I have been blogging since November 2004, and the experience has been amazing. I’ve always enjoyed expressing myself through the written word, but I never imagined that I could forge such wonderful friendships in the process. This post is dedicated to all of the terrific bloggers I’ve met over the past three years. I can’t possibly list them all here, but I would like to recognize some of the ones who have made a positive influence on my life.

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and hanging out with the following bloggers “in real life” – Barry, Byron, Perry, Michael Neel, Cicilie, Craig Thomas, Les, Mushy, Michael Silence, LissaKay, Doug McCaughan, Rich, Black Atticus, Bat, Big Orange Michael, BSoholic, Don, Ray, Kelly, Osbasso, Yoj, Summer, Samantha, Vampiric Kitti, and Frank Murphy. I am happy to have met each and every one of these wonderful people. A few of them were friends before I ever started blogging.

I’ve known Andrew for a few months now, and we’ve become great friends. We were born only 27 days apart – way back in 1972! We have so much in common and never run out of things to talk about. Whether we’re discussing blogging, superheroes, or online coupons, it’s always a joy.

You know how much I love dogs, and Johann the Dog is one of the most special I know. It’s not every day that you meet a blogging dog! Johann is incredibly sweet and caring, and he posts lots of wonderful articles aimed at helping other dogs and their two-legged friends. I am proud to call him a friend!

Mike and I co-founded BlogsWeLuv and have had a fantastic time developing the site. We spent 24 straight hours blogging in July, which was quite the experience. Mike is a gifted artist and writer and a very caring person.

Garry Conn and I have recently become friends. He is one of the most talented, intelligent, and positive people I’ve ever met. I look forward to getting to know him better as time goes on. He recently joined the BlogsWeLuv team, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. Garry and I have also been kicking around a few project ideas of our own, so perhaps you’ll even seen us working together more in the future.

Mark and Bush Mackel are both wonderful guys. They also contribute to BlogsWeLuv. They are very gifted writers, and I am happy to call them friends.

Other special blog friends include Flat Coke and Flies, Aaron Cook, Groanin’ Jock, Polli, Complete Geek, Kiltak, Tommy, Chip, Choc Mint Girl, Christy, Lecram, Marzie, Max, MizMouthy, Biscuit, K-IntheHouse, Speedcat Hollydale, Judy, Bucky, Bobby, and Amy.

I’d also like to recognize my good friend Melissa. Though she isn’t a blogger herself, I wouldn’t have met her if it hadn’t been for this blog. She has been a regular reader for a long time now.

As I mentioned, there isn’t sufficient space or time to mention every single blogger I’ve gotten to know, but I value each and every one of you who stops by to visit.

©2012 The Kat House. All Rights Reserved.

As you can tell, both Molly and Cruella are doing well.  It has been more than six months since Cruella battled two surgeries, peritonitis, and cancer.  She almost didn’t make it, but thanks to some amazing doctors, and the amazing power of prayer, she’s now very healthy and happy!

©2012 The Kat House. All Rights Reserved.

I am completely awestruck.  I think this is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.  And doesn’t it look just like me?

I hoped to find the perfect words for this post, but I’m darn near speechless.

Thank you so much, Mike!

©2012 The Kat House. All Rights Reserved.

Let us first define the word “crush”.  In my opinion, a crush is an admiration from afar.  Though crushes vary from person to person, there are certain “crush factors” that are usually present. 

Crush Factors
1.  The crush is admired from a distance.
2.  The crush and the crusher are not very acquainted with one another.
3.  The crush is usually unaware that he or she is being crushed on.
4.  The feelings are one-sided.

At any given time, I have at least a couple of crushes going on.  They are usually innocent enough – never really given much serious consideration.  But occasionally there is a crush that makes me question whether it is really a crush at all.  Thus the question, “When is a crush more than a crush?”

Let us examine my own “serious” crush using the aforementioned crush factors.

Rarely a day goes by that the crush and I don’t converse.  We talk for hours on end and share the intimate details of our lives.  He’s one of the best friends I’ve ever had, and I’m pretty sure he considers me the same.

1.  The crush is admired from a distance.
2.  The crush and the crusher are not very acquainted with one another.

The crush and I have discussed our crushes with each other.  He is my crush.  I am his. 

3.  The crush is usually unaware that he or she is being crushed on.
4.  The feelings are one-sided.

As I said, crushes vary from person to person, but some or all of the crush factors must be present to qualify as a real crush.  In this particular case, none of the crush factors are present.

So when is a crush more than a crush?

When your heart begins to race at the sight of an email from him.  When each day brings a new opportunity to learn more about his hopes and dreams.  And when you are inspired to be the best person you can possibly be – because that’s what he is.

©2012 The Kat House. All Rights Reserved.

My grandmother taught me to cross stitch.  She tried to teach all the girls in the family, but I’m the only one who took a real shine to it.  The other kids each took to their own crafts – my sister to a variety of sewing and crafting projects, and my cousin to candle making.  One of my brothers has been gifted with a talent for woodworking. 

My grandmother battled cancer for the last few years of her life, and she died in 1993 at age 65.  I think of her often with fond memories.  I remember having Thanksgiving dinner at her house.  I remember waking her up while playing Operation with my sister and cousin.  I remember her sweet smile and the kindness she always displayed.  But most of all, I remember the cross stitching.  She always had a project in hand, and she always encouraged me to do the same.

“Mamaw” always told us the story of The Cross Room.  Basically, the story goes that a man was struggling in life, so he told God that his cross was too heavy to bear.  God then took the man to a room full of crosses and asked him to lay down his cross and choose another.  Some were like towers.  Others were smaller than a breadbox.  The man walked around the gigantic room and then chose a tiny cross leaned up against a far wall.  “That is the cross I want,” said the man.  God replied, “My child, that is the one you just carried in.”

Mamaw loved that story, and she always talked of stitching it for a wall hanging.  She never got around to it.  Toward the end of her life, she went blind in her left eye due to a brain tumor.  Tears well in my eyes as I think of how sad she was that her ability to cross stitch had been hindered.

After Mamaw’s death, my mom gave me all of her cross stitch books and materials.  I added them to the big box of my own.  I am ashamed to say that I hadn’t opened that box in several years until a few nights ago.  As I sorted through my many half-finished projects, I found an old newspaper clipping of “The Cross Room”.  I found graph paper with half-finished patterns for the story.  I found several unsuccessful attempts to stitch the story.

My grandmother’s love of cross stitch now resides in me.  It always has, even though I haven’t practiced regularly for a number of years.  Cross stitch utilizes fine threads, allowing you to create beautifully detailed art.  Even the smallest projects take a significant amount of time to complete, but the sense of accomplishment is great. 

Last night I began working on a Christmas tree ornament.  I thought my skills would be rusty, but I’m progressing quite nicely.  I plan to do a few small projects to get back into the groove.  Then I’m going to tackle the project my grandmother always dreamed of.  I’m going to design and stitch a wall hanging of The Cross Room.  I am going to hang it in my living room to serve as a constant reminder that there are others who are far less fortunate than I.  And I am going to honor my grandmother’s memory by bearing my cross just as she bore hers – with diligence and dignity.

©2012 The Kat House. All Rights Reserved.

I will continue my regimen of Xalatan in both eyes once per day and Trusopt in the right eye twice per day.  I have to see the doctor again in four months.  Here’s to hoping for another good report!

©2012 The Kat House. All Rights Reserved.

I have known Mike for only a few months, but it seems like much longer.  Since we met through our blogs, we have become great friends.  We chat on Yahoo Messenger nearly every night, and we even started a shared blog, BlogsWeLuv, together.  We have so much in common that it’s almost eerie.

As you know, Mike recently spent 24 hours blogging with me.  If that isn’t a sign of true friendship, I don’t know what is!  Love ya, Mike!

©2012 The Kat House. All Rights Reserved.

©2012 The Kat House. All Rights Reserved.

My brother let me borrow The Emperor’s New Groove a while back, and I finally got around to watching it tonight.  It was a very enjoyable movie with a very nice message.  I laughed more during this movie than probably any other Disney film I’ve seen.  I just put the sequel, Kronk’s New Groove, in my Netflix queue.

©2012 The Kat House. All Rights Reserved.

When I got home from work today, I had an offline Yahoo message from my friend Melissa. She asked, “hmmm…weren’t you happy about anything yesterday?” Just knowing that I have friends who notice when I don’t post for a day makes me extremely happy.

Thank you for your friendship, Melissa! And thanks to all of my other friends and readers who notice when I don’t post!

©2012 The Kat House. All Rights Reserved.