Goodbye.

I feel like I've lived out the phrase "You never know how much you love and appreciate someone/something until it's gone." In my case, I'm usually leaving my "something." This time, my "something" is Best Friends, Kanab, and all the surrounding national parks like Zion, Lake Powell, the Grand Canyon, and Bryce. I never took for granted my surroundings while I was there, but boy do I miss them now. My "someone" is all of the interns. They were like an instant family, and I am still amazed at how well we all got along. I already miss them all and can't wait for our first reunion.

The Group: Taken At The Panguitch Valley Balloon Rally
[left to right: Jenny, Ainsley, Jazzy, Sarah, Megan (me!), Marina, and Becca]

But before I get all emotional over here, let me tell you about my last week at Best Friends with the cats. As I mentioned in my last post, I was stationed in Benton's House. Benton's was one of the first catteries built at the sanctuary. If you've read the Best Friends' book, it talks a bit about a black and white cat named Benton and the cattery named in his honor.

I walked in on Monday kind of unsure what to expect from the week. I had an idea that I would be doing some cleaning and socializing, but apart from that, I had no idea. Benton's House is designed with the special needs cats it houses in mind. There are four rooms (Niblet's, Benton's, Bruiser's, and Tomato's) within the house, apart from the lobby area that includes the kitchen and laundry areas. If you've read the book, you probably also remember some of these names like Tomato, the investigative reporter cat who used to write columns in the paper for Best Friends.

Throughout the week, I had the chance to get really involved with the medical side of things which was such a great experience. Let it be noted that the people who work here are so great! There was even one staff member, Heather, who was from South Carolina and continued to give me the south in small doses throughout the week. I was also in charge of feeding times, socialization of shy cats, and a lot of cleaning. 

Finding All The Kitties In The Morning

We also had a good bit of meetings throughout the week - including one with Lori Marino! It was a great last week, and I was sad when it came to an end on Friday. All the interns met up on Wednesday night to go to dinner at Escobar's and have one final night at the shaved ice stand. 

I left Kanab on Saturday...In the morning, I went to pick up my mom from St. George so that she could do the ride back with me. We went back through Zion and I gave her a personal tour of the sanctuary (and said goodbye to Pedro) and Kanab - including the shaved ice stand. And then we headed back to Georgia.

Over the next three days, until Tuesday night (as I am typing this), we drove across the country to Edisto Beach, South Carolina, where my aunt has a beach house rented until Friday. On the way, we stopped by Belen, NM to see mom's old boss and Lubbock, TX to see my "adopted" brother, Ben. And of course we stopped in Louisiana to see the Duck Commander, Buck Commander (Duck Dynasty) place. That was such a loooooooong drive, and that's all I'll say about that. 

So now I'm sitting here at the beach with my dog and my family taking a break before heading back to Athens on Friday.



Catch you next week,

Megan