LeahAndMark.com

We have two cats: One-Two and Three-Four

I got them when they were kittens and only two months old. I didn’t really know how to take care of them and sadly, I have to admit that I just wasn’t very good to them at all. They didn’t receive nearly the amount of attention that should have. I’m amazed that they’re not introverts and constantly go running away and hiding in dark closets. They rarely do that if ever. In fact, they’re about as social and friendly as you can imagine.

This is Three-Four:

This is One-Two:

They’re brothers obviously but their personalities are quite different. In fact, I can honestly say that I didn’t even know One-Two until Leah came into our lives and brought him out of his shell. Up until then Three-Four was the only one who really showed any affection towards me, while One-Two most ignored me.

When Leah showed up, he really took to her, he really bonded with her which is why the picture below is a regular (and I mean daily) occurrence:

I know, I posted this photo a few days ago, but it’s the epitome of their relationship. It’s a real depiction of how One-Two feels towards Leah - and I’m so grateful that they’re both in my life.

If it sounds as if I’m talking about my cats like they’re human well you’re exactly correct. I am. Simply because they actually do have personalities and before I owned pets, I had no idea what that meant. What sort of personalities can a cat or dog actually have? When you spend enough time with them, just like with people, you get the chance to learn.

Even though we’re extremely excited to be leaving the country for our month in China, we’re also concerned/worried about One-Two and Three-Four. They’re probably some of the MOST social cats I’ve ever seen and for them to be without us for such a long period of time, will honestly probably be difficult for them. Sure we’re having people visit and take care of them every other day (we bought automatic feeders and flowing water) but still… just like it’s different to be away from them for such a long time, they’ll probably feel the void of us being gone.

While it again seems as though I’m taking this too far… I can tell that they miss Leah when she’s gone for a few days, out of town. I can definitely tell when she comes back and One-Two responds to her voice the way he does. He has a connection with her that I don’t, even though he’s warmed up to me considerably over the past year, it’s still not the same.

They’re both special and each has their own qualities, but One-Two can actually give and absorb reiki energy. Leah is currently a level-two reiki practitioner and when she radiates the energy from her hands, One-Two is right there, soaking it up. He’ll climb up onto her and sit on her hands. Leah says that she can feel him channel the energy through his own body.

Three-Four much like me, doesn’t have this natural inclination towards such metaphysical efforts. But that’s okay. They’ve both kind of developed like that, where Three-Four is more like me, and One-Two is absolutely more like Leah.

Three-Four:

So that’s our cats. They’re great. They act like dogs. They fetch. They run around like crazy. They like to meet new people - seriously, it’s hard to keep them off of new people visiting the house.

When we move to China (or someplace in Asia) in a few years, we’re bringing them. No matter what.

So here are some pictures of our packs and other gear for the trip. Mostly rope, and clips, and chords, and other things that we just may need depending on where we go - since we won’t always be in the city - and even then, ‘the city’ in China isn’t the same as the city in America or other places…

And then we’re also going to a few remote areas where there are small villages and they have the rice paddies carved into terraces on the mountainsides… you know… places exactly like this:

So it should be really cool. And hopefully we’ll just be out there… wherever there is. But not too far out, and even then… when we get out there, I doubt that I’ll really worry about work so much - even if I am technically telecommuting.

Oh yeah. I almost forgot. If you look at this picture above, on the left side you’ll see a picture of a man wearing a headband - it’s actually a flashlight holder. Below is Leah modeling the awesomely hip headband:

And finally… while we were taking the photos, One-Two deciding to hide in the REI paper bag.

So over the weekend Leah and I went to REI to load up on stuff we needed for our trip to China. Mostly traveling supplies like extra day pack bags, first aid kits, locks, clothes, flashlight head holders, and other things.

Here’s the bag I bought to carry all of our electronics: Laptop, Cell Phones, Cords, Batteries, etc. Also, here’s a size comparison for how big (small) my $300 laptop is - and yes, it’s an amazing laptop:

(I also got that Madden ‘08 game for my birthday this past week! Score!)

It’s Monday and in two weeks, we’ll be flying out. It’s getting close and I’m getting more and more excited.

-Mark