Happiness Is . . .

 . . .knowing that Spring finally really is on it's way when I walk into my grocer's green section and see these beauties just waiting for me to take them home and put them where they belong . . .in my belly!   The gross, anemic looking, shriveled up things they try to pass off  as strawberries during the winter, around here, are just plain depressing.    These however, are not!   Oh and?   They were soooo good! 

Happiness is also finally catching your other cat, the one who rarely makes an appearance before dark,  not only prowling about around humans during the day, but doing something she does maybe if we're lucky, once a year, right in front of you!  Something so cute and so adorable purely because she never does it!   It's too bad that I didn't have time to get up and grab one of my DSLRs, but hey, I had my phone handy, so I snapped a couple of pics!  

Geronimo, our ham-in-residence other cat, is so used to the camera that I'm pretty sure he intentionally poses for it most of the time.   However, he's always showing his belly, because he knows we'll drop whatever we're doing and give the attention whore him some attention.     I do think Gracie gave me the rare honor of not only her presence but the cuteness that is her belly-pose because she knows I've not been in a very good place, emotionally, the last several days.   My belly rubs were met with the most intense purring that cat has ever produced!   I don't know about you, but there is something completely calming about a cat's purr, but then I think that's the point.  Gracie has now moved from her spot on the floor to the back of my chair - on top of it.  Kind of like a feline head-rest.  I'm pretty sure though if I make a single move, it's going to spook her and the first thing to come out - because she's afraid she'll lose her balance, are her claws, and then all the warm-fuzzies I had over her cute belly are going to be gone!   My shoulders are the first thing her claws will meet.   Good Lord, please keep me from sneezing or having to get up suddenly to go to the bathroom.

Oh alright Geronimo, I can feel you standing in the doorway staring at me, knowing I haven't posted a photo of you in what seems like forever.   You're going to be butthurt upset if I don't post a photo of your fluffy self, now aren't you?  Just stop staring at me and making Gracie nervous.  You know she doesn't really like you (and who can blame her, you're kind of a bully.  Yes people, this gorgeous, 25lbs ball of fur, is a huge bully when it comes to our little Gracie.  Of course, that doesn't stop her from bitch-slapping him from time to time, and rightly so.  He's sort of a punk when it comes to places he likes to perch and he doesn't really think Gracie has any right to be on those places.   So, when Gracie doesn't knock him on his ass, I usually aim the squirt bottle at him and he gets the message.  So there you have it, our little secret  . . . Gaby's best buddy is a huge bully!) and if she gets nervous she's going cling onto me, with her claws! 

Happiness is listening to Gaby as she creates a story-board for a book she's writing about vampire mermaids.   She's "talking the entire thing out" as she draws (she saw me using a story board in a software application for writers that I use,  for a book I'm writing - I'm in the outline process and I think it helps me put things in order if I can get a visual on certain story arcs and character evolutions , but at the rate I'm going, she will have written, illustrated, and be selling her vampire mermaid stories long before I finish my outline!)  the pictures and it's actually a cool little story.  And hey, we've had sparkly vampires, we've had gorgeous blonde bad-boy vampires that fall in love with vampire slayers, we've had evil vampires that have only one thing on their minds - and that's not trying to keep from getting into Bella's pants, and now we have vampire mermaids.  Written by a seven-year-old.  Who attends a Catholic private school and now prays before every meal and crosses herself when her mom cusses.   This kid of mine?  She's one hundred different kinds of awesome and counting!

Last but not least, happiness is the fact that my oldest daughter, Meg, is finally home from Kuwait and is wrapping herself around that itty bitty girl of hers who isn't so itty bitty any more, and just soaking every minute of her daughter up!    Meg's deployment is over!  I know there might be others, but right now I'm focused on organizing a huge family vacation back home in Maine and doing nothing but spoiling my kiddos, both big and small, rotten!  I'm hoping we can manage a trip back to the UK and spend some time with her and Kennedy there as well, in addition to the fact that Gareth hasn't been back "home" since mid-2007.    He needs to see his brothers and their families too. 

So, what makes you happy?

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Would an extra $300 make you happy?  Well, I'd like to give it to you! 

If you would like $300 either in the form of a VISA gift card, or sent directly to your PayPal account, or in the form of a brand new Kindle Fire HD (the larger one), or a $300 Apple Store gift card/credit, then you'll want to head on over to this post and enter for a chance to win it.  I'm giving it away, because I'm crazy like that.   Details on how to enter the giveaway are near the bottom of the post I linked to, above.    

Good luck!

Comments

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as always, love the kitties, although Im more into Dogs, i do have two outdoor kitties since i live well off the road, the Bogmeister(13) and NitaBanita.(2) I also have a friend that got a new kitty (ragdoll), i've not made it out to see him and he is already 5 months old. Vampire mermaids????? Congrats on the older daughter back at home with beautiful baby. Take care and give the alusive kitty a pat for me. FOR NOW, indoors i have 3 new little biddy chics under a heat lamp. MORE EGGS to come. take care! LM

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PS, LOVE them strawberries, especially Louisiana strawberries. LOVE me soem strawberry banana cool pies.

[SSP]

oh my god!!! I forgot Meg was pregnant, and didn't know she had been deployed!!! See that is what I get for taking a blog-vacation???!!! Congrats on ALL fronts, Granny (er...perhaps you are NOT Granny...Nana, perhaps). Anyway I am thrilled she is home, just in time for Strawberries. I bought two cartons myself today...they are so big and luscious and juicy!!

[Krystal]

Love your pictures of happiness!! And awesome that Meg is home and safe...those are the most treasured moments...and those strawberries....yummy!!!!

[Jeanne Kupsh]

Very happy post indeed!!

You know what makes me happy these days? Having my husband home for dinner! I knew when I married G.I. Joe that I'd always come (a distant) second to the Army, but I didn't realize that meant we wouldn't have dinner together most nights. With his latest promotion and new job, we very rarely get to eat together, or uninterrupted. Having a full meal, together with our daughter, at the table, without his phone blowing up....is pure happiness!