Day 223: Studying + Kitties

Today I learned…

…that I am better at studying for the licensure exam than I thought!

Today I am thankful for…

…time to snuggle and talk to my kitties.

Day 214: Parents + Reiki Gifts

Today I learned...
...that parents are always parents.

Today I am thankful for...
...my beautiful friend Jenn who gave the gift of Reiki to Rick. I watched the whole process and it was amazing and heartfelt. I am also thankful for my time with her making goofy videos and playing with twin MacBook Pros.

Day 187: Cats + Home

Today I learned...

...that the cats were beyond happy to see us again, but survived without us.

Today I am thankful for...

...HOME. There's no place like home.

Day 180: Juice + Safe Car

Today I learned...

...that Juice is totally on to us. She knows we are going away on vacation and she doesn't like it one bit. 

Today I am thankful for...

...a car that is goof enough condition to get us to Maine safely. 

Day 170: Teamwork + Love

Today I learned...

...that teamwork is a beautiful thing.

Today I am thankful for...

...Downton Abbey, The Language of Flowers, and my cats...one on my head and one in my lap to be exact. I turned to Rick and said: "Look, your whole family is in one chair!" And he came over, kissed me, and said, "Aw, everyone I love is in one pile." :-)

Day 161: CD + Mom Love

Today I learned...
...that the love song CD Rick created for us to listen to on our drive to Maine is pretty darn cute.

Today I am thankful for...
...a mom who volunteers to visit my house regularly to take care of my kitties when we go away. 19 days until vacation! I can't wait!

Day 160: Cat Appreciation + Walk

Today I learned...

...that Tumbler and Juice probably sense a veterinary social worker when they see/smell one. My friend Jennifer met the kitties today and while Juice seemed unimpressed, she was most definitely present and didn't run in fear. Tumbler on the other hand, rolled his little head around in glee while Jennifer petted him and seemed fairly content with life. 

Today I am thankful for...

...a nice summer walk with a friend, even if it was quicker than anticipated!

(Tumbly & Juicey awaiting my friend's arrival)

Day 132: Gifts + Mother's Day

Today I learned...
...that Rick will benefit from some of the graduation gifts I received from others. Thank you!

Today I am thankful for...
...time with my mom, my other mom (mom's best friend), and my nieces. That's what Mother's Day is all about: being with the 2 people who are mothers to me and being with the 2 little girls who make Mother's Day less painful because I can't have children of my own.

 

{and of course, my fur kids...Tumbler + Juice}

Day 129: Grocery Shopping + TV Time

Today I learned...

...that grocery shopping on a Thursday night is much, much calmer than grocery shopping on a Saturday.

Today I am thankful for...

...my tv time with my kitties. Tumbler is purring on my lap and my guilty pleasure The Vampire Diaries is playing on the TV. :-)

Day 123: Busy + TMI Cat Info

Today I learned...
...that being busy at work is better than being bored.

Today I am thankful for...
...a friend with whom I can talk about cat vomit and litter box habits.

Day 94: Encouragement for Girls + Cat Snuggles

Today I learned...
...that there is a HUGE need for young girls to hear positive, encouraging things about themselves. I already knew this, of course, but it keep being reaffirmed and I want to be someone who does it... Someone who encourages, who teaches, who explains that self-worth is valuable. Working on more ways to get the word out...

Today I am thankful for...
...cuddly cats that snuggle me when I feel sick...and yeah, I'm still thankful for NyQuil. :-) G'night!

Day 91: Tumbler Antics + Letters

Today I learned...
...that Tumbler runs laps for hours (like a bunny - because he has to hop) when I'm not home. I found this out today when I was home all day and was able to observe him in his natural habitat. He must only do this on weekdays. Clearly I did not distract him from his normal routine.

Today I am thankful for...
...beautiful letters in the mail from beautiful people. Thank you.

Day 76: Deviation + Down Time

Today I learned...
...that deviating from normal routine can be a very, very good thing!

Today I am thankful for...
...some down time, however fleeting. Cat cuddling, husband snuggling, ice cream, tea, and Project Runway - clearly not simultaneous...because Rick would never watch Project Runway. ;-)

Day 57: Cat Angel + Cat Healers

Today I learned...
...that there is a beautiful little cat who lives at a nursing home here in my city. She has lived there for YEARS and mingles with all the old folks on the floor on which she lives. She is 21 years old which equals 100 human years exactly. She fits right in with all the other elderly residents! She was a doll of a cat and just so friendly. I watched her hang out with some old ladies while I was there and heard her little purr. She sleeps in a basket on the counter top of the nurses station. This cat. God. She was so sweet and skinny and old - JUST like a little old lady. There are a lot of residents and she just trots (very slowly) down the hallways between wheelchairs! It was so special!

Today I am thankful for...
...my own kitties...who talk to me individually, run to greet me at the door when I come home, snuggle me for hours, and who have LONG lives ahead of them! I credit them (especially Tumbler) with healing a lot of my "baby emptiness" and can often be found whispering "Thank you" into their little faces when we cuddle at night. :-)

Day 48: Cat Attention + a Safe Arrival

Today I learned...
...that Juice thrives on time alone with me. She was in my writing room with me for hours today while I was writing papers for grad school. Tumbler was shut out because he gets into things and distracts me, and after he had stopped crying and went on his way, it was just me and Juice and she loved it. She slept and purred and snuggled and talked and was just so happy to have one on one time. Haha.

Today I am thankful for...
...my friend Rachel landing safely in America! She's here! On my continent! In my country! And while she has fun in NYC this week, I am one step closer to seeing her on Saturday!

Day 31: Second-Guessing + a Safe Home

Today I learned...
...not to second-guess myself, even when it comes to very trivial things. At 6:00 this morning, I jolted awake because I thought I heard a bell. I listened intently and didn't hear anything else, so I thought I had imagined it or dreamed it. I went back to sleep and woke up an hour later to scared cats that were hiding and a horrible smell pervading the house. The thermostat on the wall downstairs seemed to be making a bizarre buzzing noise. Rick and I assumed it was our heating system and called the service who works on it. Rick went to a doctor appointment and work while I waited for the repair man to arrive and called in late to hospice. After a while of inhaling the awful fumes, a man came to help me. He went right to the wall with the thermostat and said, "You think the buzzing is coming from here? I don't." I looked puzzled and he pointed to a box a couple of feet above the thermostat, on the same wall. The doorbell transformer box.

And yes, the buzzing was indeed coming from the doorbell box. After he checked every aspect of our heating system to find everything working perfectly, I took the box cover off the transformer for the doorbell that is fastened to the wall. It was super hot and yes, the smell came from it. THAT was what I had heard at 6:00am. The doorbell shorted out and RANG. I just called myself crazy, but maybe if I had looked for the source FIRST, I would have avoided bothering the heating people. 

Long story short, the wires from the doorbell unit extend down into the wall, which was making me nervous about fire, but with the help of my iPhone to take a photo of the transformer box and send it to my dad, he talked me through removing the right wire to stop the electrical current and therefore the buzzing and the burning smell. It was like dismantling a bomb! Thanks, Dad! All is well at the Bair household again.

Today I am thankful for...
...healthy cats, a safe home, and my dad. Why? Because of all of the above!

Day 29: Little Things + Opportunities

Today I learned...
...that the simplest things can be the most meaningful to people. When Channel 69 News came to my home to interview me today, they took footage of me with my delightful cat, Tumbler. They also took footage of specific quotes on my bulletin board ("Each new day is another chance to change your life," "Inspire," etc.) and me making food to eat in my kitchen! ;-)

Today I am thankful for...
...the amazing opportunity of being interviewed by Nancy Werteen of Channel 69 News (WFMZ). Though she warned me that my portion of the segment will be cut to about a minute and a half, she was so respectful and kind. She asked such good questions and talked to me for quite a while. She even told me that editing the footage to the time frame will be difficult. It was a great meeting. And honestly, even if it never aired on TV, I feel like it was a success.

Day 18: Weddings + An Early Night

Today I learned...
...that if I ever did my wedding over again, I'd keep it simple and do things in a completely different way. That's not to say my wedding wasn't fantastic (and my wedding day was a beautiful time), but the more I hear about people's weddings, the more I realize that it's hard to know what you'd want sometimes until AFTER you do it. Which is unfortunate, considering you don't do weddings over typically. :-) I have no regrets, but I surprise myself these days by imagining that if I got married to Rick NOW, I'd wear a simpler dress, not get married in a church, and have less people involved in the craziness. In fact, if I got married NOW, there would be no craziness. It's not about the wedding, it's about the marriage. I thought I knew that then, but I know it even better now.

Today I am thankful for...
...an early night with Rick. No to-do list, no attention to grad school work or eating disorder activist commitments, no housework. Just me, Rick, and the cats...in bed by 9 pm.

Day 15: Awareness + Glasses

Today I learned...
...that being more aware, alert, and conscious has amazing results in so many aspects of life. I've been working on my consciousness. I have been trying to see the meaning in things I may have overlooked before. I have been looking out for messages, good news, purpose. It's all coming together. My awareness of the world around me has become heightened over the last 4 weeks and I feel really good. And today I have really recognized the culmination of my energy, my awareness, my desire to see the world deeply. Everything feels more connected. It also feels stronger. The benefits are endless and they pop up everywhere: in my workplace, in my marriage, in my friendships...(dare I say it?) even with my cats. :-)

Today I am thankful for...
...getting out early from my hospice field placement so that I could go get some new glasses. I wear contacts mostly, but my glasses prescription was old enough that I was getting headaches from wearing my glasses too long, so I decided to rectify that. The new glasses should be in next week and they're pretty hip. I hope to wear them more often (especially since I got transition lenses!) and try to look both older and smarter. ;-) Ha. Point is though, that I was struggling to find the time to go get new glasses, because the place is only open weekdays and Saturdays. I work all of those days, so it was a bit of a dilemma. Not anymore! Free time was gifted to me today and I am grateful for that!

Day 12: Parents + Cats

Today I learned...
...that parents sometimes know just what to say to ease the mind. Something I didn't think would pan out, will! Thanks, mom & dad.

Today I am thankful for...
...the unwavering and sweet love of my cats. They make me smile, they calm me down, and they recharge my batteries. They both snuggled in my lap after a long day and even when Juice went on to do her own thing, Tumbler remained steadfast, never leaving my chair. He's been here for close to 4 hours now, and I may have to be the first to crack and get up.