Gone Baby, Gone

This week our landlord found sweet Olivia a new home. Which is good. It's wonderfully, actually, as we're hitting record lows this week (2o in the morning is "optimistic"; pray for the Florida crops!).

But for me, for us, it's a little sad. Our first pet! My welcoming party at the end of each day. Olivia is the reason that all B's workout clothes have hair around the ankles. She's been our soundtrack in the evenings, meowing for us to fill her food bowl, even though we only had the milk.

B's been tickled by how bummed I've been that Olivia has gone to, as I've put it (to B's chagrin), a "better place." "But she really IS in a better place!", he says. And he's right.

But for a few weeks, we had a friendly face that reminded us to love everyone and share what we had, even when that meant that B and the kitty had to share our milk until the next Sam's run.

I miss her, but I'm glad she's gone. B's out of town and I'd warned him that if he left while she was still here, she'd be sleeping in the guest room.

So farewell, Olivia! Thanks for sharing your love, snuggles, and kisses with us for a few weeks.

And for goodness sakes, don't anyone take this as a *hint, hint* that I'm wanting a cat. We are proudly pet free for now. ...Unless you have a spare golden retriever hanging around. Then give me a call.

19 Months

Just over 19 months ago, I married this man. I've never been happier.

B and I enjoyed a wild Nov 9 - Dec 9. We got to see the kiddos (post Disney) again for a night, which we loooved. We can't get enough of them!

After their visit, we got ready for Thanksgiving, which we spent with my family in Atlanta and his family in Blue Ridge, where it was cold, but that just meant more blankets, fires, and s'mores.

Work's gone well for both of us. I've been super busy with the holiday baking rush and B's been steady with new work with the judge. Thankfully, we've both been happy and generally healthy (hate to jinx anything!).

We've gotten into the holiday spirit, getting a Christmas tree, celebrated at a block party, and read and reread Christmas cards (thank you!).

Nineteen months is technically a long time, but it feels like it's gone by in a flash. I can't believe we'll be celebrating another Christmas, then a New Year, then (yea!) a birthday, for B.

The next time I'm writing this monthly update, it'll be a new year (which is also the year of both of our 10 year high school reunions) with new adventures, another move, and picking a city. For now, I'll just stick with looking at this picture from our friends' wedding over Labor Day this year. Good memories!

Meet Olivia

For almost a month now, B and I have been bamboozled into taking care of this super cute Siamese kitty (a few months old). It showed up on our porch and started meowing directly into the crack of our door. This cat is the most dog-like cat we've ever experienced.

Case in point? Olivia (as we've named her) trots alongside B when he goes to the gym. She comes running when you open the back door. And, when we came home from Thanksgiving in Atlanta, she followed us right in the house. "Hi guys! Miss me?"

I give her milk. Our upstairs neighbor gives her dry food. And we all give her lots of back scratches.

We first named the cat Oliver, because it was an orphan (who abandons a true Siamese kitty?), but then our neighbor did some recon and discovered "he" was a "she," so Olivia she's been ever since.

Technically she's our first pet, but B and I have no interest in keeping her. Well, we do, but we're not really ready to commit to anything for 16 years. We're just getting this whole marriage thing, so we're trying to keep it simple.

Anyone want a Siamese kitty? Beware of Christmas gifts from me with air holes in the sides...

The *Almost* Tree

B KNOWS I love Christmas, especially Christmas trees. Ergo, I'm burning a Woodwicks Christmas Tree candle as I type this.

So he was game when I drug him to Sam's to look at Christmas trees, for only $29!

Here's a picture of the tree we didn't get. While Sam's has amazing prices, they don't cut the bottom of the tree off, don't trim the branches, and basically make you look at them in this would-be wilderness in the front of the store. Moral of the story? Pay a little more, go to Ace or Home Depot (or your local tree farm), and have them tie it on your roof. That or buy your own chain saw, an option I did NOT present to B.

We did end up buying a different tree that day, which is sitting on our porch in a bucket of water waiting for B to come home from work. I tried telling him the tree was cold and needed to come inside, but he saw right through my lies.

B, I always love when you come home from work, but, tonight especially, I can't wait!

Florida Children...

...meet snow.

Christmas in Avondale!

Friday night, my boss invited us workers to come "hang out, drink wine, eat food, and turn people away for the bathroom." Translation? It's Christmas in Avondale, a three hour street party featuring food, fake snow, and the removal of the open container law for the night.

Imagine all our surprise when the bakery was paaaacked the entire night. No eating, no drinking (except for tiny wine chugs), and tons of sales; we ended up making several hundred more cupcakes (or icing them at least, good thing we'd planned ahead, "just in case."

B was a trooper. Aside from taking this picture of the chaos, he hung out with the other significant others in the back, sampling the food and generally taking it all in.

Christmas is officially here!