There’s going to be a lot of leaving going on in our lives. Most of it is the happy kind. Some of it isn’t. Like the leaving behind of my fingertip in the door frame of our front door yesterday morning.
Because the general preference is to end on a happy note, I’ll start with the sad kind of leaving first. Yesterday our dear cat Abby had to be put to sleep. She was a gorgeous calico we found at the shelter one day several years ago. She was an adult female with a limp on one of her hind legs – not the most popular combination for a cat adoption, which is partly why we wanted her – and she was the prettiest, sweetest girl with the loudest motor purr ever – we just couldn’t leave her there. She had to have a home; she deserved a great home. When we adopted her, they told us they thought she was only about 4 years old and didn’t know where her limp came from, but yesterday our vet said he thought she was closer to 16 years old. She had her share of medical problems later in life, but she really was the most loving cat out there. Despite her bum leg, she’d scurry up the chair or onto the bed and be in your lap in a second. She’d spend hours there completely content, nudging to be continually pet and cuddled until she fell asleep. She also loved to be brushed – grooming day could not come soon enough and she enjoyed every minute of it. She adored human food and would eat nearly anything she could beg off your plate….and beg she did. Often. Every meal. In her younger days if you didn’t tuck the chairs in she’d be up on the kitchen table instantaneously, whisker-deep in chicken, eggs, salmon, pudding, vegetables, rice, fruit, milk, martinis – whatever she discovered up there was fair game. And heaven help you if she found out you had ice cream. That was game over for your solo dining experience. She loved my dad and followed him around the house every chance she got. She was terrified of baths and despised them whenever we had to scrub her in warm, soapy water. One day she was so scared of her bath that she actually peed on me. Her health has been deteriorating for the past few years and along with shots every few months to keep her in control of herself and pain free, she had a couple of strokes. This really was probably the best thing for her since she was suffering so much, but she was such a loving little girl that losing her has hit hard. She and Sancho were especially close, always cuddling up together on her pillow, so I think Sancho will have a hard time of it too, wondering where his buddy went. But I take comfort that she’s up in kitty heaven, hanging out with her other favorite pal Rufus. Much love to our Abby.
In much happier news, we have a few kinds of nice leaving coming along soon! I finally quit complaining, got off my ass and put in for a new passport under my new last name. To fill you in on all things terribly unimportant, I am wearing the same shirt in both my passport photo and Ohio driver’s license photo. How’s that for expert planning? But do you know what this really means? Sure I’m thrilled to have finally accomplished something that has been looming on my to-do list since November 8, but really, this was step 1 for booking our honeymoon! It’s not officially booked as we still have yet to receive the official production schedule for CCM’s 2011-2012 season so we choose a non show-date. I’ve been doing a ton of research lately and it seems that for the past two days the research has finally been instrumental in helping us to reach a decision. We have it narrowed down to a time frame in which we know we’ll be going (based on the results of the production schedule), we’re 99% positive that we’re sticking with the location we’ve selected, and tonight we made a final decision between the last two major factors we were debating over. But boy does it feel nice to have made some progress! We’re almost there and leaving for this vacation is definitely something to look forward to! Want a hint?
Those are your only two hints. Can you guess where we’re going?
Perhaps the most exciting news this week is that, as of today, I am officially booked on a flight home to my beloved Lone Star State and the great San Antonio! I’ll be deep in the heart of Texas (clap clap!) from Friday, June 3 – Monday, June 6! I am so excited to be going home for a weekend to see my parents, play with Sancho, hang out with my friends, and down some delicious eats!
You know what this means? I’m in town for two and a half days only…I’m taking reservations for time to spend with my nearest and dearest! If you have some free time that weekend and want to see me after a 9-month absence, let me know because I sure as heck want to see you! I won’t be home again until Christmas, so I hope your schedules are clear that weekend! So, let’s plan something :-)
P.S. – And is it just me or is The Big Bang Theory getting funnier every episode?
Alaska?