WE HAVE CATS!!

Really, it's true. If you remember, there has been a black cat that has lived in the street gutter for a very long time. Well, it turns out that cat is a female and she decided to have her kittens in the space underneath my shed! There are 4 kittens; 2 black, and 2 tabby-colored. I think they are weaned because they look half-grown, but they are really adorable.
I first realized that we had cats on Tuesday. I was looking out the window at the kitchen sink when I saw all 4 of them out playing and the mother cat was just laying sunning herself as the kittens played around her. My yard seems to be the local hangout for the neighborhood cats, but that was when I realized that the occasional cat I saw in our yard was a little more than that!
Anna wants to befriend them, but they are wild and only run if we come near. We have put water out for them and I gave them some chicken and they seemed to appreciate it, but they are just too wild to be caught, which is fine with me since I am allergic anyway. I guess outdoor cats is the closest I'll come to having cats at all.

Hoping for a Scholarship

Hey, I just wanted to let everyone know that my audition for the choir/voice scholarship went well, and I was invited back to the first placement in June. Woohoo! I don't know if that means I got the scholarship or not, but if I did I would have several thousand dollars to save for when I actually go to a big college (hopefully UCF).
I would also like to say that the audition was extremely uncomfortable. When I walked into the room, I was expecting to be greeted and then immediately asked who I was, what I planned on doing, etc. This was not the case. I walked into the recital hall, and all I got was a small hello from one of the ten judges, which were all staring down at their folders throughout my entire audition. I was then asked if I needed someone to play my songs for me, and I said, "No, I have my own tracks to sing to." Then, there was this weird pause as I was putting my books and cds down, and I very akwardly asked, "So, do I just sing my first song," to which the answer was "Yeah, go ahead" (this being the same judge that had been the only one to greet me). So, I sang through most of the song, and I was stopped before I could finish. This is where the questions started, but they were not at all like I had imagined them to be. The first question was, "So, where do you go to school? Do you go to Choctaw?" I replied, "No, I graduated high school, and I have been going to OWC for a year now." Another akward pause. "So, why didn't you come to us last year?" was the next question to be asked. I think that I had an out of body experience at this point, and I was looking at my physical self as the head of it completely blew off from the rest of the body. Then, I pulled myself back together and very casually answered, "Oh, I was just trying to get some required classes out of the way for my intended major." Then, the worst question of all was asked. "Oh, what's your intended major." Oh crap. "Nursing" was my feeble reply. Yet another akward pause. "So, the second song, then?" "Yeah, go ahead." So, I sang maybe half of my second piece, and then I was stopped again. "Alright, thank you for coming today. You are invited back to the first placement on June 20. You'll get a letter in the mail." "Okay, thanks!" "You have a beautiful voice." This is where all the judges actually joined in and agreed that I, in fact, had a beautiful voice.

The First Checkup and BLOOOOOOD

So I finally had my first prenatal today. It went well. I had my blood drawn and it was not bad at all. I didn't even panic when Emily said, "Yeah, let's take care of that TODAY." Actually, I think I'm going to do a few more of the small blood draws just to keep up with my iron level.

Actually, this pregnancy is going to go a little differently than the last two. Emily and her midwifery parter, Julie, are sharing patients and so I will go back and forth between the two of them for my prenatals and they will both be at my labor (more than likely. I think Emily would be broken-hearted if she, for some reason, couldn't make it. I know 'cuz she told me so :) ). So, I'm curious about this Julie woman. I have a feeling she might be a little more pushy than Emily is about taking supplements and such. Emily is really cool about letting me do things my own way and if she has advice, she's very gentle about giving it. I don't know about Julie. From the few times I've met her she's seemed really nice, but... well, I just don't know yet. It'll probably be fine, I'm just picky when it comes to who's taking care of me. I think if I hate Julie I can just tell Emily and would just be able to just see her. For now, I know it helps Emily out and so I'll give it a try. Like I said, I'm probably worried/annoyed for no good reason.

So, getting blood drawn today reminded me of getting blood drawn at the hospital when I was a kid. It happened sometime around my lymphnoid-could-it-be-cancer(?) scare when I was 7. For whatever reason Daddy had to take me and I'm pretty sure Mom gave me a death warning not to act terribly and scream like I did when she was around (eventually, I learned [read: was threatened with my life] to "scream in my mouth"). So, Daddy and I went into this area where a bunch of guys in their BDUs were getting shots and whatnot. I sat down (and apparently looked pathetically terrified) next to a soldier getting a shot/blood drawn. He must've seen how scared I was, so he reassured me that he "always [cried] during a shot." They stuck the needle in, and he then proceeded to "boo hoo." But he was "very good" and didn't move or squirm while he was getting poked. Then he wiped his tears and reassured me once again that it was OK to cry.

Well, I bought it. Hook, line, sinker and all that. I was fully convinced that this ripped man in army boots was truly upset and hurt when he had to get his shots. So I felt very brave. The memory is vivid enough in my mind that when I look back I can remember his face and see how much he was hamming it up all to give a pitiful little girl some comfort.

So, all that was to say that today, I was very brave. And I didn't even cry.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!

I want to be the first to wish each of you (except Anna) a very

Happy Mother's Day!!!

I am very proud of all of you (including Anna) and I love you very much! I look forward to seeing you when you come to visit, so come visit!

(And, yes, Shannon, I know the road goes both ways, but it's hard for me to get enough time off to visit all of you.)

Summertime, and the Livin' is Easy!

I'm finally done with school!! Yayyyyyyy!!!! I just took my last final yesterday, and I am done until August. People have been asking me if I'm taking summer classes, and whenever they do, I just laugh and give them a meaningful look that says, "No thanks! I'd rather eat poo!" All I'm doing now is finding a job so that I can make money and not have to bum any off of Mom.
Also, I am trying out for the OWC Madrigals choir next friday, so hopefully that works out.

Hope to see you guys in the next few months!

Dreams

I had a dream last night. Ryan was crying when I walked into some room, and he had a really hard time telling me something, so it took him a long time to spit it out: He said that Adena had died. He kept "sobbing" and I finally believed him, although I couldn't quite grasp to gravity of the situation. Finally I asked, "How did she die?" and he told me, "She died because she never flossed." I was so confused, trying to understand how not flossing would kill somebody, when out from behind a door popped Adena, dressed in a bath towel. "Ha-ha, gotcha!" she said, and Ryan began to laugh.

And frankly, I'm still angry about it. Adena (and Ryan), don't ever do that to me again!

Caryn

Man's arms pinned

Hiya. I was just watching CNN headline news and a story came on about a man whose arms got pinned in a machine and who called 911 with his toes. As it turns out, it happened in Mary Esther, and Ryan Christensen, Fort Walton Beach High School class of '97, who apparently works for the Fire Department now, appeared explaining the story. I just saw someone I haven't seen in over 10 years on national news. STRANGE.

Okay, that was all I had to say.

It's Today! Yay!

Happy Birthday to ME
Happy Birthday to ME
TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY
Happy Birthday to ME!!!

In honor of my birthday, I decided to actually eat the fatty part of the bacon this morning.

As I watch Elmo on Sesame Street singing inanely "weather, weather, weather, weather, wea-ea-ea-ea-ther," with Lara sitting next to me helping me eat bacon, and the baby sitting in my lap because he WON'T be put down, I reflect on turning 29. It's the official last year of my youth. My next birthday, I will be an Adult. My skin will start to sag, I'll start putting on weight, and my spine will begin deteriorating. I may need dentures soon.

On the flip side, I am a little ahead of the game. I have 2 kids and I'm married. We have a house in the suburbs and Ryan is gainfully employed. I feel like I've met my quota. I don't have anything pressing I need to get done between now and then.

So here comes 30. And I say, bring it on.

And Shannon-- you're next. :)