More Changes

I hope you all had a happy Independence Day. Mine was nice. April, Landon, and Ben came over and I made a bunch of bean dishes for dinner. We ate and drank MangoRitas and beer and played Apples to Apples. I hated having to go to work the next day, but at least Friday was a short day, so it wasn't horrible.

Bubo went to his new home on July 4^th. I put an ad on Craig's List on Monday and within about 15 minutes I had an inquiry. The lady who took him almost fell through, but in the end she decided to drive the hour to come "meet" him, and she left with him and a few supplies that I gave her. She seems happy with him so far, so here is hoping that they bond and become the best of friends.

Rio is so much more relaxed now. He has been more vocal the last couple of days and his real personality is starting to come out now. My favorite thing he does is when he climbs onto my chest, rolls over on his chest and falls asleep. He is definitely one of the sweetest birds I've ever met.

I have been looking for a picture of Jasper when he was a baby. He was so ugly that I was sure there was something wrong with him. I even told the breeder that I wanted my deposit refunded. He finally convinced me that Jasper was fine, and I fell so in love with him over the six years I had him. I cannot find that picture now, but as I look at other pictures of him, I realize that my heart is finally mending. It took six months; a month for every year I had him and a Rio to get to this point, but it is nice to see him and not sob. I still miss him so much, and I suspect that I always will, but I really want to bring his pictures out and put them on my mantle next to his cremation box. I think Bubo being gone helps too. He was a constant reminder of what I lost. Rio is a reminder that there is, indeed, life after sorrow and intense heartbreak. I pray that Phoenix will be a good complement to Rio, because I want Rio to have a friend.

I got some updated pictures of Phoenix tonight. OMGOODNESS, he is so cute! He looks a lot like Rio. He is definitely a sun and not a sunday conure. I pray that his personality is similar to Rio's. I will be beside myself if they get along like Jasper and Avery did!

Dan is working on a play stand right now. Our next door neighbor cut down a chunk of his crape myrtle tree, so we asked if we could snag the branches. We went to Lowe's and spent about $80 on the things we needed that we didn't have, and today he got it mostly assembled. His plan is to make two larger stands and a couple of small portable ones, so the $80 price tag is not bad. They sell for over $150 for one on Amazon and Ebay, so that price for two is a bargain. I'm lucky to have a handy husband.

My final piece of news I have is that I officially gave my notice at work yesterday. I gave an entire month notice, and my last day will be August 9^th. I really do have mixed feelings about leaving, but I am sure that once Monday the 12^th rolls around, I will be thankful that I don't have to fight morning traffic (as light as it tends to be) or fight Rio when I try to get out of the house. I am also looking forward to having time to cook healthy meals, clean house, and work on my dissertation--oh, and go camping! I will also have time to go to the beach and take walks again. There are only a few things I will miss about working. I will miss seeing April every day, I will miss Billie, and I will miss helping students. It really does give me a sense of accomplishment. But in time, I will have a teaching job again and I will pick up where I left off.