Do I REALLY have 6 cats in my house!?!

The answer is YES....but only temporarily...i promise. :)

Yesterday David and I decided that we just had to rescue the 3 adorable kitties that were living under the deck in my parent's backyard - so we made the drive out to Manteca to pick them up! We think their old neighbors left behind a cat when their house went into foreclosure, and then she had two kittens - which we discovered are just 2-3 months old. The mama is sold grey (and still pretty young herself..maybe 1-2 years old), one baby is an orange/grey/white calico, and the other is solid black with beautiful yellow eyes. And they are sooo cute!

It was quite an ordeal to catch them - the mama (who we are calling Misty) came right up to us, but we had to scramble to catch the little black one, and we even had to use a net to catch little miss calico. But we eventually got them all safe and sound into their cat carriers for the ride back to Alameda.

Then we took them to the vet yesterday to get a checkup and the good news is they're all in great health! Gave them advantage and an oral medication to get rid of the fleas, and now our job is to get Misty spayed and work on finding them good homes. I'd really love to keep the babies together, if at all possible. We would keep them ourselves if we didn't already have 3 cats of our own....otherwise I would really be a crazy cat lady!

Aren't they adorable!?

David's new ink!

Friday night David sat through 2.5 hours of getting inked and here's the result! I am really proud of him - he sat so well, listening to his Ipod while our artist Amy and I just chatted away. He'll eventually get this filled in with color once the whole outline is done....someday. As someone who's also tattooed, I know how painful the process of getting a back piece is...but I always say short term sacrifice for long term gain. I think that perhaps David was an Egyptian prince in a past life..... :)

What a FANTASTIC Christmas!

Even though David had to work on Christmas Eve, and we dealt with some horrid traffic getting out to Lodi that evening, we still ended up having a fantastic Christmas! Our annual family Christmas Eve party at my Aunt Karen's house was so much fun, especially catching up with all my relatives, eating lots of yummy cookies, and playing the White Elephant game with 28 people! Then Christmas morning we had a great time watching lil Hayden open all her presents - I think she enjoyed the wrapping paper even more than the gifts, lol. And we enjoyed a tasty breakfast cooked up by the men - made-to-order omelets and English muffins w/peanut butter & jelly...yum! ;)

Then Christmas day we headed back to El Cerrito for a lovely midday meal with Norma, Gary and David's brother Matt. We got some awesome gifts and had fun teasing Vicky with a Christmas bow tied around her head...hehe. And the holiday was topped off with a hilarious, fun filled evening with our dear friend Cari Lee and her sassy kitty Miss Ginger. I hope everyone had as much fun as we did this Christmas! And now I'm being super lazy today, cuddling with my kitties, sorting through my Christmas presents, looking at pictures, and counting all my blessings. :)

Our Annual Holiday Party....

...was so much fun! Last Friday we had our closest friends over to celebrate the holiday season and to warm our new home. We are very blessed to have such amazing people in our lives - thank you to all who came to our fiesta! Here are a few pics of the festivities.

Dancer's Instruction Manual...

Molly & Frosty.....

When I was a little girl, I always looked forward to that day in early December when my dad would bring out the Christmas box. Not only did this signify that the holiday season was finally here, but it also meant I would get to see and hug my Frosty! This stuffed Frosty the Snowman has been with me through many, many Christmas seasons now, and he is loaded with nostalgic smells and happy memories. Apparently, Molly loves Frosty just as much as I do. :)

Planet Earth....

Have you seen the Planet Earth series? It is AMAZING! If you're at all interested in animals, wildlife, geography, nature, or simply love learning about other parts of our world, then definitely rent these DVD's!
According to The Discovery Channel, "More than five years in the making, PLANET EARTH redefines blue-chip natural history filmmaking and continues the Discovery Channel mission to provide the highest quality programming in the world. The 11-part series will amaze viewers with never-before-seen animal behaviors, startling views of locations captured by cameras for the first time, and unprecedented high-definition production techniques." The 5-DVD set includes chapters such as: Pole to Pole, mountains, deep ocean, ice worlds, jungles, and forests.
Now just a warning - this footage is real and RAW, so there are definitely some sad moments in observing the "circle of life". And as an animal lover it can be sad to see the reality of our world....but the amazing insight and the true beauty and awe of this series still has me hooked. Check it out!
One creature that I was so mesmerized by in the segment I watched last night is called the African Flat Lizard - it is rainbow colored! Sooo cool. I think I was a naturalist or a biologist in a previous life. :)

Red Carpet Party!

Our dear friend Raquel hosted a Red Carpet birthday/holiday party last Saturday and we had so much fun getting all glammed up and celebrating with our friends! What a fun party theme idea - the decorations were so awesome, especially the Marilyn Monroe cut out! :)

Karma....

Sicky Poo Friday

Well its Friday once again, but I am home sick today with an icky cold. Being sick definitely takes away some of the excitement from the fact that the weekend is here, but I am hoping that a day of rest will help get my health back on track. And for the record, I am in LOVE with Puffs tissues. They are the best - hands down. I did a side-by-side comparison of Puffs and Kleenex, and Puffs definitely takes the cake! They are way softer and puffier, which is VERY important considering that I've been sneezing nonstop all morning, combined with the fact that I have sensitive skin. I hate the dry, sensitive, raw nose feeling....but my Puffs are helping reduce that. Send me healthy, germ-free vibes!

So since I have some free time on my hands today, I figured I'd share some more kitty pics - the other evening I got some great shots of Molly and Aimee. And for those of you who haven't seen our new condo, you can get a glimpse of our kitchen in the background.





And pic #3 is the beautiful Ginger - my friend Cari Lee's sassy kitty. Meow!

The Birthday Girl

David and I got Hayden a cute musical rocking horse for her 1st Birthday - too cute! Isn't she growing up SO fast!?

Holiday Party Time!

Today marks the first weekend of December and the first official weekend of Holiday parties! We are really looking forward to celebrating with friends and enjoying every moment of the winter holiday season. Along those lines, I thought I'd share this funny holiday picture....lol. Happy weekend everyone.

Molly in the spotlight

....well, in the track lighting actually. She's such a pretty cat!

Happy Birthday Hayden!

Yesterday (Dec. 1st) was my niece Hayden's 1st Birthday! I got sidetracked and forgot to post this yesterday, but I hope your special day was fun Hayden! I know Leah & Lukasz are very proud parents, and I am a proud auntie! Wow the year went by so fast....

Family Thanksgiving Pics

We've had LOTS of family time this holiday weekend! Thursday was spent in Lodi with mom's side of the family, Friday was midday dinner in El Cerrito with David's parents and his brother, and then Saturday was with dad's side of the family in Dublin! We also celebrated Hayden's 1st Birthday which is tomorrow on December 1st!

Here is a preview - more to come......