The Many Naps of Quincy

Beware, cuteness overload...and a lot of pictures...I might have an obsession...

 This was he first time I found him napping not on me while I was home.

 The above four pictures were a progression of a nap.  He was deeply asleep and would stand up and plop into the new position.

 I love how he is wrapped around the pillow!

 Couldn't make it into the basket...

 I love when his paws are near his face.

 He maybe could get closer to my face, but I'm not sure!

June 3rd, AKA Daynah and Hayden's WEDDING DAY!

June is the month of weddings. And my life was no exception. We started the month off with preparation for the wedding...decorating, shopping, more decorating...

Josh was lucky enough to help unload the car after all the shopping.  I made him pose for this picture after I told him he should go into the kitchen and tell everyone, "I carried a watermelon."  It still cracks me up.  He had no idea I was quoting Dirty Dancing, but he still humored me by posing for the picture.  I love my brother.

I also love my sister!  Who is now a married lady!  This was at the rehearsal dinner.

I was able to hang out with her and the bridesmaids while they were getting ready.  Always a fun time.

Pictures before the wedding.  She looks like a princess.

Dad was a ball of nerves, but you wouldn't know it by this picture.

The bridesmaids!

More waiting, so we took more pictures.  She looks so happy and ready to get this show on the road!

Giving away the bride.

Vows.  Awe...

Exchanging of rings.

The kiss.

A prayer for the new Mr. and Mrs.

And I present to you...Mr. and Mrs. Fox.

Quincy

If my getting a cat came as a surprise to anyone, you have to understand the nature of decisions in my mind,  I have been debating a cat since I moved into my condo in October.  But there is not a good place to keep a litter box and so I was stumped.  Everyone said if I really wanted a cat, I would figure it out.  And I began to think they were right.  I guess I didn't really want a cat.  But this is how I tend to do things.  I deliberate for months on a decision, and then I impulsively make the decision.  Sometime the week before I got Quincy, I started thinking about it more seriously.  I got on one of the local shelter's websites to look at options.  I talked incessantly about it with my coworkers (the poor people)  I showed them pictures of my top four picks, one of which was a kitten.  But the shelter stated that you cannot request a specific kitten.  It is first come first serve.  On Monday evening I impulsively filled out my application, putting those four picks including the kitten.  On Tuesday I got a call that my application was approved and one of the adult cats plus the kitten were available but I needed to come in within 24 hours.  I couldn't get there until after work on Wednesday.  One of my coworkers told me she would bring me a cat carrier.  I went right after work, and there was Brantley, the cutest, tiniest ball of fluff.  And his equally cute gray and white sister, all cuddled together in this hammock (we won't talk about how I debated coming home with two kittens!).  It was a pretty seamless process and I was out of that shelter in less than an hour, with the kitten!

Then I had the excruciating decision of naming him.  I had started thinking of names earlier in the week, just in case.  Top names at the beginning were Baxter, Sully, Tanner, Ryder, and Quinn.  The day I got him, the names that stuck in my mind were Spencer and Quincy.  But I could not decide!  Thursday after work I had to call the vet to make my first appointment and they needed a name.  I told them that I was still trying to decide but that right now it is Quincy.  Then, through the shelter, I also got 30 days of free pet insurance.  When I called to set it up, they also needed a name.  So, Quincy he became.  I think I was always leaning toward that name but I was being swayed by the crowd, because most people liked Spencer better.  I just kept thinking that it was a good thing I haven't had any children.  How do you ever decide?!  It's such a permanent decision!

As most of you have seen on Facebook, Quincy likes to sleep right at my neck.  I don't mind it much, except when I have other things to do because he will follow me around and meow incessantly until I finally just lay down with him and watch an hour of TV while he naps.  I know, I'm creating bad habits, but he really is cute.  I'm at my kitchen table while typing this and he is sleeping in my lap, but he kept trying to crawl up to my neck with those sharp little claws!

I love the white tips on his ears!

That cute little orange marking on his nose is what I loved in his picture the first time I saw him.

We're adjusting.  Apparently, my condo is not very kitten proof, and he can only get to the lowest level of things so far.  He's about a two pound ball of fluff.  He purrs the whole time he's asleep, unless he falls into a deep sleep and then he stops purring.  He has this mouse on a stick that he loves to play with and carry around in his mouth.  So far, I've been keeping him in the spare room when I leave or at night.  I want him to know early on that he is not going to sleep in my room.  No pets in my bed.  People think I'll change my mind on this, but it's a pretty adamant rule that I have.  I'm too light of a sleeper.

It was nice timing to get him.  Things have been a little calmer at work, so I've been able to get off earlier and be home at night with him and then we had a three day weekend, and I'm off Thursday and Friday for my sister's wedding on Saturday.  We are off to the vet first thing Thursday morning because the shelter required a visit within the first week.

I'm sure there will be plenty more cat posts to come.  Such as his sleeping habits.  I have so many cute, sleeping pictures it is not even funny!  Yesterday I wasn't feeling well, so we laid on the couch together most of the day.  And I documented every nap in pictures!

Food Log Fail

So, first of all, I don't really keep a food log.  But if I did, I would have failed today.  Not in the recording, which I'm about to do, but in what I'm recording!

As with most of my stories, I have to preface this one with another one. :)  I know you guys love me, so you humor me.  And I let you.

This weekend, 9 of my friends and I went away for a weekend to play games, watch movies, and eat.  A lot.  Some people also hiked. Since I only packed lounge wear, I was not one of them.  I never left the cabin and I was perfectly okay with that.  Monday, when I weighed myself, I would have to say that I gained several pounds.  And a little more on Tuesday.

So, today I decided I needed to get back on track with what I was eating.  I packed the rest of the cookies I made for the weekend to take to work so I wouldn't eat them at home.  When I got to work, I offered a cookie to one of my co-workers and then took them to the kitchen and may have eaten on my way out the door.  I then headed to another building to pick up a check.  It was Angie's birthday and she offered me a doughnut.  Don't get me started on how little self control I have for doughnuts.  So I ate one.  Then I went to my client's house and to court.  On the way back to the office from court, I decided to get a Dr. Pepper from McDonald's (this was not anything new, so it wasn't a deviation.  I simply would rather a fountain drink than a can sometimes).  But while I was waiting in the drive thru I decided that a McChicken and fries sounded better than the frozen meal I brought.  And I had saved a cookie for myself.  And the kitchen had a tin of caramel popcorn that I might have had a handful of every time I went to the bathroom or kitchen.  And the cookies weren't gone, so I think I had two more.  And then we had lasagna for dinner at church tonight...

Fail.  Fail.  Fail.  Fail.  Oh, and, fail.

Tomorrow.  I'll think about it tomorrow.

Dreams

Last week the mom of one of my clients told me about something her daughter said in her sleep.  Apparently her other daughter said, "I'm going to tell Teresa about it."  Meaning she thinks that I can interpret dreams.  If only...

Last night I had a dream and the Toy Story characters were in it.  Except they were white and cloth, specially made so that you can color them. They were breaking out of the boxes they came in an were upset that they were all white.  That's all I remember.

In the Bible, every time someone has a really obscure or weird dream, there is always someone to interpret it and make it seem really logical.

I am not that person...

Thick skin

I told my last client of the day that it is a good thing I have thick skin and don't get offended easily because she was the fourth person this week to ask me if it was time for me to leave yet!  It was just one of those weeks.  The first time was a client I have been seeing for over two years.  She LOVES seeing me.  Seriously, I could come every day to see her and she would be okay with it.  But this week, after about 20 minutes, she said, "Is it time for you to leave yet?"  When I told her "no" and asked her why she wanted me to leave, she said, "I don't like you."  I don't remember what I said back, but then she smirked and said she was just kidding!  Eye roll please.  My last two clients, I responded by telling them that every time they asked, I would add a minute to their time.  Not the most therapeutic answer, but I was a little done with being therapeutic at that point! :)

Be My Valentine

I picked up my client at school today and he said he had something for me and handed me a piece of paper. I didn't think much of it, because kids often give me things that they say they did for me that I know they are just digging out of their backpacks. But this one actually had my name on it! It was so sweet. He had folded the Valentine into an "envelope" that he had made.

A little ego boost, if I do say so myself!

Cousins

Our cousins hold a distinct place in our lives. They are our first friends, our first confidants. And although as we age and form friendships at school and in life, our cousins still hold a special place. At least that has been true in my life. This week, I celebrated the life of my cousin's wife, who passed away on Sunday. Although I did not grow up with Michelle, I have known her for around 10 years. And although I did not see her often because of distance, I feel like she has always been a Forsberg. Her death will leave a gaping hole in our family, as any death does. But her life will also be something we can celebrate through memories and stories. This week on Facebook, her friends and family have posted many tributes to her in order to process grief and loss. To know Michelle was to know her contagious smile and laugh. That sparkle in her gorgeous blue eyes. The fierce squeeze of her hugs. She lived life well. Michelle suffered from a kidney disease and was waiting for her third kidney. Most of the time, I would forget this about her, because it was not what defined her. She did not want others to see her pain or suffering. She wanted to enjoy being with you and focus on what you were doing with your life.

The bottom pictures are pictures from a cousin's party we had.  Michelle is in the Cubs shirt in the middle.

I don't know what was so funny, but of course, Michelle is front and center with her great laugh, doubled over! :)

That laugh will be something to miss, but also something to remember.

In death, Michelle was able to donate her beautiful eyes, so that someone would gain sight.  It was a hard week, but death has a way of reminding us how precious life is and how much we take our friends and family for granted.  I was honored to call Michelle my cousin.  Because I can't give her a great big hug anymore, I hope to remember that contagious hug and pass it on to others.

Blessings Jar 2016

This is my 4th year using a Blessings Jar to chronicle my year and recognize ways God has blessed me each day. It is one of my favorite things that I do each year, although I'll admit, that as the years have continued, I get bogged down sometimes. I think it is important to have something every day, but sometimes I forget to record anything for a week or week and a half. So, then, I have to sit and try to remember the blessing. Not quite what the activity had in mind. This year, I often turned my blessings into prayer or even into a praise, "Thank you, Lord, for..." This helped to refocus me a little bit this year. In 2017, I want to take that even further, and record actual prayer requests on the back so that I can look back at the end of the year and see what prayers God answered for me or for others that I am praying for.

And now, for some of the highlights of my blessings...

Themes:
good sleep
exercise
dinner with friends
Scripture memory review
sunshine on snow
talks with friends
quiet days at home
units billed at work (this was a really good year after a couple of not so good years)
prayer
joys of Tuesday night Bible study
a group I led at work with my adult clients
serving at church
naps
jeans in the summer
haircuts! (it made the jar twice!)
visits from family
productive days at home and work

And here are some specific entries:

January 3rd--"Thank you, Lord, that even though I often desire change in my life, the steadfast love of the Lord never changes."  Oh. my. goodness.  Did I bring 2016 on myself?  Since when do I desire change???  Apparently, 2015 had been a year of sameness and I wanted some things to change.  Just goes to show that we always want what we do not have!

January 12--4 year old client saying, "I love Teresa days!"

January 23--Thank you, Lord, for quiet days.

January 26--Thank you Lord, for people who will pray with me and for me

January 30--60 degrees in January?! (punctuation was original to the post! :) )

Feb 2--Thank you, Lord, for friends who pray.  And for friends who follow-up with prayer.  And for comfort in the midst of trials.  And for routine that keeps you going. (This was the week of my grandma's surgery)

Feb 25--in bed by 8:50, lights out at 10:00--feels so good

March 10--Lord, thank you for the motivation for Scripture memory and the desire to make it effective for knowing You more.

March 17--"dinner with Sarah to discuss co-leading Bible study"  Such a gift this was the latter part of the year.  Little did I know that the same time I was praying about approaching Sarah, she was making some changes in her own life that my co-leading would help.  God is so good!

April 22--Daniel's adoption!!!
                Surprised Dad for his birthday with Daynah

May 14--hit 30 pounds lost!!!

May 17--Sorry, Lord, for letting circumstances decide my mood--thank You for being in control and showing me grace upon grace!

June 4--spent the morning at soccer games in the rain
             spent the afternoon at Grandma's house.  She was in good spirits and joking and telling                        stories.  Was there to put her to bed and say goodnight.  (This was the last conversation I had              with her.  She passed away the next morning)

June 12--Grandma's funeral, meeting Aunt Thelma, spending time with family and sharing memories, saw the house where Grandma grew up

July 15--a not-so-good day with little sleep last night--thank you, Lord, that I can have a deep, abiding trust in You

August 24--Made an offer on a condo.  Eek!!

Sept 26--Thank you, Lord, for changes in seasons

October 7--Closed on my condo!

October 28--Moving day :)  Moving crew was AMAZING!

Nov 2--Went to Joe and Ginger's to watch the Cubs win the World Series!

Nov 29--gorgeous sunrise after lots of cloudy days...and a beautiful sunset.  Thank you, Lord, for the splendor of your majesty

Dec 19--Forsbergs arrived from Arizona!!!

Dec 31--New Year's Eve at Burkes.  Lots of games and fellowship!  Holding and playing with Mazie!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, 2016 was not a favorite year.  There were a lot of changes.  It was good to see the blessings in the midst of those changes.  This was also an emotional year to review.  I was surprised at how emotional I got reviewing my blessings, but am thankful to see how the Lord led me through each of those emotions, one by one.

And now for 2017...