End of Summer '09

The summer is over and fall is here. I love fall, the boys can play outside without the bugs or the humidity and I get to look at the leaves and rake them into a pile so that they can get thrown all over the place again. It's great. Sam is 5, we had his birthday at Maymont park. It was cold and drizzly but all the superheroes ran around and had fun anyway.

We all went to England for Jonny Moore's wedding. The boys were very good on the plane (sort of). They had a great time in England. Grandma and Grandad's house had apples on the tree and berries on the bushes. All the Simpsons took a spin around Legoland. It was nice for everyone to get a chance to catch up. The actual Legoland Legos were insane! They must have certified Lego architects that can put together all of the major European cities in Legos. Sam's godfather gave Sam a Lego set for his birthday and it is ridiculous how complicated it can seem. Those pieces are just so small, it's really absurd. Needless to say we made the motorcycle and airplane but they did not survive hurricane Oliver.

I also got to see my wonderful friends who moved away from Richmond over to England and see their families. The Peak District of England is much more beautiful than I would have imagined. The kids seemed toplay all together lke they hadn't seen each other in 4 days, when really they hadn't all been together in 2 years. It was wonderful.


Sam started school at Reveille Preschool. He seems happy enough there. Iwas worried that he wouldn't like the switch, but he really doesn't seem to be that bothered. Pretty laid back I guess. Oliver is at St Matthews twice a week, he seems pretty happy too. I decided to teach ESL to adults on Mondays and Wednesdays from 7-9. I like it. The students are really inspiring. They have difficult situations and they manage to come to class for 2 hours after work and struggle through Verb structure and learning kitchen appliance words. Humbling really. Especially when I feel like i can't even find the time to get a shower in on some days.

Lucy

Today was the day that Lucy has left us. She has been sick for quite a while and her abdomen got so swollen that she was having trouble walking. eating and just moving around. She stayed in the basement and under the bed until the kids went to sleep and then she came upstairs to watch TV. She was so uncomfortable and unhappy and today was the day that we made the decision that her quality of life was not good and was certainly not going to improve. Goodness this is hard.

You don't really realize what friends they are. I sort of think that pets are pets and you enjoy them etc but I don't really equate them to friends so much. They are. She used to come to our car when we got home, run to one of us when we were sad, sleep (hog) the bed and even drink and eat our food. She is greatly missed already. The vet was extremely compassionate and I suppose it went as well as it could be. We are sad. Just sad. At the same time, I am happy that she is no longer uncomfortable and I am grateful that I got to love her. When we told the kids I didn't think they would get it. Immediately Sam started REALLY crying and saying that he just wanted her to come back. I didn't expect that. I thought they would hear it be confused and then a little while later ask a lot of questions and then understand, not instantly. I told Sam that she went to heaven where Pabert was and he said, I sure hope Pabert likes Lucy when she gets there. Maybe I should just go and get her back."
These kids are quick. Rest in Peace my dear friend Lucy.

Purposely Untitled

We are down at the beach and it is so nice here. It's a quiet one this year with not the whole family (F&J expecting a baby and L&J in Europe and the Swiss in Switzerland). I like it, I like it crowded too, but it's quieter so my kids are making up for the loss of noise. Every time I come here I am so relaxed and I spend a lot of time wishing and trying to figure out how we can live vacation all the time. Not what it's about though.

The tricky situation is Lucy. Lucy was found at the Virginia SPCA. I found her with my college roommate Sarah. In hindsight, visiting the SPCA for fun when you're not looking for a pet is not the greatest idea. Especially when you are leaving to live in the UK in 2 months.

Lucy was in a cage and very cross eyed, they said she was really mean and that I should not even think about taking her home. Her name was Simba (strange since she is a white and grey cat and doesn't even look like any animal from the Lion King) I thought that that woman was nuts and took her anyway. Actually, Sarah adopted her since they don't let you adopt over state lines. I have a lot of Lucy stories, too many to blog. So, I'll just get the highlights. She likes to come to the car when you get home, like a dog. She used to hide under the bed and attack your feet as soon as you woke up to get up When I got married, she didn't like it and would lay beside Joel and stare at him all night long and freak him out.

Last year, Lucy was diagnosed with diabetes, so we bought the special food (which she didn't eat) and started giving her shots. Since she wouldn't eat the food, I made her chicken so she would have a high protein diet. We got a cat lover to take care of her when we were out of town. But now she isn't doing well. Her belly is swollen, she is probably blind and she is staying in the basement all of the time. We aren't exactly sure what to do. She is 13 years old and it seems as if we should just make her comfortable. I feel like I'm giving up. What happened to the me that would jump though any hoop, spend any amount of money, and wouldn't even go out of town if it meant she would be lonely. Now, I am practical (old) and it seems like I just want her to be better, but am not sure how to do it and I have sort of given up. I feel like Lucy and I have grown up together, her always there for me and me, slipping away. She was there before my current life (husband, kids etc.) and I feel like I have abandoned her and I am sad. I don't even know what I'm writing right now, it just seems like for Lucy she is losing out in every level. I am crying too much to keep my thoughts to get it together so I had better sign off.