Caturday Saturday

Kely, who has a thing or two to say!

So much has happened at our place in the past few weeks, we cats aren't sure we know what it's all about.

So today, Caturday, we are letting Teri tell the story from her perspective, since our perspective is probably kinda skewed.

We are still getting our stinky goodness (though Teri says it's the cheaper version) and we are still getting our snuggletime with Teri...more of it, even and we don't think that's bad (but Teri says snuggletime doesn't pay the rent).

And we know that we still have lotsa kitties we are 'fostering' because their families gave them up (Carlos and Zeuss, and Kely and Bebe) and Teri hasn't worked very hard on finding them new homes, with everything else that is happening! Though a family has spoken for Carlos and Zeuss, they can't adopt them until the move back to Virginia in the fall.

Carlos and Zeuss (Brothers)

Kely and Bebe (Mother and Daughter)

Anyway, here's where we let Teri take over...

Hi friendly followers of our blog. If someone had asked me 3 months ago, how the rest of my year was going to be...I would have said Great!

There was BlogPaws to attend in May, something I look forward to every year and because it was in my neck of the woods, all 3 Fashionistas would be able to attend with me.

Then there was the Wigglebutt Wedding in June, and besides being a fantastic way to raise funds for Life's Little Paws Cocker Spaniel Rescue, it would be a chance for the Fashion Cats and I to meet up with some Fashionistas dogs that we only knew as Facebook friends.

And I had registered for Barkworld and was going to drive down to Atlanta with a fellow blogger, Carol from Coffee, Cats n' Yarn, and we would have fun meeting some new blogging friends as well as learning a thing or two. Of course, those plans had to be set aside...

I was let go from my job of 11 years, working at an all feline veterinary hospital. It was not my decision to up and leave a job that rounded out a life that was... Cats 24/7.

So, now what to do? I am trying to make my job hunting a job. Getting up, showering and getting dressed, working on job searches and applications for a few hours and trying to stay positive.

I'm getting unemployment, which pays the mortgage but nothing more and the kitties and I still have to eat.

My mom actually flew out from Oregon and stayed with me for a week and we cleaned and purged closets and cupboards and donated 20 pairs of shoes, 3 bags of clothes and lots of kitchen stuff I never use!

Oh, and we ate and drank our way through many a pleasant evening, too! It meant so much to me for her to be here to love and support me!

Fortunately, every cat is stable and healthy at the moment, and thank goodness the tooth implant I am half way through was begun and paid for (well, with Care Credit) before my dental insurance was terminated, too.

I think back on my career in veterinary medicine, from my first job with the vet who cared for my families dogs and horses. Then on to the big practice in the San Francisco area where I moved after I got married.

And there are the fond memories of the dog and cat and livestock practice in Oregon, where I moved after I got divorced and where I stayed for 22 years, eventually taking on management and bookkeeping duties.

When I got married again and my husbands job brought us to Virginia, I thought my dreams had come true, which included working at my first all-cat practice.

I would have never guessed that I would lose my husband unexpectedly to an aneurysm in 2007, or that I would find myself without a job just as unexpectedly...

I am also saddened that I have let something else I love, this blog and blogging, fall by the wayside while the turmoil of all this has gotten me on a roller coaster of emotions...none of them very uplifting and upbeat to blog about at the moment.

So, today, I am going to do something that makes me happy. Make a commitment to set aside a little time each day to 1) write a blog post and 2) visit some blog friends...EVERY DAY! There is still a lot in my life that is good and that I am thankful for...

That includes friends and family who have helped me with everything from my résumé, to cleaning out closets, to taking me out to dinner. I shudder to think of what depths of despair I would be in without them!

And may the next chapter in my life be as good as some of the chapters before this...after all, I have a part in writing this book, right?!

Oh, and don't forget to Hop!