Laugh. Love. Lush.

Never before have I known a cat that acts like Prim. She will actively seek out our company...just like a dog. She'll place herself in whatever room we are in. And, even if she is crazy comfortable, she will leave a room if we get up and walk out. If we leave a room while she's asleep, she'll scream when she wakes up until one of us goes to get her. I attribute that to her deafness, but still. She just craves company and companionship. She'll even sit by Sarge's crate if she's really desperate. That's where we normally find her when we come home from an outing. In other news, I got a haircut. FINALLY. I was in desperate need of one. I actually changed it up a little too, but I won't go into any detail because I want to surprise my Montgomery folks. ;P

Just another day at the loft. Until I decided it was a good idea to do some laundry. Now I had taken note of Prim's odd behavior during this time, but never really paid full attention to it. This time, however, I did.

• Laundry time BEFORE Prim's existence: 25% Washing/Drying, 25% Sorting, 25% Folding, 25% Putting away clothes/towels 

• Laundry time AFTER Prim's existence: 2% Washing/drying, sorting, folding AND putting away, 98% Prim acting like she's in Mission Impossible 

Now, let me explain what I mean by this. As SOON as I remove clothes from the dryer and place them on the bed, Prim goes into secret agent mode. She runs as close to the floor as she can get, looking for anything and everything to get under and wait. This includes, but is not limited to: piles of clothes and/or towels, bedding, small objects, her own cat scratcher, etc. She will physically DIVE under these things. Like an Olympic swimmer. If I happen to find her in a pile of clothes or towels, I'll go over to remove her (because she's white and 97.3% of Derek's wardrobe is black...I've done the math). She then flattens her entire body, ears and all, and gets really still. Like she's trying to be invisible. "If I stay really still, she won't see me." Proof that this cat was meant for me and Derek? I think so.

Wow it has been a while since my last update. I think I'm going to try and be more on top of this. Someone brought it to my attention that my parents may enjoy reading my blog. Now, while I doubt that, I do have friends in Montgomery and elsewhere that I simply do not talk to as much as I'd like to. So...this blog is now for them, to keep them in the loop.

Let's jump right in. Yesterday during breakfast, Derek and I were watching Iron Chef America and we started talking about where we thought it was filmed. We speculated it was filmed in Chicago (it's not...it's filmed in New York...and you need an invite to be in the audience >.<). So we hustled to get ready and 30 minutes later we were on the road to Chicago! It only took about 2 hours too. Which is amazing.

We went to Gino's East for lunch. Which was, by far, the best pizza I've ever had. Had we not gone anywhere else in Chicago, the trip was well worth it just by going there. I mean wow. If you're ever in Chicago, do yourself a favor and go. Seriously. You'll die. The deep dish takes like 45 minutes, but man is it ever worth it.

And what's a trip to a big city like Chicago without going into a Lush??? ^.^
We were only able to find a Lush in a Macy's during this trip, but it was PACKED.
Rundown of what products we got:
1. Dirty shower gel (Derek)
2. Putty in Your Hands
3. Sex Bomb bath bomb
4. Rose Jam bubble bar
5. Pop in the Bath bubble bar
6. Honey Trap lip balm
7. Mint Julips lip scrubs
8. Tiny Hands solid lotion (this is going in a tin and staying in my purse)
9. Sea Vegetable soap sample

Yea... I stocked up...

Anyway, after that we went over to the Adidas store and Derek got some really nice gray shoes. He's been needing a nice pair for summer AND they were on sale. Win.

We ran over to the Apple store and found a connecter for my laptop so we can hook it to the TV. The picture is a bit fuzzy, but it's better than watching stuff on my laptop screen. (Side note: Speaking of my laptop, I'm almost positive that the bearings for my internal fan are a bit faulty. EXCITING.)

We headed home shortly after that because I wasn't warned that Chicago was a walk everywhere city and I stupidly wore boots. Needless to say, my feet were KILLING me. Which reminds me, I need more Fair Trade Foot Lotion from Lush. Next trip maybe. :P

Derek and I recently adopted a kitten from the Kalamazoo Animal Rescue. Her name is Primrose, or "Prim", she's 6 months old, and she's deaf.



She has acclimated extremely well to us too. She was sleeping with us on the second night. I'm positive she would've slept with us on the first night if we had let her too.

Now, when I tell people she's deaf, I get one main response: How do you communicate?
And really it's no different than having a hearing cat. I mean...it's not like cats really listen to begin with. All her other senses are in overdrive so Prim is actually quite perceptive. The fact that we have hardwood floors makes it easier too. She can feel the vibrations of us walking around and we can stomp to get her attention. If she's asleep (and she sleeps REALLY deep because of her hearing impairment), all we have to do is tap the area next to her and she wakes up. She also quite enjoys it if you hum when you hold her.

Over the last few days, I've made several discoveries about our little Primrose.
1) She already runs this place. Derek already refers to her as the princess.
2) She LOVES chaser toys. Best $10 I ever spent.
3) She is a very picky eater. Took several Pet Supplies Plus samples to pin down what she'll eat (Blue Buffalo Healthy Growth dry food supplemented with TikiCat or Weruva wet food).
4) There's a spot on her chin and if you scratch it just right, her back leg moves like a dog's.
5) She prefers to sleep under a blanket. The gray quilt at the end of our bed is her blanket of choice.

Now she has yet to really meet Sarge apart from sniffing him through a doggy gate. But we think that the fact that she's deaf will make it easier for her to get used to him. He's a little crazy and makes weird noises and whatnot. But she won't be spooked by that because she can't hear him. We're hoping to introduce them officially by the end of next week. Stay tuned.

I'm not entirely sure how my dad managed to fit all my priority stuff AND some second string stuff in my station wagon. I was watching him and I still don't full understand! It truly is a gift he possesses.

Train case breakdown time!
This is everything, beauty product wise, that I'm taking to Michigan immediately. The rest of my makeup isn't making the trip till March.







TOP TRAYS
FACE PRODUCTS
Smashbox Photo Finish Primer
Make Up Forever HD Foundation in 115
MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural
Make Up Forever High Definition Powder
Make Up Forever Mat Velvet+ in 25
MAC Cremeblend Blush in "Ladyblush"
Benefit Powder Box in "Coralista"

LIP PRODUCTS
Urban Decay Pocket Rocket in "Timothy"
Urban Decay Pocket Rocket in "Kirk"
MAC Lustre Lipstick in "Secret Lover"
MAC Lipglass in "Viva Glam VI"
Stila Lip Glaze in "Apricot"
benefit "BeneTint"

MISC PRODUCTS
LUSH Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter
butter London nail polish in "Tea with the Queen"
butter London nail polish in "Teddy Girl"
Essie nail polish in "Island Hopping"
Harvey Prince perfume in "eau flirt"

MIDDLE TRAYS
EYE PRODUCTS
benefit Eye Bright
benefit waterproof Bad Gal Lash mascara
MAC Technakohl Liner in "Graphblack"
Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Dark-Circle Roller
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in "Eden"
Urban Decay e/s in "Stray Dog"
Urban Decay e/s in "Naked"
Urban Decay e/s in "Perversion"
Urban Decay Deluxe e/s in "Ruthless"
MAC e/s in "Hypnotizing"

MAKEUP BRUSHES
Sigma Round Kabuki #F82
Sigma Duo Fibre #F50
Sigma Tapered Blending #E40
Sigma Blending #E25
Sigma Concealer #F70
Sigma Medium Angled Shading #E70
Sigma Small Angled #E65
Sigma Pencil #E30
Sigma Eye Shading #E55
Sigma Small Duo Fibre #F55
Ubran Decay Powder
Urban Decay Liner

BOTTOM TRAY
e.l.f. Basic Eye Edition palette
Urban Decay All-Nighter Setting Spray
Bumble & Bumble Styling Lotion
Sephora waterproof eye makeup remover
Ahava Dead Sea Water Mineral Body Lotion

And that's everything! :D

I got all my clothes washed, outfits laid out for the next couple of days, and all my leftover clothes packed. I started packing my suitcase with things I either couldn't find a place for or things I'll need the night I get there.

I managed to fit all my bathroom stuff (trash can, shower curtain liner, shower curtain, shower curtain hooks) inside of a small hamper and then put that hamper inside my big hamper. That hamper is now snug in my passenger seat all ready to go. That's the only thing I was worried about fitting so I'm glad I got that figured out sooner rather than later.

We start packing my car tomorrow! My dad is going to put the topper on my car. Which will hold my suitcase, gym bag (that I've never used at a gym...it's currently holding all my bathroom products), small duffel, and makeup train case (I do intend to do a "What's In My Train Case" post...possibly tomorrow).

I have a few more things to pack in boxes that aren't coming with me this first trip and then I'm DONE! I can't believe it. 3 more days