Thankful Thursday: 2019 Cat Writers' Association Certificates of Excellence

Seven years ago when I was accepted as a Professional Member of the Cat Writers' Association I wrote that it was a dream come true. I still have a file folder in my desk filled with articles I printed out from the CWA website dated 2006. Back then I studied the membership requirements and made a vow to myself that one day I would become a member of this exclusive group of cat writers. It took me another 5 years to start blogging, and even more time after that before I realized my true blogging passion was cats. What else could it possibly be?

Even after being honored with a membership, the idea of ever winning a coveted Muse Medallion was so far in the back of my mind it was practically non-existent. I still had much work to do on honing my craft. Still, you'll never know if you can achieve something unless you try, so with the knowledge that Truffles' tragic passing inspired some of the best writing I'd ever done, in 2016 I decided to dip my toe into the water and enter their annual writing competition. Entries in each category are reviewed and judged independently by three professional CWA members and their scores are averaged by the Contest Chair to determine the winner. Anyone earning an average of 90 or higher based on the scores submitted by the three judges receives a Certificate of Excellence, with the highest score winning the Muse Medallion. I entered the Blog/Any Other Topic category, and not only won a Certificate of Excellence, but also the Muse Medallion...on my very first try!!!

Eventually I decided to veer away from the blog category and instead selected individual articles to submit in a variety of categories, just to see if I could measure up to so many other amazing cat writers. Through this blog and my freelance writing for Canidae I won 9 more Certificates of Excellence in 2017 and 2018, and this year I 'm thrilled to say I added 4 more to my collection!

These are the articles I won them for...

Written Article: Health & General Care (medium length) The Heartbreak of a Saddle Thrombus Blood Clot

Written Article: Health & General Care (short) Dispelling Myths about a Cat’s Primordial Pouch

Written Article: Health & General Care (short) Does My Pet Need to See a Veterinary Cardiologist?

Written Article: Lifestyle (medium) First Felines: A History of Cats in the White House

Unfortunately I don't have links to the articles because the Canidae blog shut down in January and they inexplicably removed a majority of the content. I have all my articles saved as Word documents though so at least they're not lost.

Muse Medallions will be given out at the From Glammies to Jammies virtual awards ceremony in August. I'm certainly not planning to win any because the competition is stiff, but just being a contender is an incredible honor!

Remembering My Angels

Today is the 5th anniversary of the day my baby girl Truffles flew off to the bridge, and the 7th anniversary of the day her big sister Tara paved the way before her.

It goes without saying this is the hardest day of the year for me. Comprehending the tragic set of circumstances that took Truffles from me far before her time is something I will always struggle with, and most likely something I will never be able to accept. She deserved so much more from life. And the fact that I lost them both on the same day two years apart makes me wish I could scratch this date right off the calendar.

In honor of my precious girls, please give your own fur babies a little something special today. Maybe an extra hug or kiss, a few more minutes of play or cuddle time, extra treats wouldn't hurt either.

Our time together is so fleeting; their fragile lives all too short. Never miss an opportunity to show them how much they're loved.

No Cameras, Please #SundaySelfies

We're joining our friends at The Cat On My Head for the Sunday Selfies blog hop!

Happy Birthday, America! #CaturdayArt

Visit more artsy kitties at Athena's Caturday Art blog hop!

And now our answers (all answered by Mommy this week) for the Friendly Fill-Ins challenge, hosted by 15andmeowing and Four-Legged Furballs!

1. My plans for the weekend include doing as little as possible.

2. I can't understand the big deal about fireworks.

3. I'm grateful I have the freedom to speak my mind, even though everyone is so hyper-sensitive right now I end up keeping my mouth shut to avoid drama. I bite my tongue so frequently it's a miracle I still have one!

4. Pets make a house a home.

5 Years Ago: A Day of Firsts & Lasts

Five years ago today - Friday, July 3rd, 2015 - my very first CatLadyBox arrived. I had been looking forward to it for weeks and to finally see it on my front doorstep was exciting beyond words.

Bringing the box inside I immediately began to regret not signing up for the Crazy CatLadyBox which included goodies for cats as well as cat ladies because Truffles was so interested in checking out the box. In my defense, Truffles was never that into toys, so I figured it would end up being a waste of money, but I planned to give it some thought before renewing my subscription.

What I didn't know is these would end up being the last photos of Truffles I would ever take. Less than 4 days later she would be gone and my heart would be shattered into a million pieces.

The next morning she started acting a bit "off", and even though my concern grew as the weekend went on, never in a million years would I have guessed what was to come on Monday night.

What scares me most of all is that for the first time in 5 years the calendar falls exactly as it did in 2015 and I can't help but feel a sense of dread. July 4th is notoriously tragic for my family - my dad had a heart attack right on the holiday in 1993, my mom in 2014. I lost both Tara and Truffles on the 7th, 2 years apart. Hiding under the bed through the holiday weekend is not out of the question. 

Mudpie Gets Even

Meows from Mudpie!

I need to ask you as politely as I possible can to PLEASE STOP ENCOURAGING MOMMY!!! Anytime we do a mewsic post and don't include Conway it inevitably gets pointed out to her and makes her all the more difficult to live with!

I'm just kidding. Mommy says all the time that me and Conway are the only things keeping her sane right now so I'm learning how to deal with it. Sort of.

A few weeks ago Mommy got a ginormous package in the mail filled with Conway goodies from a friend in the Nashville area who scours antique malls and record shops for her. She laid everything out to take a picture and I immediately went over to check stuff out and make sure I got in the shot.

I figure he's always photobombing me so why shouldn't I return the favor???

The RC Cola poster is a cardboard display ad straight from Twitty City! I think it would make a pawsome new scratch pad but I know if I did that I would be looking for a new home. Mommy told me it cost as much as my adoption fee! Now I must ask, which was the better deal?

The Cat in the Camera #MewsicMovesMe

It's a freebie week in the Mewsic Moves Me blog hop, and in honor of National Camera Day our selections are all songs that are picture-related. We'll start with photogenic Mudpie, as we should...

Our song picks this week are all a little more contemporary country than usual. There might even be an artist or two that non-country music fans will recognize!

We hope you enjoy our choices! Let us know if you have a favorite.