In The Blink of an Eye

The Bible says that "time and unforseen occurrence" can befall all of us. Tonight we were witness to how true that statement is and how quickly things can happen. We were coming from visiting my sister-in-law at her home. Now, her family knows all too well how quickly situations change. Her husband was in a major automobile accident, leaving him in a comatose state. In the blink of an eye their lives changed dramatically. My family and I were driving down the freeway to our home, and going at a nice pace, when all of a sudden this motorcycle came up on the right and passed us. My husband estimated his speed at about 120 mph. He passed us like we were standing still. I made the comment that he's going to cause an accident. After he passed us he began weaving around cars. He was obviously in a hurry to get somewhere. But unfortunately, he never made it to his destination. All of a sudden there was a puff of smoke and he was laying in the middle of the freeway. Everyone started pulling over. We backed up and my husband got out to check on the rider while I pulled out my cell phone. After spending quite a while on hold with 911 (don't have an emergency on a Saturday night, you'll be on hold a long time), the paramedics, fire trucks, highway patrol swarmed the area. There was a young man who lost his life tonight. He clipped a car, causing him to lose control of his bike, and then he was run over by a semi that was travelling right behind him. A motorcycle vs. a semi...not a good scenario. My husband saw the motorcycle driver and he probably won't sleep tonight. This young man had many people shaking their heads, with the big rig driver just shaking all over. In a split second his life was over. My husband and I have been talking and find that it's so sad. Tonight a mom is going to be told that her young son didn't survive. Where was he going in such a hurry? Who was he going to see, or where was he coming from? Who did he leave behind? Now we'll never know the answers, but we do know that someone will be receiving a knock at their door. It's the knock that no one wants to answer. Take your time. It's better to get where you're going a little late, than to be in such a hurry you won't get there at all.

And Then There Was One

dog that is. Seems like our place is shrinking. We lost Oliver on Saturday, now here it is Wednesday and we have rehomed our dog, Princess. Now, Oliver was totally unplanned, but we have been wanting to find a home for Princess off and on for a while. Since we are moving this weekend, we became a bit more proactive in our search. A family came by last night and off Princess went. Now, Princess was (is) a sweet dog, but Lady really wanted to be an only puppy. While my two year old had another meltdown at losing another pet, Lady is walking around the house going "Princess who?". There was quite a bit of sibling rivalry with Lady and Princess, so much so that they constantly growled and barked at each other to get our undivided attention. One on one they were great, but together, ugh! So Lady is now the queen bee and is loving it. If the people come back with Princess I think Lady would block the door. But, I think Princess will have a good home. They have a 6 year old and a 2 year old and a chihuahua. No competition with another Eskimo. So, good for you Princess, you deserve to be able to rule your own roost, so to speak. So, now we are down to 2 cats, 1 dog and 1 bird. Things are simplifying over here, so much so that now I'm eyeing the bird... I like not having to be responsible for so many bodies. We could actually fit into an apartment now...as long as it's not a studio...

Sad Day

Yesterday was a sad day for our family. Our cat of 11 years, Oliver, had to take a permanent nap. Now Oliver is not our oldest cat, nor was he the kids favorite, but he was my special kitty. One cat loves my husband and son, and the other loves both my kids (or anyone who will hold her). Oliver was only my cat. He was rescued at about a week old when his mom abandoned him. Of course she did, he was suffering from respiratory infection and would never have survived unless someone intervened. It was interesting because I was actually trying to catch his sibling, but because he was so weak and sick he couldn't move. I took him home, then the vet. After dropping a lot of money and coming home with lots of medication Oliver came home to stay with us. It was only supposed to be a temporary thing because we had two cats. But, after weeks of bottle feedings, potty training, socializing, etc. he became a member of the family. Oliver even went to work with me, and being a temp at the time, was a big thing. He would ride to work in my lap. After a while he became my baby, and ultimately started a power struggle over my affections. Oliver thought he was my baby first, yet my husband thought I was his wife first. It was funny to see these two males posturing for dominance. Whenever my husband would walk in the room, Oliver would hiss at him and come over to me. Then, whenever my husband saw Oliver in the room, he would come up to me to give me a hug. After a while they reached an uneasy truce, and while they never did get along, they at least could tolerate each other. But, at the end, even my husband felt sorry for him. Oliver had sudden kidney failure and could no longer eat, drink, or use the cat box. He was slowly starving to death. My husband even commented that he looked like a concentration victim. As much as I love Oliver I don't want to see him suffer and so for him, we put him down. I will miss you tremendously. Even my two year old has been asking "where's Olver". My son has taken it hard as well. So from your family, I'm sorry and I'll miss you...

Stress and Depression

It seems like the body goes into shock...great things happen at the same time you are facing a depressing life changing moment. It is difficult to continue putting on a happy face when you are doing something you SOOOOO do not want to do. We are having to move from Southern California back to Northern California. We moved into an area where the economy plummeted, and just cannot survive here. I am in real estate and with every other home in foreclosure that's not doing well, and my husband is a contractor, yeah...that's doing well... Having to uproot and move away is not my first, second, or even third choice. Now let's add in the emotional impact of my husband telling his family we are moving away from them. To say they took it badly is quite the understatement. Now, I know you cannot make decisions to please other people, but when you already don't want to go, it doesn't help. My husband is their only support and it comes at a time when they need it the most. After taking his comatose brother-in-law for a hospital visit, he had to break the news to his sister that he won't be able to help her anymore as we won't be living near by. Of course she took it badly, but surprisingly so did her kids. All cried and pleaded for us to stay. We have been not only their main support, but their only support. Junior needs someone in his corner, literally, as he has another boxing match scheduled in a few weeks. It is just sad when they are offering everything they have, and even what they don't have, to try to keep us here. It is difficult to put a positive spin on it with others, when you are so not into it yourself. I am now exploring all kinds of options to see if I can pull off a miracle....I'm having a flashback to the song..."All I need is a miracle...." Will try my best....

Kudos

As a proud parent I have to acknowledge my son's accomplishment. He was just promoted to the 7th grade. The school has officially agreed to promote him. He has worked very hard, giving up his summer vacation, weekends, and school breaks to cram two years into one. That makes it two years that he has skipped according to the school system. He has never skipped a grade, but has done all the work. Nothing has been handed to him, he's worked hard for all his achievements. Congratulations!!!! Glad you enjoyed your cake and I'm sorry that's all we did for you. It all happened so quickly that we were unprepared. Thankfully you're a very understanding child. You are definitely the light of my life and I am grateful for you.