Kitty Kitty Mau Mau

The repose of kings... ahhh to be a kitty!

A closer view - in case you couldn't tell how cute he is!

"Humans... such sentimental beings!"

"I am using my psyonic mind powers... GO AWAY HUMAN!"

This is PICO... take him or leave him...

I know I'll take him!

How it looks today!

After the last blog, I thought it would be a good idea to post some shots of how things look, now that we've gotten almost everything back in place. I was honestly shocked at the change that paint made to the living room. At first I was afraid that it would make it too closed in, but it really made it have a nice warm feeling. I love it! And I know Chris does too! Thanks again Mark, Lisa, Morgan, Brady, Gerrick, and Logan!

The front entryway... The warm glow from the window
is nice and inviting!

The living room - looking at the wall opposite the windows.

The walls next to the fireplace. These images really
don't do the job they did justice... it's wonderful!

Looking back towards the hallway... OK, so we're not
COMPLETELY put back together again... live with it!

Once more, thank you Mark and Lisa and the Boys. You've done a great thing for us, and you've shown us so much love and support! I can't say enough how much I appreciate you!

This is me... take it or leave it.

I just want to say, "THANK YOU!"

My family and I have recently been the recipients of some tremendous blessings... blessing that have come largely part because of my sisters, Lisa and Jeannie.

About a month ago, My sister Jeannie, her husband Jeff, and their kids, Noah and Hannah, plus all of Jeff's brothers and sisters and their spouses, AND his Dad, all showed up at my house and put themselves to work! Tim and Kelly Shore and kids, Brad and Keri Kramer and kids, and Don Doll all came to be part of this blessing to our family. My father-in-law George D. and my brother-in-law Mike D. (Chris's dad and brother) also showed up and helped! What a great day!

The showed up and began to work on all kinds of things aroundour house. They landscaped, painted, repaired and painted the front deck, and helped to install the hot tub that has been sitting at the side of our house for almost two years! (And guess what? IT WORKS!!!) When Jeannie had been to our house earlier in the month, she'd asked Chris for a copy of her "master-wish-list" of things she'd likd to see done around the house, or things that were needed doing, and took it back to her family and organized a work party! I couldn't believe it.

I have to admit that I am not a very good receiver of love and help. It makes me feel accutely inadequate and embarassed. I know that's wrong, and I'm trying to work my way through feeling that way, but it was so humbling to watch all of these people come to our house - most of which I only knew in passing, or not at all - and have them do so much to bless us. I am so grateful. Words are a poor substitute for the deep feelings of my heart to explaing how I feel. I found the following a couple days after these wonderful people came and blessed us... and of course, the Word of God always does a better a job of expressing things...

"The seeds of good deeds become a tree of life,
a wise person wins friends."
Proverbs 11:30

If I can be so bold, I'd like to say that not only have they won our friendship, but they have also planted seeds that have given us life, and joy. Thank you Jeannie, Jeff, Don, Tim, Kelly, Brad, Keri, and all the kids! You will never fully know how much you blessed us! Thank you!

I wanted to get some pictures, and I asked Chris to do it, but she was so busy helping that we only got a couple... Sorry I missed almost everyone! Here are the ones that I got:

Jeff setting a great example for his son Noah!

Noah showing his Dad how to work the weed weasle!

Noah worked the entire time... what a great helper!

My brother - not only on this earth, but in the Lord!
Thank you Jeff!

I asked Jeff for his "best side" and well...
"Take it in what sense thou wilt..."

Jeannie playing in the dirt... after all these years,
things really haven't changed much!

Dad D. doin' what comes natural-like... He was tuckered out
after helping with the hot tub... Normally, we drop things in his
open mouth... but not today!

My nephew Cody was also part of the crowd!

Zack and Cody helping out on the roof.

"Whaddya mean "SMILE?" I AM SMILING!"

"Just KIDDIN! You know I love the camera!"
And the camera loves my Hannah Banana!

THEN... as if that wasn't enough, two weeks later, my little sister, Lisa and her whole family came all the way up from St. George to bless us with a work day too! Mark, Lisa, Morgan, Brady, Gerrick, and Logan all came up and spend a COLD wet Saturday painting the inside of the house! Again, I was in the position to be blessed... and I am so very thankful!

Their boys have always amazed me with their work ethic and drive. They worked very hard, side by side with their mom and dad and painted our hallway, stairwell, and the ENTIRE living room! I felt bad for Mark... he always gets so cold up here, and was shivering when he got there! He started working and soon (after turning up the heat) he seemed like he was ok!

My sisters and their families have blessed me so much. I can't express how much it means to me to have them in my life - let alone to be loved so much that they would go out of their way to bless me and my family this way. And to involve extended family... I don't know how to say thank you enough!

Here are some shots from Mark and Lisa's family visit:

Logan doing his part! Thanks Yog!

Everyone coordinating the work

Lisa and Gerrick layin' it on thick!

Morgan just got back from his mission back east...
and here he is, holding onto that pesky painting pole...
Damn thing kept trying to get away!

The hallway... it's a carmel color... like the rest of the place!

The bedroom and it's chocolate colored wall!

Right in the middle of all of the fun with Mark, Lisa and boys, Jeannie showed up, and Lisa and her finished painting our bedroom! She said she came down to finish her part. Like an idiot though, I didn't take any pictures of her and Lisa together! Duh!

The wreck in the living room... had to move everything away from the walls!

The walls around the fireplace... The color really warmed the room up!

Over the stairs...

The living room in progress!

Brady, I'm sorry! I didn't end up with any shots of you (that you could tell you were Brady anyway!) Thank you all for your help and hard work. We've been so blessed! Not only the labor, but the financial help too! ALL OF YOU! We couldn't have made it through this month without both of my sister's families!

You know, there are days when you get so sick of people telling you they are Christians... then there comes a day like these weekends, where nothing at all needs to be said. You just have to see the love being shown through hard work and help... and you know... you just simply know these people know the Lord.

I thank God for my sisters. Like Chris says, they are PRECIOUS! Thank you to all the families involved. You'll never know how much you blessed us.

This is me... humbled, and happy... take it or leave it!

Have I gone to far...?

My bank, America First Credit Union, allows you to select your own picture for your Visa Card... well, on a fluke, I submitted my favorite photoshopped picture of Simon and I as scuba divers! AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THEY APPROVED IT! They sent me the image above to show me what my new card would look like.

I got it the other day, and I have to say, I have the coolest Visa card on the planet! I'm going to take a couple pictures of Chris and McGwire and make something awesome for her... then WE'LL have the coolest credit cards in the world.

(NOTE: The numbers in the image about are a MOCK UP... go ahead and try to use it "Joe Member"... See how far you get! LOL )

This is my twisted life... take it or leave it!

If this isn't El Gatto's reincarnated self, I don't know who is!

This isn't the first picture of Pico that you've seen... I introduced him a few entries ago, but today he was "sort of" cooperating in holding still long enough to capture his picture! This is our little buddy.

Pico making sure the bathroom is safe for man and beast...

This little guy eats more than any cat I have ever seen! He's also discovered that he can get up on the counter... where the BUTTER LIVES! Needless to say, that's been the ONLY thing he's gotten in trouble over since arriving!

Once this little critter showed up, he reminded us of how much we like having a cat around, and how much we had been missing El Gatto. I personally think that he looks VERY much like El Gatto. He's got a very social personality and talks like there's no tomorrow. He purrs at the drop of a hat, and has been a lot of fun!

Last night he slept in our room with Chris and I. He ended up keeping Chris awake most of the night, but he snuggled up to me and slept for a long part of the night. El Gatto used to "knead" with his front paws while he nursed on your ear lobes and drooled... thankfully Pico doesn't nurse or drool, but as soon as you pick him up he starts purring and his little front paws just start going! It's adorable!

Since he came to live with us, he's gained half again the weight he had when we first got him. Based on the size of his ears, we're hoping he grows into a BIG lazy Tom-boy and lays around like tigers in the zoo... sort of like this guy:

One of the things that I love about cats is how they are so curious about everything. They simply HAVE to know what's going on. Of course, this is where we got the saying, "curiosity killed the cat," but I don't see that this little guy's curiosity is going to get him killed!

Here, Chris was stripping the backing off the wicker dresser, and Pico couldn't stand it... He had to get in on the action! We got him this fun little toy the other day that has a stick with a bunch of peacock feathers and stuff on the ond of a string... he's already dismantled it.

He is always eating too. I know he's a growing teenager, but holy cow! When he's done with HIS kibble, he goes in and practically climbs into the dog's feeder and eats THEIR food too! So, in addition to his ears and paws, his appetite is going to ensure that he's a monster!

One thing I had forgotten about cats is that EVERYTHING is on THEIR terms! We lucked out with El Gatto - he was more like a dog than a cat, but this little guy is his own tiger. I've been reading online about cats, and I came across this saying: "Dogs have owners, cats have servants." And, based on how much running around we've been doing for this little guy, I'd say that's about right!

We're glad he's here...

This is me... take it or leave it.

Goodbye my dear little Boy!

Simon doesn't live with me any more. In Sandy, the maximum number of dogs we can have is two... we've had four now for almost a year. Simon was the latest addition, and put us in danger of not just getting fined, but losing all four of our dogs. He and I really bonded. In fact, I would say that I've never loved a dog as much as I love Simon. He has been a such an incredible blessing to me when I haven't felt well. He would sit with me, or lay by my side and not leave. Sadly, he didn't hit it off with anyone else in the family. Being a terrier, he was VERY high energy, and as didn't connect with everyone, I agreed to find a good home for him where he'd be loved and be the center of attention.

The last photo I took of Simon... completely un-posed!

When we had Cricket (our first Bostie), we gave Chris's oldest brother, Doug one of her puppies. Well, Doug, Miriam and all the kids absolutely loved Oreo, and when he died, they really missed him too. When we first got Simon we offered him to Doug and Miriam with that in mind, but at the time they didn't think the time was right. So, we got to keep him for a while. Well, it turned out that all of the siblings in Chris's family got together yesterday, so I asked Chris to take Simon down to meet Doug and Miriam and see if they thought it might be time for another Bostie. Doug and Miriam really liked him, and from what Chris says, Simon really loved Doug... so, for that, I'm really grateful.

Doug and Miriam - Proud new parents of Simon

I know that Simon will be loved on and pampered. He'll be missed so much, but at least I know he's going to a good home that will love him like mad. He's impossible not to love! I'll always be grateful that I had the time I did with him... and it's not like I'll never get to see him!

So Simon! I love you little man, and I'll keep you in my prayers. You'll never know how much you helped me through some hard times. Be good to Doug and Miriam, and don't do anything to make them regret taking you... otherwise, I'll have to just come and take you back!

Simon in a thoughtful mood.

My favorite "palm reading" picture

Giving me a "raspberry..."

Simon's FAVORITE place to be... under the covers.

These two pictures added together...

Puts us in the most AMAZING places!

From high mountains to the bottom of the sea!
(Thank goodness for PhotoShop huh?!)

Try as she might... Chris DID like Simon... most of the time

He and I loved eachother... so very much!

The VERY best picture of Simon

All I can say is that there are times in your life when you find someone who loves you unconditionally and passionately. Simon loved me like no other dog has loved me. I will miss him very much, but I'm at peace because he'll find a good home with Doug and Miriam. I know that I'll get to see him again as well. Bottom line? My life was improved because of a little black and white dog that couldn't stop kissing me. I'll forever be a better person for knowing him!

I love you Simon!

This is me... take it or leave it!