A lot going on

I have been wanting to write for a few weeks now, but just haven't had the time. There has been so much going on lately that I had to put the blog on the back backburner. Jacob's 2nd birthday has come and gone. He turned 2 on February 21st, and I haven't even been able to post that! We had a party at our house for him. We had over 40 people there, and it went really well. The weather was great, the food was great, the company was great, and Jacob ate his cake this time. He won't eat regular cake, so I got him a big cookie cake. He loved it! I was running around like crazy, so I didn't even turn my camera on. My mother got lots of pics, but I haven't even seen them yet. As soon as I get them, I will post some. He had a good check-up at the doctor, too. He is 35 inches tall and weighs about 30 lbs. She said he is right on track for all of his milestones, and his vocabulary is a little advanced. It seems like just yesterday that he was a newborn. They grow up too fast!
In other news, the main reason I have been so busy is I have been studying to become a Certified Tumor Registrar (CTR) since November. It is a big deal for me at work to become certified in what I do. The test was Saturday. I have spent almost all of my free time over the last 4 months studying for this darn test. Despite all of the studying, the test was very hard. I am usually pretty good at taking these kinds of tests and I always finish early. Not this time. I had 4.5 hours to take it and finished with 3 minutes left! I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest during those last 15 minutes!! One good thing is that it was computer-based, and I was able to find out immediately if I passed it. Drum roll...I passed!!!! I thought for sure I failed and was going to have to try again in September, but I pulled it off. By the grace of God. I was so whooped, I didn't even want to celebrate. I just wanted to sit on my butt, watch TV, and play with my son. However, my parents convinced me to go out to eat yummy crawfish that night. They aren't that big yet, but they taste good! A few more weeks and they should be much bigger. My fellow crawfish lovers know what I am talking about. ;)
The last thing that has been going on in my life lately is my cat, Lizzie. My sweet little girl hasn't been in the best health for the last year or so. She turned 15 last September, so she was getting up there in age. She wasn't looking well for the last month, so I brought her to the vet in the beginning of February. She checked out okay except for some weight loss, so we just went home and went about our business. She continued to drop weight quickly and didn't look good, so Jason brought her back last Monday. She had developed pneumonia and the vet thought she had a lung mass. So, I was faced with what I had been dreading for the last year--my baby was dying. Our wonderful and compassionate vet agreed to come to our house the next night, despite his mother being ill and put in the hospital, and end Lizzie's suffering. My baby went to be with God Tuesday, March 10, 2009, at 8:00pm while I held her close to me in the comfort of her home. I was 19 years old when I brought her home from the pet store, and she was my best friend for 15 1/2 years. She saw me through college (and the stupid stuff I did in college), getting my life together, more college, 4 moves, a marriage, 2 stepchildren, a dog, and a baby. We went through a lot together and now she is watching over me. It's been a rough week for me, especially having to focus on a big test while I grieved. I have cried every day, and I miss her terribly. But I made it through it and ended the week on a good note by passing that darn test. We buried her in my parents' front yard next to Jezzabelle and Pee Wee, so I can visit her every Sunday. I will post a pic of her when I get a chance. Unfortunately, I don't have any pics of her on my computer at work. That's all for now, my blog friends. Next time I will talk about happy stuff--hopefully.