A very long time? Not so much...

I swore up and down since Tyson passed away that we wouldn't get another cat for a very long time. As it turns out, I'm a sucker.

Lance and I headed to animal services today to get a replacement tag for Argos. Lance asked me if we could look at the cats, and I told him that I had no problem with that but that we were NOT going to be bringing a cat home today. Well, we didn't actually bring a cat home today, but we will bring him home on Monday after he gets fixed. We adopted a cat. I can't believe what a sucker I am.

The thing is, if this particular cat wasn't there, there is no way we would have adopted one today. We just happened to really click with this big guy and really wanted to bring him home. He's a domestic shorthair cat that is white, gray and cream colored with pretty blue eyes (which are a little cross-eyed) and he's 5 years old. Lance held him 3 times today and he is such a lovebug. He was purring quite a bit and just loved being held. Very chill. An older, mature, chill cat....that's exactly that kind of cat that I wanted. He's a big guy, too, weighing over 11 pounds. Compared to Tyson, this guy is huge. Now, I have to give him a name. Since Lance has named every animal we've had (except for 2 of the rats), I get the honor of naming the new kitty.

We're pretty excited to bring him home on Monday. I'll have some better pictures to post after we get him home, but here's the one that was on his door at the animal shelter.

Goodbye, Little Tyson

For the last few days, Lance and I have come home from work to find that our cat, Tyson, had not quite made it to the litterbox and had left us some puddles in the hallway. This really hadn't been a problem until last Friday. She had some other issues, like standing in the hallway and meowing for no reason and she had recently started losing her balance when she would shake. We knew from our last vet visit a couple of years ago that her kidneys were starting to fail her, so it wasn't a huge surprise when we found the puddles.

Unfortunately, today we had to face the decision that no pet owner looks forward to. While at the vet today, we made the extremely hard decision to put her down. The little one had a pretty fantastic life, living 18+ years (the last 7 years, she lived with us. Before that, she lived at Lance's parent's house). The vet offered us some options, which were mainly a bunch of tests to pinpoint her exact problems. Because of her age and the fact that none of these tests would lead to anything that would "cure" her, we made the decision to let her go. We also didn't realize how much pain she was in. It was only after the vet pointed out some problems with her back and hind legs that we realized that we would be doing her a favor by not letting her suffer anymore.

Tyson was a really great little girl. She was such a chatty cat and would greet us when we'd come home. She loved giving Willy a run for his money and would oftentimes, especially in the last year or so, walk right up to him to sniff him or sit by him. They ended up being real buddies. I only had cats when I was young and both of them were hit by cars and didn't live very long. Tyson was so sweet and friendly. If we ever decide to get a cat again (which, trust me, won't be for a very long time), I hope to get one that was as loving and sweet as our little girl was.

Our sweet little kitty

Tyson in one of her favorite hangout spots

Willy and Tyson just hanging out

The Office

I'll be posting a longer blog soon, but for now, I just wanted to urge you all to see what has become my new favorite show on T.V.

If you haven't already checked out The Office, please do. I can't say enough about how much I love this show. We started getting the discs on NetFlix a few weeks ago and we're totally hooked. I think I may even border on obsessive, as I was pretty upset that our new disc didn't arrive today. I don't know what I'm going to do once I'm done watching this new disc, since this will be the last disc before the current season. The new season has started, but since we're behind in episodes, we can't start watching the new season and I have to wait until it comes out on DVD. Ahhhhh!!!!! I may just go crazy.

Anyway, if you haven't checked it out, please find time to do so. You won't be disappointed.

It....is.....awesome.

Life Happens

I realize that it has been forever since I've posted a blog. There have been so many things going on in the last couple of months. I actually don't know where to start! Instead of going back that far, I'm going to fill you in on the most recent happenings around here.

Just to get the baby question out of the way, no, we haven't been placed yet. Lance and I did, however, renew our CPR certification two weeks ago, so I will be sending our new cards to Susan shortly. I wanted to make sure that nothing stood in the way of us being placed when we get the call. It has definitely been a long wait but it will be well worth it when she arrives.

Last Tuesday evening, my Uncle Chuck passed away at the hospital near my house. He had been there for 12 straight days when he passed. We had a feeling when he was admitted that he probably wouldn't be coming out. After being examined by the doctors when he was admitted, it was found that his liver was almost 10 times the size of normal, he had cirosis of the liver and possibly cancer there and that his kidneys were failing. All this made for a slow and gradual passing last week. As most people know, I was not very close to uncle at all. Even though he lived next door to my parents, his alcoholism kept me from wanting a relationship with him. That said, his death made for an interesting time for me. I wish that I could have known that guy that my mom and aunt loved being around as a child. I wish I could have had a relationship with him. I wish that things were different. It was hard to see him suffer so much during his last days. I was at the hospital with my family for all but maybe 2 of the days he was there. I think that we're all relieved that it is over, just for the fact that he is no longer suffering or in pain. It is too bad that it took his death for him to know any kind of peace.

My parents have both had their share of doctors lately, too. My mom went to the ER on September 18 because of severe chest pains. They diagnosed her as having Pleurisy (an inflammation of the tissue surrounding the lung) after doing some tests to rule out pneumonia, heart attack, etc. They gave her an antibiotic and sent her home a few hours later. Luckily, she hasn't had any complications since her trip to the hospital, so we are all very relieved. Last week, she went to the doctor because she wasn't feeling well and they told her she has bronchitis. Last time I talked to her, she was feeling a bit better. My dad went to see an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist last week because of his dizzy/neasous spells. They diagnosed him as having Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo. They gave him some reading materials on it and it fits him and his symptoms to a tee. He will go in to see the doctor in another 2-3 weeks to see how he is doing and to talk about possibly doing an MRI to see if a tumor or stroke is possible, although the doctor finds in pretty unlikely. My dad had a stress test, blood tests and a check of his carotid earlier in the year and everything checked out great. After talking to him two days ago, he is doing well and is not dizzy anymore. I'm very happy to report that everything seems to be on the mend!

The weather has definitely turned here in the last week or so. Yesterday, it rained almost nonstop. Today looks a bit sunnier and is supposed to be a bit warmer at around 70 degrees. I absolutely love this time of year. I'm not a hot weather person at all. I love a small chill in the air. It reminds me that Christmas is almost here.

Lance and I are off to visit his family up in Davis for lunch today. His mom is staying up there for the week before heading back down to Livermore. It will be nice to spend some time with everyone.

Anyway....now that the dust is settling around here...I should be back to blogging on a more regular basis. Happy weekend!

Please Don't Get Me Wrong...

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to tell you that I hope I did not offend anyone by my last post. I really hope that my words are not taken the wrong way and that there is nothing on there that is offensive. I'm always so worried about what other people think (something I'm working on) and I'd hate to think that I upset anyone by my post.

I guess that's the risk you take by putting a blog out there for everyone to see. I really just want to try and be as truthful (and tactful) as I possibly can. By writing this blog, it is my chance to just put myself out there.

Ok...that's all.

Just to clear a few things up...

Since the school year started for me on August 15, I have had quite a few people ask me what the latest news is regarding the adoption. Most people are absolutely shocked to find out that we haven't been placed yet. Now, I have no problem whatsoever with people who ask questions about this process, as I'm sure I'd be equally curious if I were them. But, some people have then taken the conversation further than I would like them to. Let me explain...

I have had a few people who then decide to throw in the "WOW...this is taking a long time!" comment. Ummm...yes, we know. It is taking a long time. I then have to explain that Lance and I specified gender, age and narrowed in our preferences on how much of a disability we would be comfortable with at this time in our lives (taking into account our house, etc.). I have no problem with people's curiosity, but it is really hard when people state the obvious and tell me that it's taking a long time. Trust me...we're well aware of how long we've been waiting.

This isn't something that has been exactly shocking to us, though. We knew when we asked for a girl that we'd be in for a wait. According to our social worker, Susan, for some reason there are many, many more boys in the system than there are girls, so then waiting for a girl who is as young as we'd like her to be is most likely going to take a while. Also, if there are any other families who have been waiting for the same thing (girl, under 1 year old) for a longer period than we have, they will probably be placed first.

OK...then I have had people tell me that I should call my social worker to find out what is happening. I can tell you with 100% certainty that if we haven't heard from Susan, that means there is no news to report. It's not like they're taking the kids and putting them into a holding pattern until....well...who knows.

Here is how Susan explained the process to us (although even this isn't set in stone):

A child comes into the system. The child gets placed with a "foster only" family until the social workers can find appropriate placement. It is at this time that the social workers that represent the children and the social workers representing the families (like Lance and I) get together to discuss if the child will remain in foster care only or be placed with a concurrent family (like Lance and I). There are many factors that go into this decision. Now, if the child they are discussing happens to be what we're looking for, it is at this time that Susan will make a case (and sort of "sell" us) to the children's worker. If both agree that Lance and I are a good fit for that child, we will then get the phone call telling us that we have been matched and will be placed. That's, roughly, how it works. Every situation is a little different and could vary, but this is pretty much how Susan expects it to happen.

I also need to bring something else up. I have had a few people tell me that "everything happens for a reason" and that things happen "when it's meant to be." Now, I'm sure to most people these are very comforting sayings/cliches, but to me, they don't really do anything for me. I know that people are trying to be supportive and I really appreciate that. I don't want anyone to think that I don't appreciate the love and support we're getting. But, I don't believe that everything happens for a reason. I believe that things happen because they do and because that's just life. I'm not sold on the idea that our life is already mapped out for us by some higher power/God/creator/etc and that things haven't happened yet because it wasn't "meant to be". I believe it just hasn't happened yet and that's it. There is no judgement from me if you believe in those sayings. I think you need to do whatever it is that gets you through life and the hard times. I'm just not so sure that I'm on the same page with those sayings.

In any case, I want to thank everyone for being so supportive. I don't think we would have been able to go this far in the process without everyone being so great and loving. Please feel free to ask us questions whenever you have them. But trust me....as soon as we hear anything, we will let everyone know. It will be no secret!

I hope everyone is having a safe Labor Day weekend!

Comments

I just wanted to let everyone know that I have changed my blog settings so that anyone can post comments now. I had unintentionally set up the blog so that only those with a special email account could post. So, if you feel that you'd like to comment on any of my posts, please feel free! I'm still learning about the settings and whatnot for this blog site and I just figured out how to change that feature.

I'll be posting a longer blog sometime this weekend. I just wanted to make sure everyone knew about this change.

That's all for now...