Another FABULOUS present

Patrick's mom and step-dad gave this to us for Christmas. We've been needing a little bit more storage and counter-space in our little kitchen. This is the perfect solution to both needs!

THANK YOU Jana!!!!! :)

Our Christmas

We had a lovely Christmas Day. Patrick brought me with him to the shop where he works so he could finish making his mom's present. He hand-made a trough bird feeder that will be mounted under her kitchen window so she can watch the birds come eat. Ever little fold, bend, twist, etc. was done by Patrick. He's so talented! It was fun to watch him weld and grind his creation.

...something about my man with a welding mask, working on hot metal....mmmm.....

This is the finished product. Jana might paint it, and she might leave it as raw metal. Either way, there are some cool details. And it only took Patrick a handful of hours to make.


Jana LOVES it. :)

This is Patrick's Grandma Claire, his mom, Jana, and his step-dad, Jerry.

Patrick's sister, Lissy and her husband, Dan.
Very cute picture.

This is what we had to drive home in. It was a long and not-so-fun ride home from Brigham City.

After we got home, we decided we should shovel the walks since it was still snowing pretty hard. It's easier to shovel less snow twice than a huge amount once. So, I grabbed our neighbor's shovel, Patrick grabbed ours, and we went to town. I shoveled the neighbor's walk and by their car to be nice, and in front of another neighbor's house. This picture was taken after we were "done."

As you can see, it kept snowing, and there was already a new layer of snow when we walked into the house. When we got up the next morning, you couldn't even tell that we had shoveled anywhere. Our neighbor, Shay was out shoveling the sidewalk, so Patrick got out there and shoveled our walkway again. (And he got all the snow off of my car...what a sweetheart!)

It snowed about 12 inches on Christmas day, on top of a previous 2 weeks of snowing every day. I was gone for most of the two weeks, thank goodness. My body was not meant to live in the snow. By far, this was the whitest Christmas I've ever experienced.

Merry Christmas!

We've been having a great week...

I got back from Denver on Sunday, and Patrick picked me up from the airport. He greeted me with a rose and a CD of love songs by the Rat Pack. He can be such a romantic sweetheart. When we got home, Patrick ran downstairs and started up our new dryer...a Christmas surprise for me. Yeah!!! I am so excited to have a dryer again!

The 22nd was our 1 year Anniversary. We went to a little dinner at Noodles & Co., saw RocknRolla, then came home to enjoy the evening together. It was nice to spend an evening focused on each other and our relationship.

Last night, the 23rd, I finished Christmas shopping, and when I got home, I was super antsy to give Patrick his presents. He had mentioned that he had one more gift for me, besides the dryer. So, I set up his presents on the dining room table, near the little blue Christmas tree I bought to take with me to Denver. He came into the room, and we exchanged gifts.

I got him a Simpsons 2009 calendar, the book 101 Nights of Romance (we need a little spice), a frame for a sweet picture he bought at Speed Week, a jar of pickled herring from Ikea, jam, juices, and soda from Ikea, and I have another gift of the vintage and vehicular nature that isn't quite finished. Also on the list to do as soon as possible is heated gloves so his hands don't freeze while he's riding his Triumph throughout the winter.

Patrick pulled out a 4GB memory card and handed it to me. Funny...my camera is dead... Then he pulled out a box that has a new camera!!!!!!!!! It's a really nice camera. Really, really, really nice. I am so excited to start taking pictures again. Sunday night we watched a movie, and Patrick had stuck the box with the camera with all of our DVDs and VHS. It blended in so well that I didn't even give it a thought. He wanted me to see it and ask about it, but I didn't even give it a look. Turns out, his sister and brother-in-law bought us the dryer for Christmas. They're going to Mexico for the Peace Corp, so they wanted to to do a bigger present to make up for the next couple of years that they won't be here.

What a great Christmas! I know we did presents way early, but we were both too excited to spoil each other. Tonight we're going to make dinner with a bag of Ikea meatballs I bought, and we'll probably rent a movie, read Luke 2, and enjoy a nice quiet Christmas Eve. Christmas morning, we're driving up to Brigham City to spend the day with Patrick's mom and step-dad, sister and brother-in-law, and maybe his step-dad's kids.

It's been snowing for 2 weeks here in Utah. It is most definitely a White Christmas. I love it. I really don't love the snow, but I love how it makes it feel like Christmas. Some years in Phoenix, we'd play outdoor racquetball on Christmas day and it was WARM. That can make it feel less like a wintery snowy holiday. :) So, I feel blessed to be spending the last handful of Christmases in Utah where it really feels different.

One thing we did during Christmas when I was a kid was tons and tons of service projects. We baked for neighbors, did 12 Days of Christmas for older single people at church, dropped off boxes of Christmas goodies, food, and presents to families that needed a little help, and just gave when and where we could. I am so grateful for parents that raised me that way.

This year, my mom and dad asked that instead of giving them a present, we do some sort of service and tell them about it. Yesterday when I was at Barnes & Noble, they were doing a book drive for the Sandy Boys & Girls Club. So, I bought a few books for them to donate. I think donating something like a book is a valuable gift. Reading is such an important part of life, so I was happy to participate in the book drive. Patrick thought it was pretty cool, too. :)

Well, Merry Christmas everyone! Enjoy life's blessings, show gratitude, and bless the lives of others. :)

Sweetheart

Patrick,

I just wanted to let you know how much I love you. Denver is great, and I'm having fun with this new experience opening up the restaurant, but I miss being with you. I miss snuggling up next to you when we go to bed. Extra pillows could never replace your warm embrace. I think about you throughout the whole day, wondering what you are doing and hoping that you are happy with whatever you are working on. (dishes??) :D I'll see you soon, but not soon enough.

All of my love,

Alison

A Day in the Park

Here are some pictures that my sis-in-law took when we were visiting them the day after Thanksgiving:

Here is my dad with Braedi and Kendall. He is such a cute grandpa, especially when it comes to being a total sweetheart with his granddaughters.


Something about being in the Arizona sun again... That was a great nap!!
And thank you, Christy, for the candid shot. :)


We were playing Keep Away with a kick ball, which was fun. The kids loved it until their turn in the middle took too long. Then you had to kick it close enough that they could get it and get out of the middle.

Thanksgiving in Phoenix

I am grateful for family!!

This Thanksgiving we spent with my family in Phoenix. We haven't been down to visit since last Christmas, so this visit was overdue!

Before we left, we desperately needed to get new front tires on my car. Patrick found a pair at the shop where he works and put them on the car. I needed to get them balanced before the long drive, so on Tuesday before Turkey Day, I went to Discount. They balanced one tire, then pulled the other one off and noticed a huge bubble. They wanted to charge us $190 for one pair of new tires, so we left and Patrick put on a new-old tire at the shop. Wednesday morning, he went to Big O Tires and bought 4 new tires for a much better deal. So, YEAH!!!, I have all new tires on my car!! This winter will be so much more pleasant with some traction.

It was so rainy on Wednesday. 2/3 of our trip was in rain. We opted to drive through Vegas to have nicer roads to tolerate the weather. We stopped in Mesquite to eat a $4.99 Prime Rib meal only to find out that the super sweet deal started at 4pm. Well, it was only 2:30pm in Nevada. We still ate pretty good food, though.

We stopped and bought some firecrackers. :) Fun!

We waited patiently through rush hour in Las Vegas. Not fun.

And we pulled in around 11:30pm at my parents' house in Phoenix.

Patrick was starting to feel like he was getting sick at the beginning of the drive, and by the time we got to Phoenix, he was definitely sick. Poor guy had to deal with that during the whole vacation. It stinks to be sick at someone else's house. It's so much nicer to lay on your own couch, use your own toilet, and leave your tissues on your own floor. :) Fortunately, we stayed in my parents' pop-up trailer in the driveway, so we had privacy and space as needed.

My mom made an awesome Thanksgiving meal. We had sweet potatoes, stuffing, peas, mashed potatoes (that my dad makes, and they are awesome), turkey, my mom's heavenly rolls, a big veggie tray with some veggies from their garden, cranberry sauce, pumpkin-cream cheese pie, pecan pie, and a butterscotch pie and chocolate pie that my brother made with silken tofu.

I ate waaaaaaay to much!

Friday, we went to one of my brother's house in Surprise. We ate lunch at his place with my parents, Patrick and me, my brother Jeremiah's family, and my brother Jonathan's family. The grandkids made a couple bottle rockets, and we went to the park to launch them and play. It was a fun day. One of the things I hate the most about living a state away from a majority of the family is missing out on the grandkids growing up. They are so incredibly cute.

After the park, we went back to Jeremiah's, ate dinner, put on a movie for the kids, and we adults played a game. It was so fun to hang out with my brothers and their wives and my parents. We had a riot playing the game.

Saturday, my parents, my brother Philip, Patrick and I went to the cafe where Philip works and ate lunch. It's a vegetarian and vegan place called Chakra 4 Herb & Tea House. I LOVED the food. The herb selection is huge, and it's just a great place with great energy. (That's the hippie in me!)

We spent the evening with Jonathan and Ashlee. We ate dinner over there, played with the kids for a tiny bit, had family prayer with them, then watched The Bucket List and drank mate. I seriously LOVE my family to death!!

After that, we went over to my good friend Jenny's house and spent a couple hours with her, catching up and sharing a ton of laughs.

Sunday, we packed up our stuff, ate my mom's yummy cinnamon rolls, and left Phoenix around 11:30am. Later than we wanted to leave, but it was good to not be rushed.

We drove to Winslow to try to find an old friend of Patrick's. We couldn't find her, which is a bummer, but the drive was beautiful. Then we headed to Flagstaff to get on the 89, which we took to Page, then drove to Kanab, then up the 89 to the 40 or 70...I'm not sure as I was dead asleep. Then over to I-15 and home to SLC!! We rolled in around 2:30am. What a long day. I love my car, but I'm currently quite sick of her. :)

So, that was our trip. Patrick's health is much better, and my body was able to fight off his cold until the drive home. Now I'm congested and dealing with sinus pressure. I wish sharing colds was more difficult. Smooching a sick hubby doesn't help, I'm sure.

Now, for December and Christmas...

1990...What the....??

So by now you might understand that Patrick is a total hot-rodder. Any vehicle less than 25 years old is new by his standards, and nearly a sin for him to drive. It pains him that I own and he has to sometimes drive my 1998 Accord. It would kill him if I earned the Pontiac Vibe or G6 through Mary Kay and actually took the car instead of the cash ($375/month) which could be wisely invested in fixing up a proper hot rod that could be painted an appropriate shade of pink.

Anyway, the point is that my grease-monkey-hot-rodding-hubby is the proud (??) new owner of a 1990 Corolla.

I have to pause for a minute so I can have a good chuckle!

Okay, chuckling has subsided. His boss sold him the car for $100 to use on days he can't ride his Triumph to work during the winter. It needs a few inexpensive repairs, so it's really a great deal. Sure it's a hunka junk, but it drives.

I followed Patrick to the place where he was doing emissions on the Corolla, and it was just odd to see him driving that itty bitty car. He swears it will be a total of 2 weeks that he might drive the car during the winter. And quite naturally, he'll make sure it has a loud exhaust, shoots out firebombs out the back, and a questionable paint job. Just 'cause. (shaking my head...)



P.S. There's an awesome camera on a super sale that I want to get. If that pans out, you better believe I'll get some pictures up here of the new beauty!!

New Background & Picture

I updated our background for this season of Thanksgiving and changed the picture to one that has appropriate colors. I don't love this picture of us, but it'll do. One thing I want to do in the next month or so is to get some pictures taken of us by someone who knows what they are doing. Maybe I'll hit up my sister-in-law while we're in Phoenix for Thanksgiving. She has a knack for photography. Their family blog is full of super cute family and kid pictures. If/When it happens, I'll be sure to post them!

My Grease Monkey is Back!!!!! And I LOVE It !!!!!

And I guess I should post about Patrick's new job!! :) I have feeling this one is going to stick. He's working at

Scott's Auto & Clutch & Towing

as a mechanic. He's so great as a mechanic. He's got his tools at the shop and is working hard. His boss, Scott, loves his work. We are so grateful that he found a great job!!

So, if anyone in or around Salt Lake City needs any work done on their car or needs to be towed, here's their information:

Scott's Auto & Clutch & Towing

144 W Crystal Ave
Salt Lake City, UT 84115

(801) 485-4089‎


Patrick has had a side job this week, too...being my personal nurse. Let me tell you, he's good as a nurse! I'm grateful he was able to be home a bit more this week to help take care of me. I was having really high fevers, inflammation in my joints, headaches, and a strange rash on my arms, neck/chest, and legs. I'm rehydrated now because of Patrick giving me everything from the gentle glance to the stern stare until I drink more fluids. What a great guy.

Two of Patrick's FAVORITE Shows

The Simpsons...love the human-like characterization done by this artist (Spacecoyote)! It almost creeps me out. And at the same time, I think it would be brilliant if they did an episode with all the characters looking like this! Seriously, he did a fabulous job. :)

Futurama, also done by Spacecoyote. I love this one as well. We're sad Futurama is over, as far as new episodes and seasons. Thank goodness for tv on DVD!!!

New Helmet

Patrick got his new helmet in the mail today. It's a pilot's helmet from.... Fill in the blanks. :) You either know and recognize it or you don't.

Already???

This is what I woke up to this morning. The first real snow of the year. I'm freezing just thinking about it! I hear It's around seventy in phoenix... lucky people.:)

Patrick's New Job

Patrick started a new job today as a waiter at Acme Burger in Salt Lake City. We're super excited for him to have a job!!!

Patrick's Baby

On August 12th (we think), Patrick got his Triumph Bonneville. It was seriously like taking a kid to a toy store to pick out a toy he's been drooling over for months. Something along the lines of Ralphie dreaming about getting a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas. Here are a few pictures from the exciting occasion:

Waiting to sign the paperwork.
A supportive wife. :)
Patrick sitting on the Triumph Thruxton...he wanted that one, but it just wasn't as comfortable as the Bonneville.
The salesman brought out Patrick's Bonneville.

Patrick's first perch on his new girlfriend.

The close-up. Look at that grin!

The beautiful and sexy Triumph Bonneville.

Patrick brought her outside, ready to ride off into the sunset.

And off into the sunset he rides...

Table Cloth Skirt and Dinner Party Top GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Table Cloth Skirt and Dinner Party Top GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Although I don't have any children of my own, I have nieces. So, when I see the adorable clothes on the Grosgrain blog, I think of how cute they would look on my sweet nieces. So, I'm participating in this giveaway by posting a link here on my blog. Check it out...the clothing creations are to die for!

***Normally I would post this type of post on my personal blog, but it ended up on my family blog.***

Speed Week!

This photo is from www.kiwiasalt.blogspot.com

The picture was taken just after I was born in 1979...what a good year!!!

Wow, I can't believe I haven't posted anything for a month!! Bad Alison!!! :)

The biggest highlight of the last month is Speed Week out at the Bonneville Salt Flats. Patrick spent a week camping out there, relishing the history of the event that gave birth to his motorcycle. (I'm trying to get him to post on this blog, too...I'd love to have his perspective on here.)

I went out for the day on Tuesday, the 19th. It was hot and extremely beautiful. The salt looked just like snow all over the ground. I got out there just after 1pm and met up with Patrick and his friends from the H.A.M.B. They're a fabulous group of people!

Next we went to the starting line to watch and listen to the cars as they took off. The louder, the better, right? Yes!

We walked around the lines of cars waiting for their turn to run and checked them out. There were some awesome vehicles!!

The people watching was just about as entertaining as looking at the cars. If I had a discreet way of taking random people's pictures (and if my batteries hadn't died), I would have gotten some hilarious shots.

There was a woman with a see-through white shirt on, little khaki shorts, white tube socks with red trim, up to her knees, and a trucker hat that was too big, sitting atop her head. The see through shirt was funny...I pointed it out to Patrick before he even had a chance to notice!

There were a handful of women who came all decked out in their vintage-hot-rod-chick outfits, topped off with beautiful red lipstick. I was baptized by salt that day, into the sexy red lips club. :)

There were also some entertaining dudes to look at...big 'ole bellies, topless, itty bitty shorts, etc. I absolutely LOVE people watching. The cars were cool too, don't let me take away from that!!

We went and ate a late lunch/early dinner at the Salt Flats Cafe (I think that's the name), and ate way too much food. Good stuff, though.

Next we walked around the pits. It was late enough in the day that most people were packed up, but I did get pictures of a rubber band powered car. That was pretty amazing. I also got to meet some of the Old Crow crew. I swear, the guys out at Speed Week are some of the nicest people I've met.

After that we went to the Hop Up party and checked out a sweet car show. Cars that were running out on the flats for Speed Week, as well as sweet cars that people have "loved to life" were lined up everywhere. It reminded me of my Junior High and High School years when I would go to car shows in Phoenix with my brother, Jeremiah, and his friend, Jeff. I thought I was so cool because I was at a car show with my older brother. :) I love those memories. Anyway, the car show and party was awesome. I wish I would have taken pictures, but I was feeling camera shy.

We went back to Patrick's campsite and hung out there until a wind storm got so bad that I decided to start my drive home. My hair, ears, clothes, skin, everything was covered in salt. It was awesome.

Patrick took a lot of pictures, so when we get them developed (yes, I said developed...he's anti-digital) I'll post those on here.

That's my share of the experience. We'll see if I can get Patrick to share as well. :)

Yard Sale!!!

Yep, we're having another Yard Sale! This time Patrick's sister and brother-in-law are participating as well. Here are the details:

Saturday August 2nd
8am to whenever

640 S 900 E
SLC, UT

couch
desk
vintage toaster
home decorations
kitchen stuff
auto parts and accesories
and who knows what else....anyone want a 1950's Gyno chair????? :) Just kidding. Patrick would be really upset if we got rid of it. Although, for the right price....

Model A Sittin' Pretty!

Hello!!! I am happy to announce that there has been significant progress made in the hot rod department!

Patrick, his friend, Tom, and Tom's son, Dyllan, helped move the body into the correct position on the frame. They did some cutting of metal with a plasma cutter. The circuit/breaker kept shorting, so when I was out there I wasn't able to try out the plasma cutter. Bummer. Most of the day I just kept hopping up to switch the breaker.

It is nice to see some progress, though! Here are some pictures:

Triumph

Patrick started a new job last week as a Pool Technician for Captain Chemical. Yeah for new jobs!!! It's a part time job with great pay, so we're exited about it.

The other night, Patrick was telling me that he is thinking about getting a Triumph bike, something newer and more reliable.

Keeping in mind that he already has 4 other bikes and a hot rod to build, as well as knowing that he wants to build the hot rod before we start a family, this just frustrated the hell out of me. We had a great conversation about "here and now" things vs. "eternal" things, and I think we finally got on the same page. I'm ready to start a family, damnit! :) I honestly feel that no one is "ready" to start a family, or financially prepared. But, when the time comes, you have to be willing to make that choice to further your purpose in life. There are so many great things in store for us as a family, and I hate putting it off.

So, we're still looking into a Truimph, but Patrick knows that he needs a reliable job with steady income for that to be a possibility. He's also looking into getting a job with benefits. Wow, that would be amazing!

I was looking at Health Insurance online last night, and some companies require a waiting period before you get pregnant. What kind of crap is that??? I hate insurance companies.

Anyway, progress on the homefront...we're on the same page as far as eternal vs. temporal progress, which means we're on the same page on starting a family sometime soon.

I'm working on getting on the "get a Triumph bike" page, but pending a few prerequisites, I'll get there.

I just want a cute little baby Largin. Can you blame me?? Our kids are going to be adorable!!!

YARD SALE!!!

We're having a HUGE Yard Sale this Saturday, the 12th. It's at 9 am. We'll have a lot of stuff, since we just emptied out our storage unit. Come check it out!

640 S 900 E
SLC

Lunch needs a new home

For the very few people who actually read my blog, I wanted to let you know that Lunch needs a new home. If you know of anyone who wants a kitty (even people who may not know that they want a kitty...), please pass the word along.

Lunch is a really sweet cuddly kitty. She is super playful, energetic, and a lot of fun. She is a bit mischievous as well. :) She is a polydactyl and looks like she has mittens on her front feet. The extra "thumb" has been declawed on each side. She has been spayed as well.

We have 3 cats right now, and it's just not quite working out. The personalities of the kitties don't always mesh too well, and it feels like I'm doing more cleanup and de-escalating than simply loving the kitties. I really think Lunch would do well as an only-child kitty. I think kids would be great for her, because they would give her a lot of attention and make good use of her energy level.

Lunch has been an indoor kitty, though she has expressed some talent for being an escape artist. Personally, I've had horrible luck with outdoor kitties, so I like to keep them inside. That being said, I'm pretty sure that Lunch would do well outside. The birds would keep her busy. :)


***UPDATE 10/6/08***
We've decided to keep Lunch. We had someone express interest in adopting her, but it fell through. Oddly enough, after that, she started blending in better and better with the other kitties. She's still a lot of trouble, but we love her. Patrick plays with her a LOT, so I think she's melted his heart. She's staying.

Feline Herpes and Yard Sales...what more could you ask for?

This is turning into a blog about our kitties....

Jinx developed feline herpes (common cold for kitties) after her incident. Basically, one eye seeped clear fluid non-stop, her hear itched, and she sneezed constantly. I could tell it was miserable. Fortunately, it has passed.

Unfortunately, it is contagious among kitties, and now Lunch is sneezing. Another weird behavioral symptom of the kitty cold is that they hide and sleep a lot. I know, I know...they're cats. They sleep a lot and in weird locations. However, when Jinx was sick, she'd pick places she wouldn't normally take a cat nap. (Haha...I'm funny...cat nap...) Lunch is now doing that as well. Hopefully her cold doesn't progress as far as Jinx's cold did. And hopefully Spaz avoids it altogether.

Spaz is Daddy's Little Girl

Also, we are in the process of moving our stuff out of our storage unit. Yesterday it took 3 car loads to get all of the boxes and miscellaneous stuff out. All that is left is my queen sized mattress, box spring, frame, a grill, an amplifier, and a handful of car stuff. Patrick rebuilt most of his big block engine in that storage unit...shh, don't tell anyone. It was seriously against the rules.

Now my living room and dining room have turned into a storage unit. It's an overwhelming amount of boxes to go through. Most of it is mine, so I've got to go through each one, put Yard Sale items downstairs in our Yard Sale Room (yep, there's a room set aside for the purging of our STUFF), and then figure out where to put everything else. I have a ton of books and no bookshelves. And before my first marriage, I had a Pampered Chef bridal shower, so I have an entire kitchen's worth of Pampered Chef stuff. This is awesome, yes, however I have to empty out the kitchen to get all this stuff to fit. And we desperately need some shelves/storage space in our kitchen. So much to do...most of which costs a bit of money, i.e. bookshelves and kitchen storage.

We've set a date for our Yard Sale, though, which is awesome. July 12th!!! Our neighbors are doing it with us, so it should be a big awesome sale.

As soon as it's done, I'm going to turn into an interior decorator. Or I might call one. We've got to get this place turned into a functioning, comfortable home.

not again...

Right now I'm thinking about The Secret and Mary Kay Ash saying, "What you think about, you bring about." Then I sigh, wondering if Patrick and I are "bringing about" all the feline mayhem in our home??

The story continues...

This morning I was up at 6am on a scheduled conference call. Toward the end of the call, I hear some ruckus coming from ...you guessed it!...the swamp cooler. Now, mind you, the cover to the swamp cooler had been replaced and wedged into place pretty securely. So I wander over, thinking to myself, "Didn't stupid little Lunch learn her lesson?? Surely she didn't get herself stuck in there again!!"

So, looking into the swamp cooler, fully expecting to see Lunch, I see Jinx's frantic face peeking up. She's trapped and can't pull herself out since the fan is rotating toward her as she tries to climb out. For the love of peace and sanity in a home!!! I rotate the fan toward me and Jinx is able to get out, thank goodness. She looked pretty unharmed, so I grabbed her by the back of the neck and tossed her out onto the dining room floor and replaced the cover to the cooler.

Jinx was all wet, under the belly, all over the legs, soaked tail, and even up onto her lower back. She pissed herself. *Side note: I am writing "she" and "her," but Jinx is really a boy.* So it's smelly boy cat pee. The really nasty stuff. Why is it that male pee has to be so freaking stinky? Whether it's a cat or a man, they are fully loaded to mark their territory. Yuck. Anyway, pee everywhere on Jinx.



Then I notice Jinx's behavior. She's kinda hunched, tail tucked, and walking funny. So, I look closer (getting nasty cat pee all over my hands) and her hind feet are kind of raw, the heels are very raw, the pads on her back paws are raw and some are blistered open, all claws on all 4 feet are mangled to the quick, splintered like crazy. There's blood around the claws on all 4 feet. And good hell, she stinks!

This picture doesn't show the raw heels very well, but her pads are a bit tender.

So, I go downstairs and wake Patrick up to, "Honey?? I need you..." Unfortunately for him it wasn't the good kind of needing. So, he fed the cats, showered (so he'd get hot water before we used it all on Jinx), and then we endured giving Jinx a bath. Let me tell you...dirty pee water is nasty stuff.

Jinx is now clean, we put hydrogen peroxide solution on her feet, and she's hiding in the corner of a closet...obviously not feeling well, and probably a bit humiliated for wetting her pants. Gross.

Meanwhile...Spaz has decided to let the other two cats constantly know of her disdain for them. I'm not sure if it is their bad behavior or their new weakness, but she's capitalizing the opportunity to mark her place as the stronger and better behaved child in the family. It's so annoying to hear her hiss at the other two all day. So, she gets swatted every time she does it.

Lunch is looking better every day...she's starting to scab up and there's no major infection, so that's good.

"Leave me alone already!!!" Lunch hates her frequent "treatments," but what can you do?
Nothing but put on more hydrogen peroxide solution and ointment...
then hold her for 10 min so she doesn't lick it all off.
Fun.

And another naughty kitty story...

After the night of the kitties' escape, Lunch, Spaz, and Jinx are craving the outside world.

Two days ago, when I got home from work, right as I opened the door to come inside, Lunch and Jinx were waiting for their golden opportunity. Both of them bolted for the opening. I was able to stop Jinx, but Lunch went sailing by, right over my foot. I threw my stuff down, yelled a few choice words, and ran after her.

Have you ever seen a greased pig catching contest? I haven't. But I'm pretty sure how it would go. Something like:

Lunch sprints along the front of the duplex, Alison follows a fair distance behind. Lunch runs up the neighbors stairs onto their front porch and stops, a look of panic on her face...where can I go now? As Alison rounds the corner and approaches the stairs, Lunch gets ready to jump off the porch into the lawn. Alison apparently sees this next move and strategically runs back around the corner into the lawn. Oh, the strategy was actually on Lunch's part! She runs down the stairs and around to the back of the duplex! Boy is she fast!! Alison follows behind. Lunch decides the back yard is a dead end and turns, facing Alison, running straight toward her. As Lunch shoots past, Alison dives onto the grass, attempting to catch the little bugger! Ouch, that was painful! Lunch runs back across the front of the duplex, and down the small road. Patrick has joined the contest and shoo-es Alison to stay back. Dejected, Alison gives up her failed attempts and returns home. Patrick is gone for a few minutes, returns to grab the bag of kitty treats, goes back outside and returns shortly with a mischievous cat.

Man, Lunch is one devil of a kitty!!!

And as if that story isn't enough, last night topped it off. I'm talking, seriously topped it off.

I got home from work close to 11pm. My neighbors were out on their porch, so I talked to them for several minutes and shared the afore mentioned story. While sharing this story, I could hear some intent kitty mewes. See, I told them, they are desperate to get outside again! Those are their I WANT OUT cries!

We have a swamp cooler in one of the windows of our dining room. Unfortunately, this swamp cooler doesn't work. Patrick had taken the cover off both inside and outside to see if he could fix it, so it had been a playground for the kitties to breathe the outside air and listen to the birds.

After talking to the neighbors for several minutes, I was pretty sure the mewes were coming from the swamp cooler. Naughty little kitties, I thought! After a couple more minutes, the mewes became more frequent, panicked, and needing attention. Jokingly I said, I better go make sure no one is stuck in there! So, I head over to my place to scope it out.

I walk in the front door and turn the corner into the dining room. Jinx is on the table staring at the swamp cooler. Spaz is in the cooler, looking very intently into it, then looking at me, then back into the cooler. Where is Lunch? The mewes resume. Lunch is IN the cooler. I take a closer look, and somehow (and I still don't know how), Lunch is between the circular fan and the housing for the fan. She is pancaked in there and very unhappy about it. Very unhappy.

I have no idea how swamp coolers are put together, and I really don't know how to get her out. So, I go back outside and call for the neighbors to help. While the Mrs. is inside looking into the cooler, Mr. is outside yanking the belt off of the fan. Lunch is crying the whole time, poor baby. Mr. was able to turn the fan, unsure if it was hurting Lunch worse, but it spun her out into Mrs. arms. We run inside and Mrs. says, it's bad, Alison, she's bleeding on her leg! So, we get the cat carrier and call around for an animal hospital.

I'm still in my work clothes, so I run downstairs to change, call Patrick, and he asks me to wait for him to get home from his friend's house before we go anywhere. I had only seen one side of Lunch, and her knee area was rubbed completely raw. It was bright red, a little bloody, and the hair was all gone...all over the dining room floor, actually. I just wanted to cry for her.

I got online to Google tetanus and cats, and fortunately it is really hard for cats to get tetanus. I got her out of the carrier and upon inspection, both of her knees were rubbed raw. One side had all the hair and the first layer of skin removed. The other side was into at least 2 layers of skin. Oh, poor poor Lunch!

After calling the animal hospital again, Patrick felt comfortable keeping her at home and using an anti-bacterial ointment that we had for Jinx a few months ago. (Jinx had adult kitty acne...how cute.) We gave Lunch a bath which turned her white again and the bathtub black, then put 50/50 hydrogen peroxide and water on her wounds. It had to hurt, she was hollering like you wouldn't believe. Then we put the ointment on and held her close so she wouldn't lick it off. That poor little baby...I brushed out her wet tangled hair and petted her for an hour.



She's super soft and beautiful today, and the wounds are looking better already. I feel so sad for her every time we clean it up with the hydrogen peroxide solution and put ointment on. I know it hurts. She's moving around just fine, is eating well, and purring, so she's okay.

She is seriously one mischievous, naughty little cat! A couple weeks ago she shoved herself through a small opening under a window we had propped open. Patrick grabbed her tail just in time to yank her back in. She's driving us nuts! I knew she was an escape artist, but good grief!!

So, we're hoping our hell-week with the kitties is coming to an end. Spaz is jealous of the attention Lunch is getting and has started hissing at her if she gets within 3 feet of her.

And to think...we want children?!?! :)

NAUGHTY Gato and Gatas!!!

Last night our door somehow didn't close all the way, and by the time I noticed it, all 3 of our kitties were GONE. Fortunately it was raining pretty good last night, so Lunch and Spaz (the two gatas) were shivering in the flowers by the door. Patrick grabbed Lunch, and Spaz ran straight for the door, anxious to get inside.

Unfortunately, Jinx (naughty little gato!!) was nowhere to be found. Patrick and I walked all around our neighborhood calling out for Jinx. I had on slippers which were soaking wet, and my sweatshirt was getting soaked as well. We would split directions, meet back at the house, and go again. The last trip out, Patrick grabbed our flashlights and left some kitty treats at the door. We left again to circle another block. A couple times we heard a familiar meow or a jingle of a bell (on all of our kitties' collars), but no Jinx.

We sadly made our way back home and noticed wet kitty prints on the concrete in front of the door and most of the kitty treats eaten. It HAD to be Jinx!! So, we split up again, and Patrick found Jinx around the side of the house. When he called for him, Jinx ran straight to him...soooo cold, wet, and super fluffy, as a scared kitty would be.

Those naughty little cats! Today Jinx has been roaming the house mewing for some playful action, looking listlessly outside the windows...longing for another moment of independence. That little shit.

It was not fun to see Patrick so upset. It would have destroyed him if we hadn't found all three.

...and more projects :)

Guess what?!?! Patrick acquired a motorcycle for me. It's a 1971 Honda something-or-other that has been turned into a bobber. I really don't know a whole helluva lot about what that means, but it's a cute little bike. It needs some work (umm...does that put it into the "project" category??), so it'll be a while before I'm riding around. Patrick says this doesn't get him in trouble for picking up a new project because it didn't cost him anything. That's like me buying 2 pairs of shoes because if I bought one, the other was free. :)

Patrick is also doing some trade work for a custom chopper from his friend, Dirty. In the meantime, he'll get his current motorcycle running so he can sell it.

Also, Patrick found a Model A body for his hot rod. He was feeling unsure about the Diamond T and found the Model A body. So, if anyone wants a Diamond T body, send me a message. He's selling that now.

As for me, I'm working really hard on earning my free car with Mary Kay. So, any time I'm not at the restaurant working, I'm doing Mary Kay stuff. June is always an exciting month in Mary Kay, since the end of our fiscal year is June 30th. So...lots going on there!

That's our up-to-date list of what we're working on! :)

Love is...

...when you kiss your husband goodbye in the morning and he tells you that your breath reeks of death and not to breathe on the kitties.



Yup, true love right there! ;)

"Magical" Birthday???

Patrick's 26th Birthday was yesterday. His mom says that when you turn the age of the day of your birthday (i.e. turning 26 on April 26th) it is your "Magical" Birthday. Cute, huh? To be honest, Patrick and I were both skeptics about this "Magical" thing.

So, yesterday morning we woke up and decided to go have breakfast somewhere. I was thinking of going to The Original House of Pancakes (sounds like IHOP's name, but they are very different) in Salt Lake City....incredibly big and delicious breakfast there! So, we got in the car and noticed a sign on a light post in front of our house, "Estate Sale." I asked Patrick if he wanted to go, and of course he said YES.

There were soooooo many cute dishes, teapots, saucers, teacups, etc. Some guy had bought all of the old furniture and they were loading it up into a truck. Patrick found an old drink thermos that is super retro and in great condition. He also fell in love with a vintage laundry basket...wicker with a cool looking top. I'll admit, I rolled my eyes at that purchase, but it was his birthday. Then I found a cool planter that is a tower with eight or so arms that hold little pots. A pot sits on the bottom for any crawling plants. So it was a really fun stop for us.

We got back in the car and started heading south again and saw a Yard Sale sign. So, we stopped there. Patrick found 4 Beatles albums in vinyl. The albums are: Hey Jude, Let it Be, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and Magical Mystery Tour with a 24-page full color picture book. The story of the Magical Mystery Tour is cute, funny, and odd. Great pictures and designs, too. Anyway, lucky Patrick...these vinyls are worth more than the DOLLAR he paid! Patrick found some books, too, and I found 4 mirrors with black frames. The frames have a floral design in silver on them...something to put in the living room, maybe. :)

Off we were to find another stop... we drove by a Scandinavian restaurant and bakery shop and decided to stop there for breakfast/brunch. We had omelets with cream cheese and smoked salmon and potatoes. The baked goods looked fantastic, but for some crazy reason we didn't indulge. Little side note...they have marzipan cakes! MMMMmmmm...I will try one of those someday.

We stopped at a few more Yard Sales and found more books, a little military looking lock box, a bag of polyester fiber-fill for my crafts, and the BEST BEST, MOST MAGICAL FIND of the day was an ENTIRE dark room set-up for $75. Every little thing Patrick needs to start developing his mountain of rolls of film was included. Seriously. Every little thing. And to top that off, the guy who was getting rid of all this equipment used it to develop pictures for an article about termites in the April 1978 National Geographic, titled Termites: Dwellers in the Dark. His name is Glenn D. Prestwich. Patrick is a huge fan of National Geographic, so that just added mounds of sentiment to his super deal.

So...perhaps the whole "Magical" Birthday is real?? Patrick says I'm his good luck charm, but he did find all this great stuff ON his special birthday. Either way...I'm only 2 years older than him right now, which makes me feel a little less old. :)


**I would have posted pictures, but my camera doesn't like me today. Stupid camera.

New Project

Around the time of my last post, I remember telling Patrick, NO NEW PROJECTS for awhile!!! Well, that lasted a few days. Patrick found a frame for his hot rod. :) I'd try to hit all the details and years, but I know I'd get it wrong, so I'll have to come back and update that info. However, I DO have pictures:


My favorite part of the frame is the wheels. The wood inside the metal looks sooo awesome! I think they would make a sweet table somehow, but Patrick is giving those back to the guy that sold the frame to him. Apparently the hub part is still good and can be sold to another customer. Oh well.

Patrick and his buddy, Tom have already started tearing apart the frame, and Patrick has made several purchases of the necessary parts to get this thing legally on the road. I will document the process...because it's fun to see the whole journey. Wish us luck!


****UPDATE****
It's a 1928 Buick frame, and the truck going on it is a 1941 Diamond T. There's some detail for you that I otherwise would be clueless about!!