Things I've Learned from the Cat

Since we got Feeny (the cat formerly known as Luna), I have learned a lot. Maybe it's the level of patience one has to have for a kitten, or maybe it's my love of snuggles. Either way, we're loving this fur ball more every day.

 

1.

Anything is a toy and can be played with

Anyone who has a cat or who has been around a cat for lengthy periods of time will know this one. I didn't, because I grew up with lazy house cats.  Feeny literally plays with anything and everything there is to play with: toes... boxes used for moving... bobby pins... hair holders... you name it.

In the human world, that translates to make your own fun

 

 

2.

Any time is good for cuddling

It doesn't matter if I've had a bad day at work or if I'm trying to clean or if I'm just laying on the couch, this cat likes to snuggle.  If he's standing on the kitchen table, recliner, or anything else high when I walk by, he jumps (usually leaving claw marks down my back) onto my shoulder just to go along for the ride. He's teaching me to always be close to those you love; there's never a day so bad or a day so busy that you should forget to cuddle.

 

 

3.

It's okay to slow down; pay attention

It never fails - wherever I'm walking, Feeny is right under my feet. He does this thing where he weaves in and out of my feet when I walk, so there's 100% chance I'll step on him. I've learned to slow down when I walk, and to slow down in general.  He went from kitten to 5-pound-cat overnight (it feels like) and I feel like we were so busy I forgot to take all of that in. 

 

4.

Hope for the best, plan for the worst.

When we first got Feeny, we would close all of the doors and keep him in the living room. That got so obnoxious, and listening to him cry at the bedroom door was hard.  So we started leaving the doors open.  It took about a day for Feeny to prove that he is into everything... but we learned what needed to be put on a higher shelf, what needed to be turned off during the day, etc.  It wasn't until he fell in the toilet that closing that lid was a lesson learned. We essentially babyproofed our house for Feeny.

 

 

5.

Naps are a good thing

Maybe it's just me, but I didn't ever realize how much cats sleep... or how weirdly cats sleep. Regardless, Feeny understands the goodness of a nap... something I had forgotten before we brought him home.  I'm all about snuggling up with him and taking a cat nap.

 

 

Life Lately

Here's what you missed on ... anyway.

We are slowly packing our first two years of marriage into boxes to make our move in September. We are so excited to move to have more space, storage, etc. But it's going to be hard to leave our first home. Here's our new floorplan

I'm on the last season of One Tree Hill. Insert tears here. I may start it over just so I don't have to be without my friends. Also, Nathan, come home please and thanks.

Bought some adorable dresses on ThredUP

Moved into a new shared office and it suuuucks big time.

I interviewed for an amazing job on Monday. Here's to big prayers and knowing that God will put me where He needs me. Also, it doesn't hurt that I'd be making double what I'm making now.

We are going wedding dress shopping this weekend for my best friend's wedding! She is going to be a beautiful bride. 

Favorite Moving Lists

Moving is hard. How did people move before Pinterest? How did I ever move without Pinterest? I have found the best lists that have made my life and the madness to come a breeze: 

I never thought to pack the things we'll need for our first night separately. I was just going with "unpack it all in the first night" method.  (via)	I'm so glad I found these labels. That way our  help will know to look at the label to see what  room it goes to, and I will know what is in the  box. It's so much easier to see than sharpie on cardboard. (via)
Last time I moved was from college back home before I got married. I didn't have a whole lot of mail going to my apartment, however, now that I have bills and important mail, this change of address checklist will be a lifesaver.  (via)	This is my first move with a pet, and I definitely want to make sure Feeny is comfy and  adjusts well.  Here is a great list of things to  help your cat when you move.  (via)

What are your best moving tips you'd like to share?

He Came Through

If you are all caught up on my life, thanks for attending the pity party. Thank you even more if you e-mailed to remind me things will get better. You were right.   So, the girl at the apartment office cut us a deal and let us use the application for a new SS card to run our application.  She said she would call and let us know when someone put their notice in for the floor plan we wanted. We waited... and waited... and prayed... and waited. Nothing.   I finally e-mailed the office to ask them about the next floor plan down and one of those just so happen to have just come open.  Coincidence? Nah. Prayer and a little patience took me a long way with this one. And all of your encouragement, friends.  Having to trust that God would come through was something new for me... not the concept, but the actual, unfailing, unconditional trust that He would come through. It's so easy to forget all of the times He has come through, even though it happens daily.  I'm a control freak and have never been able to completely give anything over. Taking that leap of putting in our notice and not knowing if we would have anywhere to go was terrifying.  But He came through... He always comes through.

(we're moving cards via Shutterfly)

 

Tax Free Weekend!

Happy Friday, friends! I hope you all have awesome weekends planned. I plan on living on the couch with DayQuil trying to kick my newly acquired crud. While I'm not couch living, I will be shopping Tax Free weekend (and sales)! Here are my top 5 things on my list for this weekend:  

New Khakis for Jackson. This was my steal last year and he has lived in them, so I need to grab a couple more pairs this year	This dress is so simple and cute and is something I need in my closet. It will be cute for work and weekend plans!
These jeans from JCPenney will hopefully replace the poor old ones Jackson has. They fit him perfectly, and I'm hoping these will, too!	This dress is the perfect summer to fall transition dress! I love the block of color at the bottom!!

I need new jeans something fierce.  I feel like all of my jeans are skinny jeans, so I'm on the hunt for the perfect pair of boot cut jeans!     Not pictured: the obligatory undershirts, underwear, and socks.  ;) I hope all of you Tennessee folk enjoy the shopping weekend, and the rest of you have a great weekend as well!  

Life Lately

Lately, life has not been going anything like I planned. Anyone who has been here for 2.5 seconds will know that this has been killing my Type-A everything.   So, quick update on the house front... there is no house.  Long story short, we'll be in a better place when tool debt and school debt are paid. That being said, we're back on the apartment train with no regrets. We are totally okay with it and even found one we love.  We applied, paid the admin fee, and busted our tails to make sure all of our ducks were in a row for moving out.  And they were...   ...until they weren't   The new apartments don't have anyone who has put in notice for the floorplan we like, yet. Also, any time past the end of our lease is treated as "month to month" which will incur an additional $100 fee, and it's almost a whole month's rent to stay for 10 days. No thanks.   So, the grand plan is to put our notice in for the end of September in hopes that something comes open before then. If not, we will bunk with his parents for a couple of weeks until it does.   Oh, you thought that was all? When we needed a copy of Jackson's social security card months ago, we found a loophole so we could use something else in place of it.  Did we ever order a replacement? nah... that would have made sense. So now, they can't run our new apartment application until that comes in. We're winning for sure.  Also in other news... I've been to Knoxville once a week for the last two weeks. I've planned one baby shower and one wedding shower.  I'm exhausted I've been working for what feels non-stopped for weeks.