The Search for Sammie

Well, let me tell you that dieting works! I went over to Charing's this morning for the big weigh in after my first week of dieting. I was really hoping to go down. I knew I had cheated some, but honest to God I had tried really hard. It paid off. I lost FIVE POUNDS! How amazing is that?? Had I only lost a half a pound or so I would have thrown my hands up and said it was totally not worth it, but five pounds...hell yes it was worth it!

Speaking of my diet, it reminds me of a random story from this week. The night that Boo and Chris stayed the night they had brought their dogs with them. One of them had gotten out of the gate that night, so the had been a small amount of chaos. The next morning I got up and was getting ready. I started looking around for my cat, Sammie. I realized he had not slept in the bed...very strange. I go to fill up his food dish, and he doesn't come running. Now, this is VERY strange. I look EVERYWHERE. I look in all the closets, the garage, under the beds...anywhere I can think of. He is not in the house. I was sure that he must have gotten out the night before.

I need to mention that Sammie is, well, kinda old. He is sixteen, so you know, he is kind of getting up there in cat years. He also had some issues due to the fact that I got him when he was 24 hours old and never had a real cat mother, but rather, only had me. He doesn't know how to chew down his nails. I have to clip them for him. He also doesn't know how to retract his nails, or how to clean himself, but that just makes him Sammie....he's perfect.

Anyway, I had just cut his nails, and you know...he's so old, so I was really worried that he had gotten out of the house and was in that crazy heat with no nails to even try to defend himself. I go out in the back yard and start searching. I can't find him anywhere. I go back in, I look everywhere again. No Sam. I start to cry. I can't seem to help it. I just KNEW in my heart that he was gone. You know how you hear that when cats get old they just leave to die and you never know what happens to them? Well, that's what I decided happened.

Now...here is kind of a strange part of the story (and why my diet reminded me of it...you were curious, weren't you??). In my despair, I decided I still had to eat, so I made myself a bowl of oatmeal and waited for Nick to get out of the shower. I am sitting on the couch, eating and sobbing when Nick walks into the room. I look up at him, tears streaming down my face and say, " I CAN'T FIND SAM!!!!" *gasp for air*. Nick later tells me that he honest to god thought I was crying because I hated my diet so much. He was about to scream, "BABY, I don't care how big you are! Just eat some Cinnamon Toast Crunch!" when I told him about Sammie. Nick then runs to put on clothes and help me look. (He did later tell me that he was surprised at the fact that even when he did that and came back, I was still working on the oatmeal...I am a comfort eater I guess...) and we both start searching. Nick gets down in the crawlspace, I am in the front yard yelling for him through my sobs.

It was terrible. I was honestly devastated. That was, of course, right up until the moment when Nick walks out the front door with a amused look on his face. I am HORRIFIED. This is NOT funny. This is an EMERGENCY! Then Nick says, "He's in the garage". I cry, " I checked the garage...TWICE!" Then Nick tells me I must not have checked it well because as soon as he walked in and said Sammie's name, he looked right up at him. I ran into the house, grabbed him up, hugged him and sobbed even more. (then maybe I cried a little more when I told the story at work...I was just a touch emotional) I tell Nick I was so sure he had died. Nick then tells me before I get all worked up and think he is dead again, try to look a little harder in the house. Right. So...Sammie is fine. I think I might be a little scarred though. I keep looking for him whenever I am home. You know...just to make sure he is okay.