New Year's Eve 2021
It's New Year's Eve, and you know what that means: my one and only blog post of the year! Get it while it's hot!
As usual, I re-read last year's entry before writing this one. I went all the way back to 2014, and I've been doing this since 2009 with only one year missed.
It was interesting to go back in time and see the ebb and flow of my hopes and fears at the end of each year since 2015.
Anyway, this is how I ended my 2020 post:
Onward
What can I say about the future when I'm living in limbo? Well for one, I'm looking forward to January 20th. I know that changes won't magically appear overnight or without a lot more work. That's okay--it's the nature of democracy and we've had a really hard lesson in why it can't be a spectator sport.
I suppose all I can say beyond that is that I hope that our next move goes smoothly, that our family and friends continue to stay well, that we can get vaccines and plan a wonderful getaway trip. I hope the same for all who read this.
Be safe and good luck.
I'm happy to say that, by and large, my hopes came true.
Winter of our Discontent
There is a particular sadness about adopting an older pet, because you do it with the knowledge that their best years are probably behind them. I got Trinny when she was 10 years old. She had been fostering with the Senior Pet and Animal Rescue of Pittsburgh, whose mission is to help find loving forever homes for older animals who might have difficulty finding them otherwise. Trinny was their first cat rescue, and she had been fostering with a nice lady in Edgewood for the better part of 2015. Her previous owner was an elderly lady who had passed away.
Like so many kitties, Trinny was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease when she was about 15, and we managed with a prescription diet and a readily available water fountain.
She was just fine until she wasn’t. And that’s the thing with cats especially; they are so good at hiding pain and illness that by the time you realize they are unwell, it’s really, really bad. I’ve seen what end stage renal failure does to a cat and their owners, and I decided to choose a different ending for us.
So today on a peaceful, snowy afternoon, we were able to receive a visit from Dr. Tami, a veterinarian who puts pets to sleep in the comfort and familiarity of their own home. I sat with her in her favorite chair, with Will touching my shoulders from behind. Trinny was so ready for her ride out of this world that she didn’t even flinch when the first needle went in, and she quietly slipped away without sound or movement after the second. Not even a wheeze. I couldn’t have chosen a better send off for my girl, and I’m so grateful for the 5 years, 1 month, and 17 days that I got to spend with her.
I’ll love and miss you always, Ms. Trinidad Ann Tobago Brown, Emperor of all realms.
❤️
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| Trinny woken from a nap |
She was an incredible cat. What she lacked in mobility and teeth she more than made up for in personality and affection. Every other day, Will and I are still looking at each other and saying, "I miss Trinny." and the other answering "Me too."
Springtime
I spent hours at the computer, working and refreshing VaxxMaxx in search of Covid-19 vaccination appointments for my husband, my Dad, and me. Our household was fully vaccinated by April.
Will and I spent a long weekend in Columbus to get a feel for it in March. It was also an absolutely pressure valve release from having overwintered in Pennsylvania during a pandemic.
By May, it became clear that my new employer was going to require us to start reporting into the office by mid-summer. We returned to Columbus with the single-minded mission to get a place to live. At the 11th hour just before we were bound back to Pittsburgh we found and signed the lease for...another 1920s duplex. Third time's a real winner, too. She's the biggest and most well maintained, and it's a side-by-side, so no more trudging up and down two flights of stairs to get into your home.
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| The kitchen is what really did it for me. |
Summertime Blues
In June, we ran out of Pennsylvania like a bat out of hell. Of this I wrote:
It’s the eve of a third (rather traumatic) move for @nevernotwillbo and me and we have been together for not *quite* four years yet.
We can all agree that’s incredibly fu*ked, right?
What are we, college students?!
It’s incredibly frustrating to be thrown yet another curve ball we couldn’t have anticipated, yet we grit our teeth and white knuckle through it.
The first time, a truck that was too small to fit all of our stuff in one trip.
The second, a global pandemic. A yard sale in a global pandemic. A major parting of things.
The third: the loss of the option to tow a vehicle, throwing a major logistical wrench into our plans. Continued mental fatigue from the entire year prior. Learning that getting new furniture is a nightmare now because of a crippled global supply chain.
The emotional layer of shedding my Pennsylvania life…my home again for 7.5 years after spending the 7.5 prior in California. Realizing I’ve been fully fledged adulting for over 15 years.
So William sets out tomorrow with nearly all our earthly possessions while I remain with the cats for an as yet open ended time before I follow suit and quietly start a new chapter on my life.
It’s wild. I did NOT see this one coming.
So, now we live in Ohio. Which is something I never thought I'd never ever hear myself say again. I started college at Kent State 20 years ago, and I got out of there as fast as I could. However, I've always liked Columbus and because of my Kappa connections, it wasn't a very hard decision to take my current job there. By mid-July I was working in an office again part-time. We're on a mandatory hybrid schedule that is likely to be permanent.
Meanwhile, we've established our favorite local shops and restaurants in our immediate neighborhood--which we love because it's extremely walkable and only 15-20 minutes from anywhere in the city. My favorite part is that we live near a major city trail, and my favorite favorite part is that my in-laws gave us one of their bicycles and I've been on some great rides!
In August, my last living grandparent passed away just a few weeks shy of his 92nd birthday. I accompanied my Mom to the funeral. It was a weekend of mixed emotions.
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| Grandpa Rosales' progeny giving him a sendoff |
Finally, Fall
The best thing ever finally happened. We went to Europe on our honeymoon, just a scant 2 years after we got married. We went to Paris first for the majority of our time before continuing on to Amsterdam for a few days before returning home. Start to finish, it went stunningly smoothly. The crowds were low, the weather was incredible and we ate exceedingly well. Will did fantastic for his first trip outside of the country!
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| Paris, je t'aime |
A few weeks later, Fraternity Council was able to meet in person here in Columbus for the first time in our biennium serving together. We got into some really heady stuff in between absolutely delightful time spent just chatting and eating with one another.
