This is the newest member of the Guarisco family. His name is Stanley and he is a Ragdoll kitten. Awwww, you might be thinking that he is so cute. You could be thinking along the lines of my oldest and dearest friend Charles who says, "get a dog." But there is more to this story than meets the eye. Over time, I will tell you the entire story. For time sake, I will just give you a snippet today.
Joe Guarisco does not like cats. Growing up he disliked cats so much that stories circulate about unkind things he did to tease cats. I will tell you that many of these stories come from his own mouth.
After we had been dating for over a year, I started talking about getting a kitten. I had not wanted to get a pet until I was settled and felt I could provide a safe and secure place for a pet. For seven years, my job took me all over the Southeastern part of the country. I moved five times in four years. Finally, I landed in Houston, Tx. I made the decision that this would be my home. I would not be moving to another state anytime soon, God willing of course.
Back to the subject at hand, Joe and I began talking about possibly getting married one day. Each time, I asked if we could have a kitten. Each and every time his answer was the same, a resounding NO. He didn't like cats. We had already decided down the road that we would adopt a dog. I tried to put Norman Rockwell thoughts in his head about a puppy asleep at his feet, a fire roaring, wine glasses clinking and a little ball of fur curled up in between the two of us. I was quickly told a Norman Rockwell family we would not be, at least for the time being.
Joe decided it was time to propose. That is another great story, for another time, which includes my sweet Markie Mark. The revelant part for this story is Joe brought me to the computer one evening and showed me a video slide show. It was of a trip or a memory created from each month we had dated over the last two years. I thought it was sweet. Then he says, "There are a few more photos. I hope these represent the things to come in our future." (SIDE NOTE: We were leaving the next day for Washington, D.C. where I had no doubt he was going to propose. I figured this video montage was apart of our week of love.) Hopefully, he doesn't read this blog or he might throw a pillow at me for showing you his sweet and sentimental side :).
I tend to get off on a tangent. Sorry.
The last picture of the post was of a Grand Champion Ragdoll father and mother. They were beautiful and just what I wanted my kitten to look like one day. Joe says to me, "If this doesn't prove my love to you then I don't know what will. We are getting a kitten in two months. It's being born in a few weeks and will come home with us when it's old enough."
I found out he had done months of research to pick out the perfect parents for the type of seal-pointed baby I wanted. I told Joe I was worried he wasn't going to be sweet to it and it's not fair if he isn't equally loved by both of us. Joe grinned and said, "Well I got to pick him out, so I think that will help me love him." I also let Joe name him. He is now as excited about Stanley as I am. Please don't tell Joe I said that becuase he is a tough Uncle Fireman you know.
The kicker to the story is the breeder says of all the kittens in the litter, Stanley likes to nestle right next to her husbands head on his pillow. Come September, our bed might be a little more crowded than sweet Joe Guarisco intended.
