Haaaaaave You Met Ted?....and Marshall

Say hello to the newest additions to our family : Ted and Marshall :)

Meet Ted

Meet Marshall

Jared and I have quickly gone from owning a normal number of pets to now owning a small zoo, but we couldn't be happier with the newest additions to our family. 

When Jared got a roommate last fall, he also had a cat. I was concerned about Rory being traumatized, especially since she was just getting used to having Penny around the house. In order to make me feel better about the situation, Jared said that he was thinking we could get another cat when I moved back home from school. New cat? YES PLEASE!

Fast forward a few months and Jared receives an email at work from a guy who needs to get rid of his two cats. He and his wife were no longer able to take care of them due to allergies and moving into a new place that would not allow them. While Jared and I were skyping, he asked if we could adopt two new cats....and my first reaction is OF COURSE!

Now I don't know what it is, but owning three animals seems acceptable but when I think about owning fours animals, it all of a sudden sounds crazy. Like somehow the addition of that one animal makes us seem like crazies....and maybe it does, but I am so excited to have them. 

Names? I am sure you have guessed it by now. Rory is named after Gilmore Girls, Penny is names after Big Bang Theory and Ted and Marshall are from How I Met Your Mother. We thought it would be fitting to continue the theme... and the names seem to really fit them. 

Ted is the black cat. He is entirely black except for a few white hairs on his chest. He is a bit shy at first and likes to be under the bed, but once he warms up to you, he is overly affectionate and a great snuggle buddy (sounds like Ted Mosby right?)

Marshall is the striped one and he is HUGE and I mean huge. He is at least 16 pounds and just huge...in fact we have started to call Rory 'tiny kitten' because she really is so small in comparison. He is super affectionate! 

To quote his previous owner: 

"He is abnormally friendly, like if a stranger kicks down your door screaming with a chainsaw revving, he will come rub against him, purring.  It's very strange.  He even purrs when getting his shots at the vet. (we have joked that his purr'er is broken)"

Needless to say he is totally a Marshall :)

I feel so blessed to be surrounded by so many loving animals and even though we may be crazy, I am happy to have them around. We are still very much in the beginning stages of introducing them to Rory and Penny but I have no doubt that they will soon be integrated completely into the family.

Lent

Wednesday was the beginning of the Lenten period. Now I was raised Catholic, so giving up something for Lent is pretty much ingrained into every fiber of my being. Even though I am not a very good Catholic at the moment, I think Lent brings about a time in which many people find strength in themselves by giving up things that they tend to indulge in on a regular basis.

Now I have cheated before and given up things for Lent that are not really difficult to give up, especially when I was a kid.

Example: 1995: Green Beans (don't get me wrong, I loved green beans, but really....we did not have them that much)

Over the last three years, including this year I have given up a vice of mine that always seems to come creeping back which is soda (diet soda in my case). No matter how hard I have tried I always come back to drinking soda on a regular basis...but for the last two years (and hopefully this year) I have successfully given up soda for the 40 days of Lent.

I am now on day 6 and I already hate it, but it is good for my self control and good for my health. Hopefully I can continue to not drink soda even after Lent is over, but for now we will just start with the 40 days.

In addition to giving up my soda addiction, I am also giving up unnecessary shopping. Cassie and I (or sometimes just me) went shopping EVERY WEEKEND IN JANUARY  What!? I spent so much money on things that were not really necessary...including 4 pairs of shoes....really Ginger, four pairs of shoes?

So to keep my wallet happy, I have also given up shopping for Lent. Now this does not include food/gas for my car, but just unnecessary things such a makeup, clothes, accessories and especially shoes.

Last but not least, I am going to be completing a 6 week meal plan as a part of my resolution of eating better/clean. I have completed the program before a couple of years ago and it was a great success, so I am hoping for similar results. My goal is to fit into this dress by graduation.

What are you giving up for Lent this year?
How are your resolutions coming?