JEEBUS FRIES!

We left off, last time, right before Summer was injured. As most of you know, she was injured from jamming a stick down her throat and creating a hole in her soft palate. Afterward, she started vomiting blood (and everything else she'd eaten that day). It was scary, even though she seemed to be staying fairly calm throughout, and was obviously able to breathe.

A couple days later, as we were unsuccessful in our efforts to get her to eat, we took her to another vet to get a feeding tube installed.

As you can see, she was thrilled. ( Oh, the Thrill of it all! )

And next time I'll show you some pictures of McMinnville itself, as well as the apartment I'm in. I hope you've enjoyed this episode of Picspam by Nelli.

Today will be my last Saturday at work.

Have I mentioned yet how bummed I am? I'm REALLY going to miss this job. I love what I do, I love my boss, I love the people I work with...I love feeling like I'm good at something. And yet, this moving thing is something I have to do. I just hope I can find something down in Oregon that I enjoy as much as I enjoy this job.

Anyway, I am going to work today, but there's a football game this afternoon and I'm the only one available to work the board. Laurie gave me the morning off so I can work on packing and cleaning and stuff. I'm having tons of fun.

I don't think I've ever heard anyone say "I LOVE packing!" but I'm not sure anyone hates packing as much as I do. I've gotten to that point where most of what's left is odds and ends that don't have any set box to go into, so I don't know where to put it. Mostly it'll come down to "Which box still has room in it?"

It was actually sunny here yesterday so after work I put Summer in the car and we went to the beach where she could play in the water and run around. Then I drove home on "back roads," stopping every once in a while to look out at the port. I admit it, I shed a few tears. I'm really going to miss it here.

Days like yesterday are pretty rare, weather-wise, and they're really what makes living here worth it. Those few jewel-like days are what we wait for all year. I kind of hope that, the day mom and I drive out, the weather is crappy. I think that will make it easier to go.

It's starting to feel more real. I'm hoping to finish up with the trailer by Monday morning at the latest. Then mom and I are leaving on the 8th or 9th. The fear of the unknown is starting to creep up on me (not to mention the sadness). I have friends and family in Oregon and I'm definitely looking forward to being closer to them. But then, there's something that's really nice about being able to drive 15 minutes and see mom, or 10 minutes to see Becky. And then, and this probably sounds dumb, I'm really going to miss Beck's pets! When you miss people, you can at least pick up the phone and call them. But with animals, the way they communicate is by cuddling. I know her dog Halle is going to miss me. She loves to curl up on me and snuggle, and apparently she doesn't do that very often with other people. Not to mention, Summer will miss Halle, and the cats, and mom's cat Ink. She makes friends fast, but it's not easy to explain to a dog why she can't see her old friends anymore. Sum's already starting to exhibit clingy behavior; she knows something is up.

I started this post intending to say something like, "Hey all, I'm still here and still alive!" and that's it. Apparently this word vomit just needed to come out.

Now it's back to work. Packing is the life for me.