5 posts tagged “jeremy”

Last Sunday (Father's Day) was one of the scariest days of my life. Ed, my kitty of two years, went missing for a day. I hope I never have to go through that type of experience-- with a kitty or a child-- ever again. That type of fear is something no one should have to go through. It's deep, and it hurts. It sits in the pit of your stomach and refuses to go away until something good and/or miraculous happens. Ed, I learned that day, was a big walking furball of miracles.

The day started off well. Shawn and I had moved in to our new apartment the day beforehand and we were pumped up with excited energy about finally getting out of Milwaukee. Since we didn't have our internet set up at the new place yet, Shawn had to stay the night at our old apartment because he was on call for work and needed instant access to the internet. Kathleen, who helped us with the move the previous day, stayed the night with me instead. We had brought over the kitties and Fru during the move and I didn't want to leave them alone in a new environment on their first night.

After unpacking more things that Sunday, Shawn showed up to make sure everything went well with the cable/internet guy. He brought along more of our stuff from the old place, and he and Kathleen started moving it in. What I didn't really take note of at the time was how they had left all the doors to the apartment (leading outside) wide open so it would be easier for them to move heavy objects into the building. After they finished, and Kathleen left, Shawn and I noticed that Ed was MIA. At first, I figured that she had just found a new hiding place between all the boxes, or in the cabinets. (I discovered Ed could open all the cabinets herself that morning.) After searching every corner of the apartment for a few minutes with absolutely no luck, I started to get that panicky feeling inside.

Ed. Was missing.

I then pointed out to Shawn, who was very calm, that all the doors in the apartment had been left open. I started to think. "What if she decided to explore and ran outside?" The idea seemed unlikely at the time since Ed is afraid of everything, but we were out of ideas. We started to search our apartment building and then the grounds around our building outside. After 25 minutes (during which the cable guy decided to show up), there was still no sign of Ed. I called Mom and asked her for ideas since she had been in this situation many times in the past. (She's taken in over 200 lost and stray cats during her life.) She helped me remain calm and made sure I followed her instructions to check all the bushes and small hiding spots, and then to talk to everyone I came across to ask them if they had seen a black and white kitty with a black dot on her nose. (-__-)

An hour passed. Still no Ed. By that time, Mom, Beth, Kathleen, AND Jeremy were on their way to help us out with the search. Shawn had to stay inside with the cable guy so I was mostly doing the searching at first. They arrived and we spread out, searching not only my whole apartment complex's neighborhood, but also the surrounding neighborhoods. We double and triple checked both the outside apartment grounds and my apartment, the whole time calling, "Eeeed! Come here, honey! Come on, come out, sweetie!" Something just wasn't sitting well with me; Ed is afraid of everything and doesn't even come out of hiding when there's a lot of commotion (like people moving stuff into the apartment) around her. There's no way she would go anywhere near our apartment door with Shawn and Kathleen moving stuff in. I kept checking my apartment periodically, because I kept thinking that she could still be inside, laughing it up while all of us looked for her. Everyone else did the same thing.

Four more hours went by. It was over 90 degrees outside with no trace of Ed, or even a cool breeze to keep us somewhat sane. By that time, Beth and I decided to take a break. We headed into my apartment and sat on the floor and talked about Ed. Something still didn't feel right about the whole situation. After about fifteen minutes, I heard a shuffle from the next room. I figured it might be Isis, or just my imagination. And then it happened.

Ed walked out of the kitchen, sat down right in front of Beth and me, and acknowledged us with a yawn.

I screamed, "ED!" and ran over to her, throwing my arms around her big (she's quite huge) neck. I picked her up and swung her around while Beth laughed and ran over to us. After everything all of us had been through-- the worry, the panic, the dehydration-- Ed had been inside, in a very secret hiding place, the entire time!

Beth and I followed her back to her hiding place a few minutes later. As it turns out, Ed had opened the cabinet door under the sink and crawled into a hole in the wall that was barely seeable to the human eye. How in the world did a cat of her size get into that hole in the wall? No idea. At that point, I didn't even care: Ed was back and she was safe. That "little" trickster got the best of ALL of us. 

This entry is completely unplanned so if you read the entire post, be prepared for an unedited, sleepless version of constant color talk. (I'm babbling now.)

It's 4:22 a.m. where I live and I should probably be asleep. I don't have class tomorrow, but I really should be keeping up a good sleeping schedule for when my final exams come around in two weeks. Alas, the creative energy is pumping and I couldn't help but load and edit the photos I took earlier today. This morning was beautiful-- heavenly, if you will. I woke up to find the sun pouring in all the windows of my house and a 75 degree day waiting for me. I asked Kathleen if she was interested in doing a photoshoot today, and with much eagerness, she agreed to do one.

Of course, doing a photoshoot with Kathleen means fun, but it also means a lot of waiting on my part. After her shower and an hour (or more) of putting makeup on and doing wardrobe, she was ready. I didn't really have a plan for this shoot, but I knew that I wanted to focus on the weather and express it through Kathleen's image. I think I succeeded in my attempt at pure energy.

Kathleen brought her parasol along, and with only my camera and her enthusiasm, we went outside to our backyard. I have to add that our backyard isn't the normal suburban yard; it's connected to a park with a huge field, which is the perfect photo opportunity. She ran down the hill while I attempted to snap some shots of her-- that is, until she ran into the huge puddle of mud where the hill connects to the field at the bottom. Normally, I would expect someone to express some sort of disgust, but no, not Kathleen. She flung off her sandals and started splashing around in the loose mud, which made controlling her in photos a little more difficult. I think it all worked out for the best though, mud and all.

I'll admit that it took a while for me to get into the swing of things with taking photos earlier today. I haven't been keeping up with my photography (among other things) as much as I'd like to lately. I think I've been secretly desperate for some good weather so I can change my pace with photo subjects. Once I snapped one or two photos that I was happy with, everything fell into place from there. I think Kathleen felt the change, too.

We stayed outside for about an hour or so. I was able to get around 140 photos in all, and from those, I was confident that at least 30 would turn out the way I had hoped. After editing, I realized that I was happy with even less the amount, but I don't mind at all. The final results of the ones that did turn out were better than expected.

Kathleen and I wrapped up the photoshoot, but I wasn't able to load and edit the photos until a few hours ago. Jeremy came into town (again!), so Shawn and I made sure to meet up with him. My mom even noted the smile on Shawn's face when he's around Jeremy. There's something in the air when those two are together, and I'll admit that I like it, haha. I think the extra spring in their steps made me just as happy. They're both in the next room right now, laughing (giggling), talking (whispering), and watching TV (who knows what). What a pair...

Even though we're all pretty tired, we still have some energy pent up inside of us from earlier tonight. On our way to my apartment, Shawn and I passed the casino. We started talking about going there, and sure enough, the three of us hit the tables-- well, maybe not. I took my seat at a few slot machines while they went to the tables. Shawn likes the card and roulette type of action, whereas, I'm all for the simple pushing of buttons. I didn't win big this time, but I know when to stop playing, so I consider that a reward in itself. After browsing the floors (and getting carded left and right), we hit the food area. It was nice just sitting and talking with some drinks. I'm not much of an alcoholic drinker, but I do like the occasional fun drink with a tiny bit of alcohol... especially when I'm with m'boys.

We're all a little overly happy right now, sitting here together. When all these good feelings come together after the end of a nice, long day, I feel like I've reached the pinnacle of happiness. And it's true. I have.

And finally, I'd like to wrap up this entry with a small explanation of where I headed with my photoshoot in the editing process. Like I said before, I had no plans for where this shoot was headed. I ended up playing with the colors in every photo a lot, so I decided to deem this shoot "Experimentations With Color." Each photo displays another facet of colors and Summer. I wanted to evoke all emotions that I've held inside me over the years whenever Summer comes around. I'm happy with how this turned out.

Squee! *dances around* I was planning to post photos of my new haircut and coloring today, but the lighting for taking photos is just horrible. I'll have to postpone that post until later on this week once it's sunny out. I love the rain, but it has horrible timing when it comes to photography sometimes. For some reason, my photos of Plum and Jinkies still turned out, so I thought I'd showcase 'em here instead.

I never really post about my daily life in detail, so I thought I'd change my Vox pace a bit and try that for once. ^__^

My break has been pretty great so far. I didn't think I'd actually have plans for the week, but after only a day of being off (last Friday), I realized that, yes, the entire vacation was going to be fun. I text messaged one of my very best friends, Jeremy, on Friday to see if he was in town yet. (He moved to Minnesota a few years ago for college, so Shawn and I only get to see him once every so often.) Sure enough, he messaged me back to let me know that he had arrived earlier that morning. We decided to surprise Shawn at work later that night by just showing up. Shawn wasn't even sure if Jeremy would be in town yet, and I saw his eyes light up as soon as he saw both of us walking towards him. (I tease them both about their "friendship." Sometimes I wonder if Shawn loves Jeremy more than he loves me, haha. It's all in good fun... I think.) Jeremy and I had been planning to see 300 with Shawn, but Shawn didn't finish work until after the movie started, so we put those plans off and decided to just sit and talk at Perkins for three hours. The three of us, and sometimes Beth, would sit at Perkins for hours every weekend when Jeremy used to live here. Even though it's sad thinking about all the memories when we're there together, I still get excited at the thought of just relaxing with my favorite people in the world.

The next day was Patty's Day. I never really celebrate the day, because 1) I'm not Irish (and I think it's amusing that everyone who is the slightest bit Irish celebrates the holiday), and 2) I'm not a big party person. I did the most I've ever done on the holiday this year though. Shawn and Jeremy surprised me that night. Jeremy had said he was going to be busy, but Shawn ended up bringing him along. I was really happy, especially since Beth had decided to come home early from her plans. It was the first time in years that the four of us were able to be together and just... hang out. We played Pictionary and drank what little alcohol we had at my apartment. Like I said, I'm not a big party person-- meaning, drinker. I had my first alcoholic drink this past October and I only drink small amounts of alcohol when I'm around Shawn and Jeremy, just because I feel comfortable around them. Shawn brought me over my favorite wine coolers, and the two guys settled on their favorite, Jack Daniels mixed with gingerale.

Shawn and Jeremy played Katamari until the wee hours of the morning, but Beth and I decided to go to sleep. We were all able to sleep in, finally. It was fun harassing Jeremy in the morning with my camera after I woke up. I thought he was asleep, but apparently, he was aware of me taking photos of him the entire time. None of us are exactly morning people, so it took about three hours for us to get off our bums and to get breakfast, er, lunch.

Shawn, Jeremy and I walked to the coffee shop down the street and waited for our food/coffee. Poor Shawn had gotten even more sick after he had just begun to get better during the week, so he was rather "out of it" the entire morning. After the night Jeremy and I surprised him at work, Shawn's throat became worse, and he could barely talk by Patty's day. (-__-) I felt so bad for making him more sick, but I think he'll agree that a few days with Jeremy was worth the pain.

My weekend was the best part of my break so far. Other than that, I had my hair appointment, which went fairly well. (Again, I'll post photos later this week.) Later that Monday, I went to the doctor to get my blood test done to see if I was anemic or not. The results came back last night, and they were normal-- so I'm not anemic. I have mixed feelings about the results. I'm happy that nothing more is wrong with me, but I'm also a little sad that there's not a solid reason behind the heart palpitations and the fainting spells over the years. Nevertheless, I'm still taking vitamins with iron to make sure that my body stays strong.

I'd like to send out a very colorful and warm thank you to Lisa. (<3 + ^__^) The outfit Plum is wearing (the shirt and skirt) was a present from Lisa. I received it a few weeks ago, but I haven't had a chance to show it off yet. For no reason at all, Lisa sent me a super sweet package with Blythe goodies. I almost started tearing up because of the gesture. Thankies, Lisa!

Which cartoon character best represents you? 
Submitted by Know It All.

Name: Fuu (Kasumi Fuu)
Cartoon: Samurai Champloo
Genre: Anime
Age: 15
Companions: Mugen, Jin, Mo-mo (a flying squirrel)
Journey: to find the samurai that smells of sunflowers
Likes: food, writing (in her diary), getting kidnapped, traveling
Dislikes: getting kidnapped, Mugen's attitude, fights

Fuu vs. Lauren:

I chose Fuu for several reasons. (I just adore her and Samurai Champloo-- that's a good enough reason for me, but for anyone that doesn't know me personally, here are more reasons.) First of all, I can't imagine not being an anime character; they're exotic and more real than any other characters I've ever seen. The main reason why Fuu reminds me of myself so much is mostly because of her traveling companions, Mugen and Jin. The trio reflects my relationships with my boyfriend, Shawn, and our friend, Jeremy, in freakishly cool ways. We are inseperable most of the time, yet there are times when we want to strangle each other. The two of them together seem to come to my rescue (like when Fuu gets kidnapped) when it comes to maintaining both sanity and dignity. Like Fuu, even though we struggle at times, we get along better than anyone else I know and understand each other in more ways than I can put to words. I wouldn't be who I am today without Shawn and Jeremy. They are my companions on my journey to find the samurai that smells of sunflowers.

I made the banner in this entry and used brushes by the talented Hybrid Genesis. Thankies to her...

Yes. That's me. I have 27 mosquito bites... and counting.

I hung out with Jeremy for the first time in over a year on Friday. Sometimes timing just isn't right for friends and other things get in the way-- school, other friends, relationships, family, etc. Shawn had seen him a few times previous to that day and I'd like to say this: I've never seen Shawn so happy. I mean, I know I make him happy but when he's around Jeremy, Shawn floats. He's a non-stop talker, joker and friend. He does everything and anything just to make us both happy. Jeremy has been Shawn's best friend, even during the times they didn't talk much, and I'm really grateful to Jeremy for making Shawn so happy. I've never seen two guys who are not related act as if they were brothers for life. I really admire them... sometimes. Then again, I don't think they could ever have what I have with Beth, who is a blood relation, my sister and my best friend. Kathleen, too, of course.

Anyway, the mosquito bites! Jeremy met us at my house and he then drove us to his new house, which is about a half hour away. We talked and ate outside-- the place of the crime(s). Then the guys wanted to have a bonfire, a normal tradition between the three of us. I didn't even notice the bites until the next night, when I was talking with Kathleen. We had been having a conversation when all of a sudden, she shouted, "Ohmygod, Lauren! What are those dots on your legs?" I looked down, and sure enough, there were huge red-swelled dots all over my shins. (I had been wearing my jean capri so the little bastards attacked what flesh they could.) I wanted to kick myself and the boys for letting this happen. I hadn't gotten a mosquito bite in years, YEARS I say! I was wondering why I my legs itched so much earlier that Saturday... anyway, Kathleen counted fifteen. Later on, today, I counted again and the magic number became 27. I've never had so many before.

I look like a diseased person with red welts on my legs. I itch like mad, especially outside since it's cooler out lately. I blame Shawn and Jeremy. How dare they suggest we stay outside to eat and have a bonfire when we were all being attacked my vicious creatures. Ugh!