Dear Rudy-cat:

In the one hour I was out of the house, how did you manage to do the following:

• log me off of my laptop
• log on as guest
• start upgrading to IE9 as guest (which, I think you should know, 'guest' doesn't have rights to install anything)
• obviously get frustrated because IE9 was not installing
• remove letter A, and number 3 from my keyboard and hide them

Really, cat.  HOW DID YOU DO THIS?  And, even more importantly.... WHY?
YOU are the reason we can't have anything nice!

6 years ago today...

Six years ago today, Bently & I met in person for the first time.  Hard to believe it has been SIX years! 

For those of you who don't know the story, here goes...

First, a brief back story - I mean, you have to have a little background information, right?

I had moved from Fargo to the Minneapolis area in February, 2005.  Sometime in 2006, a good friend of mine from Fargo (Leslie) talked me into signing up for myspace, this was my first venture into any 'social media' stuff. 
Also, sometime in 2006, a good friend of Bently's (Erika) talked him into signing up for myspace as well.  Erika lives in California, and it was a way for her to post her art work and Bently could keep up on it.
I swear - neither of us were there as a 'dating site' type thing. 

Picture of me that was on my myspace profile

Bently

Bently

Bently

In August of 2006, apparently Bently was profile hopping, you know, going from page to page to page, clicking on a person, then one of their friends, then another friend, and eventually got to my page.  I had written a blog there about a motorcycle trip I had taken in July, and he tried to send me a message.... but the site locked up, and he lost the message as well as didn't know how he had gotten there in the first place.  A few days later, my blog was still on his mind, so he tried to retrace his steps.  He figured that if he did find it, that the moment would be gone, but he was determined to try.  Eventually he made it back to my page, reread the blog, and still decided to send me a message.

It was a great message.  Wish I still had it.  I responded, and we sent messages back and forth for a month or so.  Eventually, I had had enough with this 'messaging' stuff, and asked if he wanted to go for a weekend motorcycle ride - and we FINALLY exchanged phone numbers.

Labor Day weekend, 2006, I was back home in Watford, and got back to Minneapolis the following week.  Bently & I had been planning the motorcycle afternoon for the weekend following Labor Day - but it was looking like the weather wasn't going to cooperate.

On Friday night, September 8, 2006, I invited a couple friends of mine (Scott & Leslie) over to my townhouse to grill out, have a couple drinks, and hang out.  It was a great evening!  Then we decided to try to find a band or a bar to head out to for a while.  Hairball at Prime Time in Burnsville was our choice, and about 9pm we made the trek from Inver Grove Heights to Burnsville.  Scott & Leslie in one vehicle, and me in another. 

On the way there, I decided to call Bently.  The conversation went something like this:
Me:  Hi - this is Nancy.  We haven't talked on the phone before, and I don't know if you have plans for tonight, or where you even live in the city, or if you like 80's music.... but me and a couple friends are going to see Hairball in Burnsville, and I was wondering if you wanted to stop out for a drink?
Bently:  Well, I'm redoing the wood trim in one of the rooms in my house, so right now I'm just waiting for varnish to dry.  I grew up listening to 80's music and I don't live very far from Burnsville.
Me:  So.... you wanna meet us out?
Bently:  Sure!  It will probably an hour, I need to finish up a couple things here and shower.
Me:  Okay - sounds good.... I'm wearing a red shirt, and I have short hair. 
Bently:  ok, see you in a bit.

Leslie, Scott, & I get to Prime Time, and get out of our cars.... the first thing I said was "I HAVE A DATE!"
Their response?  "What?  You didn't have a date when we left your house? How did you get a date in 20 minutes?  Who is this guy?"
Me:  I dunno.  Never met him.  Just talked to him for the first time a few minutes ago. 
Conversation continued with some general teasing about whether or not I just called a random number and asked a guy out.....

We go into Prime Time and find an open table - not too far from the door.  Visited.  And waited.  And waited some more.
Started noticing some really "80's" guy walking around the bar and circling our table.  Think mullet, and nearly stonewashed jeans type 80's look.  We were kind of concerned that this kind of creepy guy might be the guy I had just talked to on the phone.
So I decided to call Bently again.... just to see if creepy guy answered the phone.

Conversation:
Me:  Are you here yet?
Bently:  just pulling into the parking lot - will be there in just a couple minutes.
Me:  Oh GOOD.  Because there is this really creepy guy circling the bar like he is looking for someone, and I was really hoping it wasn't you.

(Bently still jokes that paying the creepy guy to circle our table was the best money he ever spent.)


Couple minutes later - Bently walks in the door - I wave to him and he comes over to our table.... we start talking.  And talking.  And talking.  Eventually, Leslie & Scott leave, and Bently & I are still there talking... almost time for bar close, and we finally go out to our cars.... and go to our respective houses.

And so it began.  :)

The next day was my cousin's bachelorette party.  It was an afternoon and evening of 'girly stuff'.  You know, manicures, and games, and wine.  I didn't really know any of her friends, but it was awesome to be included.  I told the group of girls about this awesome guy I met the night before....

Dear Sami-cat:

Let me tell you a story.  The story of how you came to live with us. 

We started out as a one-cat household.  Rudy-cat came to live with us in March of 2009, that is a story for another day.  Anyway, in early July of 2011, Rudy-cat was just over two years old.  And boy, was she a handful.  She was very demanding, and had some anxiety issues.  Every time we left the house she would sit and cry at the door.  And if we didn't come back right away, she would leave us throw-up presents.  It was awesome.  So we started thinking that Rudy-cat needed a kitten.  Some company. 

Rudy-cat under a pile of socks

I started looking at the petfinder sites.... I was looking for a very specific new baby-cat.  I wanted a little girl-kitty, one that was still definitely 'kitten'.  I found one that was the PERFECT little bundle of kitten.  She was siamese in color and just a little fluff ball.  So on a Saturday afternoon, Bently and I put the cat carrier in the car, and off we drove to the place where this little siamese kitten was supposed to be.  We got there, and walked in, and asked about the siamese kitten.  The rescue place told us that she had already been adopted, and I was momentarily heartbroken.  (I know, these are tough words to hear).  But then we started looking at the other kitties there....

And there you were.  Maybe 4 months old, and napping.  You opened your eyes and looked up at us.  Immediately, I wanted to hold you.  I looked at Bently and said "how about we look at this one."  He was pretty much resigned to the fact that we were bringing another cat home.

They brought you into the little play room, and I sat on the floor.  You walked around me three times, then crawled onto my lap, flopped down, and started purring.  You have the loudest purr EVER.  That was it.  You were ours.  We completed all the paper work, put you in the carrier, and away we went.... the long drive home.  On the drive, we changed your name, they had been calling you Raven.... but we thought Sami was a better name for you.

We got home, and Rudy-cat didn't like you at first.  She hissed and growled, and her tail was very angry.  You?  You were completely oblivious.  You just bopped around the house, checking things out.  You were a very good little kitty.

You were also the funniest looking kitty I think I have ever seen.  Really.  You aren't quite shaped right.  (It's okay, it's part of your charm).

Sami-cat the day she came home. 

You would purr and purr and purr.  In the evenings, you would jump up and sit on a lap.  And within a few days, you won Rudy-cat over.  Rudy-cat is a good big sister.

Sami-cat (see, not shaped right), and Rudy-cat.  Napping.

Two little circle-cats.  Awwwwwww.

You have been with us a year now.  And you are still a sweet little kitty.  I watch you and Rudy-cat run around the house and wrestle and play.  You are the best addition to the household!

You have grown up a lot in the last year.  Now you and Rudy-cat are about the same size.... but you are still funny shaped.  You have a small pointy head, and your front legs are a little too short (it looks like you are always walking downhill), and your tail? Yeah, your tail is goofy.  But you are cute.  And we love having you here.

Sami-cat.  Funny looking kitty.

Sami-cat.  See, you do walk downhill!

So anyway, happy One Year of being with us.  Here's to many more years of happiness.  :)

Dear Cat-cat:

Here are all the previous "Dear Rudy-cat" and "Dear Sami-cat" letters I have written.  I wanted them all to be in one place. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Rudy-cat: Thank you for not yakking while we were gone. I really appreciate that. You get extra snacks tonight.

~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Rudy-cat: last night when you were trying to save Bently & I from whatever scary monster was in the house and you were working on digging a tunnel under the closed bedroom door to get to us? Yeah... we weren't in that room, but I appreciate the effort. Oh, and don't feel bad about the carpet - we need to replace it anyway.

~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Rudy-cat: Although I am impressed with your dedication to training for the Kitty-Triathlon (running, jumping, toy-mouse fighting) - I would appreciate it if you could schedule your practice times for, say, any time other than 3:30am and 5:30am. Thank you.

~~~~~~~~~~

Rudy-cat likes to lick vegetables. Rudy-cat likes to lick her butt. Therefore... vegetables taste like cat butt. :) I always KNEW there was a reason I didn't like vegetables.

~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Rudy-cat: I think cats are supposed to be stealthy. You are not stealthy. I can hear you walking from across the room... how do you ever expect to sneak up on a bird or a mouse when you are noisy like that? We will schedule time for 'stealth training'. You will soon be ninja-like.

~~~~~~~~~~

Someday... someday we will be able to put the toilet paper actually on the toilet paper holder without Rudy-cat unrolling all of it.
What's odd is that she leaves the paper towel roll alone.
Note to self: toilet paper is much more fun to play with than paper towels.
Which also explains why kids "t-p" things rather than... "p-t" things.

~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Rudy-cat: I am so happy to see that you know how to open the kitchen cupboards. This is fantastic! You are SOOOO smart!. (Note to self: get those cabinet clasps to kitty-proof the cupboard doors.)

~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Rudy-cat: Thank you for yakking while I was outside on a walk. That is the bestest present EVER to come home to. Also, thank you for not yakking on the easy to clean kitchen floor. I really appreciate cleaning carpet SO much more.

~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Rudy-cat: What is wrong with you? I mean... what is wrong with your eyebrows? Why are you losing your eyebrow fur? You look kind of creepy. Maybe you should stop washing your face so much.

~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Rudy-cat: STOP!!!! Don't like the knife! Knives are sharp. I know you don't understand the concept of 'sharp' yet, however, let's not start with cutting your tongue off, okay?

~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Rudy-cat: Hiccups? How can you have hiccups? BOO! Are they gone? No? Okay - how about I help you hold your breath? Okay, not a good idea. Maybe you should just run around the house for a while.

~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Rudy-cat: That is an exercise band, NOT a chew toy. Please don't chew my exercise band in half... that would make it even more difficult for me to want to work out.

~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Rudy-cat: That is a lamp, not a tree. There is no reason to climb a lamp. Trust me.

~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Rudy-cat: Why does your fur smell like maple syrup? Really, cat, why? I kind of think we should wash you.... but you smell kind of good. I guess you aren't sticky like maple syrup... so it's probably okay.

~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Sami-cat, those are fish. You can't get to them through the glass. Trust me. But keep circling... It is kind of cute.

~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Rudy-cat: Why do you have such an angry tail? I pet you and your tail becomes angry and whips around from side to side. Sami-cat doesn't have an angry tail... I pet her and she rubs and purrs.

~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Rudy-cat: Why are you staring at the door and meowing? Both your people are home. Did you think one of us left?

~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Sami-cat: Why did you put your nose into my powder makeup then exhale? You do look really cute now that you have makeup on though.... oh wait, you don't like it? Okay, let me wash your face.

~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Sami-cat: Please don't lick the soap. Icky. Oh, and chewing on the razor is probably a bad idea, too.

~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Sami-cat: Why are you in the washing machine? Did you jump in on purpose? Or did you fall in?

~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Rudy-cat: NOOOOO!! The TV is NOT a tree! Do NOT climb the TV!

~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Rudy-cat: If you could talk, you know, really talk out loud with people words. For some reason, I think your voice and phrasing would sound a lot like Mitch Hedberg.

~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Rudy-cat: Thank you for chewing through ANOTHER set of earbuds. Do you hate it that much when I leave to go for a run? If so, I can stop exercising. I would do that for you. :)
          Dear Mama-Nancy: Can you please buy me a cat leash and take me when you exercise? I promise to leave the earbuds alone. Please.....and ps please leave Sami-cat at home .

~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Sami-cat: Thank you for the wonderful conversation this morning as I was getting ready for work - you sure were talkative. If only I knew what you were saying... I bet you were telling me about all the fun stuff you were going to do today while I am gone - chasing Rudy-cat, napping, eating, pooping. Either that or it was your plan to take over the world.

~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Sami-cat: You cannot be a successful hunter if you keep meowing and giving everyone a play-by-play account of what you just did and the next moves you are going to make. Learn from Rudy-cat, she is a good QUIET hunter.

~~~~~~~~~~

Maybe tomorrow...

Maybe tomorrow I will fold the clothes
Maybe tomorrow I will vacuum the floor
Maybe tomorrow I will study more
But today I am going to smile


Tonight I will enjoy the quiet of the house
I will be patient as the cats ignore me

Practice makes perfect, right?

If that saying is true, I should probably start 'practicing' this whole blog thing.  :)
I need to do some 'figuring out of stuff', such as:

Added a photo, but it didn't put it in the place I wanted.  Maybe you can't put a picture in a list.  

• How to insert photos and videos.  I mean, really, there may be some family members not on Facebook (crazy, right?) that may want to see some of these things.
• (interesting, I just learned you cannot have an unnumbered list and do a [shift-enter] to go to a new line - what's up with that?)
• Templates.  What happens if I change a template?  Does everything get all goofed up or does it stay relatively okay.  I should probably figure that part out pretty soon.
• Readers.  Can ANYONE look at what I post?  Or is there a way to limit certain things to certain people?
• How does each font look?  Which is going to be the most readable overall.  
• This is the default font
• This is Arial font
• This is Courier
• This is Georgia
• This is Helvetica
• This is Times
• This is Trebuchet
• This is Verdana
• Labels.  I need to stay organized.

Guaranteed, the first year of this blogging attempt will be a whole bunch of nothing.....