Today is Lucy's last day on this side of the rainbow bridge. This is going to be a bittersweet post but I find it lethargic to write.
I got Lucy nearly 9 years ago in Tennessee. She was my birthday present to myself and my first pet that was all my own. I went to the middle of nowhere to get a different cat but when I bent down in front of the cages Lucy reached out and grabbed my pigtails and I knew she was meant to be my cat.
Lucy was my constant cat companion while studying my junior year at Vanderbilt and spent a year in New Mexico with my parents when I returned to the dorms. She didn't forget me that year and I'll never forget her.
When I moved to an apartment after my senior year Lucy came back to me. I didn't spend nearly enough time with her that year because I was on a political campaign, but whenever I came home from long and tiring nights of work she would greet me at the door and quickly cuddle up with me like a teddy bear as I fell asleep.
When I got salmonella before moving to DC and could barely move she NEVER left my side. When my mom was trying to help me gain my strength back we found out that both Lucy and I love honey smoked turkey. She ate 4 slices today.
When I moved to DC and lived 4 different places she quickly adapted. She loved living in the big house with 3 other girls but would always sleep with me. She loved staying with some goo friends when I would have to travel for business and she bravely made the journey with me to Colorado 3 years ago.
We stopped in New Mexico to be with my parents for a few weeks before we drove from Silver City to Denver in my VW beetle. She hung out with my parents cats who she remembered easily and gladly snuggled with my Dad who loves her almost as much as I do and is struggling with this almost as much as I am.
She wasn't the best passenger on the curvy roads, often trying to sit on my lap or in front of me on the dashboard as we drove along. We made it and she quickly found her favorite spot in our new apartment.
When I met Mike and we became serious I left her home alone probably too often, I still have guilt over that. I do think, however, she probably through pretty smashing kitty soirées when I wasn't there. She was probably going through the cabinets in search of plastic bags to lick.
When Mike and I moved in together Lucy got to know a whole new creature--Maverick. They actually got along really well and we would often find them cuddling. Lucy loves concrete and she would frequently make a mad dash our the front door to roll on the concrete.
When we moved into the house Lucy quickly found her spots. She knew her food was on the counter and she had a special door into her litter box. Then she got sick.
In January I noticed my Lucy was suddenly very skinny, lethargic and would howl randomly. We took her to the vet. She had tumors in her stomach, lots of them. He gave her pain meds and 4-6 weeks. Two weeks later she seemed fine, we took her back to the vet and did an ultrasound. She wasn't fine. The ultrasound proved she was very ill. We cried, a lot. We brought her home and counted the days.
That was four MONTHS ago not weeks. Our friends came by to say goodbye and Lucy rallied multiple times. She earned the nickname Zombie Cat rather quickly. She bet the odds for a long time. But this weekend she seemed worse. She stopped going to the bathroom, she hid in the closet and we had to help her up and down because she couldn't jump anymore.
Last night I picked her up and put her in bed with me and she once again cuddled up with me like a teddy bear.
This morning she still hadn't moved. Her breathing was stressed. I knew it was time. I painfully called my mom and talked with Mike and they both agreed, it was time.
I made the call and possibly the hardest decision ever. I even said to the nurse "I can't believe I'm saying this" and scheduled the appointment.
I went over to the vet and grabbed a sedative so the car ride wouldn't be too traumatic. I filled out all the papers so I wouldn't have to do it after the fact and relive it.
Then I got two pints of ice cream for me and honey baked turkey for Lucy. She ate 3 pieces. Then we fell asleep, her paw in my hand to the Wizard of Oz on the TV. She fell asleep on my chest when we woke up and as I was apologizing to her because I couldn't fix her she looked me straight in the eyes and told me somehow that it was ok, that it was time and she forgave me.
I gave her the sedative and some more turkey then took her outside to roll on the concrete one last time. She fell asleep in the grass watching the birds as I sat on the walk writing this.
In a few minutes when Mike picks me up and I put my sweet kitten of 9 years in her bed in a laundry basket to go to the vet, I will don my pigtails once again so she can remember me like when she first met me.
Goodbye my sweet Lucy cat.
What I did this weekend
While most Coloradans are probably out enjoying the wonderful weather we're having (and always have) I've been inside fighting with my allergies and working. Woo thrilling, I know. BUT! I did sneak in a couple of fun things between work proposals and events for my folks' paper (www.desertexposure.com).
This may not be fun to most, and normally not for me either but the thought of cleaning with vinegar reminds me of my Norwegian roots and my stingy grandma. So when I saw this on pinterest I had to do it (click on the picture to go to the recipe over at Nature's Nurture, btw I emailed Sarah at Nature's Nuture about cleaning my baseboards and she emailed back RIGHT AWAY, more on that later).
This may not be fun to most, and normally not for me either but the thought of cleaning with vinegar reminds me of my Norwegian roots and my stingy grandma. So when I saw this on pinterest I had to do it (click on the picture to go to the recipe over at Nature's Nurture, btw I emailed Sarah at Nature's Nuture about cleaning my baseboards and she emailed back RIGHT AWAY, more on that later).
Mike cleans our floor constantly and whatever he is using seems to attract more dust. I ran to Dollar Tree at got everything for this floor cleaner and went to work. It is amazing! Easy peasy and 24 hours later (in a house filled with a dog and a cat) the floor still looks great.
Also, this cleaner works great on our NASTY baseboards. I don't think they've ever been cleaned, they were sticky. So I asked Sarah at Nature's Nurture what to use and she said "the floor cleaner is now my go to cleaner, try that and let me know if it works." So I did and IT DOES! With a little elbow grease our baseboards will soon be white, not brown (ew). I also snuck over to Joann's and got all the supplies I need to make a ton of these:
I'll let you know how they turn out. Oh and I'm also finishing some booties for a friend of our's new baby girl AND designing our wedding programs.
Labels:
crafts,
home improvement
New website coming soon!
I've been doing a lot of web design, organizing, and resume consulting on the side, so I've decided to do it and get paid for it. I'll be revamping fryxie.com soon! So stay tuned!
I'm blatantly stealing this
Normally I don't steal other people's posts, but this time, I'm making an exception. Annie, over at Live Simply By Annie, put this up and I had to do the same. It is going to get me through this week.
Labels:
life
Opening wedding presents is fun!
Our wedding is two months away, and no I'm not freaking out yet. The wedding presents have started streaming in and opening all these Crate and Barrel boxes is oh so much fun!
New dishes! Hello CB Aspen goodbye chipped Ikea plates! |
Last night was our three year anniversary so we busted out all the new plates and silverware to celebrate. |
Labels:
wedding
Pantry Door
I bought this awesome over the door Rubbermaid shelf thing for our pantry. Slight problem, the door wouldn't close! So after a lot of yelling at the door and putting in these fancy "hollow core door" brackets we got it up.
Yes, all of those ramen's are facing the same way, Mike's a little OCD |
Even Mavi like's the new pantry shelf! Probably because his treats are in it. |
Labels:
Maverick,
organizing,
project organize
It is time to organize
Some days I find it increasingly difficult to work because I just want to go home and organize and clean my house. More specifically, I want to go home and label everything. So tonight, as I sit late in my office, waiting to go to a meeting, I emailed Mike, my annoyingly-neat soon-to-be-husband, that I was going to organize our whole house:
"Honey, you know how I love to bust out my label maker and label everything and organize stuff, like the hall closet. I'm thinking I'm going to deep clean and organize our whole house. Throw out a ton of stuff, organize and label everything. I'm telling you this, so that you aren't surprised when I start throwing shit out, because I want your support, AND because I'd love to someday join the society of professional organizers. http://www.napo.net/default. aspx
"Honey, you know how I love to bust out my label maker and label everything and organize stuff, like the hall closet. I'm thinking I'm going to deep clean and organize our whole house. Throw out a ton of stuff, organize and label everything. I'm telling you this, so that you aren't surprised when I start throwing shit out, because I want your support, AND because I'd love to someday join the society of professional organizers. http://www.napo.net/default.
I'm REALLY good at organizing things, staying organized is another issue. But I figured this will be a good start.
I'm going to need a lot of baskets and more tape for my label maker. This will require trips to ikea.
Plan of attack: room by room!
Purge: get rid of stuff
Pile: group like items
Place: put into place
Label (why can't that start with a P)
Label (why can't that start with a P)
I think I'll start by cleaning my craft room again
then the guest room
then the bedroom
then the bedroom closet
then the downstairs entry closet
then the pantry
then the kitchen
then the basement closets
then the mother of them all: the garage.
I think we'll feel so much cleaner and simpler. I'll need your help going through stuff to see what you want to get rid of.
Also, I really want to take down the bed in the guest room and just have the frame. That bed takes up a lot of space.
Also, let's put a closet system in the basement closet (the one as you come down the stairs) like the one I have in the craft room.
this summer I'd like to put in shelves in the garage too btw.
One more thing. If you want to go get your new desk we can move the black desk that you have downstairs upstairs. Where the bench is we should put that desk and one of our dining chairs and use it to finally have a place to organize our finances, house documents and mail all in one place.
Ok I think that's it. What do you think?"
So that's my plan... what do you think? Tips? Tricks? Keep up to date with my organizing finds via my pin board http://pinterest.com/fryxie/time-to-organize/
Labels:
home improvement,
organizing,
project organize
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