This is Cas (short for Castiel after a certain angel). She's the white, fluffy, blue-eyed cat I post on my social media accounts pretty often. I'm so proud of her, I can't help it. Creative types showing off their pets (cats, dogs, fish, bearded dragons, guinea pigs, etc.) is a cliche by now, but this is one I'm willing to embrace.

​Let the list begin!

She rolls over, tempting me to pet her. It's the universal pose that invites her prey to play, a sacred technique passed down in the genetics of house cats everywhere. Then as soon as the unwitting human's fingers brush the soft fur, the trap is sprung, the claws come out. Attack!

I guarantee if I did this on the side of a tub, I'd fall over and flash someone. This proves that cats make everything look graceful and effortless. It doesn't matter if they're draped across a red-velvet settee or creepily watching their human guardian gurgle mouthwash.

Cas often roosts on the top platform of her tower. Perhaps it's because she likes looking down on her subjects for a change instead of rubbing against their legs.  This time, she showed off her silly side and sprawled all over it. Did she think that the moment should be captured forever and shared with the internet? Possibly not. 

I hope this feline brightened someone's day as much as she does mine. Are you a creative type? Do you have any critters? Brag about them in the comments!

Earlier this year I did my first interstate move. Born and raised in the Sunshine State (full of Snowbirds, gators, and tropical heat all year long), my family and needed a change of pace. So, we decided to relocate to the fabulous epitome of the American Midwest: Ohio!

You never know how much stuff you have until you have to pack all of it in boxes and hire someone to Tetris those into a moving truck (plus two sedan-sized cars and a rental SUV). I lived in a thousand square foot apartment for four years, full of carpet with a narrow hallway of a kitchen. Before that, I hopped all over Central Florida year after year, accumulating more memorabilia with each new place (and adding to my collection of paperbacks). Downsizing all of that took a lot of hard decisions and being very brutal in sorting through my TBR pile. But somehow, we managed to clear it all out and get all of our safety deposit back.

The drive up was another first. I always rode with [insert significant other or parental figure here] on my other moves because of my famous tendency to get lost. Same thing with road trips and vacations. GPS is the biggest reason I got my first smart phone. This time we had so many vehicles we had to caravan up, I got to be in front of the steering wheel. My cat rode with me. She was so thrilled.

Over three days and a few pet-friendly hotels, we finally made it to our new home! It had hardwood floors, a window AC unit, and was built sometime between the 40s and 50s. Every surface I step on squeaks and I get to see fireflies flashing outside my window every day when I get home from work. The deer are HUGE and pop out often. There are trees and hills EVERYWHERE. But some things are still familiar. I still see sweet tea at all the restaurants.

The most frequent question I get when people find out where I'm from is: why? Followed by: wait for winter. We'll see if they're right.