42. Foster a kitten/cat (and don't keep it)

This is my first dream-fail, but it's an adorable one so I'm going to share it anyway. Maybe someday I'll be able to cross this one off, but it won't be today... 

Last October, my sister sent me a picture of a fluffy orange kitten and said, "This is Walter. Will you foster him for me until my lease is up and I move to a place that allows pets?" My very first response was, "When is that?" and her reply was, "July."

I didn't love the idea. We had two cats already, and they were a handful by themselves. But earlier that year, my sister had put her cat Zoey down, so I knew she wanted a companion again. Against my better judgment, I eventually said yes. 

Fast forward a year. Walter is now a full-fledged member of my household. Exactly as I anticipated. Here is Walter with his brother Jack (the white one) and his sister Sophie (the gray one): 

So how did we get here? 

Last November, my sister and I picked Walter up from the foster he was with. He was so sweet. Tiny, fluffy, and incredibly friendly, he loved getting into his carrier to head home with us. When we got home, he wasn't scared or nervous at all. He was ready to explore his new home. Jack and Sophie were not as excited... but Walter didn't care in the least. Here he is on his first day in our home: 

Over the next few days, we realized that our new house-mate was having some tummy troubles. His trips to the litter box weren't as... solid... as we liked. We decided to see if his stomach settled down after he got used to his new environment and food, but a few weeks later he was still having trouble. We ended up taking him to our vet, and she treated him for worms. We thought everything would clear up and we'd be on our way, but we were SO WRONG. 

Turns out the medication that treats worms makes the kitty stomach sooo much worse before it gets better. We're talking pure liquid. It was a rough few days in our household. There were lots of baths and cleaning of walls and carpet going on... 

Finally, after a couple of months of new foods, meds, and vet visits, Walter's tummy settled down. Once his digestion was back to normal, we realized that he liked to eat - a lot. From the time we got him last November to his vet visit a couple weeks ago, he doubled in size. He's only about 18 months old, and he is way bigger than his brother and sister. And he's not even done growing! We think he has some Maine Coon in him; his head is nearly as big as Rich's!: 

I made it a point not to bond with Walter during the time he was here, because I didn't want it to hurt too badly when my sister finally took him. That doesn't mean I was mean to him, or cold, or anything... I just refrained from falling head over heels in love with him. The time finally came in July for my sister to take him, and despite my not having bonded with him, I was incredibly sad when he was gone. I mean, look at this face!!!

Almost immediately, my sister realized how much work it is to have a kitten in her house. She and my parents didn't get Zoey until she was an adult, so she had no idea how much work they are. It only took her six days before she brought him back to live with us permanently. 

I was conflicted about this. I still am. I love Walter. He is so cute and funny and lovable. But he and Sophie don't get along particularly well, and I feel terrible for her. Rather, Sophie doesn't get along with Walter well; he likes her just fine. Sophie has been having some medical issues of her own for the past few months, and we can't help but wonder if Walter being here is causing her stress and preventing her from healing like she should... We are working through that right now.

Here is one last picture of Walter; I took this one this morning, right before he tore through our brand new duvet cover with his teeth:

Kittens are fun... 

1. Read all the books on the list of Goodreads 100 Books You Should Read In A Lifetime Pt. 2

I'm getting through this list faster than I expected! Here are some more mini-reviews for the next handful of books I've read:


To Kill a Mockingbird - I remember starting this book in high school, but I'm pretty sure I didn't finish it. I say that because I feel like I would remember how it ended, which I did not. All that to say, I LOVED THIS BOOK. I couldn't put it down. It only took me two days to read it because I was completely engrossed in it.

Charlotte's Web - I read this book in elementary school, and as I was reading it this time I was surprised at how much of the story I remembered. My fourth grade teacher was smart in having us read it. It's a chapter book with pictures, which I feel is perfect for children in that age range who maybe still aren't super comfortable with reading. Plus it's adorable.

Animal Farm - This book was about as political as they come. It was a quick read though, which was nice, but that also means the plot escalated super quickly. I liked the message, but I can't help but relate this book to our current political climate, and that makes me sad/scared.

The Grapes of Wrath - Okay, I loved this book so much right until the end. I always think that every dystopian novel I read is going to have a happy ending for whatever reason, and I'm always wrong. This book was extremely well-written but also very depressing... Same as with 1984, I was hoping the people would come together to overthrow those in charge, but they just... didn't. Life just went on as depressing as it was before.

The Kite Runner - Again, this book was very well-written but was also depressing. Overall I liked this book, especially the historical parts, but the fate of Hassan was really sad. Actually, the fate of most of the characters was really sad. I understand that authors are trying to make a point when they write sad stories, typically about the world in which they live, but I'm learning that these types of books are not my favorite. Give me back my Charlotte's Web...

Macbeth - All I have to say is thank goodness for footnotes. I'm pretty sure I would have NO clue what this was about without them. I always have good intentions to understand Shakespeare without footnotes or Cliffs notes, but my brain gets so focused on the rhyming that I forget to pay attention to the plot. I'm just glad this one was short...

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - This was a slow-moving book, but it was an easy read regardless. I feel that there are a lot of parts to this book that don't advance the Injun Joe plot line at all and could easily be left out. Maybe I'm missing some bigger picture though. Reading reviews on this book, however, has made me very excited to read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, because it angered enough people politically that it was banned from schools for a bit (though I'm pretty sure I read it in high school, or at least started it...).

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass - I feel like Lewis Carroll was eating some magic mushrooms of his own when he wrote these books... They were entertaining to be sure, but if I had read them as a little kid I feel like my mind would have swirled and I wouldn't have understood a lot of it. Also, I'm glad I'd already seen the animated Disney version of this movie, because it helped me visualize things in my head I'm not sure I would have been able to otherwise.

Anna Karenina - This book took me several months to get through, not because it was particularly difficult to understand, but because there was an insane amount of information that had nothing to do with the story at all. Basic premise - Anna is a slut and feels so guilty she chucks herself under a train at the end. Not sure why it took nearly a thousand pages to get to that conclusion. WHO CARES ABOUT LEVIN?!

The Things They Carried - This book was incredible. So incredible, in fact, that I gushed on and on about it to the person who let me borrow it and he ended up buying me my own copy. This book and its stories about the Vietnam War reminded me just how hard people in the military have it - I wish more people would read this book, honestly.

The Road - This was a really, really good book, another one I couldn't put down, but it just has one flaw in my opinion - WHAT IN THE HELL HAPPENED?! I understand that this book takes place in a post-apocalyptic time, but I want to know how they got to that point. The author touches on it just enough for me to want to know more, but he never fully explains what happened. I guess that's not the point, but I'm too curious to let it go.

Crime and Punishment - After my months-long experience with Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, I was terrified to read anything by Dostoyevsky. But since it was on the list, I had to read it, and I was pleasantly surprised. I just assumed all Russian novels would be as convoluted and ridiculously wordy as Tolstoy's, which I now understand is a silly notion. Either way, this book was way better than I expected it to be, though I'm still not sure what made Raskolnikov kill the woman in the first place...


I'm currently working on Little Women, and it's slow-going (bordering on boring) for sure. We'll see if it gets better. Next is Don Quixote, and it's terrifyingly thick and heavy. Also, it was written many centuries ago, and I'm afraid it's going to take me all summer like Anna Karenina did last year. Let's hope I'm wrong. =/

51. Hustle a random at a bar game (Buck Hunter is preferred)

I had no idea how soon I'd be crossing this dream off the list, but I did have a feeling it wouldn't be planned. And I was right!

On Saturday, Rich and I went to KC for a beer festival. About 15 beer samples and a nap later, we were starving. We met my friend Sara and her boyfriend at a great little Mexican restaurant for dinner and drinks, and then afterward we all went to this bar that had a bunch of arcade games at it. The very first thing I spotted, of course, was a super old Big Buck Hunter Pro, and I eventually made my way over to it to play a round. No one wanted to play with me, though, so I got bored and moved on.

Later on in the night, however, the four of us were sitting at a table next to the Buck Hunter machine and a mostly drunk guy asked us for change for a $5 so he could play it. I asked Rich to make him change, then when I handed it to him I told him I wanted to play with him. He was excited to have competition, and I was excited to show off my skills (which he knew nothing about yet).

During the first round he said, "Okay, you're good at this..." Then I proceeded to crush him in every subsequent round. During another round, he muttered, "This girl is so fast..." I was elated! He had no idea what he was getting into, and he totally misjudged me based on the fact I was a girl. I ended up pummeling him, and he thought it was hilarious. He was such a good sport about the whole thing that it completely made my night.

After it was all over, I ended up telling him that I'm a world championship competitor at the game, and he replied with, "I knew that. Right away." He said he travels the country looking for Buck Hunter in truck stops and such because he loves playing it so much. He was so impressed with me, and I had such a good time. Even though I've already technically crossed this dream off now, I plan to continue doing this. It's a huge rush to get people to think I'm some dumb girl who doesn't know what I'm getting myself into then systematically demolish them at it. I can't wait to do it again and again and again!