Love & Loss

The last week has been trying. One of our good friends, Josh, died on Tuesday. I’d known from when I’d first met him that he had serious health issues, but it was still very hard to lose him. I met Josh and his lovely wife, Sally, about two years ago, but had just recently started to develop a close friendship with them in the last nine months or so. Josh was one of the happiest and nicest guys you could meet, and he always went out of his way to say hi and offer up a hug every time I saw him. The last time I hung out with Josh, Zach and I spent the better part of New Year’s Eve out on the porch with him, just talking and laughing all night. He was just a happy guy that loved this life, regardless of the trials and tribulations that were thrown his way. I’m grateful that I got to say goodbye to him in the end, and to have been a part of his life. I’ll miss him you very much, Josh.

I’ve been busy with school this week. I’m two midterms down, two to go. Thank goodness for that! Being at the hospital all weekend, studying for midterms and dealing with an overall feeling of grief has made for a very long week. I’ll be happy to finish up my midterms and get back into the swing of regular class again...

My search for a vehicle came to a halt this week. I started thinking about a new vehicle because I wanted a little truck to take camping, move stuff and drive down to Monticello a couple times a year - something I could drive on a dirt road, scratch up and not give a crap! Oh and not pay an arm and leg for! Somehow that turned into me “needing” an SUV with four-wheel drive, low miles and nothing older than 3-4 years. I started looking at expensive vehicles and panicked at the idea of paying for a newer vehicle on top of paying for school AND crap-tacular gas mileage. BLAH! So now I’m back to where my original idea started: keeping my little car (that’s PAID OFF) for commuting all over the place and possibly getting a little pickup truck to take camping. The biggest problem with this plan is parking. Living with Zach in a condo complex might not work out in the parking sense. If I can make it work, super! If not, then I DON’T CARE! I’m done listening to everybody’s opinions on what I should or shouldn’t buy, what I “need” and what the “best” vehicle is! As far as I’m concerned, the Cavy and I will continue on just fine if we have to!

I wanted to write about Lola for a bit. After all, this is A.C. AND The Grizz’s blog! Lola is a great dog. She costs money, sometimes makes little kids cry (heh heh) and is a bed hog, but she’s one of the best buddies this blonde chick could ask for. Last night I was watching TV and Lola was on the floor just staring at me. I wasn’t eating or holding a toy. Nope. She was just staring at me. I looked at her and said, “Can I help you?” No movement. “Lola, what?” No response. I turned back to start watching “Lost” again when all of a sudden, a giant black & white mass was flying through the air, straight for my head. Before I knew it, I had a furry football on my head and dog tongue in my ear! AHHH! That’s right. I was dive-bombed!! Lola has maybe done this to me once or twice when I’ve been on the floor playing with her, but never just out-of-the-blue. To put in bluntly, I had to literally run for the bathroom because I almost peed my pants from laughing so hard! :D While dive-bombing is not (and hopefully doesn’t become!) a daily occurrence, me laughing or smiling at Lola is. She’s my buddy and regardless of the mood I’m in, she can makes things better. Her innocent nature and the joy she finds in the simple things, like a hair elastic or dive-bombing the unsuspecting, remind me how much I love this life. Stealing a page from Lola’s book, I’m thankful for afternoon sunshine, a warm bed and the amazing people in my life.

Hoping warm, afternoon sunshine finds its way into your life... xoxoxAC