catiecake.

Seventh of November

Dear Kittens,

I'm listing it out for you because that's where I am today. Listville.

1. Today was the first day I've been chilly. It was nice, but also sort of alarming because where are my winter clothes?

2. I went to Happy Hallow for the first time today and I sort of loved it. It's run down, borderline creepy and also great for kids! We didn't see any animals today because the kid I went with wasn't into the animals. I will go back another time for the animals.

3. I had sushi for dinner and oh my, it was so delicious. Even more delicious than normal because I was extra special hungry. I love the sushi.

4. I've been experiencing some anxiety lately. Like a low level, but constant sense of nervousness for about a week. There have been breaks in this anxiety. When I'm walking, when I'm working or when I'm doing something fun. I've been thinking about this anxiety and my theory about is that it's procrastination causing it. When I'm being proactive, I do not feel it. When I'm putting off, ignoring or denying something- I feel the anxiety pretty much constantly.

5. Also, I am ready for bed. It's late for me.

6. Tomorrow is a day of laundry and various other fun things like card making and what not.

Love,

Catie 

Third of November

Sneak peek of things to come at www.catiecake.com

Dear Kittens,

I am so irritated that there should be a name for this level of irritation. Like Super Major Really and Truly Irritation. Or something. I am certain it's because of lack of enough sleep over what seems to be a very long period of time. It's getting better, the sleeping a proper number of house, but it's not ideal yet. Wah. Wah. Wah.

Here's what you really need to know- my website has been updated. Go visit www.catiecake.com To see part of of what I've been working on. Right now you can see cards and artwork, but very soon Christmas tree ornaments and stockings will be up. Kittens, if you would please do me the favor of passing on the URL of my website on to people you believe would be interested, I will be very grateful.

My webgirl is the most amazing webgirl ever in the world. Her name is Kate McMillan and her website is www.outboxonline.com . If you want an amazingly designed website, Kate is your gal. She has been an invaluable partner to me. Truly, I do not know anyone that I would trust more with my website. Her asthetic is spot on. Her work ethic is awe-inspiring. I'm lucky enough to be friends with Kate. Seriously, pass her name on to people who need a kick ass website.

In non website news- tomorrow is the flea market. I'm meeting my mom there and we are going to walk and walk and walk and walk until we feel like dying. Then we'll go out to lunch. We might even buy some stuff. We're both always on the lookout for religious things like crucifixes, icons and rosary beads, various small pieces of furniture (I have a thing for small tables and chairs) and I'm going to be looking for beads for to make necklaces with. I really need a day like what tomorrow is going to be.

You are loved!

Catie

The Zig. The Zag.

I realize that I should probably write descriptions for these photos I post.

This is a fence in Yosemite National Park. I liked the lines.

Dear Kittens,

It should not come as a surprise to you Kittens that I sometimes keep secrets from you. Not for the joy of secret-keeping, but more because you are Kittens and just babies and do not need to know everything about everything. It is out of love that I keep these secrets. You can thank me later.

This is the part where I tell you that I've known about the destination of our anniversary trip for a couple of weeks now. I sort of guessed it immediately, but my guess was confirmed when I was looking through the American Express statement looking for suspicious charges. The airline tickets were listed with their destination. I didn't say anything because, you know, when you plan a surprise for someone, you would like for them to be surprised. Finally, 2 nights ago, Andy told me and I admitted that I already knew. It's not that big of a deal, but I am sorry that the surprise got ruined. I'm looking forward to this trip, but I admit I'm a tiny bit tired of travel. There! I said it! I know for sure it will be good and I'll be so glad we did it (did I already say all this?), but after this trip, I'm pretty much planning on staying home A Lot.

So, we're going to Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington. I'm looking forward and I hope the weather cooperates. We've decided to come up with indoor and outdoor activities so we're sure to have a good time no matter what the weather is doing. 

There are ideas for blogs I've come across in the last 2 days that I love. One is an encyclopedia of your home. Based on a book that I love called Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Elizabeth of A Browner Brown is doing it. It's one of those ideas that you (and by "you" I mean "I") wish you had first. That won't stop me from copying her, though.

The second idea is from Zena. She's taking at least a month's worth of daily photographs of the things that bring her closer to her spirituality. The Sacred Life Project. That might be a tiny bit too hippie for me, but I love the idea of taking a small moment each day to recognize the beauty around you and to find inspiration in something simple.

I find such inspiration from these two ideas that it sort of kills me a little bit. Mostly because I am trying to be smarter about making commitments, I'm not sure which idea I actually have time for right now or if they both should wait until a later date.

I realized yesterday that I've been sort of stalled out in progress lately. I'm still having sessions with Life Coach and they continue to be very good and helpful and generally speaking I feel very happy most of the time. Also generally speaking, I feel like I could be Doing More. I think I need to start pushing myself to go a little bit deeper in this whole personal growth thing. Mostly I think I need to turn up the exercise a notch and the productivity on my creative endeavors. One really good thing that life coaching has taught me is how to follow through. Before life coaching, I was very good about coming up with plans, but not so great at implementing them, but nowadays I feel pretty secure in my ability to make things happen for myself.

Also, I think this is another reason why I am less than Totally Excited for our trip. I feel like there are things to be done at home and being gone so much is preventing me from gaining momentum and that's frustrating. Because, it's not just the actual travel. I don't know if most people are like this, but I find travel wholly exhausting. The whole process of figuring out what to pack, how to pack it, going to their airport, stressing about security and then the actual flying and settling in and then coming home and the being tired and endless laundry and loving the cats and trying to get my schedule back on track and GAH! It takes up a tremendous amount of space in my head. I cannot say that I love travel. In fact, I do not love travel. Seeing new places is a lot of fun and the almost always seems worth it (Sorry, Florida, except for the Everglades, I hated your guts.) but the process is something that wears me down.

And now my day must begin with sort of a running start because we're leaving tomorrow evening and so you know, that's not that far away.

Love!

Catie!

Today, I am not your friend, Seamus.

Dear Kittens,

It's late and I don't stay up this late anymore, but there are some things I wanted to tell you.

Firstly, we had an Internet friend, Mary and her husband, Fred over for dinner. It was a lovely meeting and while I know there are plenty of people who do not meet Internet people, you totally should because they are always awesome.

Secondly, earlier today Seamus attacked Roo. All the cats decided to go outside at the same time and while I was doing some straightening up, I heard Roo scream, I ran outside and Seamus had him down and was biting the back of his neck. Roo was hissing and screaming and ugh! It was so awful. I slapped my hands and Seamus let him go and Roo ran inside. After a brief examination, I couldn't find any damage done to Roo. I don't know if Seamus thinks he's playing, or if he's trying to kill Roo because he's the weakest cat. Alls I know is, It was very upsetting and even though Seamus is extremely cute and sleeping on a pillow next to me as I type, I hate his guts today.

Going to Yosemite was a lot of fun, but I'm worn out from all the driving and my ears are worn out from the rapid increase and decrease in elevation. I've never asked a doctor if this is true, but it's my belief that the chronic ear infections I experienced from the age of baby until I was 20 has impacted the way my ears regulate air pressure. As in, my ears do not regulate air pressure well at all. Swimming under 3 feet of water is extremely painful for me.

This weekend is our anniversary trip. Andy has planned a trip for us. The destination is a surprise to me. I have a couple of guesses where we're going, but I don't know for sure and I haven't asked. I haven't asked because it's entirely too easy for me to guess. I know for 100% fact that we will have a good time, but I am not, right this second, excited. Mostly it's because we just got home and I'm tired and it feels like there's a million things to do, even though that's not exactly the truth.

Anyway, tomorrow (Wednesday) I am going to relax and do laundry. And maybe I'll watch a movie or read a book or IM people. Who knows? Anything could happen, it's Wednesday after all.

It's raining right now and listening to the rain fall is making me feel cozy and sleepy.

You are loved, Kittens!

Catie

Rub a dub dub.

Dear Kittens,

The thing where we get Roo to stop yelling at us (mostly me) to turn on the faucet in the tub is going barely okay. You may or may not know this, but cats are amazingly stubborn. And they like to make habits. So if you do something 2 times with a cat, that's it! You've started a new tradition that needs to be honored OR ELSE. Roo is losing his teeth, but he switched to canned food so he can keep one side super sharp and available for biting me at a moment's notice. Anyway, this morning I sat on the toilet and Roo came racing in and I blocked him with my hand from jumping into the tub. When he saw my hand pop up, he would turn around and run out of the room. We did that five (5) times. Just between you and me, that's a lot of times. On the last time I snatched him up, rubbed his head for a little while told him, "I know this is hard, but we don't do this anymore. You've got to drink water out of a bowl." He said, "Meoooow. Mer. Mer." And then he sighed. I put him down and he went into the kitchen and drank from the new fountain.

That was a nice exchange and all, but I don't believe it's over.

Last night I went out to dinner with Stacey. We had sushi. I cannot imagine the person who does not like sushi. That must be a remarkably sad life you sushi haters live. No deliciously sweet raw fish, no sticky sticky rice, no wasabi opening up your nasal passages and making you think you might die, how you sushi deniers live? We had a nice time munching and catching up.

After dinner I went over to Whole Foods to pick up a few things (Lara Bars, kefir, apples and a red pepper). What amazes me about Whole Foods is the number of SUVs in the parking lot. It's way more than at any other grocery store I visit. Which, honestly, seems kind of weird to me. The self-important yippies (Yuppie+Hippie) strut around Whole Foods as if the entire world rotates around them. Last night a woman ran into my cart, gave me a dirty look and then said, "an apology would be appreciated!" This is where I thank Little Baby Jesus for my fast wit. I says, "I am very sorry that I was standing here and you ran into my cart." She huffed away and the dude that was standing near me laughed. This is the exact reason I need to start carrying a paint pellet gun. Certain people need to be marked as morons. Think of how much time it will save everyone! If this law passes, I suggest carrying an extra set of clothes, you know, just cake you are..hahaha...mismarked.

Also, I hate my highlights. HATE THEM. I was wrong about them being pretty. They are really lame. They're too obvious, too brassy and too many of them. What was my girl thinking? I really need to call her, but I haven't. My next appointment is on Halloween, but I do not want to go through the majority of this month with same lame, tired looking highlights on my head. I love my dark, dark, luscious brown hair. Wah! Wah! Wah!

The two photos I used in this post are from the self portrait project I'm participating in. The top one is me holding a paper flower I made from a kit and the last one is me washing my face at night. In case you little Kittens could not figure it out. After all, you're just babies.   

Love! Catie