So Much Cute

Bo Bears loves to get in boxes.

Miso likes boxes, too. She climbed into my mom-in-law's summer clothes box.

Bo also cuddles with plastic bags. And wears Kenny's glasses just for kicks.

Miso loves watching National Geographic documentaries. She is partial to the ones about snow leopards and lions.

She got really excited about the birds, too. I love her little paw in this picture.

I'll probably end up pasting these photos all over the Internet, via Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, but they were too cute not to share here, too!

Cat Ladies Unite!

If you follow me on Instagram, you'll see that most of the pictures I post are of Miso and Bo. And really, I can't stop. And of course, when Twitter tells you time and time again that you have the cutest cats on the Internet, why would you even consider not posting pictures of your cats sleeping, sleeping, and sleeping? Because I love my kitters so dang much, I also love cat versus human so dang much! I'm not sure when exactly I found this website (maybe through the lovely Diana at Our City Lights?), but when I first saw it, I spent hours looking through all the comics and laughing hysterically because Yasmine Surovec, the artist and genius behind cat versus human, completely draws your life. Anyway, I recommend you check it out, even if you don't compulsively take pictures of your cats doing absolutely nothing. Here's one of my favorites:

View more of Yasmine's brilliant comics here!

Bo is a pretty regular In-Betweener, while Miso has been known to employ the Pillow Takeover tactics and loves The Butt Warmer. Hopefully when Jude comes, he'll sleep in his own bed from the beginning so I don't have even more competition for the covers! 

Kitters Galore: Instagram Recap

The kitters get a lot of attention at our house. They used to get a lot of attention here on the blog, too, but that was before I got super duper lazy about switching to the Windows side of my computer to edit photos and oh- it was before I stopped taking photos with anything other than my iPhone. We have a nice camera and we even have a few good lenses for it, but Kenny uses it at work almost daily, so it's never around. There, now I feel I've given every legitimate excuse for not blogging about the kitters more regularly (or blogging more regularly in general, ack!). And since I'm snapping photos of Miso and Bo on a daily basis and posting most of them to Instagram, I thought I'd round up some of the latest and feature them here, so you could enjoy them, too! If you want to keep up as they're posted, you can follow me here on Twitter and on Instagram. Without further blabbering on about how precious my cats are, here are some of my favorite Instagram shots from this month.

1. Bo is a serious couch tater. 2. Miso likes to hunt for dragonflies on the roof. She is really good at catching them and bringing them inside and letting them loose in the house. It's like she's bringing us presents. 3. One day Bo just jumped up on the couch and sniffed my belly for a few seconds then turned a circle and snuggled right up to my baby bump! 4. Miso does a daily weather check out the window. 5. Bo shows off his serious overbite. He's such a little snaggle tooth! 6. Miso commiserates with me as we mourn our winter weight gain. 7. Miso, just hanging out by the tissues. 8. Chilling on the couch with Kenny. 9. The most relaxed I've ever seen Miso! She was so cute sitting like this. 

Makeovers

Let's review, shall we? Let's take a moment to remember the beauty of my big furry kitters.

These pictures were taken last Wednesday before I took them for their appointment to be groomed at the vet. And now, for the big reveal! Miso and Bo are sleek and slimmed down. They aren't suffering in the heat of summer, and we aren't eating as much fur with our meals. Just remember the positives, okay? And keep the negative comments to yourself, because the kitters read the blog.

It took me a few days to get used to their new look, and it took them a few hours to get used to each other again! They just walked around and sniffed and sniffed each other. It was pretty funny. Because they both looked so different and they smelled wonderful! But this time there was no hissing on either end, just curiosity and they slept together that first night in our bed. Which they have continued to do every night since. I love that they're more cuddly now! But I still miss my furry, fat Miso sometimes. But they seem happy and much more comfortable. And most importantly, we're not eating as much fur with every meal. Speaking of meals, I better go get one ready!

Feline Dignity

Aren't they gorgeous? Look at their lovely, long, soft, fur. OR NOT. Because that lovely, long soft fur turns into large, unwieldy tumbleweeds that crawl across the floor in every room, congregate in every corner, and attempt to get into all the food. I don't know how much cat hair I eat in a week, but I'm pretty sure it's substantial.

It's summer here. It's hot. And we don't have air conditioning. Yep, I said it. We don't have air conditioning. Korea in the summer is kind of like the South in the summer. Imagine living in Tennessee or Georgia without an air conditioner in your house. Now, we don't live in a house. We live in an apartment and we live on the 7th floor in a 12 story building. Which is good, because it keeps us cool. But we also live facing a gorgeous garden with an entire wall of windows on the veranda. We do have fans in every room, and although it's stuffy when we come home at night, it's not really that hot. But the kitters hang out here everyday and their fur has decided to mutiny. We brush them, we vacuum, we pick hair out of our mouths and noses.

Remember when we shaved Bo in the winter? Well, Kenny is convinced it's the only answer to the fur tumbleweeds taking over the apartment. And if I wasn't so damn tired of trying to cough up tiny hair stuck in my throat, and the cats hadn't begun having frequent hairballs (however, they are incredibly smart cats and only puke up their hairballs on the floor instead of the carpet! Thank you, darlings!), I would refuse. Because they're going to be so ugly. Just so ugly. And Bo's fur isn't even back to normal yet. And Miso is so soft and gorgeous and I love it that she's so furry. The other thing is that to shave them, they have to knock them out, and Miso gets so very sick afterwards. It's pitiful to watch. I almost can't bear the thought of it. Doesn't this photo just scream dignity?

But the HubbO has drawn the line. And honestly, it is hard to keep the house clean. So, I think we're shaving the cats tomorrow. And it's going to be a really sad day. I might cry a little bit. Let's take a moment of silence and remember how beautiful and lovely they are with all their fur....

Oh Kitters! I'm so sorry. I love you and I'm doing this for you. So that you don't have to puke hairballs anymore, so you don't have to chase fur tumbleweeds and eat them anymore, so the HubbO will get off my back about cleaning hair and eating hair and sleeping with hair and wearing hair. There's no turning  back, my lovelies.

Lord help us all. It's Monday again. And Miso is feeling it, too.

I'm pretty sure that all of you were holding your breath for a new series. And so that you can all stop turning blue and purple, I give you Miso Mondays! On Mondays (when I feel like it, stop with the pressure and the obligation already!), I'll throw up a picture of Miso in all her glorious attitude. So, here we go:

Because this is a Monday face. This is how Monday feels, y'all.

(Also, Miso has stared intently at the screen during this entire posting process. I guess she's just making sure I don't misrepresent  her. Or put up a photo of her licking her butt.)

Hope your Monday was better than mine! And Miso's from the look of it.

[ what month is it? ]

It's March already!
And because it's the first of the month, I think it's only appropriate to smother you with adorable kitter pictures.

Isn't she just lovely?

Bo is such a good cat now. He's become a little cuddler, too. He's much healthier. And happy. Can't you tell?

She stayed in this basket for a good 20 minutes. She was determined to fit in there, too. She's a ChubbO, like her mama!

So, there's that.

Also, I just thought I would let you all know that we haven't had to purchase toilet paper since we moved to Wonju at the end of August. And I'm pretty sure we won't have to for the rest of 2010. Because in Korea, it is tradition to bring a big fat pack of 24 rolls of toilet paper, boxes of Kleenex, or laundry detergent to housewarming parties. The toilet paper is significant because it's something you unroll. The Korean word for unroll, poolda ( 풀다 ) not only means to pull, but also it means to solve. It's a sign that everything will be solved and settled in your house. (I mean, when I sit in the bathroom for a while and then I unroll the toilet paper, I definitely have an overwhleming sense of resolution.) And in the case of laundry detergent, because you only use a little to clean a lot, it's a symbol for prosperity. I guess. That's what Kenny says anyway.

We haven't had any housewarming parties. But every time someone visits our house for the first time, they bring these gifts. Mostly, we get toilet paper. I'm loving it.

[ Make sure you click over to Wonju Wife to see the new March design! ]

Because I'm Too Tired to Write

Y'all, I am tired. Of a lot of things. Oh, no, not YOU. I didn't mean I was tired of you. What are you thinking? You are about the only thing I'm not weary of. With the exception of the HubbO. Because I miraculously never tire of him. And the kitters. And, since you haven't seen them since the new year rolled around, I thought I'd post a few squee-tastic photos of them. 

Oh, and remember all that stuff about how Bo turned into a happy, social, uncrap cat? Yeah, he was just joking. And for that, he only gets one solo photo. (Not really. It's just that Miso seems to know what a camera is and that I want her to look at me.)

They both love Kenny's backpack. Bo had already claimed it, but Miso wasn't having any of it. She needed a bath and she needed to have it right here.

This is Miso's favorite napping position. You can still see where they shaved her little belly for her surgery. This picture should help you understand why I have to keep myself from squeezing her to death sometimes. She's just that cute. 

More later, my lovelies. I miss you. And I joined the gym. Korean Aerobics Fiasco coming soon!

What the Crap Wednesday: The Kitters Edition

So, you guys remember our Bo Bear right? He's just not really full of joy. He poops on himself a lot, walks in it, doesn't clean himself, doesn't feed himself, and generally sneezes 100 times a day and has nosebleeds. Poor little guy. As you can see in his "before" picture, his chest hair gets a little greasy. Turns out, when you are a cat and your nose is stuffed, you don't smell dirty and you don't clean it. So, he was a little ragamuffin of a cat. And we were always like What the crap kind of cat are you, Bo? You don't play, you don't really get excited or open your eyes all the way EVER.

So, after we got back from our Jeju trip to find him at my mother-in-law's with dried poop on his shoulder (how, I ask you, how?), the hair on his chest greasy like my own hair that hasn't been washed for a month, and a fully clogged nose, I decided to take some action.

So, we came back to Wonju, and I decided with my days off that we'd take him to the vet and have him groomed. Because washing him at home is so traumatic. And yeah, we've given him haircuts before, mostly just cutting out the dried poo, but it looked ugly. I wanted things done the right way. And when they groom them at the vet, they put them to sleep. Which I'm not really a fan of, because maybe the end result is a little more traumatic. But the way he caterwauls and writhes to get away from us when we're painlessly, I reiterate, painlessly, trying to cut a chunk of matted hair off of him, I thought we'd give him a break and knock him out.

There is a cat who lives at the vet we go to. His name is Chop Chop. He looks like this:

How can you not love that face? Okay, minus the fact that the poor boy is wearing makeup. We're in Korea, so we don't really have to say What the Crap about the cat makeup anymore. But you may go ahead if you wish... Okay, so Chop Chop got a little trim. (After this picture was taken, obviously). He was still kind of fluffy, but most of his fur had been cut shorter, leaving his huge head and fat feet and the end of his tail alone. I figured that because my ultimate goal for Bo is for him to look exactly like and grow to the exact same size as Chop Chop, I'd just ask them to do the same thing to him.

So I left him at the vet and it was going to take them a while to do it. Kenny brought him home from work, and y'all, I laughed for 10 minutes straight.

And then when I was finished, I considered crying because he just looked so little and pitiful. And I know you're all reading this thinking that I'm about to go all What the Crap on the groomer. But you would be wrong. Because apparently, having your male cat shaved like this is like giving him a soul makeover.

First, I was taking pictures of Bo today and he crawled in my lap and sat down. What the crap? He never does that. He always just tries to get away from us whenever we try to pet him or hold him or anything. And he's a big fat baby, always whining about it. But no, he walked over to me, climbed up onto my leg, snuggled down into a comfortable position and laid there. I sat very still with my mouth hanging open in awe. Because like I say, this never happens.

Second, some of Kenny's high school students came over to bake cookies and watch a movie because they are on holiday. And guess what! Bo was the life of the party. One of the kids picked up one of Miso's cat toys and shook it. (Actually, we call all the cat toys Miso's because she's the only one who ever actually played. Like a cat.) And Bo RAN. He RAN to the toy and batted at it and chased it. He played for real. And not in his usual slow-motion, eyes-half-closed, please-stop-bothering-me way, either. He was enthusiastic. It was a miracle. What the crap?

And he was sociable! He hung out in the living room with everybody, cuddled in one girl's lap for a while, and generally was a great cat. It was like he was a real cat. What. The. Crap!

Also, he's become dependent on hand-feeding, because he can't look down without sneezing. So we have to hold his food up above his head and drop it in his mouth. Otherwise he doesn't eat, and then we can't feed him his stupid medicine because he'll just throw it all up, usually on the carpeted areas of our home. But today, he ate all by himself. For a long time. Just grubbing at his little bowl. What the crap?

Bo is like a new man. It's insane. I was all prepared when we brought him home looking like this to feel sorry for him until his fur grew out. (You wouldn't believe how soft he is, still.) But now, I don't have to feel sorry for him at all!

And Miso is pissed, y'all. She is not liking having any competition for attention. I feel bad for her. When we brought Bo home, she didn't recognize him. Not at all. She would hiss and growl at him. She has quit that, but she still gives him the stink eye whenever he comes around. She sniffs him a lot. And you would think she would know who he was by smelling him. But Bo smelled nasty. We were feeding him a lot of soft cat food, and as you know, he wasn't a washer. So his face always smelled funky, like tuna. And he didn't really clean his behind either, so sometimes he smelled a bit like poo. Basically, Bo smelled like crap. But when he came home from the vet, he smelled like a flower. And he looked like a completely different cat. So, I don't really blame her.

But I'll be giving her some extra attention over the next few days. See if I can even things out before I have to go back to work on Monday. Eeeeeew! Did I just talk about work before it was absolutely necessary?

So, to sum up: What the crap? Seems all our cat needed was a good cut and style. Who knew!

Portrait (Or, There Aren't Enough Pictures of the Kitters on the Internet)

Please. It doesn't get any better than this. Kenny gets photo credit and I don't know how he got them both to look at the camera. I mean, isn't it just Christmas Spirit in the fur?

Our First Christmas

Actually, this isn't our first Christmas together. Our very first Christmas was in 2006 and we spent Christmas week in Israel, visiting Bethlehem on Christmas Eve and spending Christmas Day in Ein Gev around the Sea of Galilee. Christmas 2007 we were both at home. I was in Tennessee at the homestead, preparing to go to Korea in February the next year, while Kenny was on the job hunt in Seoul. And then last year, I worked on Christmas Eve, for no apparent reason, and made my fiance cry on Christmas.

So, not our first Christmas together, but our first Christmas as HubbO and ChubbO . Yesterday we went to EMart to see how many ways we could support China financially, and let me tell you THIS. IS. NOT. CHRISTMAS. Come on, people. There are only two Christmas decorations displays and all of it is hideous and made my stomach turn. Because Korea has taken the worst of every K-Mart discounted-after-Christmas-sale-item, added glitter and ghastly colors, and chunked it into one shelf and called it Christmas decorations. For reals. However, in the back of the store, there is this section that should be called Pay More Money for a Tiny Bit More Style and Slightly Organic Stuff. And they had more expensive Christmas trees and less ugly lights and stuff. What I'm trying to tell you is we just didn't have all that much to work with. And I was getting all depressed and felt like maybe Christmas wouldn't come this year.

However, we are magic. Because we purchased a few cloth ornaments and a small tree. And some lights. And then we decided to make some of our own ornaments. And this is what happened:

What do you guys think? I mean, I'm thrilled with it! Kenny is like the Master of Cardboard Stuff for reals. I had the idea and he executed it and then I put the string on the backs, so I did contribute. Kind of. And you know, we've had the Christmas music going on since the last weekend in October, which is also when I busted out my awesome Christmas tree shirt. But we also bought a few things to bring the Christmas spirit to the rest of the house, or maybe just to bring it to our bellies. Because, everybody knows if you need to get in the Spirit, you should go shopping and buy stuff, right?

And last, but not least, the Christmas kitters....

It's really not his fault. He's been ill. For forever. Or, I guess for as long as I've known him. Poor Bo. He's started eating a bit more regularly though, so that's positive! He's really not enthusiastic over anything, so I shouldn't be so disappointed that he didn't jump and meow and attack the Christmas tree. I guess.

Miso, however, has just the right amount of enthusiasm over Christmas. She tried multiple times to shred the rope of Christmas lights, punched the tree's lowest hanging branches, and basically made a mess. It was wonderful.

Hope you're enjoying the season, too.

The Tigress

Since Bo got the spotlight yesterday, I figured I'd give Miso an equal chance to make you all awwww over her face. Sometimes, she's so cute, I have to resist the urge to squeeze the life out of her. She's got a hilarious personality. She is intently watching the cursor move as I type this. She is constantly alert. She is also a good sister. Bo can't seem to figure out how to cover his business in the litter box. He just kind of scrapes at the sides of the box and never makes contact with the sand. So Miso is always standing guard outside their potty while he goes and then she jumps in there and covers it up for him. She also cleans him, because let's face it, Bo takes after his mother and baths are not his fave.

Kenny has been in Seoul this weekend spending time with his friends and attending a wedding. I have stayed in the house, only going out when I needed groceries, and the kitties seem to be thrilled with this arrangement. They've been following me around, meowing at me, and generally keeping me very good company. Have I told you we don't watch TV anymore? We just watch the kitters. And although I might be turning into Crazy Cat Lady, I haven't felt the least bit lonely with the little guys around. Who could feel lonesome with this face hanging around?

I mean, really. And she's getting heavy. I keep trying to find the word for it, for how satisfying it is to pick her up and feel her weight fall against my arms. She's just so, I don't know, substantial. And I love to pat that belly!

Anyhow, the weekend's almost up, and I'm pretty sure by now Snape is a bad guy. Only one more book to go...

Let's Not Forget

Yeah, yeah, our kittens are cute. But let's not forget why we even have kittens. It's because Kenny had no choice but to fall in love with THE best cat that has ever graced the earth while we were staying with my parents this summer.
Her name is Kimchi. My mother picked that name. I wanted to name her Christmas, because we found her at Christmas time, 2007, and she was pretty much the best present ever. Plus also*, I really just wanted to be able to sing that song from The Grinch year round: "Where are you Christmas? Why can't I find you?" See. Perfect. But mom said no and named her Kimchi instead because I was getting ready to go to Korea. Since her arrival on our back deck, she has taken it upon herself to be everything you wish for in a feline companion. Except for when she scratches the furniture with her claws (she still gets to play outside!) or when she pees not quite all the way inside the litter box. Or she sleeps on your face.
She has acquired a number of nicknames and is hardly called just plain Kimchi anymore. Except when I Skype with the mumsie and she holds her up to the screen and I call her name, "Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiim- chaaaaaaaaaeeeeeeeeeee." She loves it, I promise. The mumsie, not so much. She has wooed every cat-hater that has entered our house, including The DaddyO. They're BFFs.
And while Kenny and I stayed in America with Kimchi, she wooed him as well. And now we get to have Miso and Bo! All because Kimmers is the most freaking awesome cat in the world. Don't argue with me on this. It's irrefutable. I mean, your cat is probably great, but it's not Kimmy. Plus also, she is prettier than any other cat. See?



*A little too much Junie B. Jones. Thank you Barbara Park for writing books that make me laugh so hard I cry.

They're Getting So Big!!

I don't need any hate mail from anyone telling me how awful Miso's eyes look! We are cleaning them every morning and every night, but when she wakes up they're caked. Took them for another vet visit yesterday. They did SO much better this time and I just left the room when they started to squeal so I wouldn't have to sit there crying like a baby because my cats were stressed out. Anyway, Miso's face is changing the most, I think.

Bo is changing too, but he's still got that baby face! Also in Kitty News, they are no longer hissing at each other. I was worried about that because we didn't get them from two different places; we got them from the same people and they had already been living together for the first three months of their lives! But perhaps it was just an adjustment period. And they totally bonded after their joint traumatic vet experience the other week. Whenever we come home from the vet, it's like they can feel how stressed out the other one is. So they always sleep together.

In human news, I have a head cold. Finally. Was wondering when it was going to hit. But this one was preceded by about 5 hours of dizziness. It was strange, and I left school one class early to go lie down. But turns out, closing my eyes, reading, standing up, walking, moving in general made it worse. I thought I was going to faint many times on the bus ride home! So I came home early, but wasn't productive at all. Just tried to sit really still. I think it's the lovely warm days combined with the beautifully cold nights and the air-conditioned classroom. So, I'll let you know how crappy I feel on a regular basis. Because I know you're all, "What's going on with Danielle? How is she feeling? Is she okay? Wish I was in Wonju to be with her...." Right? Am I right?

Miso and Bo

Our new babies! Miso is the girl and she's the golden one. Bo is the boy and he's sort of silverish. They don't get along at all. Every time Bo comes close to Miso, she'll hiss and make this gurgling sound in her throat. They're still getting used to using the litter box correctly, so I've been sweeping up litter pretty much since they got here. And Bo just sneezed so hard, he farted and splashed poop all over the floor! Ah, don't you love 'em?