Matters of Life and Death

So, these past couple months have been just crazy.  It's been filled with joy and tears, life and death.  It seemed like I never knew what the next week would bring.  In November I had to put my cat down, which broke my heart.  He followed me around the house like a dog, greeted me at the door as soon as I got home and sat with me while I sewed.  It was a terribly sad day and I still miss him so.

"Francis with sock monkey" by Don, my stepdad

After a few weeks without a cat, I decided I had gone long enough without a little friend and started visiting cats at the Humane Society.  One day in December we came home with this guy....

Meet Mingus

Harper and Mingus

He is a bit of a rascal, not quite the mellow old cat we were used to, but it sure is fun have around.  He steals our socks and claws on the furniture but also enjoys taking naps in my lap.  We adore him.

Then, in December my grandmother had a stroke and went into hospice care.  Grandma died just after the new year.  She had dementia for the last few years of her life, and with each visit she seemed more and more distant, so it felt like we had in a sense lost her long ago, but now she was really truly gone.

Me and Grandma

The day after the funeral, my sister, who at the age of 22 has already had thyroid cancer, was told that she also had blood vessel cancer.  Fortunely we found out that this was a misdiagnosis and she does not have blood vessel cancer.  What a scare we all had for a week.

Me and my sister Christie

When I returned to Portland my boyfriend Dewey took me to the coast for my belated Christmas present.

While there, he gave me a ring.  Not just any ring, but an ENGAGMENT RING!

That's right.  I'm getting married.  I never really thought of myself as the marrying kind, but I must admit that I'm pretty excited to be getting hitched.  I couldn't think of a better partner in crime.

The Ring

So, now I'm planning a summer wedding.  And I'm going to be a stepmom to the most awesome kid I know.  I'm not sure what else life is going to throw at me, but right now things are pretty grand.