four things about suzy.

1. she's moved into her new state as a city cat well: she watches cars drive by all day long -- ne'er a bird in sight. and when the afternoon sun pours through our bay window, she stretches out like a socialite by the pool in palm springs soaking up the rays.
2. in the mornings when she's feeling frisky and playful, i'm rushing out the door to catch the bus to work. she doesn't like it. she cries. she paces. she stands by the door trying to block me. she stares at me. she nudges the brown ribbon. all i can do is kiss her little head, tell her i'll be back later, and dash off.
3. she's doesn't eat fish. she likes beef and white cheddar cheese and she loves liver. 
4. every morning she wakes me up around 4.30 -- she's an early eater. after i stumble back into bed for 30 more minutes, she jumps up and snuggles tightly beside me, sometimes with her head resting in the crook of my arm.

52 weeks with suzy. week six.

wednesdays with suzy.

it's been a while, friends. and we've missed you! instead of rambling on about all the things i've done (played parent to my four nieces and nephews in moses lake for 8 days -- earned aunt of the year; visited family in utah, met my newest niece, and hiked through wet snow in zion national park;  walks and stairs in new running sneakers; two weekend date nights -- dinner and movies and candy!; purging and organizing our little san francisco living space; tons of work; some ailments and illness; many episodes of "project runway;" babysitting the sweet 2-month old baby judge)* since you last heard from us, let's take a minute and observe suzy's cuteness because it's wednesday and that's what we do. and because she is just so darn sweet and pretty. 

leaving her adorable face everyday is the hardest thing i do all day.

52 weeks with suzy. week five. 

*welp, looks like i rambled on anyway! 

wednesdays with suzy.

an idea has been on my mind for the last couple of weeks -- bouncing from one conclusion to the next, cursing me with the unforgiving question, "what if?". i needed some advice, at least a listening ear, but suzy was too enthralled with her brown velveteen ribbon. she perked up for a moment and i could tell she wanted to listen but then i had to leave for work.

52 weeks of suzy. week four.

wednesdays with suzy.

i had the fun idea of turning wednesdays with suzy into an advice column. i'm not really sure how it would work; it's a rough draft idea and hasn't been fully thought out. but hey, if you need some advice, toss it in the comments below. suzy is a pro when it comes to support and encouragement. 

p.s. there is an anonymous feature when submitting a comment. 

52 weeks of suzy. week three.

wednesdays with suzy.

suzy, on the hunt. the target? a brown paper ribbon, her new favourite, again from our dear friend, ayl. nevermind i'm trying to work. correction: create a new playlist for the gym.

52 weeks of suzy. week two.

wednesdays with suzy.

suzy is my cat. you may not know her but you've probably seen pictures. because she's pretty and photogenic. and i love snapping pictures of her. and talking about her. because she does funny stuff, like follow me to the bathroom and wait outside the door.

 

52 weeks with suzy. week one.

i am not a cat person.

ask anyone that knows me: i'm not a cat person. and if you had told me even just 4 years ago that i'd have a cat and be blogging about her and posting pictures of her on facebook and taking videos of her because she's so funny, i would have said you were nuts. and yet, here i am at the end of 2014, suzy tucked beside me sleeping as i'm watching football and writing. about her. 

but i relentlessly insist, i am not a cat person.

i've never had anything against cats; i've simply preferred dogs. big dogs. big dogs like golden retrievers and st. bernards, bernese mountain dogs and newfoundlands.

and then when i was home for christmas in 2012, i met suzy. we shared my bedroom in the upstairs of the farmhouse -- she slept curled up in the corner on my bed. when she wasn't there, she was pacing the long wall of windows downstairs, watching birds dance in the snow and fly from feeder to feeder. we didn't bond as human and animal but later when my parents mentioned they couldn't keep her, my first thought was to adopt her.

that was more than a year and a half ago. and i'm still not a cat person.

especially when i can have a cat that rushes to me when i call her name -- like a dog.
or a cat that comes to my aide when i'm in trouble or feeling ill -- like a dog.
or a cat that will sit beside me and beg for a bite of my food -- like a dog.
or a cat that barks when she wants to be fed or needs attention -- like a dog.
or a cat that loves having her belly rubbed -- like a dog.

so i kinda lucked out. i have a fluffy, soft cat without many of the typical cat characteristics -- she doesn't hiss or bite or scratch -- and plenty of dog characteristics. it's like having a big dog inside a tiny little fluffy body named suzy.

i'm a suzy person.

suzy and the brown velveteen ribbon...

at the slightest tease of playtime with the brown velveteen ribbon (her new favourite toy -- thanks ayl!), suzy's eyes and face light up with excitement and her toosh shakes as she waits in stealth-mode until just the perfect moment to pounce. surely she knows it's a game, right? and that i'm on the other end of the hunted ribbon, right? i'm not sure but i think so. sometimes she looks at me expectingly, asking me with her eyes and scratchy whisper to play with her. and yet, when we do and i bring out the ribbon, she goes haywire and attacks it as if it was true prey. unlike other cats that will bring their master their kill, suzy hangs tight with the ribbon, one paw on it when she's napping. she doesn't part with it lightly and surely doesn't drop it at my feet as an offering of any kind. she's very possessive and expects that if you're taking it away from her, playtime will ensue. 

my cat is the best.

birthday cake and lazy times.

my gosh, we were lazy this weekend. not super lazy, it just felt like a lazy weekend with a few less activities on the calendar. we were scheduled for belly flops and cannonballs and diving board jumps with thny and her family but the weather scared us away. total bummer. that left us with a morning to fill. we ran east beach and then hit up a couple grocery stores before cleaning the house and taking naps. we were a sleepy bunch!

during all the saturday afternoon home stuff, i finally baked my birthday cake! it's become tradition for me to bake my own birthday cake and the four-layer chocolate chip cookie cake with chocolate buttercream frosting is the one. it's a stoic cake--blocky, rectangular, and oozing in brown grandeur. it's relatively unappealing to look at but mighty delicious, especially with a mason jar of cold cold milk and a red striped straw.

about mid-day on sunday, just after waking up from a heavy nap, i thought to myself that the weekend seemed long, that i couldn't believe i still had so much sunday left ahead to relax and prepare for the week. it almost felt too long, as if i was more than ready to do something productive, like going to work. however, those lazy weekends are rare and i was quite happy to endure one, even if the laziness is making monday feel like a monday--dragging and hard to find a good rhythm. then i look at these photos of suzy and i giggle. the brown ribbon is velveteen and was part of the wrapping of a birthday gift from my friend ayl. (she found me a jersey ceramic jersey cow dish!) since opening the gift and dropping the ribbon on my bed, suzy has owned the ribbon. she sleeps with her paw on it and will look at you like "don't you dare touch that ribbon" anytime you come near her and it's within proximity. funny times with that cat. 

did the weekend seem long to any of you? 

the faces of suzy.

don't let her fluffiness fool you. she's a fierce and playful fighter, with a playbook of game faces any quarterback or wide receiver would fear. (we're watching a lot of college football over here. it's bowl season!)

a perfectly unplanned weekend.

hooray!
hurrah!
yippee!

sometimes you need a weekend mostly empty of plans; the only plan being to share time and air with the one you love. after the craze of this work week and with my hubs-to-be in town this weekend (so happy, really), the weekend is just that. it's a blank canvas waiting for us to smear it with our favourite places to eat, shows to watch, and places to be. there are things we should do, like look for a place to live post-wedding, and touch base with our photographer, but the success of the weekend is not reliant upon those items getting checked off the list. i just wanna be with my guy. (barf. maybe. but it's true.)

how i'd love to start the weekend by sitting outside peet's in the cool san francisco air sipping a steamed milk with honey and cinnamon with him tonight. it's just something we love to do. 

i'm hoping you have a great weekend ahead of you. tell me all about it, please. you know i always love hearing what you're up to.

love truly,
kk


p.s. a special birthday wish to my cute little nephew!

p.p.s. a photo of suzy and her giant outstretched paw for you to enjoy all weekend long. she's just the prettiest.

it's just me and suzy this weekend.

hooray!
hurrah!
yippee!

my man is off in yosemite with his guy buddies doing guy stuff, like camping. in a tent. and not showering. gross. i can car camp for a day but after that i must return to civilization for a shower.

after work (hooray for summer hours!), i'm heading over to millbrae (south of san francisco) to pick up my resized rings. i've felt so naked without my engagement bling, i mean, ring. after that errand, i'll stop by thny's house to see her, meet evan, her new baby boy, and gush about my engagement.

saturday and sunday i'm free of rules and obligations. i'm fancying the idea of plopping down in a theatre for a double-feature or lazying about home with suzy giving hulu plus a try and contemplating a hair chopping (approved by my guy--wha bam). what i should do--instead of lounging around home--is get a headstart on the move-purge process--my closet and a couple cabinets would benefit greatly. speaking of things that would benefit greatly, the apartment could use a good cleaning. bother. maybe at least i'll spin around dancing with the swiffer.

the last time i was home alone for a weekend i baked a cake. perhaps i should bake this weekend. hmmm...

what are you up to this weekend, lovies? anyone dying of that heat in the east? if i were you, i'd find a sprinkler to run through or hose. nothing says summer like a hot day running through sprinklers. oh, and eat popsicles.

happy weekend, darlings.

love truly,
kk

i have a cat and her name is suzy.

adopted from my parents' rural ohio farm, suzy has quickly settled into the bay area urban life. she freely and curiously roams around my tiny apartment (when she's not napping--which isn't often) peeking into the closet, sunbathing and watching the neighbours from the windowsill, or chasing invisible mice. she loves curling up with me at the end of a long workday for project runway or chopped marathons, often facing me with her eyes challenging me to a ribbon duel, pouncing on my toes poking up from the bed linens, or with heavy eyelids as a prompt that it's bedtime.

a self-proclaimed insistent dog-lover, i've redirected my animal love in the feline direction to provide a good home for this adopted beauty and also because a dog isn't in my living situation budget right now. surprisingly, i've found myself a bit hyper with my iphone camera (wouldn't you if your cat was as beautiful?) and talking about her in nearly every conversation with friends. i don't think this makes me a crazy cat person though. no, i'm simply an animal lover doting on a gorgeous all-fluff cat that needed a new loving home.

suzy's fun and spunky and bursting with personality. she twists her body around chair and table legs, sips her milk quietly, stares me down when i'm eating ice cream, and loves tastes of roasted turkey sandwich meat. she's kind of the most amazing cat ever and i adore her.

the best part of adopting suzy into my little family is observing my fiance fall in love with her too. more times than not, he'll ask me for a new picture of her or ask what she's up to or tell me he misses her. he's smitten. it's so cute i'm surprised i found words to express it.

my fiance just said it: "you're not a cat person. you're a suzy person." yeup, that's me!

thursday things i love--

images courtesy of 1, 2

great workout tips for a summer body.

recycled clear glassware.

my amazing headphones.

packing my new catalina bag for a summer roadtrip!

a little too rustic for my taste but the antiqued wallpapered door is awesome.

kashi crunch, almond milk, fresh raspberries and blueberries for breakfast.

suzy: have i told you about her? she's my new cat.

staying in and cooking for date night.

the new blog banner. thanks habbenink!

the drifters: up on the roof.

things i love.

happy thursday!

here's what's up:

you know when too much time in life has passed and when you finally have time to make an account of all those past events in your journal or diary or blog or email it seems an impossible job? yeah, that's me right about now, friends. it's been weeks, nearly a month, even. but i'm going to try. and so, in a-larger-than-the-norm nutshell, here's what's been going on:

i wheeled and dealed a new set of wheels (with the help of my man) and posted an ad on craigslist for my 13 year old jeep. emotion overload here. i'm thrilled with my new forester and sobbing over the prospect of handing my jeep over to some stranger.  

treated my guy to the american la mans race at laguna seca in monterey. the tickets were a christmas gift and we were stoked to finally cash in on the event. we had a thrill-of-a-time watching the cars race around the crazy track. yes, even me. fast rad cars--i'll go. fast rad cars that make my boyfriend happier than a little boy on christmas opening his first lego set--i'll be first in line for tickets. seriously, though, i loved every minute of it, except for the two bites from a mean fire ant--surprisingly painful for its size. 

a month ago, my guy and i quietly celebrated our year-and-a-half mark. time flies and the happiness continues to grow. 

earlier this month, i celebrated three years at my day job, leapfrog. people keep asking if it feels like 3 years, or if it feels like less. well, it feels like a combo. some weeks are sloooooow while others fly by. lately, the weeks have been dissolving quickly in front of me, thus the explanation for my absence on the blog.   

in a few weeks, i'll have the honour of adopting suzy, a gor-geous fluffy mix meow-er, from my folks. i absolutely cannot wait. i wonder if my tiny apartment is big enough for the two of us. and what about when my guy is over?

i needed some kind of noise-minimizer for the office and decided on these large headphones. i'm head-over-heels for them. don't they look rad?  

i pre-ordered she & him's volume 3 album and have listened to it nonstop since. in fact, last night, my guy and i dueted "i could've been your girl" all evening and he claimed it as his official birthday song. he also said i have zooey's style and voice tone down pat. isn't he sweet for saying so? i like to imagine i sound like her but i dare not assume i do.  

just last weekend, i was in virginia and north carolina for my guy's grandmother's funeral. it was an unfortunate circumstance for the family to get together, of course, and yes, tears fell but the stories and memories and time with each other quickly masked the sadness. it was a true joy being trusted with that experience.  

i hope all is well in your worlds, lovies. drop me a note and tell me what's going on with you.