Six Years?!

Well, today it is our six year anniversary.  While I was initially hoping for something fun or even romantic or even better exciting, it has been a pretty dull day.  It started out with Jim having to leave at 5:15 this morning because he found out he had a surprise audit by the EPA and had to travel out to the site, which meant I got the "pleasure" of waking up then as well.  We exchanged gifts and let's just say his track record is holding strong and I have returned or am in the process of returning all the gifts he got me.  (My poor hubby really needs a lesson in gift giving.)  For him, I stayed with my Hawaiian theme and had my brother pick up some tshirts from Hawaii when he was there for work to replace the ratty old ones that I won't let Jim wear in public anymore.  I also gave him a BBQ pizza pan so that he can BBQ pizza easier on the grill, which he loves.  Plus I had to stick with the traditional 6 year gift and gave him chocolate covered macadamia nuts.  He is already wearing one of the tshirts and eaten a chocolate  or two, so once again me = win, him = try again.  LOL

The kids also woke up at 0 dark hundred, so no luxury sleeping in for me.  We've been going strong all day.  Little Man and I made cookies and I started Kalua pork in the crockpot this morning.  Jim had that for dinner with rice, fresh pineapple, green beans, and pineapple starfruit juice.  I also had a pineapple candle burning.  I had to laugh when he suggested that next year we celebrate in Hawaii, since taking little ones on such a trip . . . . . ummmmm, no thanks!  Just the flight alone with little ones .  . . . . ugh!

Unfortunately, the house is in no way finished like we were told would be for the last three weeks which is what we were really hoping to give each other for our anniversary.  I'll just say this, building a new home has been an adventure and learning process that I hope to NEVER go through again.

Now after the rush of dinner has been completed, the boys are off to gymnastics and Little Miss and I are hanging out or rather she is crawling around the house like crazy while I clean up dinner and get the house ready for us to go to bed.  I know, I know  . . . . . We are SUCH party animals.

RIP Ms. Lefty (2001 - 2013)

Yesterday, we had to have Ms. Lefty put to sleep since she had recently quit eating and had gone into liver failure.  Although we know it was the right thing to do, it was way more difficult than either Jim or I had anticipated. 

You have to understand, this is the cat who has been through so much with me.  She was there through my horrific first marriage and even more horrible end of that marriage and divorce;  the highs and lows of graduate school; a move to Idaho; job changes; a new marriage; two kids.  While anyone hardly ever saw her because she was extremely shy and skittish due to her own abuse history.  She was my little buddy that always new when I was sad and would snuggle with me at night when she knew I needed cheering up.  She also had extra toes on her front paws that made her paws look like little hands that she would wrap around  your arm while you scratch her stomach.  She wasn't demanding or obnoxious.  She just wanted to be loved in the quiet moments.  She was the only cat we wanted to take with us to the new house and would never consider giving away, yet she was the first to go.

I'm really starting to hate the month of February.  My uncle, my father-in-law, and now my cat have all died in February, the month that is supposed to be about love.  In a weird way, maybe it is more appropriate they all did.  They have all been a stark reminder of loving those you love all the more because you never will know when you have to say goodbye.  I guess, more appropriately, I should say I hate saying goodbye.