Scaaaaaary

In my last entry of October, We are the champions, I promised an explanation of the funny cat in the picture. Last Saturday night, we became pumpkin carving champs (check out our award winning pumpkins if you haven't already)... AND... I discovered that I am SERIOUSLY allergic to cats.

We had a cat during my entire childhood... Grover (aka THE PUSS). I was NOT allergic. He was over 20 years old when he finally got so sick that we had to say goodbye. But he was our "little brother" for our entire lives. His claim to fame was his meow. It never failed that every time someone in our house was on the phone, Grover would let out a loud one, and the person on the other end would say "Is there a baby in your house?" Mr. Puss was loud, and proud. He also had one tooth that grew and grew and grew until it couldn't even fit inside his mouth anymore... it just hung over his bottom lip and made him look really old and slightly evil. He was a great long-toothed puss. And when he died... several years ago... I haven't had an occasion to hold a kitty cat again... Until last weekend.
Matt and Sara's cat is a Ragdoll cat. The SOFTEST coat you've ever felt on any animal, really. They are also not allowed to be outdoor cats, some say this is because they are non-defensive and can not survive because they do not use their claws and have no survival instincts. And some say its because they're too dumb to find their way back home. I haven't gotten a great explanation about the "hair-do" but I'm sure there is a reason they shave the poor dumb animal to look like Simba. One more fun tid-bit, apparently when you pick them up they just do this...

It may not be apparent in the picture, but the cat was completely relaxed. And I was hysterical! And then... about 10 minutes later... I began coughing just a little, and then reached up and felt little bumps all over my neck, and then my eyes began to itch, and my face felt hot. And I looked a little something like this...

I had to drive us home from the party (over an hour away) and on the way home, my skin began to feel like it was on fire. I had hives on my back, chest, both arms, face and scalp! By the time I got home, I looked like this...Cute huh? It was pretty dramatic. I was actually worried that if I got pulled over on the way home (for driving way too slow because I couldn't see through my watering eyes) that the policeman wouldn't believe my story and was going to think that Kevin had beat me up until I was crying and swollen. But we made it. And I washed the dander off and began to be able to breath again. My face was swollen for 2 days. ;) Scary Halloween!