So I took the summer off blogging. And by "summer" I really mean almost 5 months. It wasn't an intentional vacation, but things came up and school got busy and I moved and 10,000 other things happened and blogging just fell by the way side. So here's a Reader's Digest version of my last 5 months before I dive into what is sure to be a roller coaster 2.5 months to end out 2013.
To start off with my 30 Before 30 list, I was able to cross two more things off: #25) Go to my 10 year high school reunion and #15) Do something that scares me. More about those later. I had all intentions of going ziplining with my sister in Tally as well, but alas, a hangover from hell after my reunion may have spoiled those plans for the time being.
Late June/early July was by far the low point of the summer. My cat, Peanut, became very sick and I had to put him to sleep. He was an old man by cat standards (would've been 18 on August 1st) but always acted years younger and I was convinced he really might live to be 80. I know you're not supposed to have favorites among your children pets, but Peanut was always mine. He could kick any dogs butt in a game of fetch and spent every night spooning with me in bed and purring me to sleep. Seeing him that sick and barely able to lift his head pretty much destroyed me and its taken me this long to be able to discuss it on here. In the past I've devoted whole entries to Prancer and Percy when they passed, but nothing would come close to doing The Peanut any justice, so this is how I like to remember him:
But, as always in life, even when things die, new life is continuously entering the world. I had been contemplating getting another cat last spring after Percy passed so Peanut would have a friend because he seemed lonely to me, but I was always planning on waiting until I moved so the new cat wouldn't get attached to my old apartment. Fate, however, apparently had other plans. It was always my intention to have my next cat be a black cat because statistically they have a much lower adoption rate than cats of other colorings (this is also true for black dogs). Plus, further studies have shown them to have more outgoing personalities and actually to be healthier, but it was mainly the first fact that was driving my decision. Well, one day I'm out running errands when I get a call from my roommate's mom who happened to be visiting asking me to come home ASAP. I pull up and my roommate is holding a small black kitten who couldn't weight more than a pound or be more than a month or two old. They found her wandering our apartment complex parking lot alone and couldn't locate her mother. I rushed her to the vet who gave her a clean bill of health and then brought her home to see what Peanut thought.
She was pretty darn cute but I wasn't sold right away. Despite her meeting the black cat criteria, I wasn't sure I was ready for a full on kitten, and knew that despite her color, the fact that she was only an estimated 7 weeks old would likely get her adopted instantaneously and it was always my goal to adopt the ones who needed me the most. However, after a few weeks of getting to know her we discovered the reason she likely got separated from her mom...she's deaf. So that sealed the deal for me. A black special needs cat? Maybe it really was fate. Not to mention she's so annoyingly cute I'm not sure I could've let her go at that point. She was around for about a month before Peanut passed and I think she took it almost as hard as me - she idolized him. The kicker for keeping her was after Peanut died and both Tiffany and Meagan put into words something that hadn't crossed my mind yet: Peanut knew how hard it would be for me without him and he waited until there was a new love in my life and knew I'd be taken care of before he left. Normally I don't put a lot of faith in things like that, but it just felt true in this case. So, now, please meet Clara! (aka Clara Belle aka Mouse)
Clara and Peanut a week after I found her
me and Clara after she got a little bigger!
Okay, I know you all know my pets are my life, but other things did happen this summer too! Like I got two A's again in Advanced Pharm and Healthcare Systems (aka the WORST class I've ever taken in my life) classes. And I turned 28 which officially puts me in my late-twenties if I wasn't there already. I also dyed my hair dark again because I realized my blonde-highlights stage was so college (lol). And I moved out of my old apartment and got my own place! It may have taken me close to 2 months to finally get it together, but here's the finished product:
Oh yeah...and one other thing happened. I met this kid:
But that's a story for next time ;)
Love,
KayCee
