Life is sure full of highs and lows. I went into the weekend riding a huge high from purchasing my condo to losing something I held dearest to me. The rollercoaster of emotions I felt in 48 hours can't be put into words...so here are five photos to explain instead.
Here's a look at the new community I'll be residing in! I'm so excited to live by water, a man-made swimming beach, waterfalls and so much lush grass. It's like my little oasis in the desert! And ultimately a dream come true for my little pup, Cricket.
But speaking of Cricket...she's tired of moving already and has taken perch as the queen of the household at the top of the stairs. Yes, that would make me the princess to her royalty.
But sometimes the highs are met with lows. On Saturday I had to say goodbye to my loyal companion of 20 years (she was 21). This is Thomasita. She happily answered to Kai Kai Poo Poo Pants but only when spoke in an English accent and chanted multiple times. She loved armpit scratches and head boops and being blow dried every morning. And she loved me. Unconditionally. She moved with me from my first apartment after college into two apartments after that. Then into my first home with my ex husband and back into a tiny apartment when we divorced. Then that old girl made the trek across the country 1200 miles with me to Arizona. She was there through trials, tribulations, and licked my tears and wounds each time I fell. I took her for one last adventure so that we would have a photo together that I could hang on the wall in the new condo. Dad as my photographer. And this is what we created.
Kai Kai's request for a last meal was whip cream. And she finished off the half-empty can that was in the fridge.
On Sunday I was given a sign from above that my sweet girl was still watching over me. There, high up in the tree overlooking my condo in perfect view from my kitchen window appeared a Great Horned Owl. In broad daylight. And she stayed all day watching as we came and went. In many cultures, owls are seen as messengers from the other side. They are believed to be able to bridge the gap between this world and the next, their appearance a sign that your lost loved one is trying to contact you. I took comfort in knowing that my girl is still with me, only now she has wings and not a predator in sight. And she can sit high upon her perch basking in the sunlight while she naps, only to once again come alive at night like she used to.