First Entry, Fo Fentry.

Hi! I'm Mandee (FoFandee). I'm totally new to the blogging world, but I feel like I have a lot to say, so why not say it to the whole wide Interwebz? I'm still working on making my space funky and personal and offensive, so bare with me (or Bear with me, whichever you choose).

Some interesting things (or not so much) about me:
I married my soul mate (awww, mush) on August 8, 2009. Here's a picture of us being all cute and shit at our wedding.




He's pretty cool, I guess. We had a kickass wedding and and even more fabulous honeymoon in Hawaii. If I were smart, like my friend Erinn, I would have documented our trip, but instead, I got drunk at the pool everyday and ate too much. And had a little sex in between. Oh yeah, I cage dived (dove? what tense would that be?) with sharks too.

I'd also like to note here that the husband laughs at my ideas for a blog, and therefore will NOT be told about my little space here on the Web... unless he cooks me a really awesome meal... because then it might just slip out (that's what she said) due to taste bud euphoria.

I've lived in Maryland my entire life, and I love it here. So much, that I've dedicated my left arm to a Maryland tribute sleeve. Oh yeah, I guess I should mention that I'm one of those crazy REBELS who has tattoos that show in public. I grew up in a family with two younger brothers, and acquired two more brothers after my parents split up and hooked up with other people. My mom died when I was 16. It's been 7 years, and it still feels like it happened yesterday.

I didn't go to college. Let me rephrase that - I went to community college for entirely too long, pursuing an interior design degree. All of a sudden, adulthood smacked me in the face and I realized I had to either finish the classes required to get my associate's degree (which, let's face it, won't get you a job anywhere these days), or get a big girl job and join the real world. I chose the latter. Now I've been at the same big girl job for 5 years, and I love it, even if I don't make a million dollar salary.

Blah blah blah. There's a good chunk of my life story for you. Since buying our first home together, I've become ridiculously addicted to everything that is home decor. Pier 1 Imports, Pottery Barn, Ikea, Home Goods, Bed Bath & Beyond = 5 stores I spend entirely too much money in. I'll frequently be blogging about our home, what I've done to it, and my great deal finds on home decor.

So, you're probably wondering why I spelled "Bare" wrong in the title, huh? That's because you're smart, and you catch onto things quickly. You probably correct everyone's spelling on their Facebook statuses, don't you? Don't worry, I'm guilty of it, too.

Anywhoozits - I'm a cat lady. I wouldn't necessarily call myself crazy (I can't guarantee that my husband would say the same), but I am a cat lady nonetheless. I have four cats: Lily, Pheobe, Mama Cat (also known as Pearl), and Bear. I guarantee you will see countless photos of them throughout my blog-venture. Here's a picture of all them on our bed - from left to right - Pheobe, Lily, Mama Cat, and Bear.



See, Bear was a special case. We rescued him when he was two weeks old. We had to bottle feed him and teach him how to poo (details in a later post, I promise), and we still noticed he was a little... off. Turns out, he had some kind of weird imbalance in his equilibrium, and therefore kept his head tilted to the left and walked in circles. It was great entertainment, trust me, but we wanted him to live a normal kitty life, where he could play and run and NOT run into walls and step in his food bowl. So, long story short, my amazing vet came up with some insane concoction of medicine for little Bear, and day by day, he got better. Now, he's still a little funny in that he walks like a snake (weaving left and right after attempting to walk straight), but he's learned to live with his disability. And damnit, he is the most lovable freaking cat I've ever encountered.

So there - that's the story of Bear, and the name for my blog (courtesy of my favorite non-guidette from Jersey, Jess).

Now. I promise that my blogs won't ever be this long winded EVER again. I just feel like I had a lot to catch you up on, yaknowwhatimean? So, now that we're friends and all... or followers? or blog buddies? (I don't know the politically correct terms for this place)... tell me... how did you get the name for your blog?