Cats, Not the Musical

I spent part of my weekend playing with cats!

Friday I had another ortho massage (ouch) and I had a very, very beneficial physical therapy session with a new PT. He explained that the reason I’m having the issues I’m having is because my glutes are weak and as a result, my hamstrings are overcompensating (thus becoming too tight and pulling on my lower back) and my quads are also overcompensating so that puts strain on my knees. It was kind of a “duh” moment but it really explained things for me in a better way. He gave me a few new exercises to do to strengthen my glutes and told me to stop doing the hip exercises I’d been doing because my hips were strong enough.

After that, Michael and I went to my friend Star’s for dinner. It was her birthday (and mine, belated). She made meatloaf that was out of this world and fresh spaghetti with homemade sauce made from her vegetable garden.

Our friends Bob and Alazar were there with adorable little Sephira and my friend Sam and her boyfriend were there too. It was such a fun night hanging out with everyone!

Check out the dessert:

I took a bunch of pictures of Star’s kitties because they are just so photogenic.

Saturday I got up earlier than normal to work out because I had an appointment at Cat Adoption Team. It was the volunteer orientation. I used to volunteer at C.A.T. years ago and I went almost every weekend to help out. I was a caregiver — i.e. cleaning cages, feeding the cats, playing with the cats and doing laundry. Eventually I started doing some of the adoption work: helping people fill out paperwork, etc. I’ve wanted to start volunteering there again for awhile but I’m always “too busy.”

I’ve been feeling lately like my life is just full of scheduled stuff–work, gym, trying to fit in friends, errands and such. I end up feeling exhausted and burned out. I thought volunteering again might give me that happy feeling I used to have whenever I was spending time at CAT.

{Adopt Me!}

The orientation was about an hour and then I spent a little over an hour playing with the cats in the shelter. It’s a really, really good organization. It’s a no-kill shelter, so the cats stay there until they find a home. They get really good care at CAT and I’m excited about spending time there again.

If you’re looking for a cat and live in the Portland area, please check out CAT. It’s such a good place and they work really hard to find the perfect match for the cats. And please please please don’t adopt pets from a pet store. Go to a humane society or shelter and save a LIFE.

{Adopt Sweet Judy!}

This little girl was such a sweetheart. Her name is Judy. The sign on the door said she was shy but loveable so go slow. I went into the free-roam room where she was alone and sat down in a chair. She immediately jumped off her perch, meowed a bunch like “Don’t leave! Don’t leave! Play with me! I’m coming!” She ran over to me and jumped on my lap where she insisted I pet her. I stayed with her for a long time because she was just so sweet and very soft. Then it was time to go. Sadly, when I left she sat right in front of the door like she was waiting for me to come back.

I’m glad I’m volunteering again. I know it will be hard. I want to save them all. And if there is a cat that is missing an eye or leg, that’s the one I want to rescue (which I saw there). Michael told me three times before I left for my orientation “do not come home with any cats”. It’s gonna be hard to resist! But I’ll try. I laid in bed and watched a movie Saturday after volunteering and Fat Kitty perched himself right on my stomach for the whole thing. I think he could tell I was with other cats. Uh oh–cheating on my kitty!

On Sunday I made the yoga class (well 30 minutes of it at least) and then went swimming. I was a little sore from Saturday’s workout so I was pretty slow in the pool. After that I had a photography class at Stumptown Workshops. I chose “Studio Lighting” for my class.

It was really interesting and helped me with some of my lighting questions. I don’t know that it was the most appropriate class I should have picked because it was more about how to use different studio equipment.

It was a busy weekend, but a fun one. How was your weekend?