The Red Shirt

We quite obviously love our cats but when our cats show us they love us, it just melts our hearts. Coodie has been with us for 4 and a half years so he has had plenty of opportunities. There was the time he was driving us crazy keeping us up at night so we shut the bedroom door and left him outside. We woke up in the morning to one pair of my socks and one pair of Ryan's socks. He had dragged them both from the basement where I had been doing laundry (2 floors down)... a peace offering perhaps? Then he started snoozing in the place that Ryan or I have sat/slept last instead of the several super comfy cat beds we have lying around the house. The other day I sat in this blue chair in our spare bedroom that I hadn't sat in for months. Later on, he was snuggled right up in it.

We have only had Guster for about 10 months now but he is a cuddle bug, very demonstrative and loves to sit on your lap or butt his head against you. But, the other day, he did something above and beyond his usual Gussie tendencies. I left for work before Ryan woke up. When he came down to the kitchen, he found the red shirt I had worn the day before (and thrown on TOP of the hamper instead of inside) in the middle of the kitchen floor. I came home at the end of the day to find Gussie laying on my shirt in the kitchen. I asked Ryan why my shirt was in the kitchen? He then told me he came downstairs in the morning to find my shirt in the middle of the kitchen...clearly dragged from the upstairs bedroom. He then proceeded to nap on it most of the day. It's such a simple thing but it just melted my heart.... Here is a photo for proof of what I came home to:

The New Year

I am not one for resolutions because I feel like they hang over my head waiting for me to break them ... probably because I always tend to "go for the gusto" and make them slightly unreachable. Regardless, I just don't feel like I want to change anything overnight just because the calendar changed. I just resolve that every day I try to be a better person in different ways. It is on my mind daily and not just a date on the calendar - I work on it little bits at a time.

What I do like about the new year is the fact that it is a new chapter. The year 2010 is now a neat little chapter in a big book of memories. And in that neat little chapter, I want to celebrate some highlights:

In early March, we made another trek out to Portland, OR to celebrate Todd's birthday. Ryan and I ended the week long getaway in one of our favorite places, Seattle.

In mid-March, we brought the newest addition to our family home: Guster. He has been so much fun to have around and a great buddy to his big brother, Coodie.

In April, we celebrated Ryan's birthday in front row seats at the Red Sox game. We were right next to the dug out and got to see all of the players right up close.

In May, we celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary.

In June, we visited Colorado. This was my first visit ever and Ryan's first time back since graduating from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Since this time, Ryan's brother and his family have moved here and we are so excited to go back and visit!

In September, we took our yearly trip to Ogunquit after the crowds leave but while the weather is still beautiful.

In October, my parents took us to Boothbay Harbor for some hiking, good dinners and fresh sea air. We were also celebrating my dad's health and his recovery from his heart attack in March that we are so thankful for. What a comeback!

We are also thankful for Coodie's rebound after several setbacks with his health this year.

I am sure I am forgetting several fun and important events this year but I wanted to highlight what an amazing year 2010 was for us. Although we had some setbacks, everyone is bouncing back and thriving. Cheers to a happy, healthy 2011!