Coming to an End

The end of a year always makes me reminisce about the last 12 months of my life. On the surface, this past year appears to have been uneventful, but under the surface a lot has happened.

One experience that I've thought about often since it happened was in March. My Grandmother passed away and my four siblings and I set out on a cross-country drive for the funeral. We had been driving for a few hours when we stopped in Wyoming and I was voted the next drive. It was cold and dark and we had a long way ahead of us.

I had only been driving for 30 minutes when I felt the car start to sway. I tried to steady the wheel but it only got worse and soon we were swaying across both lanes. At 60 mph our car was spinning down I-80. As we were twirling 360 degrees counter-clockwise, sliding sideways, spinning 360 degrees clockwise and at one point backwards down the freeway, for what seemed like an eternity, my mind was surprisingly clear and I was doing all I could to regain control. With my sister, Julie, riding shotgun we had enough time to discuss what to do.

J: Take your foot off the brake!
S: My foot isn't ON the brake!

*Silence as we continued to spin."

J: Turn into it!
S: Turn into it? I am!

I don't know how it happened, but we were suddenly facing the right direction and I was pulling off to the shoulder. Shaking and now on the verge of tears, I put the car in park and took my hands off the wheel. Two of the five were not wearing seat belts and not one of us could figure out how I had managed to keep the car on the road. If we would have hit a dry patch there is no doubt the Ford Explorer would have flipped. My brother stepped out onto the freeway and discovered a layer of ice 1/4 inch thick.

We discussed it then on the side of the road and I've thought about it many times since then--it was nothing short of a miracle that we made it through without a scratch. We were protected and it reiterated to all of us that we are here for a reason and there are still things we need to accomplish in this life.

I'm grateful for what that experience taught me and for all of the experiences I've had this past year. I've learned so much, especially about myself, and can only hope for the same in 2007. Plus, Lindsay's crystal ball showed that I will get married this year.

Bring on 2007!!

Bum Holiday

Unless you like to drink, New Year's Eve isn't that exciting. I've been to my fair share of drunken New Year's parties, but this holiday has become just another day to me. This year, for example, I've chosen to not shower, sit on the couch watching season 2 of Grey's Anatomy, eat popcorn and drink Diet Coke. It's brilliant.

Happy New Year!

Good Times

A few of my favorite comments from the weekend...

1. So, how's your Aspen? (A question I was asked by my uncle in church.)
2. So...what's our position on farting?
3. That wreath is official.
4. A: I don't like to say the word 'pianist' because it sounds like I'm saying 'penis'.
B: So you can't say 'pianist' because it sounds like 'penis', but you can say 'penis'?
5. Get out of the store and put some pants on!

Aaahh...Christmas with the Howard family.

Christmas Eve Itinerary

On the docket for today:

-Church with the Heagany's
-Food preparation for dinner tonight
-Shower
-Set up camp for the family sleepover
-Geoff & LaNae's for dinner
-Games, chatting, laughing,
-Back to my house for the sleepover
-Santa comes!

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!!

It's a Christmas miracle!

Many, many thanks to everyone who brought a beloved iPod back into my life! (And everyone who sits near me at work thanks you also, because now I'll stop complaining about it getting stolen...maybe.) I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am. I feel very blessed to have people in my life who would do something like this.

You, whoever you are, have definitely made my Christmas and I thank you from the bottom of my heart!

On the verge...

...of a nervous breakdown.

Last night I left work (rather late--my first mistake) and headed to Wal-Mart in WVC. (Second mistake--Wal-Mart, a week before Christmas, in the ghetto.) The place was packed and crawling with people walking too slow, taking up the whole aisle and screaming children. To make matters worse, I could not, for the life of me, decide what to buy for my co-workers. Or even which co-workers I wanted to buy something for.

After calling my mom and asking for her advice (yes, it got to that point) I had made a decision and went off in search of something to put this "gift" in. Nothing. Could not find a single container to meet my needs.

Frustrated, I fought my way to the electronics section of the store. I needed to find a CD. A CD that can only be purchased at Wal-Mart because they sell edited music. After searching for the CD and having a creepy man hovering behind me, staring at me with a nasty-toothed grin, I gave up.

By this point my head hurt and I was starting to get shaky because I hadn't eaten since lunch (third mistake) and I'd almost given up trying to find anything. But I decided to head over to the food section and finish what I originally came there to do (get co-workers Christmas gifts if you've forgotten).

I walked up and down the aisles in no particular order (fourth mistake) collecting bits and pieces of what I needed. I could not find peanuts. No peanuts anywhere. I called my mom--again--and asked where peanuts are located in Wal-Mart. She pointed me in the right direction (from our living room in Michigan) and I added them to the basket.

Last on my list was butterscotch chips. Easy. They're with all of the baking stuff and I'd probably walked down that aisle three times by then. I made my way to the baking aisle (not before telling a young screaming girl to shut up as I walked past) and walked right to the spot where they should be. No butterscotch chips. Not a bag to be found.

Standing there in the baking aisle of Wal-Mart, my eyes started to well up with tears. I contemplated scrapping the whole deal and leaving my entire cart right there where the butterscotch chips were supposed to be and giving my co-workers and note that said, "I would've made you tasty holiday treats but Wal-Mart didn't have any f'ing butterscotch chips. Merry Christmas!" Instead, I pulled myself together, walked to the check out and waited (not-so-patiently) in line.

When did I get so emotionally unstable? And, more importantly, what kind of Wal-Mart runs out of butterscotch chips?

All Aboard!

I just wanted everyone to know that I'm back on the Jim and Pam train! Karen is nice, but she's just the rebound. Jim still loves Pam!

All At Once

There are certain people you just keep coming back to
She is right in front of you
You begin to wonder could you find a better one
Compared to her now she's in question

And all at once the crowd begins to sing
Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same

Maybe you want her maybe you need her
Maybe you started to compare to someone not there

Looking for the right one you line up the world to find
Where no questions cross your mind
But she won't keep on waiting for you without a doubt
Much longer for you to sort it out

And all at once the crowd begins to sing
Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same

Maybe you want her maybe you need her
Maybe you started to compare to someone not there
Maybe you want it maybe you need it,
Maybe it's all you're running from,
Perfection will not come

And all at once the crowd begins to sing
Sometimes
We'd never know what's wrong without the pain
Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same

Maybe you want her maybe you need her
Maybe you've started to compare to someone not there
Maybe you want it maybe you need it
Maybe it's all you're running from
Perfection will not come

Maybe you want her maybe you need her
Maybe you had her maybe you lost her to another
To another

-The Fray

Is it on me?

Do you ever walk into a really stinky place, possibly any/every bathroom at DM, and wonder if the stink will be on you when you leave?

I usually wonder and I'm here to tell you that stink can get on you.

There's a man from my home town that is known (at least in my family) for not having the best body odor. I went home for a visit one summer (the Michigan heat and humidity do nothing for his BO problem) and saw him on Sunday. As usual he wanted a hug, so I opted for the quick side hug. I'm not very tall and the top of my shoulder was just the right height to fit snug against his armpit.

We chatted for a bit and after I walked away I began catching wiffs of an unpleasant smell. I turned my head to the right and sniffed my shoulder. Whoa! I walked over to my brother and asked him to smell my shoulder (you might think he would've asked why, but in my family asking someone to "smell this" isn't uncommon).

It was confirmed. His stink was on me. For the 2 seconds that my shoulder was snug in his armpit, the stink was transferred. Sick.

Moral of the story: beware of stinky places, whether it be bathrooms or armpits. The stink can get on you and, I can tell you from experience, it's not pretty.

Thief on the Loose

I know where I left my iPod and I know where it is no longer. It has officially been stolen off of my desk at work.

I was in one meeting or another from 11-2:30 today so if someone was going to steal from me, today was the perfect day. Audrey saw the iPod on my desk at around 1:45 and I noticed it was missing around 2:40. For those of you who are not good with math, that's a 55 minute time frame. If only I hadn't gone to McKinsie's meeting.

Gossip around here spreads like wildfire and I hope the thief has heard someone talking about it and feels like a jackass. That still doesn't get me my iPod back, but makes me feel a little better.

My favorite part of this fiasco is the response I received from the Director of HR...
"Thank you for letting me know. I will ask reception to let me know if anyone turns one in."

To which I replied, "I don't think anyone is going to turn it in to reception because it's not lost--it's stolen."

I haven't heard back from her. Shocker. Toby would not have given such a crappy response.

Either way, it's gone and I'm sad about it.

Oh, and I hate people who steal.

Bad Day

I sometimes wonder what would happen if I just stopped coming to work.

Could I really muster up the guts to "pull a Leo" and just not come back? Would Kirk and Carlee show up at my house to make sure I hadn't done anything drastic like Kim and Mark did to Leo? Hopping on a plane to San Diego and living at a YMCA isn't sounding too bad right about now.

Maybe I should go the route of Peter Gibbons from Office Space.

Peter Gibbons: I uh, I don't like my job, and, uh, I don't think I'm gonna go anymore.
Joanna: You're just not gonna go?
PG: Yeah.
J: Won't you get fired?
PG: I don't know, but I really don't like it, and, uh, I'm not gonna go.
J: So you're gonna quit?
PG: Nuh-uh. Not really. Uh... I'm just gonna stop going.

Then when I go to my meeting with the Bobs' (which is likely to happen here at DM) I could lay it all out on the table and get a promotion.

It's 8:00 pm and I'm still at work searching for 300 leads, one by one, in three different files. I want to poke my eyes out and I uh, I don't like my job, and, uh, I don't think I'm gonna go anymore.

Can Only Be Classified As Out of Control

Lindsay does not mess around when it comes to Christmas decorations.

When I got home from work last night there was a tree (a real one!) in the garage. And once you have a tree you can't just let it sit in the garage naked. So, we skipped the gym to hit up Target for some decorations. Lindsay claims that I didn't have the Christmas spirit on our shopping trip, but I maintain that I just didn't have the vision.

For example:
S: "Can't we use the pink and silver ornaments we used last year?"
L: "That's lame. We need new ones."

And new ones we got.


It turns out that a couple months ago Lindsay budgeted a certain amount for "Christmas decor". I'm telling you, she doesn't mess around.
Our cart was not only filled with ornaments for the tree, but with other decorations for various places in the house--including the largest wreath I've ever encountered in my life.






The rest of the evening was spent listening to Christmas music and decorating the tree. About half-way through decorating Lindsay announced that I finally had the vision.

I think it looks wonderful!

Sisters! Sisters!

The annual Thanksgiving picture...

Let Christmas Begin!

The Christmas season has officially started and I'm excited!

I was thinking that since Christmas can't officially start until Thanksgiving is over, maybe Thanksgiving should be a little earlier in the month. One month just isn't enough time to get into it and at 12:01am on December 26th it's all over.

Maybe not. Just a thought.

One thing I have been doing to get into the Christmas spirit is listenting to Christmas music. Sarah McLachlan's new CD, Wintersong, has been playing in my car for about a week but my all-time Christmas favorites are Bing Crosby's Merry Christmas and Johnny Mathis' The Sounds of Chrismas . They are Howard family classics.

What are your favorites?

Let Me Tell You Something 'Bout My Best Friend

This being a long weekend + me feeling a little under the weather = plenty of time to catch up on all the shows I've recorded. I cleaned the DVR out and had to resort to channel surfing. I struck gold and found my new favorite reality show: "Rob & Big" on MTV.

The show is about a pro-skateboarder, Rob Dyrdek, and his bodyguard "Big Black" and I can't even tell you how much I love it. They're like little boys that just play all day and they are hilarious.



Thursday nights at 10:30 on MTV. You won't regret it.

Five Stars

I saw "Stranger Than Fiction" on Friday night and it just may have been better than I expected. I loved it.

Will Ferrell, "Buster", Maggie Gyllenhaal, Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah...c'mon. You just can't go wrong. I thought Will Ferrell was perfect for the part. He pulled off the comedy without a problem and did surprisingly well with the serious moments.

I left feeling very satisfied and, in my expert opinion, would give it five stars.

Duh...

I love the word "duh" lately. I don't necessarily use the word myself, but when used in the right situation I can't help but laugh. Sometimes Nat even busts out the "double duh" which is also great.

Here's an email I just received from Scott (in it's entirety):
"That was my plan from the beginning. duh"

Loved it.

Injured Bad...

I had forgotten about this commercial, but it was on Ellen today and still cracks me up!! This kid is fantastic.

Completely Unsanitary

I came in to work today to find a teddy bear on my desk with a note that said, "Hi Steph, I'm Teddy Ruxpin!" Clearly Matthew's doing. My plan was to return the bear when he wasn't there, so I pushed it aside and went about my business.

Later this afternoon, Matthew came over for his daily chat and revealed that he had found the bear in the shop. This fact automatically made the bear dirty. He then went on to tell us that he found the bear in the men's bathroom in the shop.

Two questions:
1. Why would you bring a teddy bear from the men's bathroom in the shop and put it on my desk? I work there and sometimes eat there (including today).
2. Why is there a teddy bear in the men's bathroom in the shop?

TJ BearyTales Is The New Teddy Ruxpin

When I was a kid my Grandma Howard bought me a Teddy Ruxpin. It was a teddy bear that read stories out loud as I followed along in my book. I loved my Teddy Ruxpin and think I actually still have him somewhere.

I just saw a commerical for TJ BearyTales which is basically Teddy Ruxpin 21 years later. Now the toddlers of 2006 get to experience the joy of having a talking, rock hard teddy bear with slightly creepy blinking eyes...

House of Carters

If you haven't seen an episode of House of Carters, you need to. It is absolutely awful and I watch it every week. They start screaming and crying at the drop of a hat but will for sure "hug it out" (in the words of Michael Scott) in the end. They are serious WT living off of Nick's money.

I just watched last night's episode where they had a family discussion about dental hygiene. None of them should be giving any hygiene-related advice. Leslie said that brushing once a week is enough. Nick said that three times a week is about right. BJ said that she went to the dentist recently (shocker) and was told that everyone should brush and floss up to three times a day. You don't say?

These were the arguments against brushing daily:
-That's an ancient way of thinking (Rebuttal: No, I have a very young dentist.)
-Mummies always have perfect teeth
-Brushing too much rubs off he enamel

Wow.

It's a train wreck and I can't stop watching.

That's Some Good 'Sheed!

Tonight I attended my first Pistons game ever and I loved it! All my boys were there (minus Big Ben, of course) and they lived up to all my expectations (minus winning, of course). Despite not scoring a field goal for probably 10 minutes in the 3rd quarter, Detroit only ended up losing by a measly 2 points! Final score: Jazz 103, Pistons 101.

The tickets were free, parking was free, Lindsay and I found boyfriends at concessions, I got to eat a hot dog AND a soft pretzel...what could go wrong? Crabby Jazz fans, that's what.

We were sitting behind a girl (and her boyfriend who sat through 90% of the game with his headphones in) who thought she knew all there was to know about basketball and seemed to believe that without her cheering, the Jazz just wouldn't be able to pull through.



Needless to say, she did NOT appreciate that we were cheering for the Pistons and Lindsay and I really enjoyed the fact that it bothered her so much. Near the beginning of the game she said, "I really like sitting over there because you don't ever have to deal with people cheering for the other team." And for a while she would turn and give us dirty looks every time we clapped. I had no idea that there were official rules about only being able to cheer for the home team...silly me. All she really did was make me want to cheer louder and I made sure to lead forward so she could her my claps.

Alas, my boys couldn't pull it together in the end but it was still a great time.

It's the little things...

...that make me miss home. These are a couple pictures my Dad sent of my Aunt Rena's farm.

Lunesta

I hate the Lunesta commercial. In fact, it makes me want to poke my eyes out. We get it! The name of the drug is Lunesta. Please stop saying it.

Next time I see the commercial I'll try to get an official count of how many times they say it to prove just how ridiculous it is.

Bringing in the Troops

Since Max isn't really fulfilling his role as the official mouse hunter of the house it was necessary to bring in back-up. I woke up this morning to 3 furry little kittens with super annoying bells around their necks.

Apparently they have experience catching mice, but all I've seen them do is eat, sleep, and wrestle each other. Max is feeling a bit neglected, but someone has to do the job. They'll be leaving tomorrow and Max can continue to not catch mice.

PWT's

Last night was the Plain White T's concert and it was excellent! They are currently on the Nintendo Fusion Tour, which didn't stop in SLC, so they decided to give up one of their days off and show us some love. We are glad they did.

The place was packed--the complete opposite of 4 years ago at Muse Music in Provo when they were playing shows for no more than 20 people. Even though it was packed by the time we got there, Jenny and I still managed to make our way upstairs and secure a good spot. We were pleased that they played three songs from their first album--Fireworks, What If and finished out the night with Stop.

It took me back to the good ol' days in Provo.

Tut-tut, it looks like rain.

Did I really just see a life size Winnie-the-Pooh skipping through the halls of the office?

Yes, I believe I did.

Matthew made my day by putting on Eric's Pooh costume (Why he has one and why he keeps it in his car, I don't know. Two very excellent questions.) and skipping through the ENTIRE building. Maybe next time Eric could be Christopher Robin.

It is definitely Friday.

Luke

I'll admit that I don't normally love dogs, but last night I saw one of the cutest puppies I've ever seen! His name is Luke and he's the newest roommate in Stephen's house.

I just can't get over how adorable he is! That's all.

I'm a 12 year old.

Today at work I realized just how immature I really am.

We were on a conference call with a vendor who had the worst stutter. It didn't seem like a speech impediment--it seemed like maybe he was nervous or excited and for some reason couldn't think of the words he wanted to use.

After about 15 minutes of the stuttering, I lost it. I couldn't focus on what he was saying, only on how he was saying it. I started to laugh. I turned around to face the wall in an attempt to gain composure. Then Carlee, in mid-sentence, started to laugh. So much so that she had to stop talking. I made a dash for the door (not before getting stuck in my chair) because I didn't want to be responsible for Carlee not being able to finish the call. I felt like I was in church and got the giggles.

Seriously, how old am I?

Dinner And A Show

Last night Lindsay and I decided to celebrate Halloween by going out for Chinese food. We headed to my favorite restaurant in Bountiful, Joy Luck, without knowing we were going to get dinner AND a show!

The restaurant wasn't very full so they were seating everyone in the same area. As we started eating we realized that there was some action going down at the table to my left. A mom and dad were interrogating their daughter who must've been around 15 years old. They were trying to get some sort of information out of her and she didn't want to talk.

Of course Lindsay and I stopped talking so we could hear better. I wanted to walk over and say, "Excuse me, do you think you all could speak up a little? We're having a little trouble hearing."

Here are some of the snippets we were able to catch, mostly from the mom who wasn't really trying to keep her voice down:

-"I didn't raise you to be a bi#@h so stop acting like one."
-"You've done things in the last 6 months that I never though you would do."
-"So you're telling me that you never pair off? What about the time I caught you and Brent in [insert name here]'s bedroom?"
-"You need to take some time to figure out who you are as a person. I don't think that's too much to ask."

Really? You're having this conversation in the middle of a very quiet restaurant? If I were that poor girl I wouldn't have talked either.

But I have to admit, I was a little glad they were having their private conversation in public because it made for some good entertainment.

Mouse Hunt - Part IV

The mice are taking over my house!

Last night after ward prayer Max and I were laying on my bed and I was talking to Scott on the phone. I heard a rustling noise in the corner but realized that Max hadn't moved. I told Scott to hold on (so I could listen) and heard it again. Max heard it too and jumped up to see what it was. I then saw a little brown mouse run along the wall from behind my nightstand to behind my dresser.

Me: "Mouse! Mouse! Mouse!"
Lindsay (from the other room): "What?! Where!?
Me: "Scott, I'll call you back." "Mouse! Mouse!"

Max hopped down and tried to block the mouse in the corner. It was behind the dresser and Max was having some trouble reaching it. Every time he went in one side the mouse would run out the other. I would then scream (from the "safety zone" on top of my bed) and the mouse would run back.

This happened quite a few times and finally Max gave up and hid under the bed. What?! Hiding under the bed when there is clearly still a mouse that needs to be caught? This is how he got the title "Worst Mouse Hunter Ever".

By this time Lindsay had joined me in the "safety zone" and we were trying to throw Max in the direction of the mouse. He was NOT having it.

Finally, the mouse ran out from behind the dresser, I snapped a picture, and he then ran all the way across my room and slipped under the bedroom door. The mouse is now roaming free in our house.

Needless to say, I didn't sleep very well last night.

Roomie Reunion

Ranya was in the states for a couple weeks and we got together on Friday night to catch up. It was so great to see her! We met Tatum, Jason and Gavin for dinner at Mimi's Cafe and then Ranya, Ty and I headed to the haunted house.

I was feeling pretty nervous about the haunted house (my childhood fear of Freddy Krueger kicks in) but it in the end I was really glad I went. I didn't even have to cover my eyes even though there were several walking, talking Freddy's surrounding me.

It was fun to hang out with Tatum, Ranya and Ty again. Sometimes you don't realize how much you miss someone until you see them again!

Daylight Savings is of the Devil

It's only 6:20 pm and already completely dark outside. It will now be dark every night when I leave work.

I'm depressed just thinking about it.

The Perfect Saturday

The recipe for a great Saturday...

-Wake up at 11:30
-Eat breakfast
-Watch a movie ("Click" was actually better than I had anticipated.)
-Hit the gym
-Brave the masses in Costco (Hot dog and Diet Coke included)
-Wash and vacuum the car
-Brave the masses again in Wal-Mart
-Shower
-Read a book
-Watch another movie
-Go to bed at midnight

It doesn't get any better than that!

Baby Gavin

Tatum and Jason stopped by the other night with baby Gavin. He was looking super cute sporting real shoes for the first time. Jason had him in a good pose, but the flash was too bright for his little eyes. He's so adorable!

The Keith's better watch out or I might steal him!

Re-Runs

All of my shows were re-runs tonight. I hate that! Don't they know that there are sad, sad people in the world, like me, that look forward to certain days of the week because of what TV shows are on? After Jim & Pam's phone conversation and McDreamy not caring that Meredith broke up with Finn, I was really looking forward to tonight.

At least MTV pulled through and there is an episode of The Duel waiting for me on my DVR.

Perez, Don't Say Such Things!

One of the celebrities in my Top 5 is Wentworth Miller. Yes, I do realize that Prison Break is a crappy show, but how cute is he?!

Anyway, when I was catching up on my celebrity gossip yesterday on perezhilton.com I came across Perez's claim that my boy Wentworth is "The Most Elibible Homo in Hollywood". What?! I couldn't believe what I was reading. But the more I thought about it I realized I actually COULD believe what I was reading...

Why are the hot ones always gay?

Tobias Sighting

Nat spotted a Tobias Funke look-alike at CPK on Friday night. She pulled the old 'I'm pretending to take a picture of Carlee, but am really taking a picture of the super weird looking guy behind her' move.

You may not be able to tell from the pictures, but the resemblance is uncanny.

Mouse Hunt - Part III

This is getting a little ridiculous, I know, but what is going on with these mice?!

We came home from church today and as I was walking past the spare room I noticed something on the floor in the corner. As I got closer I saw that it was a mouse head! We don't think that it's the mouse head that was "lost" on Thursday night. We're confident that one was eaten on the spot. The blood looked fresh and I'm pretty sure we just don't want to consider the possiblity that this mouse head was hidden somewhere for the last 3 days.

If I come home one day and there are mouse parts on my bed, that's where I'm drawing the line.

Fall, Fall, Fall

This weekend we've had beautiful weather! This is my favorite time of year. The temperatures are cold but the sun is shining. The 10 day forcast is sun and temperatures in the 50's and 60's.

I miss Michigan in the fall. There are trees everywhere and the leaves change and it's beautiful! For some reason I don't have any fall Michigan pictures of my own, so I grabbed one online. Isn't it beautiful!?

Enough is Enough

Is a 4 hour Sunday nap too long?

Mouse Hunt - Part II

I think I hurt Max's feelings by calling him the "worst mouse hunter ever" for not finding the mouse in the house (which is still MIA, by the way) because last night he came running into the house with a present for us...a half-dead mouse in his mouth. He ran into Lindsay's room and we followed, cringing and laughing, and got there just in time to see him bite it and hear it crunch. He picked it up and ran under the bed with it (not before I could get a picture) and we had to coax him out. He finally came out but left the mouse behind. I handled the flashlight while Lindsay worked the shovel to scoop the dead mouse out from under the bed. This is how the conversation went as she pulled the shovel out:

Me: "Did you get it?"
Lindsay: "Yeah, I think so."

*Pause as she stands up and the head of the shovel becomes visible.

Lindsay: "Not all of it though!"

I look down to find a mouse body and bloody stump where the head used to be!! Lindsay almost threw up, I couldn't stop laughing and she disposed of the body while I searched under the bed for the head. Nowhere in sight. Max bit the head off and ate it! We never knew our sweet Max had it in him.

So I guess I can't say he's the worst mouse hunter ever...only when it matters.

Mouse Hunt

Anyone who knows me knows I love my cat. He's the oddest cat you will ever meet--part cat, part dog and part human baby. A special feline breed which I will now call a Cogaby.

As I sat here writing this inaugural post, I heard a rustling under the bookcase. I saw the Cogaby crawling under the bookcase and then, to my horror, I saw a small brown object run along the length of the wall finding refuge behind another piece of furniture.

Does the Cogaby notice that the small brown object is no longer under the bookshelf? No.

Am I freaking out because there is a mouse running around in my house? Yes!

The Cogaby kept searching under the bookshelf for 10 more minutes, then gave up and wandered down the hall crying over his defeat. Apparently that's what cats who are also part dog and part human baby do. They let the mouse get away.

Worst mouse hunter ever.