My cat's depressed and I think it's contagious.

I took Apollo to the vet today for her annual wellness visit which I still claim I wasn't aware cats required. I sort of just thought, indoor cats at least, took care of themselves and would never cost me anything other than the cost of food and possibly toys. Well, we're two years into these annual wellness visits and the money is adding up. Oh, the vet says I need something? I buy it. Sean assures me it's not true and that cats do, in fact, take care of themselves and that his cats growing up (he had many) just did their own thing, never got sick, didn't get their shots and still lived long, happy and healthy lives. So tell me why, oh why, do my two cats suddenly have gingivitis and require $40 medication that looks a lot like garlic powder? Why do they need a certain kind of immune vitamins? Why do they need immune vitamins? Why do they only eat certain dry food and put their nose up at food in a different shape? ...Ridiculous.

See, before today I thought it was... ridiculous. But now? After tonight's wellness visit -- I realized that was nothing. The vet casually asked "so, how's she doing?" and I had one of those panic attacks that I imagine parents of children in my class have, when I ask them questions about their child. I started with "...good." And then continued with "well, you know..." and suddenly I went into this whole long tangent about how I think she's sad. Imagine that? A sad cat? Don't they just sleep all day anyway? How can you even tell? But Apollo was very lively when we got her. She was outgoing and spunky. She did love sleeping and definitely had "her spots". She followed me around the house, and slept in our bed and relaxed on the couch. She loved her food, drank her water, played with her toys, never scratched our furniture -- she was the perfect cat. In April, we thought she needed a playmate: enter Artemis. I've tried to play off their relationship as "getting to know each other" or by saying they're just different cats and need to make adjustments. I act like they're best friends and have visions of them taking naps together and grooming each other while I'm away. The truth is Apollo can't stand Artemis and their relationship is just getting worse. Apollo ignores Artemis, stays away from her, refuses to go on any furniture Artemis has been on, no longer sleeps with us, won't eat her food if Artemis so much as breathes on it. Seriously; it's dramatic.

Do you know what the vet said to me after what was verbally probably an even longer version of what I've typed above? "She's depressed". And then he continued "she loved you so much and now she has to share you. She's anxious... and probably a little mad". Oh god. Do you know what the remedy is for a depressed cat?

A $47 (+ tax) product that is supposed to "diffuse" the situation. You plug it into the wall, it sort of looks like a febreeze air freshener, and it gives off a scent of pheromones to felines. Supposedly, in a month they'll love each other, appreciate each other and want to be around each other. And I thought dental medication and vitamins were strange. Regardless, I hope it works, because as much as I pretend I'm complaining I feel so sad that she's so sad and I'm a little nervous as to what "the next step" of improving their relationship will cost our wallet... 

A plea from our cats.

Hi guys, it's us:

We're here guest posting today to ask you something. But first that picture reminds us to let you all know that the about me page has been changed a little on this here blog. Our human mama would want us to let you know that. Now onto the important stuff.

You see... there's been some talk around these parts that our parents are going away next week. Something about some great holiday that revolves around freedom and celebration. Sounds great, right? They keep mentioning words like s'mores and drinking and camping and fire pit. They're also talking about how fun it'll be with friends, and exciting day trips and sleeping in a log cabin. It all sounds nice... in theory.

But then we got to thinking: what about us? Who is going to love us, and take care of us, and watch us over us and... feed us. That's probably the most important part. Let's face it -- we are cats, after all. We pretty much take care of ourselves as much as our human mama refuses to believe it. But the one thing we can't do? Open a can of cat food.

Now, if it was just one of us (Apollo) the automatic feeder would suffice. But the newbie (Artemis) needs wet food (something about being malnourished from the shelter... she claims). So here we are... days before the most important people in our lives are leaving -- with no plans of who is going to watch over us for those five days.

If you know us in real life then hear our plea. Let our parents know if you can feed us next week. We really don't want to end up at the kitty cottage. One of us could handle it (Apollo) but one of us will probably get flashbacks of her shelter experience and regress (Artemis).

We are lovable. We promise.

*Apollo has appeared on the blog in the past. You can find her posts here and here.

I think my heart is growing.

I know that this whole post may sound crazy.
Like really crazy.
And if you're not an animal person, then it won't make sense.
And if you're not a cat person, then you'll probably be like:
"stop talking about your cat".
Fair enough.
But this is my warning: this entire post consists of me acting like my cat is my child.
Mmmkay?



But if you are an animal person, or a cat person, or a person who just understands
the idea of sharing your house with something so innocent, and little.
Something who relies on you for not only food and shelter, but for comfort and companionship.
Then maybe you'll slightly understand where I'm coming from.

I was never a cat person.
They scared me. So unpredictable with their crazy eyes and their intelligence.

When it was time for us to get our own place,
Sean begged me to say it was okay for his cats from his parent's house to come with us.
And eventually begged for just one to come with us.
And unfortunately had to deal with neither coming with us.

I was just not interested in taking care of an animal.
I'm allergic to them, and while I liked the idea of having a pet to cuddle with,
everything else that comes with having a pet turned me away from them.

Fast forward three years -- to when Sean asked again to get a cat.
And again, I said "no" and I was so sure of myself...
until I saw her in pictures,
and until I held her in my arms,
and until we named her Apollo.



Because once I did that, I fell for her.
And for the idea of having cats as pets.

They're not that scary after all.

Sure, you don't want to put your face too close to her belly,
or dangle things in front of her face,
or move too quickly or in the dark,
but honestly, who would like all those things?
It's not her fault she has cat-like reflexes.
Because... she is a cat.

But for 11 months, I've been loving her.
And taking care of her.
And having conversations with Sean about how I don't remember us not having her.
And it just seems like she's always been in the picture.



And while I fell for her, and the idea of cats as pets, I couldn't imagine getting another cat too.
Because I can't understand how people share their love and attention among more than one animal.
It just didn't make sense to me.

But for the past few weeks, something has changed.
I thought I wouldn't have enough love and attention to give to another cat.
But I've come to realize that's not true.

I think that my heart will just grow.
I won't be taking any love away from Apollo 
to give to a new kitten,
but rather expanding my heart to give the same amount of everything to both.



And I think that must happen when parents become parents for the second time.
Your heart just grows bigger.

And it's looking like our hearts will be growing bigger around 2PM tomorrow afternoon.
I'll let you know how it all turns out...

My iPhone memory is packed with videos of my cat.

It's been one of those days.

Wednesdays seem to do that to me.

Since I have nothing witty for you today,

not that I do on the regular,

I bring to you, a video, of my favorite four-legged friend.

We're thinking of getting her a baby sister. 

Of the feline kind. 

Don't think this is some weird announcement.

She just seems like she may need someone else to play with.

This is the best I can do.

This photo is about all I can muster up right now.
My day consisted of an hour drive to work, being at work for 13 hours, and then an hour drive home.
When I got home, I laid on the floor with Apollo -- because that's totally normal.
I almost fell asleep but remembered that I was sneezed on many times today by some 4 and 5 year olds.
So... I felt a shower was necessary.

Luckily, after my shower, I caught Apollo sprawled out, attacking Sean's sweatshirt strings.
It was worth the extra 30 minutes of my day.
But now, I feel the day is officially done.

My first ever... VLOG.

So, I won't lie.

I was a little nervous to actually post my first vlog.

This was the first recording I did tonight.

I did many after this, most of which were better angles, less word stumbling, and more grammatically correct while speaking.

But they all lacked a certain someone jumping into the scene shot.

So, ultimately I decided on this one.

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Apollo!

It's my favorite little kitten's birthday.

If you want to read Apollo's last two guest posts: go here & here.
If you're new around these parts -- yes, she has a boy's name.

She's come a long way from looking like this:

To this:

I can tell you she's still the same crazy kitten,

who runs and races and knows she's the cutest baby.

Occasionally, she has an attitude,

so we've been calling her our little teenager.

She's very busy celebrating her birthday with her stuffed mice,

and extra morsels of food -

so she can't guest post or anything.

But maybe soon.

For now, Happy Birthday Apollo!

:)

Vacation.

We've had quite the vacation. Sean was off for a week, although he had to go in today. And I'm off until January 7th. What's that? You're jealous? I get that a lot.

I think Apollo is getting used to us being home. She's getting flashbacks of our summer together, I'm sure.

She's getting quite used to sleeping in until 9AM:

Waking up and having hot chocolate:

Helping with chores and putting away new gifts:

Taking a morning nap during ABC Family's 11AM showing of Gilmore Girls:

Around lunch time remembering the Christmas tree exists:

In the middle of the afternoon, finding a quiet place to take an afternoon nap. Preferably in a pile of my new clothes:

Helping with making some Christmas treats:

 Waiting for us to feed her dinner and becoming impatient thus turning into someone mischievous:

Playing with her new toys... for hours and hours after dinner:

And then waiting for us to bring her to bed.

...All to start it over the next day.

:)

Apollo and Halloween.

I put Apollo's t-shirt on her on Halloween night. And posed her with our Halloween candy that we didn't need to buy since we didn't get any trick-or-treaters. Once she slithered her way out of the cutest little outfit ever... she got up there....

And didn't come down til bedtime.

Just wait until I break out the Santa hats. She has no idea what a lifetime of excitement she has ahead of her.

Woah, what happened to summer?

We've had some major changes in our little family in the past month. Yes, I'm aware it's been a month since the last time I blogged and I have to admit I didn't really think about it...

But I'll try to be back as much as possible though I'm sure you know life sometimes gets in the way.

Let's see:

I'll start with myself: I started my 4th year of teaching. It's busy and draining (in the most positive way, of course) and by the time I get home each night all I want to do is sit still. Literally, I don't even want to move my fingers to type.

I also turned another year older. And celebrated by going to my very first Zumba class. It's intense, guys. Seriously. 

As for the husband: Sean had surgery and was out of commission for way too long. He's doing much better now and I learned that I'm actually a pretty good nurse... who knew?

He also left his band which is a major change to our schedule, our social situations... and well, our way of life. But I know it just means a new door will open somewhere else.

As for the pet: Apollo spent her very first weekend away at a kitty condo. She had a blast in her window view condo and even made some friends. Well not really, she's pretty anti-social...

She also had a mini-birthday and turned 6 months old!

As for general life: we've been going to Ikea a lot (we bought a bed, nightstands, and a futon for our second bedroom), we've successfully paid off one whole credit card, we spent a weekend with family in Maine, I attended a wedding in New Hampshire, we've been with family and friends and each other and we've been planning all the wonderful things we'd like to do during Fall! We have a big list!

Let's play catch-up.

I've been busy. Let me tell ya...

Weddings. 

Amusement parks. 

Working on that tan. ha.

It's a rough life.

:)

Tomorrow, we're going to Maine for one last summer hurrah!

Sean is trying to convince me that just because I'm going back to work on Tuesday it doesn't mean summer is over.

Listen, if I'm back at work... let's just bundle up and call it winter. 

It's going to be here soon enough.

Anyway...

Apollo will be traveling with us to Maine.

3.5 hours.

Longer if there's traffic.

We haven't told her yet.

Hopefully all goes well.

:)

Oh, Apollo. Part two.

Hey, it's me... Apollo!

You see, I'm not necessarily supposed to be in this cabinet. But my parent aren't the brightest and didn't realize I was sneaking in here (for quite some time) and helping myself to my food. I tore open the bag and it was like heaven on earth in there next to the mixer. Until I got caught and they put child-proof locks on those doors. Now they keep my food above the stove. They think they're tricky but I'm just trying to figure it out...

I've been super busy since we last chatted. I wake up around 5AM. I'm still an excellent alarm clock... if I do say so myself. Usually my mom feeds me but sometimes she shakes my dad and asks multiple times "can you feed her?". I love when my dad feeds me because he always gives me A LOT. After I eat I play on top of my sleeping parents for two hours or so until they wake up. Eventually, daddy leaves for work and my mama and I start our routine. I don't know where this woman used to go so early in the morning but she must love me so much because now she stays with me. My favorite days are Tuesdays when she comes back from some place with an awful lot of bags and food. It's the best, I play inside of them and bring them all over the house. Around 11, I get to eat a little bit more and then I take my nap... until about 5PM. That's when I eat again AND my dad gets home. It's the best. They make themselves dinner and I'm always ready and willing to help. Usually during dinner time I'm banished to the bedroom (apparently I'm still not allowed on the table... and can't "control" myself as my mom says). But after... I help with the dishes, and then take a nap until 10. That's when it's my time to shine. Right when my parents lay down in bed... ahh it's the best to run around. I have the whole place to myself. It's free reign!

My mama and I have been hydrating ourselves, A LOT. Since it's summer and all, we've been making sure we drink a lot of water. I love when my water is ice cold from the fridge and I prefer Poland Springs. My parents were only giving me tap water for weeks and I refused to drink it. Can you believe it took my mama seeing me sneak drinks from her own glass to realize what I've been wanting this whole time?! Now she knows, and it's the best! I still drink out of her glass when she's not looking.

My mama's been doing a lot of paper work for something she calls "grad school". I like to stick right by her, for moral support, of course. I also like to keep a part of my body right on top of her computer so I know if she's moving... I have FOMO (fear of missing out) and I like to stick with my crowd.

Oh, that's during playtime, usually my parents squeeze that time in a couple times a day. I have a love/hate relationship with that feather on a string thing. I like to grab it, and growl... and sometimes I forget I'm a kitten and act like a puppy. It just makes me so angry! I play tug-of-war, it's the best and I swear one day I will rip that thing to shreds!

That's one of my favorite places to be. It's the purr-fect amount of comfort, plus I can see the TV and I love watching TV.

Seriously.

:)

Enjoy your Sunday. 

I'm already busy napping.

A tornado?

We were in a tornado watch last night. What, Massachusetts?

Yeah.

So, I took responsibility and made our survival kit, in the bathroom, since I hear you're supposed to stay away from windows... and every other room in our loft has 7-8 foot windows.

Sean "assessed" our kit a little bit later, to which he said "I'd give you a 7 out of 10, for survival gear".

A 7?! Why's that, sir?

Apparently, I did well preparing Apollo -- carrier, blankets, toys, food = check!

Us, on the other hand... apparently you need to pack clean water... and the faucet can't count! So all three of us would be dehydrated!

Apparently, you're not supposed to pack salty snacks... like salted peanuts, ritz bitz and goldfish. Or that water we didn't pack becomes a bigger problem.

Oh, and all that technology I packed with us, you know the cell phones, the tablet, etc. Well, while I brought the chargers... none of the them were actually charged which apparently means they wouldn't work if the power went out!

What a learning experience.

I did pack a flashlight, though! And it actually works.

Luckily, nothing happened.

But let's face it: better safe than sorry.

Now, I have to put everything back where it belongs.

Maybe I'll do that later...

Blogger 411.

Happy Saturday!

I decided to link up with Becky: From Mrs. to Mama and answer these blogger 411 questions:

Questions!

1. How long have you been blogging? And what got you started on blogging? Has your blog changed? I started blogging in the Fall of 2009 when Sean and I got engaged. I wanted to keep a journal of the wedding planning process. We had a really long engagement, basically two years, and I kept it going consistently, for the most part, during that whole time. After the wedding, it was an exciting idea to keep writing to keep track of our lives as newlyweds, new renters, new pet owners, etc. 

2. Did you go to college? If so where, and what did you study? Yes! I went to Framingham State College, which apparently now is known as a University. I studied English... but since spelling and grammar weren't necessarily areas of strength for me don't tear apart this blog, okay?

3. Where have you traveled? I haven't traveled to that many places. I've been to most of the states around New England/northern east coast, all three on the west coast + Vegas, and a few down south (read, Florida). I've never been to the middle states besides layovers at airports. I've been to Puerto Rico, Mexico and of course, Ireland (where we went on our honeymoon).

`
4. If you won the lottery, what would be the first thing you would buy? I guess the first thing I would buy would be different than the first thing I would "do". The first thing I would do would be to pay off student loans & debt. The first thing I would "buy" would be plane tickets to a place we've never been... preferably South America or Australia.

5. What are your 3 biggest pet peeves? I don't like when people clap at the end of a movie when they're in the theater, when people ask a question that was already answered but they were to busy wanting to ask their question they missed when the person answered, and people who try to make small talk at the cash register of a store.

6. What is your favorite movie? I have so many favorite movies from different times in my life. I guess to name a few I would say: The Breakfast Club, SLC Punk, Good Will Hunting, Back to the Future, Transformers, Blow,  and Superbad.

7. What is your drink of choice; wine, beer, or liquor. Or Water, Soda, Tea? I don't typically drink alcohol though I'm known to do a few tequila shots here and there. But I can't live without my Coke. I'll take a Pepsi, but it's not the same.

8. What is something you enjoy to do when you have me time? I'd love to say that I read... and I do, occasionally. Though, I really love to watch TV. I can't help it. And I don't even watch new shows, necessarily. I watch the same shows that I've been watching since I was younger: Boy Meets World, Full House, Step by Step. But I also blog (clearly), and scrapbook, and clean. I think I actually invent things to clean...

9. If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, which store would it be? Anthropologie. Hands down.

10. Share with us an embarrassing moment of your past? Or present. When I read this question, my first thought was, "I'm not really that embarrassing" and then I remembered falling at my high school graduation. Yep.

11. What day would you love to relive again? I'd love to relive my wedding day. As much as I tried to embrace the day, enjoy every minute and allow it to all soak in... I know I missed a lot. 

12. If your life was turned into a movie... what actor would play you? I couldn't think of someone, so I asked Sean. Do you know who he said? Baby... you know from "nobody puts baby in the corner". I wonder if that speaks to the embarrassing moments debate. I guess if I chose, I would pick Zooey Deschanel. Only because I love her, not because she looks like me. Although, now that I think about it she has her embarrassing moments as well. Hmm.

13. What are the jobs you had in high school/college/the early years? I worked the register at iParty and did not make small talk when I was cashing out customers. I've also worked at Sport Chalet, Coach, and a hair salon. Now I'm a teacher. 

14. Show us a picture from high school or college. This is circa 2007, I was a sophomore in college. I'd go back to a pic from high school but since facebook wasn't a "thing" then -- it's a lot harder to get a picture from before '06. Yeah, that's my husband.

15. If you could travel anywhere in the world, all expenses paid, where would you go? Tahiti! I just want to stay in one of those places with the glass floor over the ocean. I'm sure I could find that lots of places, but Tahiti sounds fun.


16. Show us the most current picture of you or you and your family. I'd love to post a picture of the three of us (you know, including our kitten) but she is impossible to pose with. So here we are:

and here's Apollo:

17. Where do you see your life 5 years from now? Married, homeowner, parent to an actual child not just a cat? We'll see. All I know is I hope the years between now and then are full, exciting and positive. Everything else will fall into place.

I'm leaving....

Well, today I'm leaving for California.

Apollo tried to fit into my suitcase. 

I supplied Sean with food, clean laundry, and paper plates & cups.

Not that I think he wouldn't be able to feed himself, wash his clothes, or do the dishes.

:) But why risk it?

I'm attending my cousin's baby shower on Saturday.

My entire carry-on is full of baby things.

TSA is going to be confused.

Week 2 of summer

Apollo and I have officially started week 2 of summer vacation. 

Our goals are coming around quite nicely.

- Travel to CA. (I leave on Wednesday)

- Attend 2 baby showers, 1 bridal shower, and 1 wedding.

- Blog at least 4 times a week. (so far so good!)

- Celebrate our 1 year wedding anniversary.

- Go zip-lining.

- Exercise at least 3 times a week.

- Keep the house neat and clean. (so far so good!)

- Go to the beach at least once.

- Go grocery shopping regularly. (so far so good!)

- Cook more & eat out less. (so far so good!)

- Watch Will & Grace, Full House, Step by Step, Boy Meets World and all the other shows played during daytime tv. (so far so good!)

- Finish the Hunger Game series.

- Read at least 5 books.

- Continue checking off things on my list of 101 in 1001. 

This past weekend, we were busy! Which meant we were not on a proper schedule and did not follow our routine with the kitten. This made for a very exhausted kitty come Monday morning:

It took her all of Monday to recover.

Literally. 

Oh, Apollo.

Hey ladies and gents,

It's me, Apollo.

Hang on, let me peel my eyes open...

Okay, great. 

I took some time off from napping to guest post today. 

My mama and my papi are so nice to me, but they haven't formally introduced all of my amazing attributes on this here blog. I don't know why because they are always taking pictures of me and I'm a little surprised that this blog hasn't turned into a cat blog. The lady of the house has definitely turned into a cat lady. What can I say? I'm cute.

There are tons of reasons why I win over the hearts of anyone who meets me. Here's a few:

Constant Company:

I'm constant positive company. I love to follow my parents around wherever they go. It's the best. And I like to be first, so sometimes I have to cut them off and run in between their legs so I arrive at our destination before them. Sometimes they trip and they almost step on me and I have to give them "the look". It's the only time they call me "Apollo". Generally, they call me "Bubbie" or "The Bubbster". I know they're talking to me but I pretend not to hear. 

Napping Partner:

I'm a wonderful napping partner. I'm always ready to curl up on the couch with a fleece blanket and a warm body. I like the TV volume to be below 10 or else the commercials wake me up. Also, it's great when the people of the house stay still while I'm sleeping on top of them or else I have to re-position and get re-comfortable.

Laundry Initiator:

Sometimes the lady of the house slacks on the laundry. To remind her that laundry falls within her household duties I like to pull down the dish towels in an effort to spark the need to start the washing machine. She loves when I do this and she loves to chase me around the kitchen. She's so silly when she tries to catch me and she can't. I'm very quick. And strong. I like to play tug-of-war with the dish towels. She doesn't always have a smile on her face during this game but I know she loves it. Actually, now that I think about about it, I'm really good at all household chores... and I specifically love doing the dishes and climbing into the dishwasher!

Road Tripper:

I'm so great in the car. I love road trips and I love looking out the windows. My parents refuse to crack the windows even just a little because they tell me I'll try to escape. It may be true but it's just because I'm so curious. My mom keeps asking me if I "know what happened to the cat who was curious?" I don't.

Game Changer:

I'm the most amazing game player. I don't know why my parents insist on playing two person games like cards, or board games. That's an action shot of me trying to get in on their game of chess. For some reason they cleaned up after I played my move...

Jumper:

I'm the best jumper and I love to climb up high. For instance, the other night my mama looked over and I had jumped on the counter, onto the fridge, up on top of the cabinets. I got into some serious trouble and now they've "attempted" to block it off and we've apparently purchased a spray bottle [which I'm a little scared of!]. No worries though, I'm always scheming and I'm already working on a way to get around that bin. 

Alarm Clock:

I'm such a great alarm clock. I know exactly when it's time for breakfast and I do not like to miss the most important meal of the day. In fact, I know exactly when it's time to eat... every meal. And I like to meow and swat my parents as the time nears. Just in case. Actually, right before all my meals is when I like to climb on the counters, the tables, and on top of the cable box. It gets their full attention and we like to run around a few extra minutes right before I eat. That must be why I'm burning so many calories and only weigh 2.11 lbs. Oh yeah, I'm teeny!

That's my post for the day. I don't have that long of an attention span and after peeling my eyes open to guest post I'm going to need a really long nap to make up for my time... working!

See you soon!