Saturday was a sad day at our house. We lost Butter. She had been losing weight, which we discovered was a kidney problem. We gave her fluids and she seemed to rally a bit, but she was not improving. And on Saturday, her little body showed us just how tired she was, so we released her. It was a hard, hard thing. I have moments when I wonder if maybe she might have been able to turn things around if we had given her another couple of days, but the reality was that we probably had already held on to her for too long. Our cats owe us nothing, but they give us everything. And Butter certainly gave us all she had.
Continue readingCategory Archives: Love
Whatever the Circumstance.
Earlier this evening, I was writing something to send to a friend who is struggling. As I wrote, I teared up. Dave came into the room and asked me if I was okay. I said I was, and he exited. A few minutes later, he came back holding Bread. He put Bread on my lap and for a good while, I had that warm little body nestled with me while I wrote. I love that warm little body. And I so love Dave for offering what help he could. Continue reading
The Girl in the Empty House.
Dave was on a business trip last week when I flew out to Boston. He returned while I was gone, and then left again before I came back. When I arrived home on Sunday evening, I saw evidence of his having been here – a polished kitchen sink, the washer dial turned to hot, and tongs in the salad bowl in the refrigerator. Initially, I felt a tinge of sadness knowing he wouldn’t be home for another five days. But now, on Wednesday, still two full days away from his return, I’m having to be intentional to avoid being downright despondent. Continue reading
About the Last Year.
A year ago tomorrow, Dave rolled into town in a U-Haul, committed to starting a new life in a new state with some girl he’d known for less than a year. He asked me today what I thought about the last year. I answered in the moment, but I haven’t stopped thinking about the question. Continue reading
No More Going Solo For Me.
This week, I made the decision to join a masters swim program. I swam in different programs years ago when I lived in Austin, and I did really well in them. I became a strong swimmer, especially during my years training at the Courtyard when I would swim four days a week. It wasn’t the frequent swimming, but the swimming with others that really made me strong. When I moved from far northwest Austin to the country far southwest of town, I abandoned my masters program because my old facility was miles and miles away, and there was no good option nearby. That’s now changed.
An Early Morning Surprise.
I slept terribly last night. When my alarm went off at 5:00 a.m., I almost texted the girls to tell them that I was bailing on our run, but I managed somehow to get my butt out of bed and to the trails. We had a lovely 5-mile run during which we got to hear about Jenny’s 30K trail race of this past weekend in West Texas. It sounds like a race that needs to land on my 2016 schedule. Then when we got back to our cars, I had the most wonderful surprise waiting for me. Continue reading
With Dave on His Birthday.
This time last year, I was traveling to Africa to climb Kilimanjaro. It was my third international trip of 2013, so the wonder was a bit lost during the trip preparations. It took actually getting to the airport and getting a bag checked before I felt true excitement surrounding the trip. Before my mom and I sat down for a cup of coffee together before I entered security, I felt a sadness for leaving town on Dave’s very birthday. Even on the plane, I wrote, “This is my last big trip for a while. I want so much to be at home and to spend as much time with Dave as possible.” Now, a year later, I’m home with Dave. I got what I wanted, but I was wrong about one thing. Everything that’s happened with and around Dave during the last year has been the greatest trip I’ve ever taken. Continue reading
Good, Hard Efforts.
I had a great first week back from being sick. I ran four times last week. I had a busy week at work. Dave and I did lots of fun things. We went out to dinner Thursday night to a new-ish spot that he discovered driving around the neighborhood. On Friday, we went to a friend’s 40th birthday party. On Saturday, we went to a church service at a friend’s house and a performance by an a cappella band. On Sunday morning, I ran a 10-mile race in Austin, and we had a fun breakfast with other runner friends afterwards. Then we did organizational stuff around the house, which was fun with him. And then last night, one of my Kilimanjaro friends rolled into town. We’ve had a lot of goodness after a period of sickness and stress. I’m so grateful. Continue reading
Better Together.
This weekend, Dave and I went to a marriage seminar organized by some friends of mine from the Church at Lake Travis. A pastor friend of theirs from Alabama spoke about marriage. It’s hard to summarize all that he said, but what I walked away with is that marriage is an opportunity and an obligation to love another unconditionally. Marriages work when people decide to stick with them. That second statement seems obvious, but it’s true, right? If people quit, the marriage is done. But if they stick with it, even when it’s hard, then there’s a chance that things will get better. This workshop really hit home with me in a way that convicted me to apologize to Dave about various things I’d said and done or not done in the last month. Continue reading
A Perfect Storm.
Last night, I woke to a rainstorm striking my metal roof. Turns out we had four inches of rain last night, which is fabulous. When my alarm went off at 4:30 a.m. so that I could go meet my running buddies at 5:20, I realized (a) that I was tired from being woken up repeatedly by the rain and (b) that it was still pouring down, which meant no run. So I reset my alarm and went back to sleep until after 7:00 a.m. When I woke again, the rain had stopped, so I went for a run from my house. It felt good to get a little more sleep and still get my run in before facing my work day. Continue reading
It Started With Coeur d'Alene 