to just pick her up like normal. Unfortunately, I had always been too petrified to pick her up. Robert always did it. I knew that I had to just do it. I scooped her up and got very excited, but Adam reminded me that we weren't home yet and there was still time to blow it. I got her inside, confirmed that it was her and she was healthy, and then Adam went on his way. I'm going to be honest - I bawled like a baby. I FaceTimed Mom and Dad. They were very happy as well. I didn't tell Robert because I wanted it to be a surprise when he got home from school Well...
I am pleased to say that she was in perfect shape when she returned. We made sure to go to PetSmart ASAP so we could get her a nametag with my phone number on it. It's been smooth sailing since then.
On Wednesday Mittens will be moving to Missouri. It's her greatest adventure yet. Mom and Dad will care for her until Robert graduates. She's very excited to live with her grandparents and is looking forward to getting spoiled.
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Bye Bye, Scoot Scoot
Last Monday morning at 8:30 I got a text from Robert asking me to call him ASAP. Why did I need to call him? Because he had gone outside to head to class only to realize his scooter had been stolen. When catastrophes occur I tend to be sad more than angry. I went back to my desk feeling rather mopey about the missing moped. Robert filed a report with the town police and the Seminary security. Neither one really provoked much hope. I have a feeling finding missing scooters isn't exactly a hire priority. Needless to say, Robert missed his class.
Throughout the week we were blessed with great friends who let us borrow their cars so Robert could get to work and school. I secretly imagined myself driving home and seeing someone driving the scooter. I'd make a u-turn and follow them while calling 911. Then I'd get out and tackle the person and hold them down until the police arrived and we got the scooter returned safe and sound. Still waiting on that scene to occur.
The scooter getting stolen has been especially frustrating since we had it locked up in the parking lot. We had asked that Robert be able to keep the scooter on our porch, but we were told that isn't allowed. It turns out dozens of cars in our complex were broken into on Sunday night. I'm going to be honest, when I say that I don't feel too badly for people when things are stolen from an UNLOCKED car. You're pretty much asking for it. I also think it's bologna to say that maybe somebody else just needed it more than us. I can't really think of somebody else who could need it more than a poor graduate student who doesn't own a car and uses the scooter to get to school, church, and work. And finally, I think it's ridiculous that a university doesn't have security cameras in the year 2014. Don't even get me started on that one. I will win the argument every time. Trust me.
Since this happened on a Sunday night we weren't able to go car shopping on Saturday as Robert and I have conflicting schedules all week. I'm busy all day. He's busy all evening. Perfect. So we headed out on Saturday morning. We had done extensive research. We're working with a limited budget because, well, who has a stash of "just in case my scooter gets stolen and I need to buy a car at a moment's notice" fund? Craigslist, Auto Trader, Car Max, car lots. Can I just tell you how frustrating it was to hear the rep at Car Max say the following? "We don't have cars in your budget because we only sell the finest cars, but that sounds like the perfect amount for a down payment." No, thank you. I know he's probably required to say that, but come on! We're trying to get debt free, people!
So Robert had found a super super dorky car on Craigslist. Here's a picture of the car:
I thought it looked ridiculous, but Robert was hooked on the possibility of driving a conversation piece. We went to the owner's house on Saturday. The pictures on Craigslist had obviously been taken a long time ago. The car was super dirty on the outside. The inside had random wires dangling around. And here's the kicker - it didn't even have a battery in it. I'm not a car expert, but I hear it's pretty difficult to take a car out for a test drive when it doesn't have a battery. That car got a big X and got scratched off of the list.
Next up - a car lot. We found a steal of a deal for a Ford Escort. The website made it seem like it was a once it a lifetime deal. We got there and of course there was a catch - it has been flooded and had a salvage title. Plus, they charge a dealer's fee of $600 on top of list price. Uh...no, thank you.
We were left to our last choice. Our music minister had given Robert the name of a friend who is into cars. The man is totally adorable. He retired many years ago and decided to build his own auto shop behind his house. We ventured out there. It was about a 45 minute drive. I was really afraid it wasn't going to be worth our time, but then we stumbled upon this gem on the way there:
We made a pit stop for a photo op and then continued on our way. The man, Nelson, is awesome! He started out showing us a car that ended up being over budget, and I got majorly bummed, but then he showed us another one. It was perfect! Nelson buys cars that are a bit beat up on the outside but solid inside, tinkers around to fix them up, and then sells them for what he paid without making a profit just because he enjoys it and likes to help people in need. He said, "I like to keep your money in your pocket and out of Obama's." Works for us! He wasn't quite finished with it yet so we couldn't test drive it, but we got to check it out inside and out and we were able to turn it on. It sounded great! Nelson said he'd finish up on Monday so we could come back on Tuesday to do a test drive and make a final decision.
Robert and I left talking about how we could see God all over this thing. Here we were about to buy a car that was way nicer than we ever imagined we could afford. If Robert hadn't joined the band a year ago then he wouldn't have known Michael and we wouldn't have heard of Nelson. What if we hadn't joined Faith two years ago? If either of the first two cars would have worked out we would have missed out on this great opportunity. The list could go on and on.
This Thursday we were able to pick up the car, and it couldn't be better. We are so thankful for God's provision. We had planned to buy a car after Robert graduates, but for some reason God saw fit to speed up the process, and now once Robert graduates we don't have to think about buying a new car.
Now Robert just has to teach me how to drive a manual. Sounds like the topic of a future blog post. :)
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| Happier scoot scoot days |
The scooter getting stolen has been especially frustrating since we had it locked up in the parking lot. We had asked that Robert be able to keep the scooter on our porch, but we were told that isn't allowed. It turns out dozens of cars in our complex were broken into on Sunday night. I'm going to be honest, when I say that I don't feel too badly for people when things are stolen from an UNLOCKED car. You're pretty much asking for it. I also think it's bologna to say that maybe somebody else just needed it more than us. I can't really think of somebody else who could need it more than a poor graduate student who doesn't own a car and uses the scooter to get to school, church, and work. And finally, I think it's ridiculous that a university doesn't have security cameras in the year 2014. Don't even get me started on that one. I will win the argument every time. Trust me.
Since this happened on a Sunday night we weren't able to go car shopping on Saturday as Robert and I have conflicting schedules all week. I'm busy all day. He's busy all evening. Perfect. So we headed out on Saturday morning. We had done extensive research. We're working with a limited budget because, well, who has a stash of "just in case my scooter gets stolen and I need to buy a car at a moment's notice" fund? Craigslist, Auto Trader, Car Max, car lots. Can I just tell you how frustrating it was to hear the rep at Car Max say the following? "We don't have cars in your budget because we only sell the finest cars, but that sounds like the perfect amount for a down payment." No, thank you. I know he's probably required to say that, but come on! We're trying to get debt free, people!
So Robert had found a super super dorky car on Craigslist. Here's a picture of the car:
I thought it looked ridiculous, but Robert was hooked on the possibility of driving a conversation piece. We went to the owner's house on Saturday. The pictures on Craigslist had obviously been taken a long time ago. The car was super dirty on the outside. The inside had random wires dangling around. And here's the kicker - it didn't even have a battery in it. I'm not a car expert, but I hear it's pretty difficult to take a car out for a test drive when it doesn't have a battery. That car got a big X and got scratched off of the list.
Next up - a car lot. We found a steal of a deal for a Ford Escort. The website made it seem like it was a once it a lifetime deal. We got there and of course there was a catch - it has been flooded and had a salvage title. Plus, they charge a dealer's fee of $600 on top of list price. Uh...no, thank you.
We were left to our last choice. Our music minister had given Robert the name of a friend who is into cars. The man is totally adorable. He retired many years ago and decided to build his own auto shop behind his house. We ventured out there. It was about a 45 minute drive. I was really afraid it wasn't going to be worth our time, but then we stumbled upon this gem on the way there:
We made a pit stop for a photo op and then continued on our way. The man, Nelson, is awesome! He started out showing us a car that ended up being over budget, and I got majorly bummed, but then he showed us another one. It was perfect! Nelson buys cars that are a bit beat up on the outside but solid inside, tinkers around to fix them up, and then sells them for what he paid without making a profit just because he enjoys it and likes to help people in need. He said, "I like to keep your money in your pocket and out of Obama's." Works for us! He wasn't quite finished with it yet so we couldn't test drive it, but we got to check it out inside and out and we were able to turn it on. It sounded great! Nelson said he'd finish up on Monday so we could come back on Tuesday to do a test drive and make a final decision.
Robert and I left talking about how we could see God all over this thing. Here we were about to buy a car that was way nicer than we ever imagined we could afford. If Robert hadn't joined the band a year ago then he wouldn't have known Michael and we wouldn't have heard of Nelson. What if we hadn't joined Faith two years ago? If either of the first two cars would have worked out we would have missed out on this great opportunity. The list could go on and on.
This Thursday we were able to pick up the car, and it couldn't be better. We are so thankful for God's provision. We had planned to buy a car after Robert graduates, but for some reason God saw fit to speed up the process, and now once Robert graduates we don't have to think about buying a new car.
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| Driving away from Nelson's Auto Shop |
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| We're a two car family again! |
Now Robert just has to teach me how to drive a manual. Sounds like the topic of a future blog post. :)
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