First bout of homesickness

So I had my first bout of homesickness tonight. It was silly, I was writing to my parents and grandparents, and yeah, I miss them, but then I started thinking about my (favorite) cat, Marble. I'm close to my family, but it wasn't too difficult to move to Sweden as we've been living two and a half to five hours apart since 1999. An email is still nearly instant, whether I'm in Minneapolis or in Stockholm. But with Marble it's different. I've had her for about two years, and during that time I have grown quite fond of her. My only form of communication came through the tone of my voice, a fun game, or a scratch behind the ear. All things I can't do from here.

She would greet me at my bedroom door first thing every morning, pretending that she wanted food, but she would never eat until I had given her a few minutes of solid attention. Same story after work. It didn't matter where she was, as soon as my butt hit the sofa, she could be seen happily trotting across the apartment, wanting nothing more than to lay down in my lap. It was weird, but it really seemed like my time in the apartment was the highlight of her day.

Of course I miss all friends and family, but the fact that I can't communicate with her makes me miss Marble even more. Helius (my other cat), he's another story...cute, but a huge pain in the butt. Miranda misses him, but I'd guess that's because he can provide hours of non-stop entertainment. Guess I don't feel like writing much more, other than a quick thank you to my parents for transporting Marble down to their place in Iowa and Miranda's parents for taking on Helius. It obviously means a lot to us.