:( Rest in Peace Stacey

The most beautiful dog ever passed away early Tuesday morning.  Mom called me at work to let me know, and unfortunately I was in a show so then I was sitting there crying backstage.  It was probably just her time to go, but gosh, I was sad.  Stacey is the one pet who I am able to say at this point in my life was a part of my family for the MAJORITY of my life thus far.  And she really was a family member.  She kept us company in the house or outdoors, was always happy to see me come home, especially when she hadn't seen me for awhile because I was away at school.  She always made me feel better when I was sad, and she was just "such a nice doggie," as Mom always said.  I didn't get to say bye to her when I left for Milwaukee because we were running so late and I wanted to get on the road (Mom had offered to stop at the kennel before we got on the highway when she realized how upset I was that she had brought her to the kennel before I woke up that morning), but I spent LOTS of time with her this summer when I was all alone in the house.  I'm sure this is slightly melodramatic for people who don't have pets or don't really connect with their pets - but this is like losing a family member to me, and I just can't picture our home without her.  I know she was great company for Mom all alone in that big house all by herself, and I hope it truly doesn't feel as empty as I think it will.  I hope Stacey knows how much she was loved and how much she meant to us and what a truly wonderful companion she was.  And I hope her heaven is snowy with a nice deck to lay on, plenty of people to play with, a park to take nice walks in, a comfy car seat for car rides, and plenty of string cheese, egg yolks, and walnuts in the corners of rooms.

That last part made sense to me, so just go with it.

I have a cat.  Her name is Moth.  She's calico, sweet and cuddly, and extremely rambunctious at night.