Yoyodyne.

Two points to anyone who knows what Yoyodyne means/is. Hint: The number 8.

Life has been a real yo-yo lately. Tons of things have happened, inspiring a range of emotional highs and lows. So, in no particular or chronological order....

After a lifetime of long hair, I finally got my second ever haircut! This may not sound like big news, but trust me, it is. Everyone who has ever known me or met me identifies me by my insanely long hair. I even used to have nightmares about my hair being cut off by some unknown person (yes, seriously... haha). I quit being a hair model about two years ago, so my obsession with my hair was on a slow decline. It was time for change and I must say, I LOVE having short hair! *_* I didn't donate my hair due to sentimental value. I have both ponytails from both haircuts. What can I say, I'm creepy. ^^;

Without too much effort, I landed a desirable job. One in my chosen field, so my degree isn't going to waste, and one I actually want to do! Two for two! Additional bonuses include some stellar benefits and a consistent schedule. This is probably the best thing that has happened in awhile. Giving two weeks notice at my current job felt so good too. When applying for this job, I had a big revelation that I know some very cool and well connected people because when it came time to enumerate my references, the list was quite impressive. I'm really nervous and excited about this big change in my life because of the great things it could possibly evolve into in the future.

My aunt was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer and has less than 3 months to live. The whole ordeal surrounding this news was a mini-roller coaster of its own because first she was diagnosed with it, then told that was a mistake, and then diagnosed again... This nonsense went on for too long and all hope was eventually lost. I wish I could say this was the first time I lost a loved one to cancer...

My husband got a promotion. Now, he's always basically been "second in command" under the owner of his company, but this promotion will make it official. The owner is leaving town for two weeks, so my hubby will be in charge of everything. No different than any other day, really. ^_~

One of our 8 babies had to be put to sleep. Blackie, our oldest dog and resident pack leader, was in poor shape for some time. He was in so much pain, we found him lying in a puddle of his own urine in his doghouse. The pain was so intense he couldn't even get up to go to the bathroom. We know it was the right decision, but having to put a 15+ year old dog down is very, very hard. It's hard not to be selfish when it comes to your pet. Losing a pet is the kind of sadness you can never fully let go of or heal from.

A picture from his younger, party animal days
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y135/welcomeconsumer/Animals/blackie.jpg

He kept all of the other dogs in line and he was the last of a line of dogs we owned for a very long time. He is sorely missed.

My father-in-law had a check-up recently and is still clear of cancer. He was diagnosed with and survived prostate cancer almost three years ago but there's always the heart stopping fear of remission.

There's been enough day-to-day good things and silly moments of splendor to make life enjoyable, but the sad news has been fairly devastating. I've been almost entirely absent from the cel community for quite some time now because so much has been going on. Above was a terribly modest summary of the major events. I just don't have the energy for online socializing right now. I still enjoy cels, but significantly less than I did a year ago. I plan to start updating my gallery again, at the very least.

Whew! Feels good to unload some of the emotional baggage. Hope everyone else is doing well. I apologize to all of my IM buddies who never see me online anymore. I miss you guys <3 I do try to stay in touch, but there's a lot of unanswered email in my inbox. Gomen. <3