Ode to Dutch.

Well yes, finally I am updating. These pictures have taken a week to load (literally) and that is one reason that it has taken me so long to post. Following this post, probably tomorrow, will come actual life updates.

In the mean time, check out our super awesome Dutch:

This is Dutch still suffering the tail end of an infection in his right eye.
Still a pretty cute one-eyed kit, eh?

His basket.

You can tell these are old because he is about a pound heavier and 4 inches longer now...

His reflection!

Shadows are still quite intriguing to him.

One thing we LOVE about this guy is that he likes to stretch out to sleep.
He's not afraid to bare his belly either- a rare gift from a cat.

In this picture he has tipped over our laundry basket and made himself at home. Perhaps he was also suggesting I do some clothes in our new washer provided by the Teters!

Blurry, but you get the idea!

Though Matthew is not a self-proclaimed cat lover, he cannot resist Dutch.
Don't believe him if he tells you otherwise.

I was preparing something in the kitchen and left the pantry door open. At some point I realize that the shuffling around from the kitten had quieted... and he had disappeared. I looked in the garbage can, and there he was! I took the top off to get a better picture.

Sleeping.

This is him under the couch in the fold of the couch cover.

Happily, our family came to visit a few weeks ago! You can see some more pictures on Whitney's blog, but here is Dutch getting to know Whitney's pony tail.

Chillin out, maxin, relaxin, coolin.

Biting, his favorite pastime.

At this weigh in he weighed 2.7 pounds! YES!

Ashley and Dutch, napping.

The Teters love cats, and they loved Dutch! Here is Debra playing with Dutch (on the move) in a Grand Ol' Opry bag.

Aw!

He thinks he is really sneaky when he skitters along the wall or cabinets...
here he is planning an attack.

Even John got some cuddling in!

Dutch loves to jump. Here are a few pictures of him attacking a tape measure.

This is not a condoned behavior, but I thought it was a funny picture.

This guy has SUCH big feet! We are pretty psyched- I'm hoping he gets REALLY big.

It cracks me up how much he loves to stretch out.

And there you have him! We get such a kick out of this guy... he's getting bigger every day, and he seems pretty healthy these days too!

Thanks so much to the Teters for coming to visit us! It was so wonderful to have family here to see where we live and the post and our life here! You are welcome back any time!

More soon.

Learning.

Well folks, life in the Army is a great learning opportunity.

I've learned so much already, I can hardly believe it.

For now, though, I'll tell you that we thought Matthew was leaving Friday. Now he is just on standby for the Friday flight which may or may not leave on Friday. And we still don't know anything for sure.

So.... time will tell. The great comfort is that God knows exactly what's up, and since he's in charge of this whole operation called Earth, I figure it is better that way anyway.

Just wanted a quick update. Make sure to check Matthew's blog later today to see the most awesome gift he's even gotten (in my opinion) from my very own Melissa friend- YOU ROCK and are SOOO wonderful!

Lame post, I know, but bare with me here for a while. Right now it is one day at a time (which clearly entails blog and e-mail neglect).

Short and Sweet.

Things going on here:


1- Matthew is manifested for a flight June 20. He will most likely ACTUALLY leave the 21 or 22, but please do pray for us as we are inside two weeks of that impending date. We're doing well, but of course it is going to be hard. We are praising God for the community we've found here on Fort Campbell in the Officer's Christian Fellowship group- how encouraging it is to have a support system who can so directly relate to our situation. We are not alone! :)

2- THE TETERS ARE COMING TO VISIT! WOOO! We are so excited to welcome our first visitors to ol' Bito Drive, especially because they are FAMILY! They'll be here Thursday through Tuesday of this coming week, and we are thrilled! (I will be thrilled for anyone else to come visit too- any time! We have a saWEET air mattress now so you'll have a nice bed to sleep on!)

3- Dutch is doing well- always some little health funk, but he's adorable, cuddly, and terrorizing all at once. More pictures soon, including the discovery of his shadow, his reflection, and more amazing pictures in that vein.

4- I have an herb pot! Still working on getting it to flourish, but so far so good. YAY! Chives all the time! Fresh Basil every day! WOO!

5- I am applying for a Master's degree.. again. It would seem my chances of getting in are markedly better than the odds of ol' Vanderhoople, so here's hoping. I've got everything in the works and am excited to get going. Still possible that this is not what I should actually be doing, but I'm feeling excited and it is looking like, barring rejection, I'll for sure obtain my Master's in a few years!

6- Still looking for a job, but we'll see.

7- HAPPY WEDDING TO JOSH AND LAURA! Our good friends the Ziesels were married on June 6! They are honeymooning in the North East (vermontish I think) and I will get to see them in about 5 weeks. WOO!

8- I'll try to update again soon. Tomorrow holds planting my garden (I hope), cleaning the entire house before our family comes to see how we live, and doing laundry including an extra load of Matthew's shirts that have touched the bandaid that covers the injection site where he got his Small Pox shot. It'll be a truly domestic little day, and it should be fun- I take great joy in planting my own garden, and cleaning my own house!

More soon. In the mean time you can feel free to e-mail, call, or text. I feel like people are "giving me time to settle in" when in fact, we are settled, and I'd love to catch up!