Finding New Normal

Thank you so much for the kind words on Miko, it’s been nearly two weeks and we miss him terribly while the house does not feel the same. I think back to that tough day a lot and tear up. I have found comfort from everyone’s kind words and online support groups for those going through similar grief, they are family and we wanted the best for him since he was so dedicated to us.

The timing made it a particularly strange and disorienting event for me adding to the grief rollercoaster. It happened a few days after my last day with a company I had been working for for over 15 years, we had planned to take a week off for a getaway in South Lake Tahoe before starting my new job this week. I was already in an interesting place dealing with the emotions of leaving that company while preparing for the unknowns of the new job, so we decided to move forward with the trip instead of being sad and anxious at home for the rest of the week.

When we arrived at the beach resort, we were greeted with pretty great lake views from our room and easy access to their private beach. That night we headed to Toulouse for dinner because they had an Impossible vegan burger on the menu with a good beer selection.

The next night we headed to Lake Tahoe Pizza Company for dinner because they had excellent hand made vegan crust and vegan cheese to make a fun custom creation. Turns out avocado slices are delicious on pizza.

We then worked up an appetite the next day on a long hike around Fallen Leaf Lake and grabbed lunch to take back to the beach from Curry & Grill, an interesting place I found on a Yelp search that was takeout only located in a corner of an, uh, interesting liquor store.

But the vegan combo plate was a lot of food for the price, delicious, and they made it spicy enough to make Ron happy which is not easy.

Then for dinner we headed to Thai On Ski Run for their unique vegan options starting with the Vegan Fried Tofu, Ron had the vegan-ized Drunken Noodles and I tried the Rama Tofu dish, kicky fried tofu with red curry peanut sauce.

The next day we headed to Artemis Lakefront Cafe, a nice Mediterranean place with vegan options that included Babba Ghanoush smoky eggplant dip, and Falafel Pita and Falafel Burger.

There was also Maria’s Mexican Restaurant with a large menu of vegan options, but the loaded vegan nachos were a hit for me.

For the final day we spent the first half on the beach swimming and paddle boarding, then headed for a hike on the Tahoe Rim Trail where the views were breath taking.

Then to Freshies Ohana for great vegan options and lake views from their roof top dining area, Ron was very excited about the vegan macaroni salad and chilled spicy noodles. For me it was the sweet potato and quinoa cakes with vegan peanut butter and chocolate mousse pie.

Even while mourning the loss of a dear family member, South Lake Tahoe was awesome. We spent a lot of time relaxing on the beach, hiking, and found many great vegan eats.

And never got tired of these views from our room, it was not easy to leave them to come back to reality.

But we had to get back to work and face our empty house and back to my regular eats of Thai takeout, protein pastas, simple curry stir fries, and salad.

I started my new job this week and have been eating lunches like a queen since I am much closer to two great vegan restaurants for lunch, Zest Kitchen and Pho Vegan Asian Cuisine.

So far the new job is going well, training has been a process learning their IT setup and the sites and equipment I will be supporting. But I am excited about who I’ll be working with and doing more hands on work again.

Slowly I am getting back to my new normal without Miko, a new work routine, and still sorting through everything we have been through in the last few weeks which is a lot. The house still feels sad and empty without him, I miss our morning walk and care routines and not having any animals in the house feels very strange since I can’t remember the last time I have not lived with animals. We will change that in the future by welcoming new fur kids. But I need time to mourn Miko and get settled in the new job.