Too Much New

Well, I just bought two sweaters and I had to sleep in flannel pajamas the other night, so I guess you could say summer's over. That and the fact that I'm currently sitting in a college library waiting for my 12:00 class to start.. but I'm still wearing shorts (with a sweater) so I haven't given up hope on my Indian summer. I'd say that wearing shorts in late September is more than my little heart could have possibly hoped for this summer. It has been glorious.

The evenings aren't exactly what one would call warm anymore. In fact, one could say that they're downright chilly. We had a big bonfire at my parents' house last weekend and it was exactly the right temperature to enjoy without roasting on one side and freezing on the other. It's just the right temperature of chill.

I started class last week and have been overcome by a level of anxiety that I don't think I have ever felt before. Not when I moved to a different country. Not when I got married. I haven't been able to eat and my stomach is in constant knots.

I suppose that being in a constant state of unease will do that to a person, but as I said, it's a completely new experience. Do people grow more anxious as they grow older? Is that a normal thing?

Everything I have been experiencing this past week has been new and uncomfortable: a new apartment, a new city, a new school, a new schedule, a new job, oh, and a new undergraduate research project.

I can only handle so much new before I implode, you know?

Thankfully, coming back to my parents' house this weekend as well as attending our very familiar church has had an overwhelmingly calming effect on me. I felt myself close to tears several times during the service for no reason at all, except for the realization that people care about Forrest and me and how we are adjusting. It may seem like a small thing, but it helped tremendously.

Being home is comforting too. I enjoyed sitting on the back porch with my Jasper dog and kitty who immediately climbed into my lap as I sat down to edit pictures. I do have some of the familiarity in my life.

I also took a few pictures of Megan's sunflowers which we have been waiting on for several months. 

Here's to hoping that all of this anxiousness will disappear as I grow more comfortable with my new responsibilities and interactions.

Also, my dad taught Jasper how to hold a treat on his nose and catch it. It's pretty impressive and he almost never misses.

My puppy.

Super Sunday

I took a few photos of the year's biggest supermoon last night--coincidentally, the only one I have seen this year.

Plus, here are a few photos of a very irate kitty.

She almost looks like she's smiling..

..and the giant dahlias from our wedding are back! This is the first time I've seen them in person since our wedding and they're as pretty as I remember.

Here comes the moon!

And here is my mom feeding Jasper some banana + peanut butter.

I took these right after moonrise. It was glorious. The moon really was that orange!

Bonus: Jasper the wolf waiting for me to throw his ball.

He's very patient.

Pendleton + Molly (+ Jasper)

Megan and I decided to introduce Molly the kitten (or Mrs. Weasley as we call her because we are more formal, obviously) to Pendleton. We let them see each other for a few minutes inside and then, because I didn't really like the lighting, we decided to take them outside to the front porch where Jasper the wonder dog (who now lives outside in the back yard and is loving it) couldn't hear us (we thought).

The kitty and hedgehog seemed to get along just fine once Molly realized that pouncing on him wasn't a very smart idea.

We were receiving some spectacular glares from her when this happened:

The brute jumped over the temporary side fence and almost knocked me over in his rush to get to the kitten who he just wants to love. Unfortunately, she does not share his feelings, not even a tiny bit. The poor fellow had quite a scratched up nose for a while. 

Meanwhile, Pendleton just smooshed his face down into the ground because if he can't see them, they can't see him, obviously.

Mrs. Weasley glared at Jasper some more and then decided he was not worth her time.

 Jasper still loves her.

Kitten

I was waiting to post this until after we named her, but since she still remains simply "kitty," I thought I might as well go ahead.

My parents really wanted a cat to kill the mice that seem to abound around their new(ish) house. They've been meaning to get a kitten basically ever since they moved in (so..a year ago). I thought to myself well, I like baby animals. I figured they might as well get a kitten while I was living here so that I could enjoy it because there is about zero percent chance that Forrest and I are ever getting a cat (he really hates them and I am allergic and we are both really more dog people, let's be honest).

So, after a few Craigslist searches, I ran across this cutie. She's a calico with ferocious claws and the destiny to become a mouser. I have the scratches all over my hands to prove it.

She is so tiny. Sometimes I forget how tiny she is until I see her run across the floor and it's almost like she could be a large rodent.

As I said, I'm super allergic to cats and she's really an outside cat, but she's too small to be outside already so I'll gladly suffer through as long as I can have these sweet kitty cuddles. The constant sneezing and itchy eyes are totally worth it. And the completely scratched up hands.

Also, she really, really hates Jasper. 

She does sort of like Pendleton though. I think she mostly likes to pounce on him.