September 22

It's here. Happy Fall!!!

One More Thought

I often think about the way life is and the greatness in God's creation ... how seamlessly the world functions, how fragile yet strong everything is, how God's perfection can still be so evident in our imperfect world.

Weird how you can literally feel it in your body when the seasons change. Is it just a gift to help us enjoy the transition from summer to fall, fall to winter, winter to spring? Is it some part of the intuition God placed in us to help us function here? Or is it another part of our life that just IS and I don't need to understand why?

Something's got me thinking. Don't know if it's the comfort of my tasty coffee beverage, the thrill of the pending arrival of fall, or the sadness of being stuck inside on such a lovely day. Hmmmm ...

Starbucks has brought back their pumpkin flavored drinks, and that can only mean one fantastic thing: FALL IS IN THE AIR.

October - January has always been my favorite time of year. Once we live somewhere with a full season of winter, I believe my favorite time period may get extended to March. And the current weather in Dallas actually suits the time of year. It has been so lovely outside the past few days.

So the air feels a bit crisper, the stores are starting to sell Halloween gear, I can get my pumpkin drink at Starbucks again, and football is in full swing. All signs are definitely pointing to Fall. And I couldn't be happier about that.

And Many More

Happy Birthday Collin!!

One year closer to thirty. Don't know about you, but this stage of life makes me feel very in between things. We're still young, but getting older at the same time ... like we're 3/4 adult. It's still ok for us to play video games and be slightly immature, but we should probably start planning our retirement. Or at least build-up that savings account we always forget we have. That would be the smart thing to do.

But right now, we're celebrating Collin's 29th. Because of busy schedules and such, the celebration will last into next weekend. Which is good. Because I think it's a sham that little kids get all the special birthday attention. If there's any time in life when a person could use a little extra attention, it's in the adult years.

So first things first: making Collin's triple layer chocolate cake, as requested every year. (I am willing to make something new, should you ever desire it.)

Before ...

After ...

After, part two ...

Even Manji had some (that's frosting, not vomit) ...

And as if presents and cake weren't enough, Cody, Collin's beloved mom, came to visit us. Hoo-ray!! Together we had a weekend of shopping, eating, talking, and driving. We even went to the Dallas Aquarium.

As proof, I offer this picture of a poisonous frog ...

Further proof, a picture of Collin and Cody having the best time of their lives ...

There you have it. Big Birthday Fun Time Extravaganza #29. Happy Birthday Collin!! I'm not the only person who loves you. Your birthday proves it, as we gather to buy you things, take you to dinner, bake you cake, send you cards, and remind you that we're all quite fond of you.

"Patience is something you admire in the driver behind you and scorn in the one ahead."
— Mac McCleary

So Say What

The past couple of weeks have been weird. And as a result, I've had nothing to write about. Totally uninspired. But despite that, I've still been wanting to post something. I thought I would take advantage of my uninspired state to introduce you to someone special.

Some of you have been lucky enough to meet him; let this serve as a reminder of what a handsome devil he is.

And yes, he is both handsome and a devil. Both descriptions are accurate.

His new "thing" ... peeing on the front door. To be clear, he pees on the door and on the carpet in front of the door. He is nothing if not thorough.

His "thing" since we first got him ... vomiting. There is no pattern to it. He just throws-up ALL the time. And we are constantly cleaning it up. We will definitely not be getting our pet/security deposit back from this apartment.

He also squawks at us. It is not a meow. It is nothing other than squawking. And it is annoying as almost anything I've experienced in my life thus far.

He also jumps on our bed at hours when jumping should not be a part of any one's activities. And all so he can sniff our noses and our eyelashes, and crawl all over us.

He has completely ruined my $100 IKEA dining table set; it is the tool of preference for his daily manicures.

But despite that, I still find happiness in him. His little nose ... his little paws ... his super-softness. I can tell there are times when he genuinely enjoys our company. He's become quite a cuddle-bug these days; he follows us around the apartment more than he ever has before.

I think he's a bit of a comedian, too. Must have picked up on that from Collin. Maybe a little from me, too ... I have my comic genius moments.

He recently had an ear infection. Silly as it may sound, the experience briefly transported us into parenthood ... having to hold him down, resist the squirming, and drop the medicine into his ears. He didn't understand. But we had to help him get better.

I never thought I would care this much about a cat. But I do. Some days I want to kick him to the curb, tell him to pack his bags and get out. Really, though, he's our buddy.

Please meet Manji ...