lucy + gus.

Today, I want to introduce you to two members of our little family, Lucy (black + white on the left) and Gus (grey + white on the right):

Hipstamatic Print by {av}

When we moved to Providence in June 2009, it had been three years since we'd both been in the same place. The first few months were quite an adjustment...not in a bad way, just in the realization that we had finally made it through long distance. I loved being able to wake up and realize one of us didn't have to leave in a day. I felt a new spring in my step because he was never very far away.

The then fiancé started his new job in late July--and I was suddenly faced with the fact I was going to be spending a good deal of time alone again. His new job required just as much time in the office than his old job. As an only child, the concept of being alone is nothing foreign to me, but I just thought I'd moved through that phase in my life. When we were long distance, I never had to face {first hand} just how many hours he logged in the office.

Cue mid-August 2009. We are driving home from a weekend with his family in Maine. I can pinpoint the exact mile on the highway where I broke down in tears. Here we were, finally through the years of being apart, and I was still lonely. I wasn't lonely because of him--I was lonely because I was starting a new job, in a new city where we literally knew no one.

Enter Lucy and Gus. I found them at the Pawtucket Animal Shelter, after searching about 10 local shelters. Lucy came home first:

Hipstamatic Print by {av}

{She's the playful, skinny one who is also a lover when the lights are out. I'm a perennial "I Love Lucy" fan, so her name pays tribute to Lucille Ball.}

Gus came home two days later:

Hipstamatic Print by {av}

{He's the chubby, lazy one who loves to play in water. The inspiration for his name came from the rotund mouse in Cinderella. We're big Disney fans in this household.}

Since our apartment building does not allow dogs, we found our little six-week old kittens to be the perfect solution. Lucy and Gus gave me something to focus on {besides wedding planning, of course} while the fiancé logged hours in the office.

Though I'm not advocating to adopt pets to end loneliness, it was an adequate recipe for me. Lucy and Gus are a little more like dogs, in the sense that they run to the door when I get home and are never further than ten feet from me when I'm at home. The husband adores them--and in the weirdest way, seeing him with the kitties makes me realize what a fantastic, fun, and compassionate dad he'll be.

Thank you all for indulging me in their introduction. You can expect funny updates from Lucy and Gus in the future.

For those of you who are cat-lovers, never fear. We plan to adopt a Pembroke Welsh Corgi as soon as we have a house with a yard :)