Change is good?

Here I sit in sunny Las Vegas, enjoying the 60+ degree weather and sunshine. It's a far cry from the 2 feet of snow and 12 inches of rain that we received over the last 3 weeks at home, although i hear it's supposed to turn sunny up there in Washington state this week also.

The hubby and I are here on a brief get-away...while also looking at real estate and contemplating buying a house or condo. (Mostly to allow us a LOT more brief get-aways!) I gotta say, even though we seldom gamble, we love Las Vegas. There's always lots to do and things to see. Some people I've talked with hate it here...truly considering it the "devil's playground", but we just kinda like it...probably has a lot to do with that sunshine factor I talked about earlier.

The idea of buying a second home down here is somewhat frightening to me. It's a change...a BIG change. And even though I'm ready, even in need of a change, it's still a little overwhelming. I guess all change is like that for me. I would think with all the changes my life has gone through over the last few years, that it would come a little bit easier to me. Maybe some things never change, huh?

gotta love it!

One of my goals for this year, resolutions, if you will...is to treat myself better and take better care of myself. To that end, I went and got a pedicure yesterday and today I got a massage. My plan is to do at least one "special" thing a day for myself, to eat right and to start exercising again. Hopefully, this process will also allow me to lose 20 pounds. Tomorrow my plan is to spend one solid uninterrupted hour working on my journal and Friday I head to Tacoma...lunch at Nordstroms and an appointment at Gene Juarez. I'm kinda liking this already!

Lord willin' and the creek don't rise!

I took down the Christmas tree today...can we say "finally!!!" I normally take it down a few days after Christmas because my son's birthday is on January 1, but this year I just couldn't seem to get it done. I had to get it done now, though, because we leave on Saturday for a brief vacation. Yes!!! I can't wait. More on that later. Let's just say it's warm and sunny where I'm headed. And I'm probably going to actually shut my cell phone off for a couple days, too. Now that's a real vacation!

After three weeks and three feet of snow, the pineapple express has hit and it is raining, raining, raining! I-5 may be closed just south of us because of water over the roadway. The lake level has risen quite a bit, but it's still several feet below our bulkhead, and schools have a delayed start tomorrow because of all the water on the roads. Blue skies and sunshine are sounding better every day!

*By the way, that photo above was copied off flickr, not taken by me, and it's of the Skokomish River.

Missing D

16 But now this is what the Lord says:
“Do not weep any longer,
for I will reward you,” says the Lord.
“Your children will come back to you
from the distant land of the enemy.
17 There is hope for your future,” says the Lord.
“Your children will come again to their own land.
Jeremiah 31:16-17

Meet Moses

About six weeks ago, as I was leaving work, I heard a soft meowing coming from the side of the building, next to where my car was parked. I looked over expecting to see a cat, and instead found a small box all taped up: top, bottom and sides. I took the box into the laundromat and opened it up and inside was a tiny black kitten. Written on the side of the box was a note that said "free kitty, can't find home".

Well, adopting a kitten that had been dumped off at our business was the last thing on my mind, but that's what I ended up doing. I tried and tried to get rid of it, but no one would take him, and in the end, we just decided to keep him.

He's funny and makes us laugh a lot, but I'm convinced that he may have brain damage. Either that or he's possessed. Actually, for the first 3 weeks I had him I thought he was a female and had named him Chloe. I believe he may have anger issues because of his gender misidentification. Since he was dropped off in a box and I adopted him, I decided the name Moses might be appropriate.

The highlight of his day seems to be finding as many ways as he can to attack and bite or scratch me. I spend most of the day dragging him around while he hangs onto one of my feet, biting me all the way. Trying to pet him is an exercise in futility, as he prefers to use my hand as a chew toy.

He did, however, come box-trained, so that has worked in his favor. Good thing. He needs all the points he can get on his side, especially considering this "free" kitten has already cost me $150 at the vet, just to get him checked over, tested for cat leukemia and treated for ear mites. He's good company, though, and I'm kinda glad I found him.