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.

Some Summer Stuff

The heroes and Betsy with their popsicles.

I really have no idea why this painting project surprised me



Ingrid took some pictures of us at the beach. June 2009
Sam's tennis form. Wimbledon? We were watching Wimbledon and so when he went for his second tennis lesson he was shuffling his feet back and forth - hysterical. He thought it was weird that Andy Roddick got a mirror when Roger "Feathery" got a cup.







It seems silly to blog about weather, since that topic is for polite conversation that you have with semi-strangers, but this summer in Richmond has been really good. I really don't like the summers here. When someone asks me if I like Richmond I say, "yes, but it is awful in the summer." It can be 87 degrees but the heat index is something like 102. Ridiculous. You can't even get dry after you get out of the shower. So, the weather is pretty key to my summer survival and it has been so nice. The fact that we have been able to go to the park and doing anything outside is surprising and is keeping the peace around our house.

This summer is different because I have scored myself a helper. She is a student from the University of Richmond but lives in NYC. She has an internship in Richmond this summer and is currently living in our basement. In exchange for that, she helps with the kids about 10 hours a week. It has been great. We are all really happy with the situation. The kids love her and Joel and I get to go out at least twice a week. We have been able to go out from 3-10 - totally unheard of! It's so helpful to have someone who can sit with the children through what feels like endless dinner times and we don't have to pay too dearly for it. The kids really like her, as Sam said, "She is my favorite big person." This little situation has made our lives a lot easier. She works during the day and she is out with her friends a lot of the time, and then she is here when we need her. It's nice having someone around. At this point, with only 1 more weekend to go before she leaves, I am not very excited to going back to the way it was. It's nice to not have the high expectation anxiety that comes with booking a babysitter and making sure you have the time of your life while the clock is ticking.
The kids have changed their play too. Flying is still the theme around here, but it's not Peter Pan it's Superheroes. Sam is Superman. Oliver is Batman. I made some (very bad quality capes - luckily they are not at the stage yet where homemade things aren't as good as the store bought stuff). So, it turns out that superheroes aren't necessarily appropriate for 4 year olds, that stuff can be kind of scary. So, we've spent a lot of time on youtube.com watching the theme song from Superman and seen Christopher Reeve flying everywhere and saving helicopters. Sam likes to dress like the man of steel, but you have to do with what you've got. So, he wears his Spiderman costume (it's blue and red, underwear on top - since Superman has that on his costume) and his cape. Sometimes he puts on a button down shirt and then pretends to rip it open to show the big "S". It's classic. Oliver isn't in to dressing up too much, he just walks around and repeats everything that Sam says and basically just being a monkey.