Crazy Cat Lady

This weekend I had one of the funniest dreams of my life. 

For those of you that don’t already know, about three weeks ago I bought a kitten.  He is adorable.  Anyways, Saturday night I must’ve been subconsciously thinking about him, because he cameoed in one of my dreams.  Let me describe it to you.

I was in my condo, in my bedroom, Milo (my cat) was there, so it was obviously present-time.  It was an early morning with the sun coming in the windows.  I looked down by my dresser and there was a blanket or a shirt or something in a pile on the ground.  Out of curiosity, I lifted it to see if there was anything underneath.  To my surprise, there were two small fur balls.  They were about the size of cotton balls, but more dense, and brown and black striped.  All of a sudden one of the fur balls morphed into this cute little kitten.  Then the other one puffed into another kitten.  They looked like mini-Milos.  As cute as they were, I was like, oh great, now I have three cats!  What the heck, I’m turning into the crazy cat lady!  I remember stressing out about all the details, like, well, I’m probably going to have to get a second litter box and a ton more food, and man, this is going to be expensive, and who would drop off this weird litter of kittens anyway, and maybe Milo is a girl and I didn’t know she was pregnant?!  

Well, the next morning (still in my dream) I woke up to find another furball lying in the same spot on the ground.  This one was more tan (like the color of my carpet), and more elongated, like a stretched-apart cotton ball.  Like the others, this one turned into another kitten, but this poor little buddy had a broken leg, so it kind of walked with a limp, dragging its leg behind him.  Plus, this cat never got any bigger than like three or four inches long.  It was super small, but super cute still.

The next day I woke up and was like, great, finally, no more weird cat surprises…  Until, suddenly, something on the ground caught my attention.  There was a tiny speck on the ground.  I picked it up, and sure enough, it was another cat.  It was a super tiny albino kitten.  It was seriously no bigger than a staple.  I always held it on my pointer fingertip.  It was so funny.  Oh, and then for some reason, someone told me I had to get all of these cats baptized, so I carried them all to my church (why I had to carry them, I don’t know?), where there was this pet baptism event going on.  I let the cats find a seat in a pew (so weird), but the little broken leg cat and the staple cat kept getting stuck in the cracks of the tile, so I had to pray for them… and then… I woke up.

I wish I could draw all of you pictures of how funny these cats were.  Every time I think about the weird albino cat on my fingertip, I can’t help but laugh.  Where do I come up with this stuff??

Thirteen

Since today is January 13th, here are thirteen things I feel like writing about. 

1. The high temperature in MN is supposed to be -1° today. Woof.
2. The high temperature in CA (where my brother is currently living) is 85°. Lucky.
3. This morning’s production meeting was hilarious.  Everyone was in rare form.  I love my coworkers.
4. Last night Milo (my new cat) watched The City with me.  I love that show.
5. Conversations via text message are funny.
6. Last night I read He’s Just Not That Into You, and finally realized, huh, CJ just wasn’t that into me.  I get it.
7. Regina Spektor’s song “The Call” on the Prince Caspian soundtrack is really great.
8. My heated garage will never be taken for granted again.  It was a toasty 62° when I got in my car this morning.
9. It is only mid-January, and I already know of at least 6 weddings I’m going to this year.
10. Ben Barnes is my current celebrity crush.  Yum.
11. I should probably get a new real life crush.
12. I desperately need to sell or return something today, otherwise I will once again go negative in my checking account.  Boo.
13. It is my wonderful friend Heather’s birthday.  She is extra special, so don’t forget to wish her an extra special birthday!

Just for Today

 

I got this bookmark when I went to my first Al-Anon meeting on Saturday. (p.s. for those of you that don’t know, AA is the program for alcoholics/addicts and Al-Anon is for families and friends of the alcoholics/addicts… I didn’t know that until about a month ago.)  Anyway, since I didn’t really go into too much detail on my motto in my previous blog, this bookmark that I received says just what I feel like I want to focus on in 2009.   Here is what it says:

Just for today, I will try to live through this day only, and not tackle my whole life problem at once. I can do something for twelve hours that would appall me if I felt that I had to keep it up for a lifetime.

 

Just for today, I will be happy. This assumes to be true what Abraham Lincoln said, that “most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

 

Just for today, I will try to strengthen my mind. I will study. I will learn something useful. I will not be a mental loafer. I will read something that requires effort, thought and concentration.

 

Just for today, I will adjust myself to what is, and not try to adjust everything to my own desires. I will take my “luck” as it comes, and fit myself to it.

 

Just for today, I will exercise my soul in three ways: I will do somebody a good turn, and not get found out. I will do at least two things I don’t want to–just for exercise. I will not show anyone that my feelings are hurt; they may be hurt, but today I will not show it.

 

Just for today, I will be agreeable. I will look as well as I can, dress becomingly, talk low, act courteously, criticize not one bit, not find fault with anything and not try to improve or regulate anybody except myself.

 

Just for today, I will have a program. I may not follow it exactly, but I will have it. I will save myself from two pests: hurry and indecision.

 

Just for today, I will have a quiet half hour all by myself, and relax. During this half hour, sometime, I will try to get a better perspective of my life.

 

Just for today, I will be unafraid. Especially I will not be afraid to enjoy what is beautiful, and to believe that as I give to the world, so the world will give to me.

 

Prayer for Today

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.

 

O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved, as to love; for it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

 

What’s the motto with you?

Sorry, lame joke, couldn’t resist. 

Anyways, here’s the highly anticipated reveal of my 2009 motto.  *cue trumpets and angel choir*

One Day at a Time in 2009.  There you have it, folks.  Yes, I’m aware I’m borrowing this slogan from the AA and Al-Anon programs, for its use in recovery, but also I think it will be very applicable to other aspects of my life as well.  I will write more in detail about what I’m aiming for, but for now, I will just copy what was written in the first page (for January 1st) in the One Day at a Time in Al-Anon book that I was given in Antigua, it is a great summary of how I would like to focus my life in 2009.  Plus, it even kind of rhymes! :)

This year is a book of clean blank pages on which I will write a record of my experiences and my growth through the daily use of the Al-Anon idea. I turned to Al-Anon as a last resort because I was living with a problem that was too much for me. I know I can deal with this problem through applying Al-Anon to myself, to my thoughts and my actions, every day. If I allow myself to be influenced by what the [addict] says and does, it will make blots and smears on the pages of my year. This I will try to avoid at all costs.

Today’s Reminder: I can live my life only one day at a time. Perhaps my confusion and despair are so great that I will have to take it one hour at a time, or one minute at a time, reminding myself constantly that I have authority over no life but my own.

“Realizing that nothing can hurt me while I lean upon [God], I ask to be guided through the hours and minutes of each day. Let me remind myself to bring every problem to Him for I know He will show me the way I must go.”

Looking back on Living in Love

Well, it’s January 2, 2009, which means it’s time for the 2nd Annual Year-in-Review blog post.  After one year of my new hobby (blogging), I think I will continue in 2009.  Looking Back on Moving Forward was 2007’s review post, so now I will look back on Living in Love. 

It was a good year.  Lots of ups and downs.  I’ve attached a picture of the original list (written in Dec. 2007) of my goals for 2008.  I will go through them one-by-one and see how I did.

• Drink less pop & alcohol
  I did ok with this at first, but then I was so tired in the morning all the time, the pop was needed.  It became a bad habit.  I think I did go at least one week without pop, maybe more.  The less alcohol thing went well at first too.  I did moderately ok with that, but I would like to get even better this year.
• Drink more water
  For a few weeks, I was up to at least 2 nalgenes a day, which is pretty good.  I got worse in the middle of the year, with some days going by with no water.  Yuck.  I would also like to get better at this in 2009.
• Learn to cook/eat healthier
  I think I cooked maybe twice.  Grilled cheese does not count.  I think I ate more grilled cheese sandwiches this year than any other human on the planet.  Yum.  They’re so good.  Not healthy.  Now that I got a new apron though, maybe I will get better (or at least try) at the cooking and eating healthy thing.
• Bring my lunch 4 days/wk
  I did this well, again, in the beginning of the year.  The hard thing was I could barely ever afford groceries, so I barely ever had food to bring that would be enough to constitute a lunch.  There were a lot of days I would just bring two slices of bread (I had peanut butter & honey in the office), and pretzels, and that was the best I did. 
• Read 8 books
  Ding ding! I actually did this. The Poisonwood Bible; Don’t Waste Your Life; Velvet Elvis; Prince Caspian; Desiring God; Letters from a Skeptic; He is There, He is not Silent; The Shack; and Clapton: the Autobiography.
• Go on 8 “dates”
  I actually went on 18. Yes, I did write them all down, but I will not record them all here. (And to clarify, I put the word dates in quotes because since I don’t really go out that much, I define a date more as just a one-on-one hang out with a boy.)  CJ fulfilled most of these hang outs, so that makes me feel good.  Though, I think I’m finally over him. PTL. 
• Exercise every day
  Did really well for January, February, and most of March.  Then I got lazy.  The end.
• Read Bible and G&Gs journal every night
  Read Bible most nights, but lost track of the journal/devotional that I got from my grandparents, so I didn’t get further than March probably.  Bummer.  Maybe I will get back to it in 2009.
• Go to bed by 11 p.m. (+/-)
  Besides a few random late nights here and there, I actually did super well with my early bedtime.  I’m thinking of making it even earlier for this year.  I still can’t wake up in the a.m.
• Clean apt. once a month (weekly touch-ups)
  My place thankfully doesn’t get that dirty.  I did quick touch-ups here and there, but for the most part, I didn’t do very well on the cleaning aspect.  I did more of a deep clean on NYE (in anticipation of having people over and to keep myself from going crazy) so that was good.
• Travel out of the country
  A last-minute trip to Antigua in December for the family program at Crossroads fulfilled this item, though it was definitely not planned or even wished for.  I am very grateful for the opportunity.
• Love people better, more often
  I tried to do this as often as possible.  I don’t know if I did it very well, but my Live in Love motto helped remind me to be more loving. 
• Continue being bold.
  I brought back Bold in 2006 when I was challenged with a situation that would lead me out of my comfort zone.  It was most of the time very much worth it. 
• Blog once a week
  I stuck to this one pretty well at first, and then when I started The Jenna Daily in the spring, I slacked more on JennaB4 [and after].  As stated above, I will continue posting on both in 2009. I love blogging.
• Sketch/paint/draw once a month
  Usually I just did this in my sketch book, but once I actually brought out my painting stuff.  Pretty sure I did something at least once a month.  It is so therapeutic.
• Earn more money (freelance, 2nd job?)
  Did not happen.  Booooooo.  A must-happen in 20o9.
• Watch 1 new movie per month
  Done.  I didn’t write them down, but I know I did it.
• Give regular offering at church
  As previously mentioned, considering I had barely enough money to buy staple groceries, my tithe struggled.  That is an understatement.  I am not proud of this. 
• Stay focused at work
  For the most part, yes, I stayed focused, though I could do better.  Hopefully 2009 will bring me my own office, which will help significantly.
• Plan a reunion with Richfield girls
  No, this did not happen, though I really would still like it to.  They all see each other pretty often, and I would love to keep in touch, but it is hard living further away, and though facebook is nice for updates, it would be great to see them in person.  If you’re a Richfield girl and reading this, please help keep me accountable to this in this year.  I miss you.
• Make a budget, stick to it.
  Did not do this, but is much needed.  So is the cash that would actually be the prerequisite to a budget.  But that’s a different story.
• Go on a road trip.
  Colorado with Elaine in August.  Done.  And awesome.
• Invest in SNL kids
  I would like to say I tried.  They are excellent.
• Visit other churches.
  Considering I went to Hope maybe three Sundays this whole year, I did a pretty decent job at visiting other churches, mainly Bethlehem Baptist.  I loved it.
• Keep at least one night open per week
  I think I did this ok.  I think my goal was to not get so busy that I didn’t have time to myself to get stuff done or just relax.  When I was diagnosed with depression in October, I had to do a better job at surrounding myself with people that I loved, otherwise I would get stuck in a pity party and that is not healthy for anyone.
• Get a prof. massage
  In Antigua!  On the beach!  With the ocean waves crashing in the background!  Pretty much awesome.
• Learn to say ‘no.’
  I got better at this as the year went on.
• Attend chapel regularly
  Done!  And I am so thankful!  I learned so much!
• Have a d-team reunion
  Better late than never, went to OPH in December.  Melissa was unable to join, but we will see her at her wedding in January.  Crazy!
• Host a party at my house
  Still have yet to have a housewarming party (fingers crossed for Feb. 2009, 2 year anniversary), but I did have groups of people over (my definition of a party) a few times.  Helvetica night with youth group girls, and NYE Party to name a few.  GTs.
• Visit G&G in Arizona
  March 2008.  Done.  I love AZ.  I love Leisure World.  I love my grandparents. A must-do in 2009.

So, to sum it up, I did pretty well with my goals.  Feeling darn good about it.  I will soon write about the upcoming year and my motto.  I’m pretty pumped about it though.  Live in Love was a really good one for me for 2008.  I’m really glad the year started out as well as it did, because I think without the strong start, especially in my faith, I don’t know how I would’ve endured the tougher times of the spring/summer/fall/winter as well as I did.  God is truly so good.  I will leave you with my verse o’ the year: 1 John 4:16. “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.”  ♥ jb