quick catch up for the last 8 months

A lot has changed since I last posted. I'll try to summarize.

We weren't able to settle things to our liking at the old
house, so we moved to a bigger place in North Seattle,
where I can actually have an office. This picture shows
my niece covering our front walkway with roses as
a housewarming gift. But it's Seattle, so even though it
was June, it rained 4 hours later and -poof- it was gone. :( 

There's a big sun-room that used to be a front porch, which
John filled with plants. I got a grape vine that's grown the length
of the sun-room, and then some, in just the first few months.

There's a large covered back porch, something we've missed
so much since we left our house in Reseda, CA.

There's a big old man Willow tree right smack in the middle
of the private back yard. 

My new manager role has required a lot more travel than
I'm used to -- flights to the East Coast have been required
every other month since April. Little discovery: FL not
my favorite state ever.

We have a new addition to our family. Looks like a rat,
yet named after an angel -- the one and only angel --
Castiel (from Supernatural). 

Despite being one of the cutest things you've ever seen, he
exploded on the scene bearing fart-bombs (running into
the room, farting and dashing back out) and herpes (he's a
shelter baby). 

Lucifurr was NOT AMUSED.

*Little note: I'm totally downplaying the chaos and mayhem.

Our little girl has grown up and decided to move out on her own,
At 38 years old, my nest is half empty. 'Nuff said.

However, we all try to "keep it real" and not take life too seriously.

Cuz. Yeah.

bestest b-day :D

Happy birthday to me! Two more years to 40.

It's been the best birthday ever, so far.

My present! :D

1.) I'm spending it with my favorite people every (Johnny and the kids), and they're doing everything I tell them to do.  *Evil grin.*
2.) Today is the day that the renter of the unattached garage/mother-in-law is supposed to be moving out, and we are going to acquire it. John and I are on pins-and-needles, because we can't wait to see inside! If it's big enough, we may move our bedroom out there and leave the house to the teenagers; good riddance! The bad news is, it's noon and there is not a single sign that he's packed a single box, much less ordered a moving truck. 
3.) Yesterday I received the formal offer for a new role at my company that I recently applied for.  There are many upsides to this new role, including that:

• It's a brand new marketing & sales Writing/Editing team. I love that I will be more focused on business writing and editing versus portfolio account management. I also love that it's a new team that's still hammering out its scope of services, so it's a little entrepreneurial in spirit and will remain so for a couple years to come. But once the dust settles, I'll be in a leadership role and will be very well placed for success. 
• It's a manager role with a big raise. So we can finally start thinking about buying our own house. 
• It's a full-time, work-at-home position. No more commute! Or rather, my commute will be stepping out of the Mother-in-law (brrr!), into the house and upstairs to a tiny, extra bedroom that I'll convert into my at-home office. 

kittycat pattycake

Post by 總有路走.

what awaits to trip you...

...as you stumble toward the bathroom in the middle of the night.

Originally published June 2012
Edited May 2013 to include the latest scariness, intrepidly snapped by my daughter:

Mmrrwwwaarr

who's yer daddy?

Lucifurr the kitten came to the family about 6 months ago. Not long after, we discovered her intense attachment to a sheepskin pillow my mother has given me -- as soon as we put her near it, she begins to purr madly and knead at a particular spot, burying her nose into it. Here's a video I shot of this early on:

Luci still sleeps on Momma every night, like clockwork, six months later.  

Then last night, as we sat watching a show together, I noticed that Luci had sprawled atop the massage pillow that John had bought me for Christmas. I reached over and pushed "on". 

"Who's yer daddy?!"

black and white and spazz all over

Luci(furr) joined us about two months ago, or thereabouts, and she's at least doubled in size. She's probably 4 or 5 months old, and rules the roost. I think I put a couple of my indecision rants here about whether or not we'd get another cat after the difficult loss of Koomyn.  But she sort of fell into our laps, much like every other cat we've ever had, and we lost the desire to say no within hours of her presence.

too cuuuute