Oh, by the way...

My cat came back.

15 Girls, One Boy, and Eddie Vedder

I have the best birthday of my life this past Wednesday. I invited all of the women in my life to join me at LaPaz to celebrate not only another year of life, but also the friendships I have with these women. The one thing I have learned this past year is that I need strong women in my life, and boy, do I have them!

After the dinner, my new beau picked me up for a night with Eddie Vedder at the Ryman. He actually was brave enough to come into a room filled with women, he turned a million shades of red. He surprised me with a bouqet of flowers which consisted of lillies, dragon snaps, and carnations. He escorted me to the Ryman, where he was a gentleman and left me out at the door because it was raining. We witnessed one of the most amazing concerts I have ever seen. Eddie Vedder is amazing and really completed a wonderful birthday. I don't have the pics to back it up, because the Ryman would not let me bring my camera in.

Thank You!! to all the wonderful ladies in my life!! Even to the ones who could not make it to my dinner. I love you all. Thank you to Chris for being a perfect gentleman. And last, but not least, thank you to Eddie Vedder for rocking my birthday!

Smokey

When I was in college, I had a cat named Buddy. He was the best little cat. I thought he was lonely, so I got him a friend. I was working at a Pizza Hut in Warrensburg, MO, at the time. My boss was living in a one bedroom with his new bride and 6 cats!! I can't even imagine. He asked if I would take one off his hands, and I was thrilled to. I went to his apartment and he presented me with the most adorable little kitten I had ever seen. She was so tiny, and smokey grey, and purred like a tiger. On our drive home she got under my passenger side seat and wouldn't come out. I got her in the house and decided to name her Smokey. That was in 1996.

I have had Smoke almost 13 years. That was, until this past Friday. A friend came over to watch a movie. It was late when it got over. I walked my friend to his car, and took my dog out. My friend was the last one out the door. Somehow, the door didn't get shut all the way. When I returned from walking my dog, the door was wide open, and Smokey was no where to be found. I knew she had gotten out, but didn't worry too much. It was late so I didn't go and look for her, I just figured that she would be back at my door in the morning. I was wrong.

This little cat has been through a lot with me. College, then to mom and dad's, my first and second apartment, then back to mom and dads, and finally to Nashville. Most of her life she has been an indoor/outdoor cat. She was little and she was quite skilled at climbing trees at lightning speeds, and able to catch rabbits, snakes, and rats. She never ate them, just brought them to our door as if she was giving us a gift. She has the loudest purr I had ever heard on a cat. I nicknamed her "Purr Monster". She was very mannerly. She rarely ever hissed or got mad at anything. She never scratched up my furniture, always used her little cardboard scratching post. She loved to play with my hair ties. When I brought my dog Penny home, she took to her nicely and never once scratched her. They became fast friends.

I will admit in the end most of my love went to my dog. I ignored Smokey alot, and I regret that now. I knew she wanted to go outside, and even tried to get my parents to take her home to MO so she could enjoy the outdoors. At 13 she was getting up there in age, but you couldn't tell it by looking at her. I took her to the vet in April and they said she was the most healthy 13 year old they had ever seen. I'm not sure why she bolted out the door Friday night. Maybe it was on her "bucket list", maybe she was mad at me for ignoring her and wanted to leave, or maybe she intended to only be gone a little while and something horrible has happened.

I pray that God will protect her. I pray that someone nice has her and just doesn't want to let her go. I am making some signs today and will post them around the neighborhood when I get home. I hope she comes back, and if she does, I promise not to ignore her anymore.

Sooo...I keep my little dog, Penny, in the kitchen while I'm away. I have a little bed for her the sleeps in. Apparently, she likes to pee in it too. Everyday I place a pink (what other color would I use?) towel down for her, and every night I pick the soiled towel up and put it in the washer. At the end of the week I was all the towels, and start all over. Tired of washing all those towels, I deviced I would try those "pee pads" that are used to potty train pups. Now, I did try these when Penny was a pup. She chose to use them as a play toy instead. She would carry them around in her mouth, running from one end of the condo to the other, as if the pad was her cape. It was actually pretty funny at the time, but did not work. Flash forward....so I decided to give the puppy pads another try. I placed the pad on her bed, placed Penny on her bed, then left. This is what I found yesterday when I returned home...

Looks like she now HATES the puppy pads. I guess I'll just go back to the towels. I did get a laugh out of it, and I think it kept her busy during the day.

New Blog

I have added my blog address to my facebook. I hope this way I will get more visitors to my blog. I would like to blog more. I am really getting into others blogs and would like to write down my own thoughts to share with everyone. I guess it's just making time to do it.

Oh, well. Not a very interesting topic, but just one I wanted to share.

good things

I got a plant from one of my supervisors today. It's called a Purple Shamrock. I think it was awesome for her to give it to me.

I am having dinner with two of my closest friends tonight. I love Wednesdays!!

I am having dinner with the awesome, Sarah Smith, this Friday night.

I got one more algebra test out of the way last night.

I am going to volunteer for the Kentucky Derby to help raise money for G.O. Ministries.

I am a member of the most awesome church in the world.

It is a bright, sunny day, and I'm going to walk at lunch.

I have a sandwich to eat, made with the most amazing tasting bread from Trader Joe's.

Trader Joe's....need I say more?

The weekend is only 2 3/4 days away!!!

I'm sure there is much more on my list, but I think that will do for now : )

migraines

I tend to get migraines from time to time. Usually one every few months. Sometimes I can take some advil and rest and I am fine. Sometimes I have to bring out the big guns, which is my maxalt pills that dissolve in my mouth. The maxalt is pretty expensive, so I try to save them for when I REALLY need them. Then there is the type of migraine I had yesterday. The one that starts the night before, keeps you up all night, is there when you wake up in the morning, follows you all day, does not succomb to the maxalt and is accompanied by vomiting. The type of migraine that will stay with you for a day or two even after the worst of it is gone. Nothing but time, darkness, and sleep will help this sort of migraine.

Not only are the migraines horrible, people in my life who do not understand migraines are just as bad.

I left work yesterday about noon when I realized what type of migraine I was having. My boss tells me that I need to get it checked out, that people my age should not be getting migraines.

First off, a migraine is NOT a headache. It is much, much, much worse. If you have never experienced one, be very glad. Second, I have been getting migraines since I was in elementary school. Third, I have seen a doctor for migraines. I have been to ER docs, I have been to my regular doc, I have been to a neugologist, had CT scans and MRI. I have been told they are caused by what I eat, I have been told it's caused by my period, I have been told they are caused by bcp, and the wheather. My conclusion, after years and years of getting these things, are that they happen with no rhyme or reason and that it's just something I will have to live with.

So, to those of you who have migraines, you know what I'm talking about. To those of you who don't and have no idea what I'm talking about....don't judge until you have walked a mile in that mans shoes.

The Material World

I have just returned from my first mission to the Dominican Republic. I have to say that it has been difficult for me to return to this material world of ours. After being in a 3rd world country for a week, I got use to it's laid back mentality. I got use to the smiling faces of it's people. I got use to not tv, no cell phone, no lap top, no materialistic views. I got closer to God. I understand God more now than I ever have. Which is the point, right? So now I come back to my every day life and I'm finding it hard not to day dream about the far off land I just came from. I long to be there, serving God by digging dirt and passing our plates of food. I long to be a missionary and serve God in a far away land. Learn a new culture, move hundreds of miles away to a new country, learn a new language, live without tv? YES!! That is my answer.