I quickly learned in May 2013, birthdays are awesome. Even if it’s not Friday, you still get stew!  I filled my belly with stew (maybe too much stew) and then it was time to open my present.  The box was twice as big as me, what could it possibly be?  Oh my.  This was for me? Wait for it…My very own 4-story kitty tree house!

Andrea explained, “I promised as soon as I got a raise, I would get you a big present to celebrate, Vanny”. We put it together immediately.  I was so excited; I played in the enclosed cube part while Andrea built the other sections. I knew I was going to love it.  As soon as she was finished, I hopped in the tree house and stayed there all night.  I jumped up and down onto the different levels, checking out all of the viewpoints. Finally, I had a place in the house that was all mine. I slept in my new tree house that night.   

While the tree house was an awesome present, it was even more than that.  It was a space of comfort, solitude and warmth, like a hug and a home. I grew so attached to my tree house, that the following Christmas (the holiday with the special tree that gets me in trouble), Sandee bought me an identical tree house to have at her house.  She’s the best. Did I mention how much I love being a part of this family? 

For years to come, the tree house became a bigger and bigger gift. Each time Andrea got a pay raise at work, I would get an addition to my tree house.  See those stairs? That was raise #2.

To this day, I still sleep in my tree house every night and it feels just as homey as the first night I got it. 

LISTEN to the Chapter

Chapter 11:  The Tree House