I’m a bit slow to update my blog in general, but I’m even more slow now because I’m on vacation! I’m in St. George Utah, a gorgeous, hidden gem of a place. It’s still in Utah, so it is hard to get a cocktail around here, but its just so incredible here nature wise. Take a look at the red rock views below… and the weather is great – hot and dry.
I’m working on my bikini-clad beach body tan, and 4 days into it, I still DO NOT have tan lines. I’ve been careful not to burn myself by using SPF 8, but lordy, I would think my skin would be a bit more bronze given the amount of time of been out in the sun (about 8-10 hours). Tomorrow, Friday is my last day to get some sun, so I may go without any sunscreen …. we shall see. Wish me luck – I’d like to go home witih dark skin and some deep tan lines.
Lastly, this place brings back a lot of memories, good and not so good. I will share a few of these stories with you at a later date – when I have time and am ready to reminisce about a few of the hardest years of my life.
Last week was just absolutely crazy. There was something going on every single day/evening.. I usually keep to myself, would be considered a shut-in if I didn’t have to go to work everyday….
My dearest friend from Paris was in town with her boyfriend and his daughters. I had so much fun with them, but boy my friend runs a tight ship. She had the family doing something every day – it reminded me of my family trips way back when… a story for another time. They family left on Wednesday, heading for Southern California (where you can actually get in the water without a wetsuit) and good ol’ Las Vegas (you have to see it at least once!).
In addition, Zoey cut her foot really badly and had to go to the hopital on Monday. I woke up on Monday with blood all over the bed, and it wasn’t from me. Zoey was curled up next to my head, which is unusual… when I got out of bed I saw all the blood. I checked her out, and sure enough, she had a deep gash/cut on the back of her bony little foot. She was so sad, the vet said it was very painful and they had to put her down, give her some anesthesia to fix her up. She was a bit out of it last week, but she is back to her funny furry self now.
We also had a ‘coon problem ’round these parts. A mother and baby pair of raccoons settled themselves into my attic – which would be fine with me if they weren’t so mean and hated cats so much. The bad news is the mom raccoon was trapped and euthenized, the good news is the baby raccoon is being domesticated by a friend of the trapper. I’ve just received an update, the baby is being hand fed and is eating everything that he/she is given. Next step is to ‘get cuddly’ with the raccoon… I can’t wait to get another progress report.
I’m in Utah now, spending a few days with family. I am here to work on purchasing another rental property, however, this trip’s purpose has taken another turn…. I am now here to see my niece.
She and her husband were in an accident on Friday night. They were driving along a rural road in the evening, and came across a group of cows. They slowed down, but one of the cows moved out in front of the car and they were unable to stop – They hit the cow head on. The cow flew over their car. My niece and her husband are alive and well for the most part. the cow, is dead.
Events like this make you realize that life is so short. Sometimes we have just a brush with Death… and hopefully use these events to think about our lives, and how lucky we are to be alive. This accident could have had a very different and disastrous outcome. We, the family, feel so lucky that it ONLY produced a totaled car, a dead cow, and a few injuries, back and foot and some facial lacerations, that will heal. This is why I will be out of pocket tomorrow – I’m going to see my niece and do my best to take care of her, even if its just for a day.
I cannot wait to see her. I’ll take a few pictures – I hear her face is black and blue from hitting the airbag. Better than it would have looked had her head hit the windshield I’m sure.
So it is Sunday night… I’ve had a long weekend. A good weekend certainly, but a very long one for me (the recluse cat woman). I was with family from the minute I landed in Utah on Saturday morning, until now, late Sunday evening.
Today I spent the day in a very remote place in Utah, celebrating the birthday of my 2-year old neice. It was a great party – 20+ family and friends showed up. So much fun – and of course, “Mayonaise”, my grand-niece, wanted to come ‘home’ with “The Best Aunt In The World”, which from now on I will reference as TBAITW. Abby had to stay home with her mom and a visit with me will be scheduled!! She is absolutely adorable, one of the smartest kids I know. She hears you say one thing and is able to reference it back.. context and all… unbelievable.
So, as TBAITW, everyone wants to spend time with me (I AM popular folks… you just have to find the right crowd, my cats know this!!) … my 9 year old neice had some time and wanted to hang out. She is absolutely adorable, a gorgeous person, so funny and so much fun. She is just the best ever! Anyway, she, and her BFF wanted to come stay with me in SLC… of course I said yes!!! Love it – I’m so cool, two (2) 9-year olds want to stay with me! Am I THE COOLEST or what??!?!?!?!
Now, I love that they wanted to come stay with me. However, there are some tasks that comes along with the kids that I’ve long since forgotten:
100% attention is required. 9 year-olds are self-suffiienct meaning that I dont have to change diapers and they wont starve if I can’t feed them (they can open refridgerators, make cereal, etc.). They can survive for the most part on their own, but they want and need attention 24/7. Boy, do they love to show all the things they can do/try/etc., example, “TBAITW, did you know that when soda gets up your nose it hurts?”…
Couldn’t be without their posse. Syd couldn’t be without “Mo Mo”(one of her two dogs). I of course, being TBAITW , “Mo Mo” could come with her. My sister says, “we treat everyone equally, anything Moo Moo gets, Roxy gets.” (Being a twin, its all about equality, so this is totally fine with me). What I didn’t know was that “Max”, the little black dog was “Mo Mo”… and that Roxy was the injured dog wearing the cone hat. Love dogs, but hadn’t thought about what that meant in a downtown city condo.
O.k.. so, I am now in my SLC condo, my gorgeous condo, my home away from home, with 2 9-year olds and 2 dogs…. Never in my wildest dreams did I think this could happen… So perfect in a crazy, busy way….. grilled cheese, Cinnamon Life, hot tubbing, movies, stories of a lifetime, questions of all types, etc…. all unexpected, but some of the best moments of my life (what does one say to a 9-year old that asks “what drugs have you done?’)… hmmm… 😉
Here is where the crazy part comes in. We get out of the hot tub, take our showers, I feed them, they are fed and happy and soon to be talked out (fingers are crossed). I feel like the coolest ever, taking care of them and the dogs… I deserve some wine. I know its Sunday, but I’ve stocked up. I unlock the owners closet, and find what I love, a few bottles of wine… I want red (it started raining when we were in the hot tub.. went from warm to cold pretty quickly, thereby calling for red wine). I find a favorite – LIberty School Cab… so consistently good. My mouth starts to water…. I grab the bottle and head to the kitchen….
Low and behold, there isn’t a corkscrew… its gone missing. Its not in the dishwasher or any of the drawers or cupboards. Seriously, how could someone take that and only that out of the condo??? Did a mormon stay here in the last couple of months and ‘disapprove’ of the ‘liquid intake’ a corkscrew would allow? It’s just mind-boggling to me that anyone would take a corkscrew from the condo. Of all the things to take…. take the 50” TV but not my corkscrew!!
So, I had to make myself a Carrie (I know, tough life). I will remedy the situation so it never happens again (I will by two corkscrews: one for the condo and one for the ‘owners closet’). But seriously, it is just unconscionable to me that ANYONE would take someone’s corkscrew. I just dont get it.
All in all, a very good day. A lot of space filled with questions, comments, stories, and the like. Very different from my world, but a welcome change (minus the missing corkscrew).
So, my family right now consists of myself and my two very adorable cats. I’ve been a little bit more open about my family lately, to the dismay of my coworkers.
I don’t get out much, by choice. What I do like to do is stay home and hang out with my little girls, Sophie and Zoey. What surprises me is how much I talk to them. I’ve been doing it for a while now (I’m sure my soon-to-be-ex would say its since day one), but today I got caught on a business call talking to one of the cats. Heres the situation: Zoey was scratching at the door, wanting to come in.. and when I opened the door, she just sat there… not really wanting to come in, just wanting the option available to her (which I totally get). I think I said something like “get in here baby… come on… tsss tsss”…and she finally saunters in (adorable!!).
So here I am, admitting that I do indeed talk to my cats like they are human, and today I realize that I might be a little over the top with it. Here are a few things I discussed with the ladies just today:
When they come when called, when they listen to my requests – “Oh, that’s mommy’s very good girl!”
Whenever I see them – “Who loves you? Your mommy loves you!”
When one growls (Sophie is a growler) – “Don’t be grumpy, be happy!”
When they start fighting – “Hey there, now now… all we have is each other, so stop fighting and start loving!”
When they share their hunger pains with me, which without fail begins at 3:59pm – “Hey ladies, I know you are hungry, but give mommy a minute, please?”
When I see them out the window, sitting in the street, I open the front door and holler – “Get out of the road, don’t you know cars drive through here?!”
When we are in the bathroom – “Quit wasting the toilet paper, you think this stuff grows on trees?!?”
Sound familiar those of you who are parents??? Ummm hmmmm ?!?
So yes, I have become the crazy cat lady. But i’m o.k. with that – they love me, I love them. Our family is different… but we do have each other, and that’s something.
Paula's Ponderings 
