Catching up: We got a new kitty. A.K.A. why you should avoid the cats for adoption center at PetSmart if you're not looking for a cat!

Mistake #1: Walking by the adoption center in PetSmart

Mistake #2: Looking at the kittens.  I fell in love with her eyes and coloring immediately

Mistake #3: Chris let me hold her.  She loves being held and is super purry.  Our cat Sophie does NOT like to be held.

Mistake #4: After we got home, sans kitty, Chris let me go back

Mistake #5: Chris said she could be an early birthday present.

We got her.  Her name is Nora.  We love her.  She is super cute, small, and sweet.  She is also a TALKER! She meows all the time.  She loves Sophie (the feeling is not reciprocated) as well as the dogs, she plays with the boys and cleans their faces, in fact I think she thinks she is a dog.  Ultimately we both agree we probably shouldn't have added another pet to the household (we are definitely done with pets for a while!) four is our max. MAX.  But she is a really sweet and entertaining addition to the family.  

The next addition to our family will be of the human variety.  Not pregnant yet but we stopped trying to not get pregnant in August.

AAAHHHHH!

I'm tired. Why? Because I just ran two miles. Yep. I don't care that in the grand scheme of things that isn't really a long distance, it is a big deal to me. Two miles, straight, without stopping, even though I really, really wanted to. It's the longest I've ever run before in my entire life. I pretty much hated every minute of it, but I am nonetheless very proud of myself now (hence the post) and I will definitely be doing it again.

On other news, Chris left last Wednesday for wildland firefighting duty and he was called out to a fire Thursday and Friday so I didn't get to talk to him on our anniversary. He came home last night and I've got to say, the absence thing so far is a good thing. He has been so crazy lovey since he got back. We celebrated our anniversary tonight with a date and saw Inception (good, but confounding). Tomorrow we are planning a hike and then have a birthday party in the evening, then he leaves again on Wednesday :( Missing a picture? Oh ok. Here are a couple pics of the babes doing what they do.

on my husband

Well, today is the anniversary of our first year of marriage, and what am I doing? I'm sitting here at home just relaxing with a sleeping puppy. Chris is out of town on fire duty and I'm expecting to be alone for the next several days. I am sad we won't be spending the day together, but I am looking forward to some down time to read a book and work on some paintings I'm doing. Absence is good, you know what they say about fondess and such.

Anyway, I just wanted to reflect on some of the things I love about him:

1. the way he takes care of me when I'm sick

2. how much he loves our furry babies

3. that he is really good at cleaning

4. I never have to fight him over chocolate

5. he says he not a snuggler, be he totally is

I'll leave it at that.

Happy Anniversary Baby!

What's the big deal?

I am getting married on July 22, 2009. Many people find this odd because...it is a...Wednesday. Yes, I am getting married on a Wednesday. Got a problem with it? too bad. Whoever said weddings should be on weekends? The Saturday I wanted was taken, so I thought, I can get married on whatever day I want. So, I picked July 22nd because it is exactly a year since the day Chris proposed to me. Plus, Wednesday seems less random than, let's say, a Monday or Thursday. Don't you agree? It is nicely in the middle, and since it is sort of a destination wedding (we are getting married in McCall) all of the guests are coming from out of town, so they can just make it a whole week vacation event. So, in choosing a Wednesday, I am actually giving the gift of a week-long vacation...right? Just agree with my logic and we'll all be happy.

Well, that is my rant about my wedding date. That is all I'm going to say about it...so stop asking "why a Wednesday?"...that's why.

Engagement photos!

The other best thing that happened last summer...I got engaged!

About a week after I got back from Rome I went camping with Chris and his family at the Oregon Coast. It was a ton of fun, even though it was really cold. Tuesday, July 22 was a particularly great day. We went on a really beautiful and relaxing hike which included a fantastic 70' high suspension bridge.

Later that night after dinner Chris and I decided to go down to the beach together. We took a blanket and sat and watched the sunset. There was no one else on the beach (probably because it was still really cold). We were bundled and I was quite comfortable when Chris said he wanted to straighten out the blanket so I needed to get up. I replied very matter-of-factly that the blanket did not need to be fixed. After unsuccessfully pressing the issue a couple more times he finally just told me to get up. A little annoyed, I stood up and when I turned around he was on his knee with a ring and asked me to marry him.

It is at this point that most women would exclaim yes! This was not my reaction. My reply was, "are you kidding me?" he stayed there, a little confused and I asked again if he was kidding. It was around this time that I realized this was not a joke and I took the ring and started crying and we hugged. I don't think I actually ever said yes, but I think he knew the answer.


Chris and I had been going out for almost five years, but I still was not expecting the proposal. I am so excited to be getting married and spending the rest of my life with such a great person.