About a week ago, we experienced this rush of beautiful weather, just gorgeous. So Will and I took Molly for a walk down by the banks of the river, just blocks from our house. It was sunny and warm and people were outside and smiling. It felt like summer--i do believe it was 81 degrees at some point during the day. We walked and talked, in a way that we don't when we're just sitting on the couch or fighting over whether it's a big deal to put the sugar away.
As we were walking back, a little winded and tired, we got to a corner where I noticed out of the corner of my eye a frantic waving from a car window.
When I made eye contact with the driver of this hot little red sports car--I can't remember what it was and Will's not here to remind me--the driver put his dog up to the window, a teeny Bichon Friese--a tiny white fluffball (adorable of course). And made it look really excited to see another dog, practically waving its paw like it was saying hello.
I busted out laughing and giggled the whole way home, waving at the driver. We tried to get Molly to notice the little woof-woof. She was more interested in sniffing the sidewalk like a bloodhound.
I don't know -- maybe it was the weather that made people crave some fun, silly contact. But it just made a nice early evening a great story.
Thanks for making our day, red sports car driver. Nice puppy. Nice car!
Friday, March 30, 2007
Friday, March 23, 2007
i'm super balanced!
Katie's brain results from a very reliable internet test (you can always trust internet):
Are You Right or Left Brained?
personality tests by similarminds.com
Brain Lateralization Test Results |
| Right Brain (52%) The right hemisphere is the visual, figurative, artistic, and intuitive side of the brain. Left Brain (52%) The left hemisphere is the logical, articulate, assertive, and practical side of the brain |
personality tests by similarminds.com
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
sun is shining in the deep blue sky
i'm working from home today, post-Molly-emergency. two days ago we came home to a very sick puppy. full of doggie doo, puking, shaking, clearly in pain.
off to the emergency room we go, in fear of the bill. several hours later, the vet gives us some scary news...it could be serious but they won't know more until they have her overnight and run $800 worth of tests....um, no.
we declined, they gave her fluids and painkillers, and we took her home. all the while, i worried. the next morning she was still sluggish. william stayed home with her and took her out every half hour or so. slowly but surely, she started to come around. she wagged her tail and ran to the door when i came home.
at the vet appointment, she stood up on her hind legs and threw her "arms" around my neck and nuzzled my face in while they examined her (two rectal exams in two days--and she was a champ). it felt like the most tender moment we've ever had, and my heart melted on the spot. she is our little furbaby.
she is seeming to get stronger and more like herself by the hour. but she is still refusing to drink water. this makes me worry.
the vet called and said that she has a UTI but that her blood levels are all normal, so that is great news. no serious condition! disaster averted!
so right now i'm sitting here, feeling her furry body on my feet, and i can actually hear birds singing outside. i kid you not. it's like the coziest moment... i love her so much it makes my heart hurt. and birds are singing like on frickin' snow white.
it's sunny, it's partway through march, my dog is ok, my boy is ok, our house is ok, our friends and families are ok. it's so nice to emerge, even momentarily, from winter and feel like sunshine and puppies are ahead.
off to the emergency room we go, in fear of the bill. several hours later, the vet gives us some scary news...it could be serious but they won't know more until they have her overnight and run $800 worth of tests....um, no.
we declined, they gave her fluids and painkillers, and we took her home. all the while, i worried. the next morning she was still sluggish. william stayed home with her and took her out every half hour or so. slowly but surely, she started to come around. she wagged her tail and ran to the door when i came home.
at the vet appointment, she stood up on her hind legs and threw her "arms" around my neck and nuzzled my face in while they examined her (two rectal exams in two days--and she was a champ). it felt like the most tender moment we've ever had, and my heart melted on the spot. she is our little furbaby.
she is seeming to get stronger and more like herself by the hour. but she is still refusing to drink water. this makes me worry.
the vet called and said that she has a UTI but that her blood levels are all normal, so that is great news. no serious condition! disaster averted!
so right now i'm sitting here, feeling her furry body on my feet, and i can actually hear birds singing outside. i kid you not. it's like the coziest moment... i love her so much it makes my heart hurt. and birds are singing like on frickin' snow white.
it's sunny, it's partway through march, my dog is ok, my boy is ok, our house is ok, our friends and families are ok. it's so nice to emerge, even momentarily, from winter and feel like sunshine and puppies are ahead.
Sunday, March 4, 2007
living in sin
when william and i moved in together, i had no idea what my parents were going to say.
actually, back up. before that happened, william mentioned to me that he would like to buy a place. we were both living with our parents—we had both moved back home to save some money to figure out our next move after college. he talked of buying a loft, which, at the time, i had never considered that i would be living there. i said, "go for it!"
william says he never questioned asking me to move in with him. he calls it a "weird sense of security. i just knew." so a couple weeks later, he 'asked' me to move in with him. i believe the wording was "i want to buy a place and i need a roommate and that roommate should be you." it wasn't a big question, and it wasn't a demand. it was somewhere in between, not unlike him asking me out on our first date. ("And when you get back from your cabin, we will have dinner.")
this is one in a series of big decisions where, I, usually a more decisive type, and he, less so--reversed roles. i said yes, but i did have my worries. i would lose my privacy. were we ready? it hadn't been that long that we'd been dating. we'd only been together about six months or so. i had always imagined i'd date longer than that before making such a commitment. because i knew that was what it was—a pretty serious commitment. i knew enough to know that william was a pretty serious guy about these types of situations, and i knew how i felt (see previous entry if you have questions on that.) but still... was it right? and what were my parents going to say? i had a feeling they would not be happy. and then, what about giving up living with my girlfriends? sure, we hadn't lived together for a couple years, but I had always thought we'd move back in together eventually, once we got our bearings in the real world.
william and i started hunting for places. i was pretty dead set against a loft when we started, specifically because i wanted a separate bedroom. i could not understand how people lived like that. i always had my own room, could always shut the door. what if we just needed time alone or wanted to make a private phone call? they seemed kind of cold, too.
but i was soon sucked into the romance of the loft. after seeing a few places all decked out, i relented happily. we bought a place in March of 2006.
then i found out my dad had lung cancer. how could i jump ship now? i'd been living at home for so long, maybe i should just stay. or maybe william should move in to the loft and i could eventually follow. what if my dad got really sick? what if my mom needed help? what if they just needed emotional support?
before i found out my dad was sick, i asked my mom if she'd mind that i moved in with william. we were in my hyundai, i believe driving north on 35E, headed to rosedale. i didn't look at her, partially becuase i was afraid of her reaction, partially since i was driving.
"i don't care," she said, simply.
I was shocked. my mother went to catholic school and made us go to church until we were confirmed, where i then promptly divorced myself from the whole church thing. just wasn't for me. although my parents are liberal in many ways, i had automatically assumed they would hold a rather traditional view of this. "really?" i managed to squeak.
"really. if you're talking morally, i think it would be stupid to hide behind the religious thing. people use that to front for what they just personoally think. id on't have a personal problem with you moving in with him." she did caution that maybe it would prolong a proposal, but i really felt strongly at the time that if we moved in together it wouldn't be one of those seven-year live-in situations...william's too straightforward.
as all my dad's surgery/healing/appointments went on, they assured me they didn't see it as jumping ship that i'd be moving out. i still felt guilty. call it the leftovers of the catholic education.
in any case, there was some remodeling to do when we moved in together, so it wasn't until april that we actually unpacked boxes and unwrapped our new tan suede couch. my brother had some time off since my dad was in the hospital, so as a housewarming present, he painted.
my friends either said they all expected it, or at least their reactions to us moving in were nonchalant enough to suggest that. most expected us to also get engaged quickly. i don't know how i remained so in the dark about it for so long...
in any case, the only person who may have possibly suggested our "taboo" living arrangements--and even that may be unfair to say--was william's darling grandma, Betty.
right around christmas time, she was making out her cards, and she called william's mom (who was the one to relate this story to me later).
"I'm making Christmas cards and wanted to know if I should put Katie's name on the envelope," she says.
william's mom replies, "Sure, why wouldn't you?"
Grandma Betty replies, "Because then THEY WILL KNOW that I KNOW that they live together!"
when william's mom told me this, I burst into laughter, not knowing if that was an appropriate reaction or not.
I managed to sputter, "It's not a secret!'
and luckily, william's mom said, giggling, "That's what I told her!"
a week or so later, there was a card in our mailbox, addressed to both me and william.
inside it said something along the lines of "merry christmas"....etc., etc.... "love you. God bless you".
so I guess we're even OK with Grandma Betty—we even got a blessing. and she's up on her catholic education.
all doubts were definitely erased after that.
actually, back up. before that happened, william mentioned to me that he would like to buy a place. we were both living with our parents—we had both moved back home to save some money to figure out our next move after college. he talked of buying a loft, which, at the time, i had never considered that i would be living there. i said, "go for it!"
william says he never questioned asking me to move in with him. he calls it a "weird sense of security. i just knew." so a couple weeks later, he 'asked' me to move in with him. i believe the wording was "i want to buy a place and i need a roommate and that roommate should be you." it wasn't a big question, and it wasn't a demand. it was somewhere in between, not unlike him asking me out on our first date. ("And when you get back from your cabin, we will have dinner.")
this is one in a series of big decisions where, I, usually a more decisive type, and he, less so--reversed roles. i said yes, but i did have my worries. i would lose my privacy. were we ready? it hadn't been that long that we'd been dating. we'd only been together about six months or so. i had always imagined i'd date longer than that before making such a commitment. because i knew that was what it was—a pretty serious commitment. i knew enough to know that william was a pretty serious guy about these types of situations, and i knew how i felt (see previous entry if you have questions on that.) but still... was it right? and what were my parents going to say? i had a feeling they would not be happy. and then, what about giving up living with my girlfriends? sure, we hadn't lived together for a couple years, but I had always thought we'd move back in together eventually, once we got our bearings in the real world.
william and i started hunting for places. i was pretty dead set against a loft when we started, specifically because i wanted a separate bedroom. i could not understand how people lived like that. i always had my own room, could always shut the door. what if we just needed time alone or wanted to make a private phone call? they seemed kind of cold, too.
but i was soon sucked into the romance of the loft. after seeing a few places all decked out, i relented happily. we bought a place in March of 2006.
then i found out my dad had lung cancer. how could i jump ship now? i'd been living at home for so long, maybe i should just stay. or maybe william should move in to the loft and i could eventually follow. what if my dad got really sick? what if my mom needed help? what if they just needed emotional support?
before i found out my dad was sick, i asked my mom if she'd mind that i moved in with william. we were in my hyundai, i believe driving north on 35E, headed to rosedale. i didn't look at her, partially becuase i was afraid of her reaction, partially since i was driving.
"i don't care," she said, simply.
I was shocked. my mother went to catholic school and made us go to church until we were confirmed, where i then promptly divorced myself from the whole church thing. just wasn't for me. although my parents are liberal in many ways, i had automatically assumed they would hold a rather traditional view of this. "really?" i managed to squeak.
"really. if you're talking morally, i think it would be stupid to hide behind the religious thing. people use that to front for what they just personoally think. id on't have a personal problem with you moving in with him." she did caution that maybe it would prolong a proposal, but i really felt strongly at the time that if we moved in together it wouldn't be one of those seven-year live-in situations...william's too straightforward.
as all my dad's surgery/healing/appointments went on, they assured me they didn't see it as jumping ship that i'd be moving out. i still felt guilty. call it the leftovers of the catholic education.
in any case, there was some remodeling to do when we moved in together, so it wasn't until april that we actually unpacked boxes and unwrapped our new tan suede couch. my brother had some time off since my dad was in the hospital, so as a housewarming present, he painted.
my friends either said they all expected it, or at least their reactions to us moving in were nonchalant enough to suggest that. most expected us to also get engaged quickly. i don't know how i remained so in the dark about it for so long...
in any case, the only person who may have possibly suggested our "taboo" living arrangements--and even that may be unfair to say--was william's darling grandma, Betty.
right around christmas time, she was making out her cards, and she called william's mom (who was the one to relate this story to me later).
"I'm making Christmas cards and wanted to know if I should put Katie's name on the envelope," she says.
william's mom replies, "Sure, why wouldn't you?"
Grandma Betty replies, "Because then THEY WILL KNOW that I KNOW that they live together!"
when william's mom told me this, I burst into laughter, not knowing if that was an appropriate reaction or not.
I managed to sputter, "It's not a secret!'
and luckily, william's mom said, giggling, "That's what I told her!"
a week or so later, there was a card in our mailbox, addressed to both me and william.
inside it said something along the lines of "merry christmas"....etc., etc.... "love you. God bless you".
so I guess we're even OK with Grandma Betty—we even got a blessing. and she's up on her catholic education.
all doubts were definitely erased after that.
Friday, March 2, 2007
"just knowing"
I was reading my usual daily fix of blogs the other day when I stumbled upon this beauty of an entry: http://www.sundrymourning.com/2007/02/22/the-gamble-and-the-guess/
I read her every day. She's amazing. But beyond that, it really made me think about my recently engaged self. How did I know?
When William and I "met," we had already been acquainted with each other since high school...our lockers were five lockers apart. We never spoke a word to each other. He remembers me being loud and "gossipy"--meaning, talky--and I remember him as silent and standoffish.
Fast forward about six years. Here we are. Getting married. To someone who I would consider "out of my league"--but damned if I'm not going to hang on and pretend I'm in this league, too. I was just the other day thinking about how we've lived together almost a year--this is the month he bought the loft we now live in--and how it's flown. We're engaged. We got a dog. We painted the living room wall twice. We just are finishing the bathroom. We grocery shop together. We discuss decorating and daily schedules and dreams with equal time.
On his birthday, I wrote him a short story about how I fell in love. And that's something you can just feel, you just know. You don't know if it's going to last, if you're going to discover some awful thing that breaks the deal, you don't know if yuo will be one of those darling old couples in line at the pharmacy that still holds hands fifty years down the road.
I'm not a religious person, but I liken this to blind faith. The unshakeable belief that it might not always be a fairy tale, but that you know you will try to make it work with all your might, because this is the best person for you that you can imagine. That this is what is meant to be.
Our second "date" wasn't much of a date, but it is where I fell head over heels, in a way that I have never ever felt in my life, even when I was in wonderful relationships with wonderful people. it was so hot outside that air conditioning was barely working. I don't remember what I was wearing, but I remember what he was wearing: cargo shorts and this light-blue T-shirt that I will forever think of as my favorite. We went to the MOA for some massive air conditioning, and we got lost in Barnes and Noble, poring over photography books and talking about art. We headed back to my house, and I was trying to convince him to go swimming at Fort Snelling. We got back to get my swimsuit, and while I was packing up my stuff, he sat on my bed with his iPod. Then he told me he had some music he wanted me to hear, so we shared his headphones and lay back on the bed, listening to some dreamy hip-hop mashup stuff that I completely fell in love with. I can remember the sun, I can remember the bed, I can remember the song--the one that still makes my heart race when I hear it--I remember being thisclose to him while we listened since we both had an earphone and we held hands. Its was the most indie rock silly little moment where I was so unspeakably happy. It was like he knew exactly what would make me fall in love--and it worked.
I finished the story to him--talking about how I felt like swimming still when he left, how I felt like I was standing on the edge of a diving board as he walked out the door...and I held my breath, and I jumped. And I'm still falling.
That was over a year and a half ago, and I still feel that way, that there are still things I'm discovering about him, he still does things that make me fall deeper and deeper in.
I can't say that I know where we will end up forever. I can't say that I know our future will be perfect with each other. But I know that this is the best gamble I can make. That is the one with the best odds--I feel like it's a sure bet.
In some ways, I was relieved to hear that other people just guess--that they never have an aha! moment where an answer to a huge life question comes clear. I don't think those exist for every decision I will have to make. I think as children we think that as we become adults, we have all the answers, to only find out that the questions get bigger, the risks bigger. And we only have some past experiences to rely upon, or secondhand stories, to help us decide what's best.
But over this past year, which has definitely been a roller-coaster for me, one thing that has been rock solid has been William and I.
And when he asked me to marry him, and I just kept saying "When did you have time to do this?" on some level, I was stalling the moment, there on Ka'anapali Beach, in the dark, with the breeze blowing, in paradise. But when I really, really think about that moment, I can still recreate it in my mind. I still sometimes get distracted by my ring, hardly believing that this moment has happened to me.
And that's what tells me that this is the best, the closest I'm ever goign to get to experience the you just know feeling. No divine interventionist will come and tell me, "Katie, this is the right decision."
Everyone who knows me well knows I like to poll people on things: what to buy, what color to put in my hair, what's going on in pop culture. But this was one time, more than buying a pair of skinny jeans, more than going red, that I understood this was the right thing to do. And, ironically, after telling everyone about it, they have all enthusiastically agreed. I didn't need it beforehand.
I'm not all-knowing, I'm not perfect, and I've definitely made bad decisions that I thought I was initially right about. But when I think about all the times that we have weathered, even in a short less-than-two-years---cancer, joblessness, moving in together, sickness--we've been there for each other. And every day feels just as important and exciting and supportive as the last.
I'm still falling. I hope--and I feel that I'm probably right--that we'll be holding hands in the pharmacy line when we're 70. I just love him that much. And if I love him that much now, it can only get bigger as time goes on. That's the great side of the affairs of the heart: with love, your heart knows no capacity.
I read her every day. She's amazing. But beyond that, it really made me think about my recently engaged self. How did I know?
When William and I "met," we had already been acquainted with each other since high school...our lockers were five lockers apart. We never spoke a word to each other. He remembers me being loud and "gossipy"--meaning, talky--and I remember him as silent and standoffish.
Fast forward about six years. Here we are. Getting married. To someone who I would consider "out of my league"--but damned if I'm not going to hang on and pretend I'm in this league, too. I was just the other day thinking about how we've lived together almost a year--this is the month he bought the loft we now live in--and how it's flown. We're engaged. We got a dog. We painted the living room wall twice. We just are finishing the bathroom. We grocery shop together. We discuss decorating and daily schedules and dreams with equal time.
On his birthday, I wrote him a short story about how I fell in love. And that's something you can just feel, you just know. You don't know if it's going to last, if you're going to discover some awful thing that breaks the deal, you don't know if yuo will be one of those darling old couples in line at the pharmacy that still holds hands fifty years down the road.
I'm not a religious person, but I liken this to blind faith. The unshakeable belief that it might not always be a fairy tale, but that you know you will try to make it work with all your might, because this is the best person for you that you can imagine. That this is what is meant to be.
Our second "date" wasn't much of a date, but it is where I fell head over heels, in a way that I have never ever felt in my life, even when I was in wonderful relationships with wonderful people. it was so hot outside that air conditioning was barely working. I don't remember what I was wearing, but I remember what he was wearing: cargo shorts and this light-blue T-shirt that I will forever think of as my favorite. We went to the MOA for some massive air conditioning, and we got lost in Barnes and Noble, poring over photography books and talking about art. We headed back to my house, and I was trying to convince him to go swimming at Fort Snelling. We got back to get my swimsuit, and while I was packing up my stuff, he sat on my bed with his iPod. Then he told me he had some music he wanted me to hear, so we shared his headphones and lay back on the bed, listening to some dreamy hip-hop mashup stuff that I completely fell in love with. I can remember the sun, I can remember the bed, I can remember the song--the one that still makes my heart race when I hear it--I remember being thisclose to him while we listened since we both had an earphone and we held hands. Its was the most indie rock silly little moment where I was so unspeakably happy. It was like he knew exactly what would make me fall in love--and it worked.
I finished the story to him--talking about how I felt like swimming still when he left, how I felt like I was standing on the edge of a diving board as he walked out the door...and I held my breath, and I jumped. And I'm still falling.
That was over a year and a half ago, and I still feel that way, that there are still things I'm discovering about him, he still does things that make me fall deeper and deeper in.
I can't say that I know where we will end up forever. I can't say that I know our future will be perfect with each other. But I know that this is the best gamble I can make. That is the one with the best odds--I feel like it's a sure bet.
In some ways, I was relieved to hear that other people just guess--that they never have an aha! moment where an answer to a huge life question comes clear. I don't think those exist for every decision I will have to make. I think as children we think that as we become adults, we have all the answers, to only find out that the questions get bigger, the risks bigger. And we only have some past experiences to rely upon, or secondhand stories, to help us decide what's best.
But over this past year, which has definitely been a roller-coaster for me, one thing that has been rock solid has been William and I.
And when he asked me to marry him, and I just kept saying "When did you have time to do this?" on some level, I was stalling the moment, there on Ka'anapali Beach, in the dark, with the breeze blowing, in paradise. But when I really, really think about that moment, I can still recreate it in my mind. I still sometimes get distracted by my ring, hardly believing that this moment has happened to me.
And that's what tells me that this is the best, the closest I'm ever goign to get to experience the you just know feeling. No divine interventionist will come and tell me, "Katie, this is the right decision."
Everyone who knows me well knows I like to poll people on things: what to buy, what color to put in my hair, what's going on in pop culture. But this was one time, more than buying a pair of skinny jeans, more than going red, that I understood this was the right thing to do. And, ironically, after telling everyone about it, they have all enthusiastically agreed. I didn't need it beforehand.
I'm not all-knowing, I'm not perfect, and I've definitely made bad decisions that I thought I was initially right about. But when I think about all the times that we have weathered, even in a short less-than-two-years---cancer, joblessness, moving in together, sickness--we've been there for each other. And every day feels just as important and exciting and supportive as the last.
I'm still falling. I hope--and I feel that I'm probably right--that we'll be holding hands in the pharmacy line when we're 70. I just love him that much. And if I love him that much now, it can only get bigger as time goes on. That's the great side of the affairs of the heart: with love, your heart knows no capacity.
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
molly is the singer in the band
hey kids.
sorry for the delays... william and i both got the wicked puking flu twice and have been down for the count. plus william is planning to show his photos in the st. paul art crawl and has been preparing for that... lots of stuff going on.
one of our bestest friends, jennie, has left for paraguay this morning at 4 am. she joined the peace corps and promises to thank me when she wins the nobel peace prize. i have been immensely excited for her... i think she's gonna love it...and be great at what she'll be doing... but i'm sad anyway. normally i hear from her eleventy million times a day by email and phone. she always shows up when i need her. she makes me laugh. i already miss her giggle. she gives good advice and she is loving and generous and kind. she is smart and pretty, as we like to say. she's had a lot to do with william and i getting together and so we owe her a lot. we will miss her deeply, but we won't forget about her! expect packages, jennie! and you know i want to come to paraguay besides.
william and i have entered into something new and exciting, too. (not as exciting as paraguay). we're now the proud owners of a beautiful little 8-year-old cockapoo named Molly. We got her at the Humane Society two weeks ago today. She is a wonderful little being. She is obedient, polite, sweet-natured, and really playful. She likes her red and pink toys the best it seems, and likes to kick them around the loft by herself and chase them. She also fetches and likes to run away from you when retrieving the ball, then allowing you to "catch' her and give up the ball for another toss. she likes bacon-flavored treats a lot! she has been having some separation anxiety--hates being left alone, basically--and acts out while we are gone by barking and whining and twice peeing in her kennel. but I took her to the vet and she said we can train her out of it and she gave me a prescription for xanax, an anti-anxiety pill, to help calm her down while we are gone (during the transition period... the last two days: no pee, no barking that i know of (we have been taping her for the first hour we are gone). she seems more content, less clingy when we are home, and not so stressed out in general. yay for molly!!!! we call her molly mcbutter, molly dog, mcB, and molly jones (like the beatles song). i feel so lucky she has come into our lives. she loves us both and we are so ridiculously sickeningly in love with her... a couple photos are on the flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/willikat). even a super-scary lookin' gangsta stopped to pet her one day, and many people have stopped and removed their mittens (tough when it's this cold), to give her a pet while we are outside.
so that means we haven't done any wedding planning. we're still contemplating may of next year, at the weisman or como zoo. possibly an away wedding, but not looking like it at this point.
better writing to come, just need some time and internet at home. just wanted to update...
xoxo
sorry for the delays... william and i both got the wicked puking flu twice and have been down for the count. plus william is planning to show his photos in the st. paul art crawl and has been preparing for that... lots of stuff going on.
one of our bestest friends, jennie, has left for paraguay this morning at 4 am. she joined the peace corps and promises to thank me when she wins the nobel peace prize. i have been immensely excited for her... i think she's gonna love it...and be great at what she'll be doing... but i'm sad anyway. normally i hear from her eleventy million times a day by email and phone. she always shows up when i need her. she makes me laugh. i already miss her giggle. she gives good advice and she is loving and generous and kind. she is smart and pretty, as we like to say. she's had a lot to do with william and i getting together and so we owe her a lot. we will miss her deeply, but we won't forget about her! expect packages, jennie! and you know i want to come to paraguay besides.
william and i have entered into something new and exciting, too. (not as exciting as paraguay). we're now the proud owners of a beautiful little 8-year-old cockapoo named Molly. We got her at the Humane Society two weeks ago today. She is a wonderful little being. She is obedient, polite, sweet-natured, and really playful. She likes her red and pink toys the best it seems, and likes to kick them around the loft by herself and chase them. She also fetches and likes to run away from you when retrieving the ball, then allowing you to "catch' her and give up the ball for another toss. she likes bacon-flavored treats a lot! she has been having some separation anxiety--hates being left alone, basically--and acts out while we are gone by barking and whining and twice peeing in her kennel. but I took her to the vet and she said we can train her out of it and she gave me a prescription for xanax, an anti-anxiety pill, to help calm her down while we are gone (during the transition period... the last two days: no pee, no barking that i know of (we have been taping her for the first hour we are gone). she seems more content, less clingy when we are home, and not so stressed out in general. yay for molly!!!! we call her molly mcbutter, molly dog, mcB, and molly jones (like the beatles song). i feel so lucky she has come into our lives. she loves us both and we are so ridiculously sickeningly in love with her... a couple photos are on the flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/willikat). even a super-scary lookin' gangsta stopped to pet her one day, and many people have stopped and removed their mittens (tough when it's this cold), to give her a pet while we are outside.
so that means we haven't done any wedding planning. we're still contemplating may of next year, at the weisman or como zoo. possibly an away wedding, but not looking like it at this point.
better writing to come, just need some time and internet at home. just wanted to update...
xoxo
Thursday, January 4, 2007
2006 in review
I'm posting a little something to get us started, since our blog is ready and empty....
1. What did you do in 2006 that you’d never done before?
i moved in with a boy. i got proposed to. i said yes. i went to hawaii. i watched my dad kick cancer's ass.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I think my resolution last year was to be more financially solvent. Ummm... Well, my credit score has gone up triple-digit points since then. i'm still broke, but at least I'm paying in to a home (or to William, however you want to look at it), and i'm reducing my debt, and i got a raise. So those are all good things. Oh, and I freelanced some, too.
I didn't make resolutions yet this year. I guess I would like them to be this: continue to be more financially responsible, yet maintain a killer wardrobe. Be good about reminding my friends and family that i love them. be a good penpal. i could say exercise, but i know where that resolution will end up. it's good to be realistic. it would be awesome if i learned how to relax. and maybe do something that improves the world a bit.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
no
4. Did anyone close to you die?
thank god no. occasions arose to think about it a bit though.
5. What countries did you visit?
um. i was not an international travel maven this year. i did manage to get to hawaii though, which certain members of my family thought of as a different country.
6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006?
the ability to chill out. some money. a nice wedding. no worries about health.
7. What dates from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
definitely december 6th. that's when a boy got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
fooling a boy into thinking i was a good person to ask to spend the rest of life with. i think i was a good daughter, supporter, and friend to my family members during our worst times.
9. What was your biggest failure?
hmmm.... i'm sure i had a big one... i continually frustrate myself, so one big failing of mine is to have confidence in what i'm doing and thinking. maybe i should appreciate myself a little more.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
the wicked puking flu. i once pinched my foot in the lever on the trash can. that hurt.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
i bought my first piece of real art. for william's birthday. we bought a lot of stuff to make our place look good. OH! I KNOW! the best thing we bought was our sputnik light, an extra huge one that we got for $150, that when it will be restored, will be worth ten times that. we were so proud. basement bargain adventure at a vintage store. SCORE!
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Lots of people this year. My dad quit smoking after being a sometimes four-pack-a-dayer. he kicked cancer's ass. My mom made me dinner when I was hungry. She supported everything I did. My sister has been so excited for our wedding, it makes my heart bigger. Two of my bestest friends in the world made a mess of our loft upon hearing about our engagement and they have been super supportive too. William is my knight, whether I express it enough or not. He does things on a daily basis that make me fall deeper in love with him. He calms me when I am upset, frustrated, sad. He makes dinner when i want to lay on the couch instead. He laughs with me and is proud of my accomplishments, usually much more proud than I am.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
the government. it's a sorry state of affairs.
14. Where did most of your money go?
my bills. our loft. occasionally a binge of shopping.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
buying art, decorating our loft (once I got a kick in the ass), getting engaged, getting an ipod, laughing with my friends. and my dad's good-news letter from the doctor.
16. What song will always remind you of 2006?
since u been gone. no matter if it came out the year before or whatever.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? I imagine happier, but i can't remember last New Year's, and I had some crazy sad times this year, too. b) thinner or fatter? About the same. c) richer or poorer? still as poor as I was, but at least my money's going sensible places instead of frivolous.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
write. laugh. shrug things off. cook. spend time outside.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
worry! as always. and work.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
i spent christmas with my family. we skipped presents this year because of hawaii, ate good food and watched movies.
21. Did you fall in love in 2006?
i was already in love with william, but it certainly deepened and strengthened. i fell in love with countless nanette lepore things i can't afford to wear. i fell in love with kittens. and my daily 'fall in loves' of little things to obsess over.
22. How many one-night stands?
n/a
23. What was your favorite TV program?
Tie: DVDs of Arrested Development and The Office. I guess I'm more obsessive about The Office. I like other tv shows but those were my most prized. oh, and American Idol, of course. I converted my manly-man Dad.
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Hating is such a bad thing. I do it from time to time. I usually hate circumstances, not people. I guess I hate Bush lovers and Bush and Cheney and all those idiots.
25. What was the best book you read?
Gosh, I read a lot of books this year.... I liked Mary Karr's The Liar's Club (didn't like Cherry as much), The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing, The Devil in the White City, I think I read The Kite Runner this past year, ummmm... I'd have to go home and look at my bookshelf.
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
For being such a music geek, I was slow on the uptake this year. Things I listened to with great joy: Prince, OK Go, The Delays, JT, Regina Spektor, Ben Kweller, the Cardigans, Kelly Clarkson, Johnny Cash, Mike Doughty, Tom Petty, White Stripes
27. What did you want and get?
an ipod! bye-bye donald rumsfeld. dad to be healthy.
28. What did you want and not get?
i'd sound pretty spoiled if i could come up with stuff.
29. What was your favorite film of this year?
hmmm.. Little Miss Sunshine. I barely saw any movies in the theater this year it feels like.
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
in the morning, i got up and it was sort of sixteen candles in the sense that everyone forgot to say happy birthday. but i can't complain, because i put my bathing suit on (on dec. 10) and went swimming and drank a pina colada in the hot tub. yep, bright and sunshiny in hawaii. then i went shopping in paia, this darling little town, ate a really kickass pizza with my family, bought some stuff, then took some xanax and flew home. rock on!so it was an amazing birthday and sad birthday since i had to come back to the winter wonderland here.
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
not much, let me tell you.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006?
broke girl trying to look chic. failing mostly miserably. wearing a lot of black.
33. What kept you sane?
William. my family. my friends. Arrested Development and the Office. Doing a cover story. Walking to the Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings. Eating fresh tomatoes. trips to the cabin.
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Hillary and Bill. Oprah.
35. What political issue stirred you the most?
there was a lot this year. abortion bills. war. people voting against same-sex marriage. our international relations policies are abominable and our tolerance is sickeningly low.
36. Who did you miss?
as usual, grandma s. having a little furry pet around. my uncle tom.
37. Who was the best new person you met?
i think this year was all about getting to know people better.
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006.
if you surround yourself with positive energy, good things happen. there's real value in hope.
be tolerant of other people--you n ever know when you'll need them to be tolerant of you.
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"On The Radio"--Regina Spektor
This is how it works
It feels a little worse
Than when we drove our hearse
Right through that screaming crowd
While laughing up a storm
Until we were just bone
Until it got so warm
That none of us could sleep
And all the styrofoam
Began to melt away
We tried to find some words
To aid in the decay
But none of them were home
Inside their catacomb
A million ancient bees
Began to sting our knees
While we were on our knees
Praying that disease
Would leave the ones we love
And never come again
On the radio
We heard November Rain
That solo's really long
But it's a pretty song
We listened to it twice
'Cause the DJ was asleep
This is how it works
You're young until you're not
You love until you don't
You try until you can't
You laugh until you cry
You cry until you laugh
And everyone must breathe
Until their dying breath
No, this is how it works
You peer inside yourself
You take the things you like
And try to love the things you took
And then you take that love you made
And stick it into some
Someone else's heart
Pumping someone else's blood
And walking arm in arm
You hope it don't get harmed
But even if it does
You'll just do it all again
And on the radio
You hear November Rain
That solo's awful long
But it's a good refrain
You listen to it twice
'Cause the DJ is asleep
On the radio
(oh oh oh)
On the radio
On the radio - uh oh
On the radio - uh oh
On the radio - uh oh
On the radio
1. What did you do in 2006 that you’d never done before?
i moved in with a boy. i got proposed to. i said yes. i went to hawaii. i watched my dad kick cancer's ass.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I think my resolution last year was to be more financially solvent. Ummm... Well, my credit score has gone up triple-digit points since then. i'm still broke, but at least I'm paying in to a home (or to William, however you want to look at it), and i'm reducing my debt, and i got a raise. So those are all good things. Oh, and I freelanced some, too.
I didn't make resolutions yet this year. I guess I would like them to be this: continue to be more financially responsible, yet maintain a killer wardrobe. Be good about reminding my friends and family that i love them. be a good penpal. i could say exercise, but i know where that resolution will end up. it's good to be realistic. it would be awesome if i learned how to relax. and maybe do something that improves the world a bit.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
no
4. Did anyone close to you die?
thank god no. occasions arose to think about it a bit though.
5. What countries did you visit?
um. i was not an international travel maven this year. i did manage to get to hawaii though, which certain members of my family thought of as a different country.
6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006?
the ability to chill out. some money. a nice wedding. no worries about health.
7. What dates from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
definitely december 6th. that's when a boy got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
fooling a boy into thinking i was a good person to ask to spend the rest of life with. i think i was a good daughter, supporter, and friend to my family members during our worst times.
9. What was your biggest failure?
hmmm.... i'm sure i had a big one... i continually frustrate myself, so one big failing of mine is to have confidence in what i'm doing and thinking. maybe i should appreciate myself a little more.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
the wicked puking flu. i once pinched my foot in the lever on the trash can. that hurt.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
i bought my first piece of real art. for william's birthday. we bought a lot of stuff to make our place look good. OH! I KNOW! the best thing we bought was our sputnik light, an extra huge one that we got for $150, that when it will be restored, will be worth ten times that. we were so proud. basement bargain adventure at a vintage store. SCORE!
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Lots of people this year. My dad quit smoking after being a sometimes four-pack-a-dayer. he kicked cancer's ass. My mom made me dinner when I was hungry. She supported everything I did. My sister has been so excited for our wedding, it makes my heart bigger. Two of my bestest friends in the world made a mess of our loft upon hearing about our engagement and they have been super supportive too. William is my knight, whether I express it enough or not. He does things on a daily basis that make me fall deeper in love with him. He calms me when I am upset, frustrated, sad. He makes dinner when i want to lay on the couch instead. He laughs with me and is proud of my accomplishments, usually much more proud than I am.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
the government. it's a sorry state of affairs.
14. Where did most of your money go?
my bills. our loft. occasionally a binge of shopping.
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
buying art, decorating our loft (once I got a kick in the ass), getting engaged, getting an ipod, laughing with my friends. and my dad's good-news letter from the doctor.
16. What song will always remind you of 2006?
since u been gone. no matter if it came out the year before or whatever.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? I imagine happier, but i can't remember last New Year's, and I had some crazy sad times this year, too. b) thinner or fatter? About the same. c) richer or poorer? still as poor as I was, but at least my money's going sensible places instead of frivolous.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
write. laugh. shrug things off. cook. spend time outside.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
worry! as always. and work.
20. How will you be spending Christmas?
i spent christmas with my family. we skipped presents this year because of hawaii, ate good food and watched movies.
21. Did you fall in love in 2006?
i was already in love with william, but it certainly deepened and strengthened. i fell in love with countless nanette lepore things i can't afford to wear. i fell in love with kittens. and my daily 'fall in loves' of little things to obsess over.
22. How many one-night stands?
n/a
23. What was your favorite TV program?
Tie: DVDs of Arrested Development and The Office. I guess I'm more obsessive about The Office. I like other tv shows but those were my most prized. oh, and American Idol, of course. I converted my manly-man Dad.
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Hating is such a bad thing. I do it from time to time. I usually hate circumstances, not people. I guess I hate Bush lovers and Bush and Cheney and all those idiots.
25. What was the best book you read?
Gosh, I read a lot of books this year.... I liked Mary Karr's The Liar's Club (didn't like Cherry as much), The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing, The Devil in the White City, I think I read The Kite Runner this past year, ummmm... I'd have to go home and look at my bookshelf.
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
For being such a music geek, I was slow on the uptake this year. Things I listened to with great joy: Prince, OK Go, The Delays, JT, Regina Spektor, Ben Kweller, the Cardigans, Kelly Clarkson, Johnny Cash, Mike Doughty, Tom Petty, White Stripes
27. What did you want and get?
an ipod! bye-bye donald rumsfeld. dad to be healthy.
28. What did you want and not get?
i'd sound pretty spoiled if i could come up with stuff.
29. What was your favorite film of this year?
hmmm.. Little Miss Sunshine. I barely saw any movies in the theater this year it feels like.
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
in the morning, i got up and it was sort of sixteen candles in the sense that everyone forgot to say happy birthday. but i can't complain, because i put my bathing suit on (on dec. 10) and went swimming and drank a pina colada in the hot tub. yep, bright and sunshiny in hawaii. then i went shopping in paia, this darling little town, ate a really kickass pizza with my family, bought some stuff, then took some xanax and flew home. rock on!so it was an amazing birthday and sad birthday since i had to come back to the winter wonderland here.
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
not much, let me tell you.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006?
broke girl trying to look chic. failing mostly miserably. wearing a lot of black.
33. What kept you sane?
William. my family. my friends. Arrested Development and the Office. Doing a cover story. Walking to the Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings. Eating fresh tomatoes. trips to the cabin.
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Hillary and Bill. Oprah.
35. What political issue stirred you the most?
there was a lot this year. abortion bills. war. people voting against same-sex marriage. our international relations policies are abominable and our tolerance is sickeningly low.
36. Who did you miss?
as usual, grandma s. having a little furry pet around. my uncle tom.
37. Who was the best new person you met?
i think this year was all about getting to know people better.
38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006.
if you surround yourself with positive energy, good things happen. there's real value in hope.
be tolerant of other people--you n ever know when you'll need them to be tolerant of you.
39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"On The Radio"--Regina Spektor
This is how it works
It feels a little worse
Than when we drove our hearse
Right through that screaming crowd
While laughing up a storm
Until we were just bone
Until it got so warm
That none of us could sleep
And all the styrofoam
Began to melt away
We tried to find some words
To aid in the decay
But none of them were home
Inside their catacomb
A million ancient bees
Began to sting our knees
While we were on our knees
Praying that disease
Would leave the ones we love
And never come again
On the radio
We heard November Rain
That solo's really long
But it's a pretty song
We listened to it twice
'Cause the DJ was asleep
This is how it works
You're young until you're not
You love until you don't
You try until you can't
You laugh until you cry
You cry until you laugh
And everyone must breathe
Until their dying breath
No, this is how it works
You peer inside yourself
You take the things you like
And try to love the things you took
And then you take that love you made
And stick it into some
Someone else's heart
Pumping someone else's blood
And walking arm in arm
You hope it don't get harmed
But even if it does
You'll just do it all again
And on the radio
You hear November Rain
That solo's awful long
But it's a good refrain
You listen to it twice
'Cause the DJ is asleep
On the radio
(oh oh oh)
On the radio
On the radio - uh oh
On the radio - uh oh
On the radio - uh oh
On the radio
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