11 months summed up in a few paragraphs

Eleven months have come and gone. I guess enough time has passed for an update on the going ons of our lives.

First off, we didn't get rid of Kaylee. Shyla hated her guts for a little over a month and then they became fast friends. Their personalities are very different. Shyla was a crazy kitten, attacking everything, shredding the walls and peeling off the wallpaper. Kaylee was more relaxed and a cuddle puss.

Unfortunately, their friendship hit a rocky spot in December when we took Kaylee in to be fixed by the vet. When we brought her back home Shyla could smell non-Kaylee scent. This did not go well. Shyla tolertates Kaylee now, however, long gone are the days of cuddling together. Also, Kaylee is as big as Shyla and loves to play. There's another factor that strained their friendship which I will comment on later.

After adopting Kaylee we found ourselves in a tricky situation. Our apartment did not allow pets. We ignored that and adopted Shyla...hey, I can't live without cats :) Adding another cat made life a little more interesting. A few of the other renters in our complex had cats as well and that added a little comfort. We also felt cramped living in a one bedroom apartment.

We searched and searched and searched and finally in September found a two bedroom apartment that allowed pets. We moved in the cats enjoyed the extra space as well as stairs to run up and down in the middle of the night.

Unfortunately, while this was going on Jessica's health declined and she was forced to quit her job at Dillard's. She didn't like working there so it wasn't hard for her to say good-bye. We felt the loss of her paychecks twice a month. Life was rough then. We didn't unpack everything. The apartment was a mess. The neighborhood kids constantly wanted to see the cats and rat/mice. New ward. No money. The usual.

In January we bought a black lab puppy for Jessica's birthday. Days passed before we decided on a name - Diesel. He was a cute and cuddly ten pounds...and a pain in the neck to keep from peeing/pooing every where. I wanted to kill him a few times and stopped calling him "pup" and switched to "poop"...a nickname that stuck.

Now he is approaching seven months old and is 65 pounds. He rarely has an accident inside and, if I remember correctly, has only destroyed a pillow and one of Jessica's sandals. All in all, he is a great dog who suffers from HLS (Happy Lab Syndrome) and LOVES to play outside with other dogs.

Jessica went to the ER/hospital again in the early months of the year. We are once again fighting bills and trying to make it to the next paycheck. Thankfully, in May I was promoted from the midnight crew to assistant (to the) manager at Lee's. I've enjoyed my new shifts and new friends and Jessica, I suspect, has enjoyed my being home at night. Sleeping at "normal" times is taking getting used to and I do miss the perks of the old shift - iPod and friends - I love working in the day.

Jessica started a new job a month ago. She works after hours as a dental clinic filing files and setting up appointments with old clients. The two hour shift is great for her on the bad days when she can't stand up or move around much.

That brings us to the end of the cliffnote update. Jessica might do a post with her version of events. Maybe the next one will arrive before another 11 months passes on :)