Life Update: Houston, Pixie, and Guild Wars 2!

Hey all! I know it’s been too long since I updated! Sorry about that! I think of all these cool posts in my head when I’m not at the computer but when I sit down to type the words don’t seem to flow. I’ve just been busy with real life things lately.

As I have mentioned before, I moved from Dallas to Houston a few months ago. I mostly moved here for family reasons but also because I thought I had some good leads on jobs. Unfortunately it just hasn’t worked out in my favor. I applied at over 20 places and none of them were meant to be. I was at a salon for a little bit but it’s hours did not work with my schedule. I’m spending time now focusing on my family and dealing with some other personal things before I dive back into the job search.

I also found out this week that Pixie is going to need surgery again. She has tooth resorption and last fall she had a serious accident where her top canine broke off due to decay and she developed a fistula. She had most of her teeth extracted except for her two bottom canines and a couple teeth in the back. I’ve been taking her to see a vet about once a month to make sure it doesn’t get worse. When I moved to Houston, the new vet I visited barely looked in her mouth and never called me back. I didn’t want to go back to him so I found a different one this week and really liked her a lot. This vet looked at Pixie’s mouth very closely and decided it would be in Pixie’s best interest to have all her remaining teeth extracted. Things have progressed rather rapidly again. Her gums are very inflamed and seem to be rejecting her bottom canines. The teeth are literally being “pushed up and out of her gums” and are likely to break off soon if not taken care of. It’s also very painful. The good news is she doesn’t have any infections yet since I caught it early this time! Pixie is scheduled to have her surgery this coming Monday, and we are all hopeful that this will finally put an end to her gum issues.

In some other super good awesome news – I got a partnership with Guild Wars 2 and ArenaNet!!! This means if you use my links to buy Heart of Thorns or try the free to play version a small portion will directly support me!! This was a dream come true and has been a complete honor to be a part of. I have been able to meet amazing people in this community and that has honestly been the greatest reward. The game has some very exciting updates coming soon with Living World Season 3 being launched on July 26. So it’s a great time to check it out!

I do plan to eventually apply for a Twitch subscribe button again. My numbers have increased since the last time I applied, but now the problem is I don’t have a set streaming schedule. I don’t really have time to be consistent during the week besides Monday nights. I hope to change this as soon as I can, but of course family needs to come first. So I appreciate everyone that does tune in whenever I am live!

More random things I’ve done lately can be seen on my Instagram or Twitter. I went to the Houston Aquarium for my brother’s birthday, checked out my first Houston comic con – Comicpalooza, saw a Houston Astros baseball game and have actually been getting some exercise with PokemonGo. Dealing with anxiety and stress can be hard but I am thankful for all the good moments I’ve had. 🙂

Thank you all that have kept in touch with me on social media! Hope you have a good week!!

XOXO,

Glitzy

March Thoughts

Another month has passed already?! It sure seems like 2016 is zipping by! I would have loved to have filmed March vlog, but there just hasn’t been enough time in the day to do so. I hope you don’t mind another blog post then! :o)

March actually was a lot happier than February. I was recovering from a lot of defeats and have taken time to reflect on how to improve myself. I made a list of some memorable moments from March so let’s dive in!

Dyed hair – One of the most exciting changes this month was dying my hair back to pink. Last October I shaved my head and have been letting it grow without any bleach or dye. It was getting about an inch or so long and was just a boring dark brown color. Since I don’t really have a plan on what to do with it, I decided to dye it pink again! Even though I still wear wigs from time to time, I enjoy having my colorful ‘do back.

Gaming – Let’s start with EQ Next. This is a game that was announced back when I attended SOE Live several years ago. I’ve always been a big Ever Quest fan and was really excited for EQ Next. Well sadly, they announced that the game will no longer be happening. It broke my heart to read about it. I may need to revisit EQ2 soon. In happier news, I’ve been playing a lot of Dragon Mania Legends which is a mobile app game that is very easy and addicting. In March, they released a new “Clans” feature where you can group with friends to earn new rewards. It’s one of the only mobile games I’ve actually stuck with now for a nearly year! Finally let’s get into a recap of Guild Wars 2. This month I decided to make the legendary shield The Flameseeker Prophecies. I had almost all the materials for it and really liked the design so I just went for it. A few days later the devs announced that they were postponing the release of new legendary weapons indefinitely! What!! So that means all this time waiting for the new weapons that they promised with the expansion won’t be happening after all. I admit I was pretty bummed about this news. I would have made the sword Bolt instead of the shield, but I was waiting for the new sword to come out. I guess that won’t happen so now I will be making Bolt next. Some good things that happened in GW2 was the new raid wing, the return of the Bunny Ears and the big giveaway party I hosted on my stream. I gave away lots of prizes and had a fun time in Lions Arch with my friends and guildies. I’ll be hosting a giveaway on the last Friday of every month so if you missed it you can join us for the next one!

Moving – You can read the whole story on this blog post. But the TLDR version is I made a trip down to Houston to look for an apartment and find a new job. I found a very nice place that would be available mid April so I made the jump and signed a lease! I’m nervous and a little sad to be leaving Dallas, but this will be a good opportunity for me. It will be fun to explore a new place and also get back in to the beauty industry for my career. So I am looking forward to the move. It’s just been very hectic now trying to organize, clean, and pack my things in preparation.

Divergent – I saw Allegiant in theaters this month. Here’s my mini review of the new movie: I’ve been a big fan of the books and really loved the first movie. The second movie was okay but seemed too heavy on CGI. I was hoping the 3rd installment of the series would redeem itself but it left me going home really unhappy. It’s like they totally forgot about telling a good story and focused all of their money and energy on visual effects again. Also, Tris just seemed very unlike herself and lost all of her character development. Many of the scenes and lines came off cheesy and nearly made me laugh (and not in a good way.) The only thing I enjoyed about the movie was Four. The actor played his role well and the character made smart decisions and looked like a badass. I enjoyed his moments more than any others, but it still wasn’t enough to get me excited for the last movie due next year.

Easter – It was a little weird having Easter so early. Isn’t it usually in April? My family and I kept things pretty laid back and decided to order pizza for the weekend. I also got some cute cards in the mail and had a great day!

Store – While cleaning out my room and closet I found tons of nice purses, jewelry and decor that I just no longer use -or never used to begin with – and decided to open a Storenvy! I have had 2 sales so far and hope that my other items will find a new home soon. The money will help go towards my move, too! omglitzy.storenvy.com

Pixie update – This actually happened today rather than in March but since it’s fresh on my mind I wanted to fill you in! I took Pixie in for her 2 month check up on the state of her gums and teeth and the vet said things are still looking good! I’m glad the few teeth she has left are doing alright so she won’t need any removed any time soon. I let the vet know that I am moving to Houston and it was a little sad to say goodbye. They’ve been a great clinic to go to and have really taken good care of Pixie. I hope I can find another nice vet in Houston.

That’s about all I can think of for March! Overall I would say it was a very good month. ^.^

Xoxo,

Glitzy

I’m Leaving Dallas

Whoa what a heavy title for a blog post! Well it’s true. I am going to be leaving Dallas in April to move to Houston! I came to Dallas in December of 2009 completely on my own and ready to take on the world. I’ve loved my stay here. I’ve grown so much in many areas of my life. My career really blossomed when I became a manager for Regis and then eventually running my own business by opening a salon booth. It taught me a lot about the beauty industry and if I could I would do it all again. I took a break from doing hair to try my hands at other career options, but I’ve had trouble finding one that fits me. In Houston, I plan to work at a salon again and get back into the field I love most. There are about 6 different salons in the area that I will be applying at. I’m confident I’ll be able to find one that is right for me.

It’s hard to say goodbye to Dallas because of the amazing comic conventions and cosplay scene here. I’ve been able to meet a lot of fantastic friends and embrace a new hobby that really gave me life. Houston has some conventions of it’s own and hopefully once things settle down I can start making costumes again. I’m thankful for all the great opportunities Dallas has provided, but I am looking forward to new doors being opened soon.

There are some other reasons that I am moving. Y’all know I’ve had some ups and downs recently. I don’t plan to mention or dwell on much of it. Let’s just say I know this will be for the best. However, I felt it would be good for me to go ahead and share this news because y’all always lift me up with your kind comments and words of encouragement!!

If you’d like .. and you don’t have to so don’t even worry about it .. but if you’d like you can donate a few dollars to my move fund by using the PayPal donation on my Twitch channel. If I am live streaming your message will appear on stream and I can thank you personally, but if I am offline your message will be for only me to read. And you don’t need a Twitch account to donate (I don’t think) and there are no fees this way! So it’s just there if you feel like it – I appreciate any support!

I’ll probably be pretty busy the next couple of weeks, but once I am in my new place in April I hope to get back into the swing of things again with regular posts and streams. I’m excited to go on some new adventures in Houston and have new things to actually post about! 😛 For now the best place to see updates from me is on Twitter – @OMGLITZY – if you want to follow me there. Thank you all for reading and being so sweet and kind to me! HUGS!

xoxo,

Glitzy

February Thoughts

I was hoping to make a February Vlog for YouTube kind of like I did for January but seeing how it’s already March 7 I figured let’s just type it out this time! I really don’t want to lose momentum from the boost of creative energy I had at the beginning of this year. February was a true test for this because life sure did like to tell me “NO!” I applied for so many things in February and every single thing came back negative. I’ve been reaching out more to friends and that’s really helped me keep my chin up. I received so much positive feedback and advice after my “Staying Positive” blog post. I read all the comments and emails and private messages and to be honest that’s truly what has kept me from throwing in the towel again. Last year I gave up so easily at the first sign of defeat.

In February, I applied for a Twitch subscribe button. They got back to me with the standard “We receive a lot of applications and have to choose wisely. Please apply again in 2-4 weeks if you want.” So I’ve been researching more what makes a Twitch channel great. I’ve come to realize that it’s truly about building a community. I’m going to focus more on that and hope to make any viewers that stop by my channel feel excited and welcome to be there. So I’ve been thinking of ways to do that and hope we can all grow more soon and maybe reapply for the button in a few more weeks.

I also applied for a partnership with Guild Wars 2. I sent it in once at the beginning of February and another at the end. No reply. I’m guessing they might not be accepting new partners right now. They recently announced that their Game Director (Colin Johanson) was leaving. I imagine there is a lot going on there. So for now I am not going to worry about that partnership and may reapply another time if it seems like they are interested in accepting new creators.

Probably the biggest bummer was seeing the response to my job application. I submitted it online for a pretty cool company in my area and felt super confident I would be a perfect fit for them. They never called me and a few weeks later I finally checked my submission on their site and saw the “received” was changed to “reviewed; not selected”. I admit I was pretty upset they didn’t even want a phone interview. It felt as if I wasn’t given a fair chance at proving myself. However, I have learned from this how important your application and resume must be. Not only for this job but for all the things I’ve been applying for lately. I can’t just assume what I put down is going to land me everything I want. I have to keep improving and growing. That means I can’t lose momentum here. If I continue to sit back and twiddle my thumbs nothing is going to change. So it’s up to me to push myself to become better!

February wasn’t all drab. Tsum Tsum Tuesday was fun because they released the Star Wars collection. Pixie had a positive check up at the vet. I attended the Dallas Boat Show and saw some cool and sparkly boats. I started playing RuneScape which is actually really fun! I was able to have lunch with some family I hadn’t seen in awhile. Valentine’s Day was a blast as I hosted some giveaways on stream and received the cutest dragon plushies from my parents.

I uploaded my first wig review video that I worked pretty hard on. My raid group on GW2 has progressed so much that we actually kill all 3 bosses in less than a hour. A super kind gift arrived from Jerome J. who got me a Hogwarts robe from my Amazon wishlist. And finally thanks to the generous donations from my Twitch stream I upgraded from my 9 year old desk chair to a fancy DXRacer Racing Series chair! I plan to make a whole review post about it so be on the lookout for that soon.

After typing and rereading that last paragraph, I realize that I am still guilty of dwelling on the negative. I mean SO many great and happy things happened in February. Sure some bad was mixed in there, but one of the great things about blogging is discovering yourself in the process. Had I not typed that out and reflected I may have never seen how truly good life can be. Thank you all for sharing this journey with me and I hope you have a great week!

xoxo,

Glitzy

January 2016 Vlog and Pixie Update

Hey everyone! I filmed a short vlog for January to give you all an update on what’s been going on lately! I also talked some about Pixie and how she’s feeling. I’m really looking forward to this year being a good one. 2015 was kind of weird but so far January has been pretty awesome so I am hopeful for more exciting things to come! Thanks for checking out the video and subscribe if you’d like!

xoxo,

Glitzy

2015 Year in Review

This year I've been a lot less active in the blogging universe than I have been in the past. But that doesn't mean I didn't have a productive year! I wanted to go ahead and round up some of my favorite memories from 2015. Off the top of my head I can remember lots of fun times with my family like going to baseball and football games, an art festival, the orchestra, and traveling around Texas. So let's jump right in and talk about a few highlights from the year!

Pixie’s Emergency Surgery

If you've been following my tweets, then you know Pixie had to go to the emergency vet a few nights ago. She had to have surgery done and is hopefully going to be feeling a little better soon. However, the vet bills hit unexpectedly. I set up a GoFundMe with more info on what happened and a way for Pixie's friends to send a few dollars her way.

www.gofundme.com/pixiekitty

Pixie and I appreciate any help. Even just happy thoughts!

OMGlitzy! New blog! New name!

 

I’m excited to share that I have come up with a fun new name to go by – OMGlitzy! I’m still Glitzy and I’m still geeky, but I have felt like going by a different online handle for awhile now. I’m still going to update this blog with cosplay tutorials and giveaways, though. So don’t lose this bookmark! Since this site became cosplay centric and still gets lots of hits, I plan to keep it updated when I can. But my new blog www.omglitzy.com is going to be a little more random and a place for me to hopefully post more often without the pressure of making an epic post each time. What I mean is I started to feel like if I didn’t make a cosplay post with lots of photos, links, and information then no one wanted to read it. I didn’t want to clutter this site with random ramblings. I dunno, I am sure it’s just some weird blogger insecurity thing. But what I’m getting at is my new blog will be more laid back and easier for me to just chat about what’s going in my life!

 

I’ve already updated my Instagram and Twitter to my new handle – @OMGlitzy – but my Facebook and YouTube links will have to stay /GlitzyGeekGirl since they don’t offer name changes. I debated about how to handle my Twitch channel (since they don’t do name changes either) and ultimately decided that since I plan to stay pretty active on there that I would go ahead and make a new channel with my new name. So if you’d like to keep following me on Twitch head over to twitch.tv/omglitzy and give it a follow!

 

Thanks so much for staying interested in this blog while I’ve gone through some transitions this year. Coming soon here will be a Wonder Woman cosplay tutorial!

 

HUGS!!

What I’ve Been Up To

Hey everyone! It's been too long since I updated my blog! I think about it every day, but have just been busy with other new adventures lately. My blog was such a prominent part of my life for the last few years – it really has been hard taking a break from it. However, I would imagine most bloggers have to step back every now and then and give their brain a refresh. I'm ready to at least give you guys a little "What I've Been Up To" post!

Glitzy Geek Update

You may have noticed my blog posts haven’t been quite as frequent, but have no fear! I am still here! I figured since several of you might come by to check this I’d give a little update on what’s up in my glitzy geeky life. 

My blog began as a means for me to just express what was going on in my day to day life or stuff I shopped for and what not.. Then it blossomed into this exciting cosplay and craft tutorial hub! In 2014, I really went on a lot of great adventures to comic cons, concerts and other events. I feel like my blog focused on a lot of those things which is super cool because it’s so fun to go back and look at those posts.

This year, I plan to slow down a little bit on the cosplay lifestyle. I definitely would love to keep making things and dressing up, but I’d like to find a focus for my time and money somewhere new. That doesn’t mean I won’t make something or attend a comic con – because I definitely will! I love doing that! I just think I might try some new directions here and there.

The fun part is I don’t even know what that means! 😀 I actually don’t have much planned at the moment which is great because it leaves the door open for all sorts of opportunities. I have ideas in my head for blog posts that might be a tad more about some life experiences I’ve had (like being a cosplay guest, being a business owner, making friends on the internet) .. stuff like that! I just feel bad not posting a post with a ton of photos. I mean I’ve read blogger tips and most of them say don’t post a big wall of text. I don’t want my blog to completely change, but I do want to add some sort of new material to it.

So anyway that’s just some things that have been on my mind at the start of this new year. I do have a post coming soon all about PAX South in San Antonio and also a craft tutorial for my Rapunzel crown. As well as new giveaway prizes! Definitely come back soon for all those updates and more! I’m still here, I’m still geekin’ out, and I still love reading all your comments and getting to know all of you.

You can find me post pretty often on my Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, too!

Hugs to all! 

~GlitzyGeekGirl~

Holiday Haul 2014

This last Christmas was GREAT because I spent it with my family. I've been having so much fun over the holiday break that I am just now uploading some of my pics! So this post is a "Holiday Haul" to show you some of the amazing presents I received.

2014 In Review

This past year was so busy and exciting for me that I've been a little nervous to try and squeeze it all in one blog post. I decided to use last year's 2013 In Review as a template and post a few of my favorite things I did.

Holiday Wish List: Part 2

I had so much fun gathering items for my Holiday Wish List 2014 that I decided to add more to it! These are things that I probably won’t get my hands on for some time so I’m just posting and chatting about them. Santa has already sent an elf to visit and there’s some super cute presents under our tree. So this post is just an add on of fun things I’ve seen online lately!

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Amy Brown Art Print

The fairies by Amy Brown have been one of my favorite watercolor styles for as long as I can remember. She has a lot of great things for sell in her Etsy shop including figurines, jewelry and blankets. Some of her prints are pretty affordable and they even come signed.

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Bad Witch Boutique

I began following Bad Witch Boutique on Instagram and after seeing their jewelry I became an instant fan. I tried to find a nice crystal necklace during my last few visits to the Renaissance festivals here. So far I haven’t found anything that was well-made or worth the price. The quality and style options of the jewelry from Bad Witch are amazing! I like the last two in the above photo the most, but they make rings, earrings and chokers, too.

Razer Kraken Pro Neon Headseat

If there is one thing I absolutely do not need it’s another headset. But this is called a “wish” list for a reason! I already have a working headset and it’s even the Razer Kraken! So why would I want another? Because they released it in FUSCHIA! They call it neon purple but it kinda looks pink to me (the last one in the pic). Either way it’s gorgeous! I’ve had my Kraken for several years now and love it. It’s super comfy and the sound quality is fantastic. I wear it all the time while I game or listen to music. The classic neon green is pretty cool, but you gotta admit the new colors are awesome!

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Claire’s Wedding Ring
I began watching Outlander when it first premiered on Starz and quickly read the first book. The storyline was captivating, and I found myself rather fond of Jamie. I mean who isn’t?! Right?! So when Starz released an authentic replica of Claire’s wedding ring I was ready to purchase it right away. Well that came to a sudden halt after I saw it was $250! Omg! I mean that’s cool it’s designed by the original artist and all but SHEESH that’s expensive for something that’s actually kind of bland looking. Her ring described in the book sounds much more beautiful and a similar one can be purchased here. But since I’m anxiously waiting for the return of the TV series (April 2015 omg longest wait ever) I decided to buy this cheaper replica from eBay. This way I have something to wear while I watch, but I won’t feel bad should I lose it in a drawer one day. So that’s one wish on this list that Santa will be delivering. 🙂

Books!!

Since I brought up books, I figured I’d add some that are on my reading list. I heard they will begin filming a movie about the Fallen series by Lauren Kate this February so I’d like to read those before I see the film. I also think I’d enjoy Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. There are two more by Perkins so it’d be fun to get all three of her books. Santa usually gifts me an iTunes gift card so I’ll likely buy these for my iPad. I still need to finish The Maze Runner series first, though.

:+:+:+:+:

It’s so fun to shop online and there’s probably several items I’m forgetting to include. Maybe I’ll make a Part 3? Haha sorry Santa! It’s just for fun 🙂 You can read part one here.

Holiday Wish List 2014

These are a few of the spectacular things I have had my eye on this Holiday season!

Razer BlackWidow Chroma Stealth

The new PC I am using came with a great keyboard – but it doesn’t light up at all. I usually like to play in the dark so I’ve had a hard time seeing my keys. I figure go big or go home so I’m asking Santa for the Razer BlackWidow Chroma because it lights up like a RAINBOW! I tried out a Razer keyboard once before and didn’t much care for how loud the keys were – but this one comes in a Stealth edition meaning the keys are a little more quiet.

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Minnie Mouse Hat from Disneyland Tokyo

I saw this pic on Kelly Eden’s Facebook page and totally loved the hat that her friend (on the right) was wearing. That is Zilla308 so I asked on her Instagram where she got it. She said it’s from the Disneyland in Tokyo and is available on eBay. After searching, I found the seller (click here) and saw it also comes in purple, pink, and blue! I was ready to order one but it’s kind of expensive. I can’t justify spending that much on a hat so maybe Santa will send an elf to Japan for me and bring one back for Christmas.

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Disneyland Paris Anna Pin

Another item that feels a bit out of reach is this Princess Anna pin. It is part of a booster set from the Disneyland in Paris. The set is super cute, but I wouldn’t mind just having Anna. I’m totally taking advantage of the Frozen trend and buying everything I can with my name on it. However, most pins from other countries go up in price quite a bit here in the US.

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Pandora Charms

My mom and I had seen these charms before and thought they were not only cute but also quite classy. There is a Pandora store in our local mall and Disney began releasing charms as well. So I looked in to starting a bracelet only to realize these little guys aren’t cheap. That’s good and bad because it means they are very nice but not for my pocketbook. But maybe receiving one charm for each holiday would be a fun start to a new bracelet collection!

Guild Wars 2 Gems

One of the great things I love about playing Guild Wars 2 is that it is free-to-play. There is no monthly subscription at all. You pay for it once and you have it for life. The catch is they release limited items, boosters, weapon and armor skins, and cute mini pets in their Gem Store. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t see something in the store I want to buy. So spending real money on Gems is something I’ve had to slow down on, but a gem store card would make a great stocking stuffer! 😀

:+:+:+:+:

What are some things on your holiday wish list?

My Birthday 2014

Once upon a time, a little girl named Anna was born in a small Texas town. And she grew up to love all things glitzy and geeky! Most of all she loved her family.. and donuts!

This year I achieved level 29! For my special day, I went on an adventure full of exotic animals and delicious treats!

Halloween 2014

You might think that a cosplayer would go all out on Halloween with an elaborate costume. Well that is usually not the case. Haha! I would say most of my cosplay friends actually enjoy buying either a store bought costume or wearing something more simple. For me, I have been dying to wear this Korilakkuma Kigurumi I bought at AKon. I dressed it up with my pink wavy wig from Gothic Lolita Wigs!

Most of the day I played Guild Wars 2. If only all the people I grouped with that day knew what I was wearing behind the computer! lol

Even my character in game was dressed up for the Halloween festivities.

My family and I ordered pizza. Yum! My favorite!

Finally, that evening we were ready to hand out the candy bags my mom and I made. Each bag had several candy bars and crackers and other sweets in them.

I had a lot of fun giving out candy to the kiddos! One parent asked if I was a polar bear. But most of the kids said they liked my outfit. There was a block party going on down our street so once that ended all the kids came to the door at once. It kinda bummed me out because they were rushing and I was rushing and I didn’t get to see their costumes very well. I do remember three kids were dressed as crayons. I think they were my favorite!

:+:+:+:+:

Did you dress up as anything on Halloween?

The Hunger Games: Meeting Peeta

I have a story I need to tell. It's one I've brought up to a few friends before. But I am hoping by typing out my feelings I may finally be able to overcome this grief.

Sounds really dramatic, huh? Well any serious fangirl would understand that when you have the chance of a lifetime – and miss out on it – you're gonna have to figure out how to move on.

So this is my "Meeting Peeta" post that has been on my mind for years now.

Pixie’s 4th Adoptaversary

On September 24th, we celebrated Pixie’s 4th adoptaversary! Since I don’t know her exact birthday, we throw a party on the day she was adopted. Pixie’s adoption story can be read in this post here. I definitely recommend adopting an animal from a shelter because they bring you so much happiness!

She always tries to jump in my laundry hamper so I decided to buy one for her to play with.

She went right inside!

Here she is saying “THANK YEW I LUVS IT!”

“I luvs my new kitty cave!”

I also fixed her a special meal of turkey, salami and a few kitty treats.

“I can haz my dinner, pwease?”

She really enjoyed it to say the least! She licked the plate clean!

:+:+:+:

I am so thankful to have Pixie in my life and hope to celebrate many many more adoptaversaries!