Karwoski Life

So I figured it was time to put another post out there…and bump the sad Steve picture down the page. I’m sorry for the gloomy post, but it truly does help me get my feelings out there. I think sometimes I need to express that inmost stuff to really swallow it and move on. I know lots of people who don’t…who prefer not to, actually, and do just fine. But for me, this helps me deal. Maybe I need a little ‘READ WITH CAUTION’ warning on any posts that may be a little much for the average reader. Things are feeling a bit more normal in this Karwoski house. We both have our moments…but each day I do feel a bit better. I freely admit that the loss of our kitty was a much bigger deal than I really could have prepared myself for. But, I know that in time, we’ll adjust. Wednesday night I just felt the urge to get out of the house…and maybe away from the reminders that a certain something was missing. So after dinner I suggested we head over to the massive antique store in DM, the Brass Arm...

I didn’t know if I’d be up for writing much today…but surprisingly, I find myself wanting to sit down and say a little something. I think it’s a sort of therapy for me to express myself in this way…so here goes. Today has been a very rough day…one of the roughest I think I’ve ever known. I’m sure to some people it seems very irrational to be so emotional about a cat…but then again, you’d just have to know how truly special Steve was. He was our first baby…and for a couple who may never know what it is like to be parents, that really means something. We rescued Steve from the humane society right after we bought our first house…he actually lived in it before we did! We knew he was special because he came right to me…he picked me. And of course, he was super smart. They had to stick a piece of cardboard in the lock of his cage, because he had figured out how to stick his little paw out and open it up himself. We knew right away he was different from most cats. He came when you called...

Today has been a rough day for Matt and I. We have come to the realization that we are going to have to put our beloved cat, Steve, to sleep. It is not a decision we take lightly…and we agonized over it most of the afternoon, and I’m still crying when I think of it now. We’ve had trouble with him occasionally being ‘naughty’ (if you catch my drift) outside the litter box in the basement of our old house. And we had told ourselves that if he did it at the new house, he’d have to go. Well, today I found evidence of cat pee…and we both agreed…it was time. As much as we love our cat, and if you know us, you know we do…we just can’t make any excuses for a cat who pees in naughty places. Nothing, and I mean nothing is worse than cat pee. It’s just not logical how hard it is to clean, and I did not want to have to mess with this at our beautiful new house. I did everything I possibly could to ensure that he wouldn’t even be tempted…I clean his litter box daily, sometimes more than daily….t...

We had a great weekend…and things have been settling down nicely into a normal life – imagine! We rented some movies Friday night for the first time in Ankeny and enjoyed an evening sprawled out on the couches, munching on popcorn and watching movies. Saturday we spent doing usual Saturday things…it was so great! I cleaned the house and we just hung around lazily passing the day alone together. They were having a Friday the 13th movie marathon on TV, and we did get sucked in to watching (and LAUGHING) at a few of those. We grilled up some chicken for supper and spent time hanging out on the deck…it was a beautiful evening. Sitting there in the dwindling daylight, we talked about how great our new house is…how beautiful the neighborhood is. It really is just a great spot for a house. We sat enjoying the fresh air and Matt mentioned that it reminded him of Minnesota…that he expected to see a lake off in the distance. It’s just so peaceful in the evenings and being able to look out a...

I worked from home again today. Things were getting a little bit scary downtown Des Moines yesterday with streets starting to back up from the sewer drains. I was a little worried about traffic issues, so I ducked out of work a little early and brought my stuff home to finish the day. Thankfully the flooding was brought back under control and things now seem stable back downtown, for now. Since I had my laptop and work with me today, I just decided to stay put again. It’s so nice to have the option to work from here and just avoid any potential hoo-ha downtown!! With all the crazy weather that’s been happening in the Midwest, I just pray that things start to settle down soon. So many people are affected, we are so lucky to have this solid new house. Even though, I run downstairs pretty often in these heavy downpours, just to be sure things are ok. Thankfully, we have been fine. Our hearts go out to those who have lost so much and are dealing with the devastating floods and tor...

Well, after a busy week and a fun-filled weekend, you can see we are all finally starting to settle back into our normal little family. Penny and Buddy are tied at the hips again, like she was never gone. Matt and I spent a lot of time last week moving things around for him, and then preparing for the big party weekend…which was FANTASTIC! Mom and Dad pulled into town Friday afternoon and helped get things ready. Dad and I worked on mulching the rest of my flower bed around the house and Mom and Matt supervised. Dad helped hang up the rest of Matt’s garage décor and Mom and I supervised that. Matt and his Dad got a bunch of work done in the garage earlier in the week, so we didn’t have too much to do. Mostly just a final sweep up and setting up tables. I’ll post pictures of the garage later this week when we get it all picked back up…but it looks really good! Saturday was just a wonderful day. We had over 60 friends and family stop by to welcome Matt home and celebrate the new...

Well, it’s been a whirlwind couple of days getting adjusted back to Iowa time and getting settled together in the new house. Matt has been working hard with his dad in the garage the past few days getting it all unpacked and organized and putting his stamp on things as well. It’s coming together very nicely!!! We’ve got a plethora of things to do each day to get ready for the party and company this weekend. I’ve been finishing up yard work and yesterday I finally got to the store. I think I spent more money yesterday getting groceries than I have in a LONG time! It felt good though, to make up my list and go buy things to make meals again. I’m afraid I did a pretty poor job of making things while Matt was gone. I’m looking forward to regular meals together and grilling out on the deck! So many good things to look forward to indeed!! Matt has been helping with things around the house that he couldn’t do in the old house like; taking his plate to the sink, rinsing it off, and putt...

Well, it’s 6:35 in the morning, Matt and I are up, showered, and ready for the day. Why, you ask? Well, we are horribly, horribly jet lagged and our bodies cannot seem to figure out when to sleep and when to be awake. After going to bed around 11:00 last night, we were both awake again shortly after 1:00 AM. We attempted to sleep, but at about 3:00 AM we decided to watch some TV to try and help. (We watched a very interesting documentary on the Hindenburg.) Then at 4:00 we decided to try and go back to sleep…but by 4:30 we gave up and just decided to get up. Plus, we were both hungry…so I made scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast and we ate around 5:00 AM! Then we got ready for the day and here we are. I am at the computer getting ready to start working, and Matt is catching up on some of the shows I recorded for him on the DVR while he was in China. I’m sure that by 10:00 AM (when I have to go into the office for a meeting) I’ll be dead tired, but we’re going to try and stay awake...

We made it home safe and sound. After a long, LONG journey (which I will write more about tomorrow) we made it back to our lovely Des Moines around 10:00 PM Sunday night. Today we slept in late and have been having fun exploring the new house together and rearranging things for our new living situation TOGETHER!!! It's been a GREAT day back home together (which I will also write more about tomorrow). Right now, we're getting ready to watch the news, then hit the hay...I will post more about everything tomorrow...just wanted to let you all know we are back in the GOOD...make that FANTASTIC Old USA!!!!