The Tree of Life

First and foremost, I want to highlight a new hobby Hurley (my male cat) has picked up.  The other morning before work, I had just hopped out of the shower while Rachel was downstairs eating breakfast.  She had run downstairs for a moment and upon her arrival back to the main floor, she was calling for me to hurry downstairs.  I obliged and immediately saw what she was talking about.

There was a mouse lying on its back in the middle of our dining room.  Clearly dead.  Apparently Hurley had killed the mouse earlier (probably during play) and brought it out for Rachel later.  A few mornings later, my mom heard a mouse in the wall. 

A little while later when she went downstairs, she found a mouse head (and shoulders) on the floor in the living room.  She suspects Hurley got a little excited with playtime and bit down a little too hard, eventually eating the bottom half (or two-thirds).

All grossness aside, we have good news!  On Sunday (August 28th), I stopped by the humane society to pick up two new kittens.  They were originally going to give us a group of four, but they said they were in no condition to be out in foster care, so they gave us this younger pair instead.

Twig was brought it on her own sometime last week, followed the next day by her brother Leif.  Animal Control found the two kittens on separate occasions, but in the exact same location.  Who knows if there were more, but they were both alone and very scared.

Twig is a little more shy than her brother.  They said she hisses at people, but we haven't seen too much of that.  She hides behind the toilet a lot.  Leif is a little more friendly, but neither are too into people yet.  So far, I've just been going into my bathroom to sit on the floor and be otherwise occupied so they can approach me.  A handful of days in, and they're still not curling up on my lap yet.

In the last few days, we've seen them get a lot more playful towards each other and a little less timid around us.  They'll approach us--or at least our feet--but they'll take some work.

They're both 7 weeks old and gray tabbies.  I can't wait to have these guys for a while and get them as well trained as Bea and Lucy were!

By the way, Leif is in the blue and Twig is in the yellow.  I tried to stay away from the classic boy and girl colors, but I was stuck with the blue.

Connor & Murphy MacManus

You've seen Boondock Saints, right?  So then you know who Connor and Murphy MacManus are.

Shane (Connor)

In case you need some refreshing, they're furry, mostly black, four months old, and kittens who live in my bathroom.  Okay, okay, their names aren't actually Connor and Murphy, but Sean and Shane.  The worst cat names ever!

Sean (Murphy)

They're the oldest kittens we've ever fostered.  They actually were on the adoption floor already, but developed a case of the sneezes.  The ladies in the foster care department figured they were a little stressed out about being in the kennel, so we're keeping them until the sneezes clear up.

Shane (Connor)

Shane (AKA Connor) has white toes and a white chest.  He's very lovely, and often curls up in my arms while I'm on my bed.  He has a lot of energy, like his brother, and loves to wrestle with Sean.

Sean (Murphy)

Sean (AKA Murphy) has a very small white spot on his chest, but is pure black other than that.  He also loves to wrestle and chase Shane around.  His favorite spot to relax is on top of my head if I'm leaning against a pillow.

Shane (Connor)

They're a pretty crazy pair, but they're very affectionate and sweet as well.  It's just a little hard to keep up when they're running literally all over the place.  In fact, on Sunday night, while the family was eating dinner on the patio, they spotted one of the two of them half way up the screen on my window.  Yes, he had began to ascend my screen!  Brave.

Sean (Murphy)

They probably won't be with us for very much longer.  In fact, I haven't heard them sneeze in about 24 hours.  They're really fun, but a little crazy.

Birthday Brunch & Baseball

In July, Rachel celebrated her 24th birthday.  We went to Root Down for brunch that weekend for the occasion.  It was the first time any of us had been there--my mom, Rachel, Travis, and me--and it was a hit!

We had a reservation, but we actually got seated on the patio before our reservation.  It's a pretty hipster place, and I actually spotted my first hipsters!  Mom and Travis ordered traditional (bottomless) mimosas, and Rachel got a blood orange (bottomless) mimosa.  I got blood orange juice.

The food was also delicious!  I had steak and eggs--which were a little eggy for my taste, but the steak was amazing!  I got a side of avocado and sweet potato fries.  Both Rachel and Travis got lamb sliders with sweet potato fries.  Mom had an omelet with a side of greens.  We were all stuffed and satisfied after we finished eating.  The cool thing about Root Down is it always uses local ingredients, so the menu is ever-changing.

My gift to Rachel was tickets to the Rockies-Brewers game earlier that weekend.  It was just the two of us and I scored some awesome seats on club level along the first baseline.  They were facing the sun and there was some awkward rain, but the game was so much fun.  And the Rockies won!

Happy birthday to Rachel!

Last weekend, I had a big birthday: 21!  The day after my birthday, my dad took the family out for a celebration!  We went to Denver again for brunch, but this time did baseball on the same day!

This time we ate at Snooze.  Unlike Root Down, this place does not take reservations, and we had a near 2 hour wait.  It was worth every second!  They some seating outside along the street under an overhang in order to wait.

While waiting, Rachel got drinks for her, Travis, and me.  (YAY being legal!)  This baby was delicious.  The Snooze Hi-C, made with St. Germaine and other yummy stuff.

I also opened some presents while we were waiting.  My aunt, uncle, and cousin got me some accessories from a new place called Charlie Girl.  They got me a black lace scarf, which is gorgeous, two pairs of earrings, and a necklace.  My aunt told me that my little (male) cousin picked out some of it.  I asked if I could hire him on as my stylist!  My dad and step-mom got me a scrapbook from the first chapter of my life (at least through high school).  My step-mom scrapbooks a lot so it was top-of-the-line.  I love it!  (Thanks, family!)

Since it was my birthday, they sent out a cinnamon roll pancake, which was pretty good, but we all had some.  I ordered a Bloody Mary for (obviously) the first time.  It was a little spicy for my taste, but it was good otherwise.  I also ordered Eggs Benedict for the first time.  They were so good, but the kind that Rachel ordered were a lot better!  Their bacon was to die for too.  They have a handful of locations, including one coming next month to a location much closer to us!

In the parking lot, we took turns applying sunscreen.  We decided that the menfolk were terrible sunscreen applicators because they never go under the tank top straps, so when the clothes shift, you get burned!  Am I right, ladies?

The restaurant, funnily enough, was actually right next to the lot where my dad usually parks for Rockies games.  Who knew?!  We walked over to the field a little early just to hang out.

The Rockies were playing the Nationals.  Despite winning by a lot on Saturday night, they lost their fourteenth straight Sunday afternoon game by one run.  It was a little bit of a bummer.

We had a humorous photo shoot while we were waiting for the game to start.  We didn't want to go down to our seats just yet, because they were directly in the sun!  They were just beyond the third baseline.  The usher told us we would be in the shade by the fourth inning, but I guess the sun was on its own time because we weren't in the shade until the bottom of the seventh.  Worth it though.  Despite all the sweat!

Again, before the game started, Rachel, Travis, and I went over to The Sandlot, a bar and smokehouse at the park for some drinks.  This bartender looked a little puzzled at my "UNDER 21" ID that I still have.  One thing I discovered that weekend, I like dark beer better than light.  I'm also still searching for my signature drink.

All of these pictures are from Rachel camera, however, I took a handful of them.  And by the way, I've been to a game almost every month this season.  I saw them beat the Padres in May, beat the Tigers in June, beat the Brewers in July, and lose to the Nationals in August.