May 14, 2003 - 10:54 a.m.

Good Karma, Bad Karma

Not only am I horribly indecisive, my karma appears to be as well!

First my karma appears really good. I actually did win the free cruise! Sam and I went to a notary yesterday to sign and witness the appropriate forms (basically stating that we are eligible according to the contest rules and that we are both of age and are U.S. citizens). Actually the visit to the notary had one rather amusing moment. The guy works from his house, and when we arrived he invited us to sit down in his living room. He asked our names and then asked "So, when is the wedding?" Sam and I looked at each other in perplexity and then told him we weren't getting married that we just needed him to notarize some papers. Turns out he's a justice of the peace as well, so most of his appointments are with engaged couples to plan their weddings. So he assumed, seeing a young couple on his doorstep, that we were there for that purpose. :)

Anyway, the forms are signed and I now need to send them in so we can claim our prize! There is some uncertainty as to exactly when and where we will be going, since it depends on which cruises have space. We're hoping to go to Alaska, but our second choice is the southern Caribbean itinerary (including Aruba and Martinique). We need to go in July, since that's when I have time off. I am so excited! We still have to pay for airfare and shore excursions, but it's still a great deal for an exciting vacation. And not only do I get to go on another cruise, but I'll get to spend more than a week with Sam, which we haven't been able to do since last summer!

Unfortunately my excitement over the cruise has been tempered by some subsequent evidence of not so good karma. Last Friday I noticed that Percy, my hedgehog, had a large lump of some sort on his chin. He was active and eating normally, so I wasn't too concerned. Nonetheless, it wasn't any better on Monday so we took him in to the vet. The vet wasn't able to determine what exactly it was, only that it was not an abcess that could be easily drained. He suspects it might be some sort of tumor. Due to location of the lump it would be hard to remove it surgically since there isn't a lot of skin there to close an incision. Not a great prognosis. So today I had to bring Percy back to the vet so they could do a surgical biopsy. Then they can get a better look at the tissue and send it off to a pathologist to determine what it is. It is possible that it is a benign tumor or even an infection, so I am trying not to worry too much. It was hard to leave him there this morning. I don't think the reality of the situation really sank in until I had to relinquish him. I got pretty teary. Chances are the surgery will go fine, but there is always the possibility of complications, so I had the thought in the back of my mind that that might be the last time I see him. Luckily that's not likely, but the waiting is still really hard. I'll feel better once they call to say he's out of surgery and better yet when I pick him up. Then we just have to wait for the pathology results. Ugh. In the meantime this morning I took advantage of Percy's absence to really clean his cage. I dumped out all the old bedding, wiped down all the surfaces with soap and then hosed the whole thing down outside. I also vacuumed all the accumulated debris from the floor around his cage. Hopefully he'll still recognize his home when he gets back to it!

Sam's back in Virginia now. We had a really wonderful visit, but I miss him already. He was so sweet and thoughtful all weekend. He's not an over the top romantic, but he tends toward little gestures that are really sweet, like grabbing my hand and kissing it at random times or complimenting me at unexpected moments. Monday and Tuesday he was still here, but I had to work. Sam was really helpful and great with the kids. B adores him, M likes him a lot, and even H (how tends to be more aloof then the others) is warming up to him. B was very sad when we dropped Sam off at the airport shuttle yesterday and said, "I miss Sam already." about five minutes later. So sweet. Sam isn't sure whether or not he wants kids (one of the big remaining question marks in our relationship), but I can assert with great confidence that he would be an excellent dad.

It's almost time to pick up B from school, so I have to go. I'll update on Percy when I can.

today's project: entertaining H and her friend during this afternoon's playdate, maybe we'll make stick do

musing about: mow my poor little insectivore is doing at the vet

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flutter back - fly ahead