Growing Pains

So since I last posted I've gone through a whole whirlwind of emotions. I think this is one reason this whole experience is going to really make me a better and stronger person, because it's forcing me to do something I don't like to do--deal with my emotions.

Let's rewind a bit. Last Sunday my Dad flew back to California, and my Mom stuck around for the whole next week. That day my Mom and I picked up my new kitten from the Idaho Humane society. She was (understandably) meowing the whole ride home in her carrier, and poor thing was still pretty high from the anesthetic she got pumped in to her from getting fixed before she left.

Anyway, we brought her home, put her in the bathroom with her litterbox and food, and to make a long story short, she acted very drunk/wild. About 20 minutes later we decided to leave her in the dark room for a while (recommended by the vet) and then I looked at my right forearm and it was breaking out in hives. Then I looked at my left and it was too. I started to flip out that I was allergic to the cat I just got...not the best start to me and kitty's relationship.

Anyway, after a lot of worry on my part and a lot of soothing (me) and bathing (the kitten) by my Mom, turns out it must have been something the vet put on her that I'm allergic to, cause I've been snuggling with her for a week and I'm fine. Oh, P.S., after much discussion I decided to name her Muggles (of course I had to have an HP reference). It works well because she's a big snuggler, so my Mom was calling her Muggles who Snuggles. I call her Mugsy. Or "little chicken wing" (Full House anyone??). She's quite a lounger...she will just throw her body anywhere on your body and take her position where she lies. She is currently snoozing on my stomach while I type. (If I could figure out how to post pictures I would, but I haven't gotten that far yet!)

Okay, so other fun things Mom and I did this week. We floated down the river Boise. Some may call it rafting. It was quite an adventure. Mom was scared to death, I was captain with my oar steering us, and neither of us had any idea what we were doing. We had to duck under several branches, but we left relatively unscathed (the same cannot be said for the elderly couple we 'accidentally' used as a buffer to the bank of the river, the wife of which got smacked in the head with a branch). If it weren't for a chubby Hispanic kid in an innertube that was floating near us the whole time giving directions (who we nicknamed Manny--any Modern Family fans?) we likely would have ended up in St. Luke's hospital.

We also went to the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, which was a lot of fun. Boise has this really cool outdoor amphitheater in the middle of a nature preserve, and the company they get each summer is supposed to be pretty impressive. We saw Othello, which I had never seen before, and while the ending was a bit much for me (one of the death scenes was the longest thing I have ever seen in my life and involved suffocation and lots of twitching and coming back to life), overall I loved it.

I have to say that settling in to Boise hasn't been all that easy on me. I love the area, and love my job, and my new kitty (when she isn't being completely insane), but there's still that feeling that you can't completely put your finger on, that mental instability that comes with doing something new and uncomfortable. Which gets me back to what I started this post with--that I think this experience will be good for me. It's forcing me to learn how to deal with these unsteady feelings. My initial reaction is always to cut and run, but obviously that's not a realistic option (and I don't really intend it to be, it's just a knee jerk reaction). Without getting in to more detail than I'm really ready to, I was able to voice some of my feelings to my Mom, and while there is obviously no quick fix to negative feelings, I do think it was good to let it go beyond myself for a few minutes instead of shouldering this huge burden alone.

I finally was able to play soccer for the first time last night. It was just a pickup game, I knew no one, and it was almost all guys. It wasn't very good soccer, my eyes were burning from the wind and dryness, but it still calmed me and put me in a better mood. I don't think I realize how much soccer does for me until I actually get out there and play. Now that I think about it, I sort of remember feeling this way in London too until I got into soccer.

So, if you got through all of this and you're wondering what the title of this post has to do with it; one--I love Kirk Cameron, except when he's on the Christian channel trying to convert me, and two--we all go through growing pains, and I'm going through some now. It's a part of life, and I'm not the first person to have to transition. I'm luckier than most--I have an amazing support team of family and friends back home, and my new friends and co-workers here are great as well.

This weekend: flying back to Oak Park to be in the wedding of one of my best law school friends, Lacy! So happy for her, and excited to see my family (and let's be honest, most importantly, Luke!)