Introducing... Leo!

It's no secret around here that I've been dreaming of getting my own cat. Even if you are brand spanking new here the first word in my blog title is "Cats." And if you aren't new, I've only mentioned it about a thousand times that I really really really wanted my own little kitten. Well, back in November I was finally in a place to get one, and Sam agreed that I could. So off to the shelter I went!

When I saw Leo's sweet face and watched him launch himself off the table to attack a picture hanging on the wall, I knew he was mine. Well, in hindsight that incident, and the way he climbed on top of my head and started chewing on my hair, should have been an indicator that he was going to give me a run for my money. But seriously... that face!

Since getting him in November he's become the best little buddy ever. He greets me at the door when I get home and immediately demands a cuddle sesh, he cries and cries when I leave, he even brings me his toys and drops them in the shower while I'm bathing. What more could I ask for?! But obviously, it's not all sunshine and roses. Actually he's kind of a demon. He LOVES to knock things over. "Oh, is that a glass of water there? Let me push that onto the floor for you." "You didn't want to keep your deodorant, did you? Because I knocked it into the trashcan" "You're looking for your favorite necklace? I believe I batted that under the fridge with all my other toys." But hey, everyone has their flaws!

Besides destroying everything, Leo loves to play with ice cubes and these crinkly plastic balls I got at PetCo, he loves to snuggle with me and always sleeps by my feet at night, he helps with all household tasks- especially sweeping and making the bed, and he makes me smile every single day. Sam is still learning to love him, but I can't imagine my life without him.

What are your pet's names? What do they do that drives you nuts?

Cat People are the Best People: A Rebuttel

Last week Whitney blogged about how Dog People are the Best People. Now, I think everyone can pretty safely guess that I'm a cat person. If you couldn't tell from my blog title, that picture to the right, or my instagram, then posts like this would surely give it away. Don't get me wrong, I loved Whit's post, but everyone knows that cat people are truly the best people. Here's why:

1. We are WAY better at cuddling than dog people. Seriously, cats are willing to nap for 16-20 hours, and so are we. Oh, the mail man's here? We don't need to get up and bark about it. We'll just keep right on cuddling.

2. We're great at holding conversations (with anyone). Oh, hi kitty. Meow. Did you say you're hungry? Meow. Okay! Seafood Delight or Beef in Gravy? Meow. Beef in Gravy coming right up!

3. We don't have as many responsibilities. Cats poop in a box and won't inhale every piece of food in their dish in 3 seconds flat, so there's no need for a pet sitter if you want to go on a spontaneous weekend trip to the beach. The cat will take care of itself.

4. We understand the importance of meal time, and we can appreciate delicacies. Your dog enjoys food most after Elsa's already passed it through to the litter box. Disgusting. 

5. We can appreciate play time just as much as we appreciate nap time. Sleep hard, play hard. That's what they say, right?

6. We're always appreciative of gifts, because we understand that it's the thought that counts.

Thanks for the cricket, Elsa

7. We don't mind staying in. Even though the cat will absolutely judge us for watching the same movie over and over (and everything else we do), their judging face is pretty damn cute!

8. We never drink alone, or eat alone, or pee alone. Someone is always watching.

9. Good hygiene is important to us for everyone, and our cats are always reminding us of that. The 4-8 hours cats aren't napping they're bathing!

10. Our hearts are actually a couple sizes bigger. Whitney was right on this one, pet owners just have bigger hearts. It's science.

She loves me back, I swear!

So where do you stand: cat person or dog person? They clearly both have their pro's!

I Wouldn't Wish it on Any Dog

This is Taylor, my sweet pup. Taylor is 8 years old. She loves barking, being petted and cuddled, and eating cat food. She hates thunderstorms, going outside to go potty, and whenever the cats get attention.

One more important thing about Miss Taylor: she has Lyme disease. This has been an incredibly sad thing to watch her go through. Lyme disease has mainly affected Taylor's joints and muscles.  She trips and falls often, and if she stays on her feet for too long her back legs give out. Taylor loves going for walks, but she can't walk walk farther than to the end of the block and back before her legs start to give out. There's been many times that she had to be carried home because she couldn't walk any farther on her own, and she is not a small dog, by the way. Taylor has always had difficulty going up stairs- they freak her out, but now she can't even go down the stairs without falling; poor baby.

This is a terrible picture, but you can see how she can't really
get her legs up and under her when she's trying to stand

Imagine watching your dog tumble down the porch steps every time she has to go potty. Imagine seeing your dog run after something with her back legs dragging behind her. Imagine being woken up in the middle of the night because your dog fell and she can't get up. These are all things I've experienced, and watching her struggle is absolutely devastating.

"Gimme that treat!"

Lyme disease is such a horrible illness, and I would never want any dog to go through what Taylor is going through. That's why it is so important to do everything you can to prevent Lyme disease in your dog.

• Pet, cuddle, and brush your dog often- this is the best way to check for ticks. For the bacteria that causes Lyme to be passed to your dog, the infected tick has to be attached for 48 hours. It is so important to find the tick and remove it asap!
• Always medicate your pet for fleas and ticks; never skip a month. Not only will a monthly dose of Frontline protect your dog from Lyme disease, it will keep her (and you) from itchy flea bites!
• Don't leave your dog outside to be bitten by ticks! We have pets so that we can love them; so what's the point of having a dog who never comes in the house to be loved? Dogs love their people, and they want to be inside with us where it is safe.
• If your dog is acting out of the ordinary take her to the vet immediately! This is a must for any illness, but it can be extremely effective for Lyme disease. Most dogs who's Lyme is caught early and treated are symptom free and healthy within a year. Unfortunately this hasn't been the case for Taylor, but it could be for your dog.

"No pictures, please!"

Keep your dog healthy, and prevent Lyme disease! For more info, check out this site, where I got my facts :)

And now that I'm done being all serious & depressing over here, head over to  Dog Hair is an Accessory and Understated Whimsy's Tall Tails link-up and look at some cute pet posts! (Not that Taylor isn't cute, of course!)

Maybe Being a Crazy Cat Lady isn't so Bad...

I've never understood why old ladies with lots of cats have such a bad rap. I mean, what's so great about having a husband anyways? Boys are smelly, gross, sometimes mean, and often unreliable. Cats, on the other hand, are great. They're always down to cuddle and they never cheat. Yeah, cats are definitely superior to men.

& I'd chalk that up to a win

Why Having a Cat is Better than Having a Boyfriend:

All boys are really good for is cuddling, and cats are better at it anyways. Cats take up so much less space, since they do tend to be like a 20th of the size of a boyfriend. Plus there's never any arguments about who's gonna be which spoon.

Body hair isn't gross when it's on a cat. But on a guy? Keep that back hair to yourself, mister.

Yep, I definitely prefer my cats with fur

Cats won't judge you. They don't care if you wear sweatpants all day and they won't say a word if you skip shaving your legs for a day or seven. I'm pretty sure they enjoy your singing, too.

Cats will never ignore you to play COD... but they might just ignore you. Fortunately they only weigh about seven lbs though, so you can just pick them up and force them to hang out with you.

A cat will never accuse you of being a stage 5 clinger. In fact, I think cats prefer clingy girls. Oh, you want to hang out all day every day? Yeah, your cat is down for that.

A cat will never cheat on you, and if they are acting sneaky it usually leads to laughter, not tears.

So there you have it! Having a cat is obviously better than having a boyfriend.

Disclaimer: Yes, I do have a boyfriend, but he's well aware that our relationship is 10% about me liking him and 90% about his precious cat, Elsa. Oh, I've already mentioned her on this blog ten thousand times? Well here's another picture:

you're welcome :)

Guess Who's Back?

Well, I told you I'd try and write while I was on vacation, but it clearly didn't happen. I was busy enjoying time with my boo and napping with my Elsa. But, at least I have a super fun recap for you, right?!

So, I got there Wednesday, and Sam had to work in the afternoon but we got to have lunch together, and then I went to the gym with my Sam's bff, Alex. And then I took a longggg nap, because my flight was at 5 am. Ew!

Thursday was the 4th of July and we celebrated America right- beer, a cookout, and swimming in the lake. We skipped the fireworks, and we were glad we did. It ended up pouring and thunderstorming all night. No thank ya. Sam had to work on Friday morning so we hit the hay before it was even midnight. Lame-o's!

How cute are we?

After work Friday we went to The Wine Loft in Charlotte. Have you ever been? It had a great atmosphere. I had one of the Moscatos obviously & we had a pita/hummus/cheese plate that was really good. I liked it better than the wine bar in Baxter that we usually go to, and A LOT better than the one in the university area that some of our friends like to frequent.

After we left there it was time for the surprise he'd been torturing me with, but it was so worth the wait. He treated me to a weekend at the Ritz-Carlton in downtown Charlotte! This was definitely the fanciest hotel I have ever been to, and I just might be spoiled now. My favorite thing, besides pretending to be rich, was the pool/hot tub. I would have been happy never leaving that area,  but it closed at 10. Sigh.

1. Date Night! ( Read more about that later)

2. Our view of Charlotte. It wasn't that great of a view, and the weather sucked all week long.

3. Our bathroom mirror had a freakin' TV in it!

4. Mirror pic while waiting for the elevator. Losers

5. Room service breakfast! 2 orders of pancakes and a glass of OJ: $45

6. The valet gave us cookies after he brought us our car! So cute.

On Saturday night Sam and I had a date night to celebrate our anniversary/Valentine's Day/our birthdays/ everything else we've missed by not being together.  For dinner we went to BlackFinn- If you live in CLT and you've never been then go RIGHT NOW! Soooo freaking good. At first you'll be confused because it will look like a bar (they even card you when you walk in) and you thought you were going to a classy place, but then they'll seat you in the dining room and you'll be like "Ohhhh, okay."

First we got two amazing appetizers- the shrimp spring rolls (I picked out the shrimp) & the FinnFries that were super delicious. For dinner Sam had the steak & I got the Macaroni & Cheese Skillet with chicken. It may be the most delicious food I have ever had ever. Then for dessert we shared the key lime pie- yum!

Monday was my last full day and Sam had to work again; adult life is rough. So I spent my Monday Funday with one of my best college friends, Scott. After chatting, reminiscing, and exchanging gossip on everyone we could think of, we did what any self-respecting people would do on vacation- got day drunk at TGI Friday's. At this point I started really thinking about my lil' ol' blog and thinking I really owed you guys some pictures. I'm not that good at taking pictures while intoxicated.

1. "Food, Liquor, Beer" This is how a receipt should look. Oh, and I spent more on alcohol than on food. Whoops.

2. My delicious cakepop from SAS cupcakes. I forgot to take a picture until I already started eating it. My B, blog people.

3. This bathroom floor that I was just really impressed with. I distinctly remember thinking I wanted to get the bright pink walls in the picture, too. Clearly I didn't do that.

We also went to PetSmart to pet cats while under the influence. Don't even ask me why I didn't get any pictures of that. I'm dumb.

This is pretty much what I looked like.

So, that's basically it! It was an amazing weekend and I am so thankful I finally got to spend some time with my handsome guy :) Sorry I didn't take more pictures, though. My camera couldn't handle the Charlotte humidity, & it fogged up immediately every time I turned it on.

Womp womp.

Also, I'm kind of in love with my vacation toes.

We So Excited!

Guess what, Blog World? I leave for vacation in NINE HOURS! Where am I going, you ask? Well, Charlotte, NC! My boyfriend lives in the Queen City and I am finally going to visit him after 6 very long months apart. Yep, you read that right, I haven't kissed my boyfriend in SIX MONTHS! And that changes tomorrow. This pretty much sums up how I feel right now:

My flight lands in CLT at 9 o' clock in the AM and I am beyond ready to be there. This is basically what I'll look like getting off the plane:

And then I get to spend a WHOLE WEEK with my sweet boyfriend, and we're gonna eat a lot of ice cream, and shotgun a lot of beer, and go horseback riding, and swimming, and go on an extra fancy surprise date. There's gonna be a whole lot of cuddling and a whole lot of this:

JUST KIDDING. We are much more tasteful than that. I also get to see someone else really special tomorrow- my precious-baby-angel-kitty-love-of-my-life Elsa! AKA my boyfriend's cat. She looks like this:

She's a sassy B

And then on the fourth of July we're having a cookout and I get to see a whole bunch of my sorority sisters who I haven't seen since I graduated, and we're all gonna look a lot like this:

And the week will fly by wayyy too quickly, and soon it will be Tuesday again and I'll have to come home, and I'll ugly cry like this:

So basically what I'm trying to say is I cannot wait to get to North Carolina and see my hunk of a boyfriend and all my fabulous college friends. I probably won't be posting to this thing a whole lot, but as you can see I'll have a lot to do and you know I'll update you as soon as I get back :) Plus my boyfriend works a lot so I'll try to make time for this little ol' blog while he's out serving and protecting!

My sentiments exactly, Honey Boo Boo Child.