Purr-fection

Outfit Details:

Hooked on a Feline Dress (borrowed from Sammi) & Cat Eye Cutie Sunglasses - ModCloth

Turban - Kristin Perry Accessories

Shenanigans ankle boots - Seychelles

Tights - Target

Clutch - inherited from my mom

Lipstick - MAC Russian Red

This dress is absolute purr-fection. Pardon the pun, but it had to be done. I'm also a poet, and I didn't know it. Anyways, this dress is easily my favorite piece I've swapped so far. I love cats, and being covered in them was a beautiful thing.

My love for cats started when I was young. I don't remember exactly when it started, but I remember cats being way more interesting to me than dogs. When most of my friends either had or wanted to have a dog for a pet, I wanted to have a cat. My dream came true one night during my pre-teen years at gymnastics practice.

An unknown individual had abandoned a female cat, soon to be named Sunshine, and her brother as kittens in a paper bag outside in the pouring rain in the parking lot at the gym. One of the gym-moms rescued them and took them home to her cat, who had just given birth, so she could nurse them. Once they had grown a bit and were weaned, she put them up for adoption, and we took the female kitten.

I remember the day we picked her up from the gym to take her home. My dad and I were in his bright orange Ford pick-up truck. I had Sunshine in my lap wrapped in a blanket. I silently thought of a name for her while gazing down at her lovingly, absolutely delighted that I was given the responsibility to hold her while Dad drove us home. Miracle and Sunset were a couple of names that went through my head, but after talking to my granny on the phone that evening, we decided on Sunshine. Originally, she was to become my granny's cat, but when she changed her mind, my mom and dad agreed to let us keep Sunshine.

She became one of the fattest and most hilarious cats I've ever known. She was enthralled with her automatic litter box which my dad deemed "the dookey-scraper" and had earned herself the nickname "Dumb-shine" (also my dad's doing). She was terrified to go outdoors and treated doing so with great care, taking several minutes to step one foot outside the door. She also, like many cats, shoved herself into many too-small boxes, leaving her looking like a gigantic cat muffin.

Unfortunately, she's gone now, but I'll never forget her. She was certainly rightly named for she brought our family a great deal of light even in our darkest times.

Sammi

Ashley