MLK

Are there even words to describe what this man did for our nation, and our world?  I don't know if I have them.  Today I watched his infamous "I Have A Dream" speech.  Although Martin Luther King Jr. gave many, many speeches (2500 between 1957 and 1968), this one is the most renowned as well as possibly the most powerful.  There were 250,000 people there, black and white on the day of August 28, 1963.  This was almost unheard of.

Every year on this day I try to listen to this speech, and every year it makes me cry as well as give me goosebumps.  Not only was Dr. King an inspiring public speaker, he was an ambassador of peace.  He knew exactly what needed to change and in fact, knew how it needed to be changed.  I only wish I had been there when he had given this speech.

But I have to wonder, would I have been there, or even listened if I had been alive in 1963?  My parents were, but were in high school and college.  They told me they didn't even know about it until after it happened.  But would I have gone?  Would I have listened?  Would I have been inspired as I am today? It all depends.  I guess we can't say, as people, "I would have done this."  If I had been raised by open-minded parents, perhaps I would have been there.  Maybe, I would have been raised by pro-segregationist parents, and thought nothing but the worst of Dr. King.  All I can hope is that I would have supported the Kings and their mission of freedom.

The line that struck me the most in the speech was this:
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

Any and every parent that heard this part of the speech must have been able to identify, right?  I am not a parent, but know that the love of a mother and father is one that is undeniably the most powerful in the world.

I think that's what Dr. King wanted everyone to see.  We are all the same.  We are all people, even though we may have different hair color, eye color, or skin color.  On the inside we are all God's children, we are all humans, and we all have the right to be equal, in all ways.

Janie and Emmie, continued...

Here is a little video of Janie and Emmie playing in the snow.
:)

Jane Austen & Emily Dickinson (reincarnated). meow.

Well, it's official.  My transition to cat lady life has been completed.

Let's start from the beginning.  Ever since I was a teeny tiny little girl I have always loved cats.  I don't know why cats have such a bad reputation- they're so sweet and loving.  They can feel energy and instantly react to it.  I got my first cats when I was in kindergarten.  I wanted a kitten so badly it was all I asked for for Christmas.  When I walked upstairs on Christmas morning, and I will never forget this, two little black and white kitties popped out of a basket with ribbons around their necks.  I named them Sweetie and Sassy.

Sweetie and Sassy lived until last year (I am 22 now, you do the math).  They were murdered by coyotes in our backyard.  But that's a different story.

I decided I wanted a kitten last spring.  I knew I would be living in a house and wanted a companion.  I asked my roommates if a kitten would be alright.  They gave me the thumbs up and the search began.  I looked everywhere until I found a precious little orange tabby in the same town as my lake house.  This particular litter of kittens was born to a 7 month-old kitty, a mere baby herself, and were found stranded on the side of the road in a box in the pouring down rain in rural Arkansas.  Break my heart, will ya?

When I went to visit (they were living with foster parents) and get a feel for the kitty-cat, I fell in love with another one.  That's right, I went from one kitten to two in a matter of minutes.  Number two was not listed on the website and was a precious tortoise shell beauty.  Plus, they say a kitty needs a buddy for when you aren't around.

So I adopted Jane Austen and Emily Dickinson.  Known on the streets as Janie and Emmie.  Like her namesake, Emmie is quite antisocial and would rather be left alone.  She is smart but doesn't let you know it until she sneaks around behind your back.  Janie is a talker and is missing several teeth, some of her big teeth just never came in.  She loves to cuddle and purrs quite loudly.  She would rather be around a person than alone with Emmie.

Here are my precious girls:

Emmie the day I got her!

Emmie and her mommy :)

Janie on her first day!

Mommy and Janie

We love to cuddle!

They were so little!  Emmie loves to give Janie kisses.

My Janie.

My Emmie.

How precious!

Emmie hiding...

Emmie hiding again... She does this often.

Hello.

Dead asleep.

This is Janie's favorite sleep position.

Hi!

Emmie's FAVORITE *sarcasm* outfit.

Janie is a ballerina!

This is how they wait on me to come back from class!  It makes my heart smile!

Janie is my person bodyguard.

Who says cats don't like water?

"What?  I'm not doing anything..."

This is what I wake up to every morning.  Janie likes to get under the covers and cuddle.

So you have met Janie and Emmie, formally.  I can't tell you how many hours of every day I spend with them.  But here's the deal, I'm an equal opportunity animal lover.  I plan to get a puppy one day when the time is right.  All animal lovers know this to be true: when nothing is going right, your pet still loves you unconditionally.  When I am having a horribly awful no good day (remember that book?) and I have been torn to pieces by teachers or grades or mean people or whatever, I can come home and Janie and Emmie will love me like crazy.  And let me know it.  Their compassion is unbelievable.  They can feel it when I'm sad or mad or happy.  Sometimes, when I'm upset they cuddle up next to me when I cry.  They let me hold them when they know I need a hug.  They are just the best.

So here's where I go off the deep end in cat world.  Let me just say, though, that there are PLENTY of people who are absolutely nutso when it comes to their dogs.  For example, I have a neighbor who walks her dog in a baby stroller.  WHAT?!?!

The other day I spent $300 on a new litter box.  Sad, but true.  Here's the thing: it flushes itself.  No more litter and no more stinky.  I love Janie and Emmie, just not their stinky poo.  Now I can love all of them! Plus, whenever I'm home my parents discuss (bitch) the smell.  So far, the CatGenie seems to be working well, no problems.  Besides the fact that Emmie hissed at the yesterday and today.  I think it makes her nervous.  At least I don't have cat DVDs for them to watch while I'm in class- I'm totally serious, the people I got them from had them.

So there you have it.  The amount of money I spend on my precious babies is a little out of control sometimes, but I can't help it.  I just love them!

Just imagine how bad I'll be when I have children...

Social Experimentation: Part Deux.

The social experiment pretty much turned out the way I expected.  The young lawyers chatted with me about going out in Oxford and being in college while they nervously spoke to my Dad... until they had a few glasses of champagne.  Let me tell you something, a little bit of alcohol goes a long way when it comes to lawyers.  Those kids are so wound up and become different people when they drink.  They laugh.  I think they need to add more alcohol to their diets.  Those poor children have just about killed themselves and just need a little break if you ask me.  I'm glad they feel comfortable with me, especially when they are in our home.

Our family had a wonderful Christmas besides the fact that Pepaw (my grandfather) didn't show up.  He is around 87 (I can't really keep up) years old and is aging quite quickly these days.  It made me deeply sad that he didn't show up for I fear that this may have been his last Christmas.  I pray everyday that he will be with us for many more years, but his constant confusion and inability to take part of daily life concerns me. I believe every member of the family had a truly wonderful Christmas... there was just something in the air this year.  We all realized how lucky we were to be together.

Fast forward....zzzzzurrrrp
3 days after Christmas
My birthday!  Mom, Dad, and I went to Palm Springs, California.  My passion for California has been reignited.  There is something about the energy in California, the way people walk, the way people talk.  It seems as if everything is just more fun there.  And who doesn't need more fun in their lives?

I discovered a deep love for California at a very young age.  I have been very lucky in my life that my parents have taken me on trips with them- California was one of my favorites.  I love NoCal, I love SoCal.  I am an equal opportunity California lover.  The food and drink there don't hurt, either.

During this whirlwind adventure in the desert with two sixty-something-ers, I decided what I will do next year if I don't get into grad school.  Why, move to California, of course!  What will I do once I get there?  Get a job.  In fact, I applied for several jobs in San Francisco today.  Another great thing about California?  They love the southern accent.

This was a pretty boring post but I just wanted to update my loyal (HA!) readers.