Mish-Mash of updates.

Today has been pretty good.

The electrician came to run electricity in the sunroom today, but didn't finish.  He'll be back tomorrow.  I'm good with that.

I officially finished moving 11 Januarys worth of posts to my blog(s) using Facebook Memories.  I realized that I, uh... I really tell y'all just about everything.  I'm an open book and you don't even have to ask!  Haha.  Oh well.  After I get all of that moved I will need to find a better way to manage it all, but that's a problem for another day.

It was gorgeous out and I actually skated for the first time in a few weeks.  My booty butt hasn't hurt recently so I thought it was probably safe to go out.  I wore the butt-pads that my mom got me to be extra careful, though.  Thankfully, it was like I didn't miss any time at all.  I still need to work on transitions, but overall I'm happy with how I did today and I can turn a decently tight circle so I'm not mad about that!

After that Shaun and I had a late lunch and then watched our show with the kids.  Then I came upstairs and re-painted my nails and painted Shaun's toes while we watched something together.  I should really get photos of Shaun's paint before he messes his up.  Magnetic gel on his hands, regular polish on his feet.  I'm wearing a really pretty polish and want a picture of it, too.  But I also want to try some stamping because it's been AGES.  Maybe I'll get some pics of my nubs soon.  We'll see.

Also, I love that some of y'all trust me enough to ask me animal questions.  It makes me feel special and lately my struggle with Rose has had me feeling like a failure so I think I kind of needed to be reminded that I know other stuff sometimes.  And some of you have been super supportive of me as we try to figure out how to best care of this dog and I really, truly, from the bottom of my heart thank you.

Anyway, I've been up since early and I exercised my body and it's been a productive day and I'm tired now so I'm turning in.  I hope you all are doing well.  ❤

WELL, about those pods...

I'm still not 100%, but part of that is just because I have straight up felt like crap today.  Let me tell you what happened.

Last night Kira made some cookies.  Two batches:  a batch of sugar cookies and a batch of chocolate walnut cookies.

She used her silicon baking mat for the first batch of cookies and I heard her in the kitchen talking about "What's that smell?" but I thought nothing of it.

Later she asked me to try her sugar cookie and warned me that it tasted weird.  I tried it.  Kind of tasted floral, but not in a bad way.  I ended up eating two of them.

She decided to bake the other cookies on a regular baking sheet because a floral smell was coming from her silicon baking mat, which I had loaded into the dishwasher the day before.

We all pile dishes in the dishwasher until it's full and then when it's full one of us will put in the detergent pods and run it.

WELL, about those pods...

When we get them I like to put them in a glass jar because when you open a crinkly bag around here all of the animals come running.  And because it keeps the bag from being chewed when the cats go places that they shouldn't (as they all do).  And because it looks nice.  

Shaun was the person who ended up running the dishwasher and he used a weird, big pod that we've had for a while.  It was a sample that came with one of our Wal-Mart pickup orders.  I remember putting it in the jar of dishwasher pods because the cats tore up the packaging it came in.  It, uh... didn't cross my mind that it may not have been a dishwasher pod. 😬😳

Do y'all see where this is going?  Shaun washed the dishes with a Persil Laundry Disc.  It was the last pod-thing in the jar and it fit in the dishwasher so he was like "Okie dokie." and ran that shit. 😂😂😂 

The kids were smart enough not to finish a whole cookie.  I was not; I actually liked them.

But anyway, my stomach has been slightly off today and I've had a headache.  I can really only blame the two Laundry Disc Sugar Cookies I ate that were somehow still delicious. 😂😂😂 That should speak volumes about Kira's ability to make tasty treats. 

These are the chocolate walnut, btw, and they are delicious, also. Very buttery and soft, and not at all unexpectedly floral. 😂

I know that I've left some of y'all hanging...

I know that I've left some of y'all hanging as far as replies to comments go, but I don't have it in me today.  I'm sorry about that.

I'm stressed to death about this dog.  Rose seems to like one cat the most - Tobi.  She sniffed him this morning and then acted like she wanted to bite him.  I think she's just really excitable in the mornings because that's the only time she's going for the cats, but it still bothers us a lot.  It's not a thing that I feel safe about at all.  And the open floorplan here doesn't make for easy segregation of the pets, unfortunately.

Shaun brought my plants into the sunroom for me because it's warmer in there than the garage.  I told him that I wasn't emotionally able to deal with that yet and I'm not.  I've got another day or so (if the electrician doesn't reschedule again) before I have to really put any effort there so if I'm not updating much the next few days it's because I'm conserving my life force or recharging my batteries or something.  Or dealing with this dog.

Anyway, I gotta finish a couple of things before I head to bed and I'm already sleepy so I guess I'd better get to it.  Goodnight, friends.

My life force was depleted before I did anything meaningful.

I woke up feeling like I had energy and needed to get some things done.  Unfortunately, my life force was depleted before I did anything meaningful.

I heard a ruckus downstairs between a dog and a cat.  I knew Shaun was down there and I heard him break it up.  I found out later when I went down that Rose attacked Harley, one of our cats.  Harley is ok, (thank goodness), but I hate to think what could have happened had Shaun not been right there to intervene.  Rose doesn't usually bother the cats at all and instead is scared of them.  I'm guessing that her new medication could be to blame for her boldness because nothing else has changed - not even our sunroom since the electrician postponed the work until next week.

I'm feeling heavy in my heart.  I know she's only on day 2 of medication and that it can take time to work or that she might need something different, but that didn't feel like a good sign.  On top of that she still acts nervous about things.  When Shaun put together some chairs earlier she got in my lap.  Later when she wasn't on me and I reached to let her sniff my hand before I pet her she stopped in her tracks and ducked (which is typical for her).  So far the only change in her hasn't been a good one.  I desperately want to be patient and help this dog, but not at the expense of our other pets.  We're going to give it some time and possibly postpone her surgery if we need to.  We can't spend that kind of money on her and then have to turn around and put her to sleep.  I'm straight up not having a good time right now.

Not only that - I'm seeing so many posts from my friends and family in AL that they are sick.  Ugh, I hate that so much.  But then I also see pics and posts of people going out for unnecessary things and a lot of people not masking or vaccinating and it confuses me and gets my anxiety up.  Even if you don't give a shit about yourself you know that other people do, right?  And not only that you could be infecting other people because you can be asymptomatic for so long.  I don't know what else to say except that I care and I hope if you are sick that you end up ok.  This is some super scary shit to me.

I read articles about AL and I've read that superintendents and school nurses are having to sub for teachers in some areas because so many teachers are sick and no more subs are available.  Hospitals are severely understaffed which means that even if there are literal empty rooms there, there is no one to take care of you if you have to go to one.  Y'all understand that, right?  I don't see COVID news shared on here like when the pandemic started and I totally understand that we're all sick to death of it, but guess who doesn't care whether you're tired of it or not?  COVID.

Maybe I spent too much time doom-scrolling this morning and ruined my own day.  I don't know.  I probably did.  But I can't just turn off the fact that I care and it's all but impossible to bury my head in the sand and pretend that nothing is going on.  So today wasn't a good balance for me.  It happens, I guess.  I tried to do several things and just couldn't.  I wanted to move my plants and I looked at them and went "Nope."  I told myself that I needed to put away my laundry, but that didn't happen, either.  The only thing I did do was (unenthusiastically, which is WRONG) open some nail polish and leave it in a pile in the floor.

I guess I'm gonna go.  No one needs my Debbie-Downer bullshit.  I just needed to vent, I think.  Hopefully tomorrow will be better.  ❤

I've complained...

I've complained about how Facebook changed the way public groups work and I stand by that. They've tried to make it easier with this "auto-mod" thing you can set up, but the issue with that is that sometimes things that are harmless or even helpful to the group get denied by it. Then I have to go behind it and double check everything it does. This is a new way of doing things and I haven't yet remembered to check the auto-mod's work daily.

So this person is (understandably) upset that her comments and posts are being denied. She has chosen to speak to me by posting posts that I will deny even though I've tried messaging her and even responded in my "declined post" feedback letting her know that I've messaged her and where to find it.

If she read my message at all she would know that I'm trying to help. Instead, I believe it was ignored or that she blocked me because I can't respond to it. Also, this was the last post she tried to post in Happy Tails... Even though I never told her "Bye."

When I tell you the struggle to maintain this group is real... It's not a joke. And this was a relatively benign interaction because I wasn't verbally abused - just misunderstood with an attitude. So much fun.

Even with anxiety medication...

Even with anxiety medication she needs a lap while Shaun puts together some chairs.

Our sunroom...

Our sunroom was supposed to be wired on Thursday. Then it was pushed to today. Now it's Monday.

The electrician has had a death in his friend / family circle and that's totally understandable and we aren't upset at him, but I was geared up to do some work this weekend. I'm kind of wondering if we could move a few things in there today without making things hard for him on Monday...

I need to move my body. I took a break from skating so my booty butt could heal and it hasn't hurt in a week+. If I can't do some lifting around here it might be time to strap my wheels back on. Along with ALL the padding because it's been a couple weeks. 😂

Anyone who knows Shadow...

Anyone who knows Shadow knows that he's that third kid, 100%.

Polite as can be, but will karate your ass the whole time. 😂😂😂

❤️❤️❤️

Here she is again...

Here she is again with a homemade peanut butter cup. She used semi-sweet chocolate on these and I like that a lot. 

Sorry for the photo of this half-eaten one, but she said she didn't think they were pretty enough for pics so I had to stop eating mine and get a photo. 😂😂😂

I want y'all to know that this kid sneaks up on us with these desserts. She walked behind the couch so she could surprise me with it. Kira is so sweet and funny. 😂😂😂❤️❤️❤️

Kira struck again last night...

Kira struck again last night with these oatmeal raisin cookies. This photo isn't even the whole batch! My gosh - this kid is gonna have to slow down.

The house smelled so warm and delicious last night. And these cookies are so good! ❤️❤️❤️

I'm here with an update about Rose.

I'm here with an update about Rose.

The good news:  She's doing better with the sunroom right now.

The bad news:  More changes are coming starting Thursday when electricity is run to it and we start moving stuff in.

The other night Shaun lost his patience and that is not something I often see.  Let me tell you the story:

We'd been leashing Rose to take her outside through the sunroom so that we wouldn't have to chase her down to come in because that's not good for any of us.  She was doing really well and started to run through the sunroom to get out as long as we held the door to the outside open (so the room won't "get" her, I guess.  Who knows).  Anyway.  She was coming back in the same way so that was good.  She was improving and being less scared so we let her be brave and do it without a leash.

The last time she went out it all went wrong.  Shaun did the same thing he'd been doing ALL DAY and Rose would not come to him or run through the room.  She would stick her head in like she wanted to, but then just couldn't do it.  He eventually gave up and told me he was done - that I could deal with her.  I 100% do not blame him.  So I gave it a few minutes and went to get her.  I went to the door.  I turned on the porch light because it had gotten dark and I like to see.  I called her and held the door open. And she came in.

The porch light is the only thing I did different than Shaun. 

It was dark and she needed the porch light, y'all. 🤦🏻

So anyway, she starts an antianxiety tomorrow morning.

I went to bed last night...

I went to bed last night and woke up to this gorgeous chocolate chip banana bread. Apparently Kira decided to bake it in the middle of the night. 😂

She used mini semi-sweet chocolate chips so the chocolate isn't too much. It's so good! And moist! She says she's going to try some nuts in it next time. Yum!

Kira hasn't stopped.

Kira hasn't stopped. Last night she made this kick-ass banana pudding. She used Chessman cookies instead of 'Nilla Wafers and it is SO GOOD.

She's talking about making banana bread tonight or tomorrow, but we haven't even finished the pudding! She's on a roll right now. 😂😂😂 She's having fun and it all tastes good so no complaints from us! ❤️

The good news:

The good news:  Earlier this week Kira had an appointment with a new gastroenterologist.

The bad news:  There was more than one hospital in Albuquerque with the same name and we didn't know that and went to the wrong place.

The amazing news:  The office worker at the wrong place went ABOVE AND BEYOND to check Kira in and get her seen via video call at the correct office so she wouldn't lose her appointment and have to wait two more months to be seen.  I mean she literally called the other office and told their office person that she converted the appointment to video and that Kira only needed to be checked in via phone and they could do the appointment.  She basically had to walk the other office person through this process to get it done, but she did it without a complaint or acting like we were inconveniencing her or anything.  I was FLOORED.  I got her name and I'm going to send her a nice thing this week because I am so appreciative.  This is honestly NOT the kind of treatment we got used to in Alabama.

After that we stopped by a donut shop near the hospital because that's the rules in this house - you go to the doctor you get a food treat after.  It was a place we hadn't tried before and there was only one lady working in there.  She was super nice, as well.  I needed to use the restroom, but didn't know that it was locked so when I came back to the front she was ready with the key without me even asking.  The people here truly are wonderful.

When I tell y'all that I LOVE IT HERE, I honestly mean that I love everything about being here.  I love the food, I love the mountains, I love the people, I love my house, I love our yard, I love that I can spend time outside now, I love their handling of the pandemic, I love that even though NM is considered one of the poorer states with low taxes they still expanded Medicaid because they give a shit about their people... I mean, I say out loud "I love it here!" almost every single day and I FUCKING MEAN IT.

I don't know what else to say.  I'm just SO RELIEVED that the kiddos are finally getting the medical attention they need and that everyone deserves.  This alone has taken TONS of stress off of me and I desperately needed that.  I believe this is a major part of why I'm doing so ok.

Well, I'm off to do a bunch of chores.  I hope you all are doing well.  If not... leave Alabama.  🤷🏻😝

Rose started throwing up bile last night...

Rose started throwing up bile last night because she's barely eaten in 3 days. She won't eat inside unless it's a treat from our hands to her mouth. Won't eat out of her bowl. Won't lick a plate. Nothing.

Her dish outside had to be moved (we kept it in the patio - now sunroom) and of course she won't eat in the sunroom. But she also won't eat with her dish moved.

I really don't know how this dog would survive without us. I actually don't understand how she's surviving with us not knowing what to do when she's not too ok. I don't think "If she's starving, she'll eat" applies to her judging by how thin she was when we got her back after 11 days of being missing last year. The people who found her couldn't get her to eat, either. 

On the bright side, Shaun was able to coax her to eat a little bit last night. And she did run through the sunroom of her own accord to go outside with Shaun and Cubba this morning. She's yet to come back in, but at least she's not out there barking. Yet.

This dog is sweet, but I would be lying if I said that I didn't question whether her life with us is acceptable. She seems anxious and hypervigilant and scared constantly - never relaxed. Days like this make me feel like we're trying to force her to live. The only joy in her life is play.

I know what a monster this thought makes me sound like, but with an expensive surgery coming up should we go through with that? Or release her from the burden that life seems to be for her? I promise this is not me speaking out of frustration, but even her best days look so uncomfortable to me. 😕

Ooh, I love this already!

Ooh, I love this already! It's not COMPLETELY finished, but it is a damn good start. An electrician will be coming to put in outlets and lights. We are going to put some flooring down for sure. I think it's going to be amazing when we're done with it.

I'm super shocked at the amount of space both inside the sunroom and outside. I really thought it was going to be much smaller than it is. I guess I didn't realize how much space we actually have. Anyway, I'm not complaining!

The weather was in the 20s°F this morning and the sunroom warmed up so fast. I can't wait to start having my morning tea out there. I am so excited! 😁

Kira is tryna fatten us up. She's been baking lately. And it's gooood.

Look. Kira is tryna fatten us up. She's been baking lately. And it's gooood. 😌😌😌

In the past month or so she's made: some M&M brownies, some chocolate chip cookies, a cheesecake, and now some chocolate chunker cookies.

These li'l cookies are delicious! Not too sweet, nice and soft.

Me and Shaun were all over her cheesecake, too. It tasted caramelized. It was amazing.

She's talking about cupcakes and cake-pops and all kinds of stuff. We'll happily be her dessert Guinea pigs. 😁😁😁

Edited the add: She's doing this from scratch, not using mixes.

Oh, Shadow.

Oh, Shadow. I'm sorry for making you so weird. 😂😂😂 

He was just petting Rose and tucked her in with a blanket like she likes. Then he nuzzled her head, which was sweet. Totally normal, right?

Except that I heard him smell her head when he nuzzled her and that is 100% a Blu move. 😂😂😂

I love that kid. ❤️❤️❤️

Edited to add:

Oh my gosh. Kira just came into the living room and pet Rose. Then (completely unprompted) she bent down and sniffed her head, too. 😂😂😂 She said "Ew, her head smells weird. Like dirty fur."

I'm sorry, y'all. My influence is too strong. 😂😂😂

I am SO not in the mood for this dog right now.

I am SO not in the mood for this dog right now.

We let the dogs out after the construction guys left. Well, Shaun had to carry Rose out because she wouldn't go through the scary new room.

Big mistake because she also didn't want to pass through it to get back in AND she knew that if she got near us we'd make her. So it's 40°F and raining and she has the whole yard in which to run away from us. Not food bribes nor even play bribes would make her come to us. She also has barely eaten all day. It feels like we're completely back to square one with her and IT SUCKS. 😟😟😟

Me and Shaun are super-pumped to be getting the sunroom we've been waiting for.

Me and Shaun are super-pumped to be getting the sunroom we've been waiting for. The dogs are less excited. 😂 Rose is, (of course), scared of the new room. They are also having to stay indoors and get walked rather than running free in the backyard. The horror! The ABSOLUTE MISERY! 😂😂😂

Today is day 2 of work and I'm pretty sure the crew will be finished tomorrow. I don't know if the dogs can survive that long. They are SO sad! Cubba sat with me on the couch and breathe-whined for like an hour. He really, really needs everyone's pity right now. 😂

Anyway, I'll post pics when the sunroom is done. We have a lot planned for it! 😁

Y'all, my booty butt hurts...

Y'all, my booty butt hurts from a fall I took while skating weeks ago (before I had butt pads).  I read to chill back on activity and let it heal.  I'm like super pretty certain that I didn't break my tailbone.  It only hurts when I move certain ways... like trying not to fall off the hoverboard or when I play with Rose and she suddenly drags me sideways across the yard.  Side-step kind of moves seem to be the worst.

I think I'm not doing the best at resting it aside from actively trying not to be active (hence all of the organization and stuff like the house rather than playing outside on my feet-wheels), but I don't understand why if it's a bone bruise it hurts when my muscles move certain ways.  Are my muscles pulling on it?  What is really going on in my butt-area?  If any of you have any insight I'd love for you to share that with me.

Thanks in advance.  ❤

The last we heard...

The last we heard we'd be having our sunroom built mid-February. We just got an email asking if they could start tomorrow. Um, YES PLEASE. I'm so excited!

😁😁😁

It looks like FB finally worked out some glitches...

It looks like FB finally worked out some glitches regarding public groups. I'm no longer showing a backlog of 200+ posts and participation requests in Happy Tails Lost & Found Pets of Calhoun County! 

Sweet relief!

We finished organizing our closet yesterday.

We finished organizing our closet yesterday. It's giving me ALL the good feelings in my brain. 😁😁😁

We purged so much stuff when we were preparing to move. Then instead of packing most of my clothes into boxes I bought these drawers and labeled them with Scotch tape. It made unpacking and knowing where my clothes were SO MUCH easier. I replaced the tape labels with printed ones yesterday. I think it looks nice.

I've been going hard on organizing the house and I've made so much progress. It feels so good. I really super hate disarray and clutter and not knowing where things are. This has been so amazing for my mental health.

Next up - finishing my nail art stuff and nail polish. That's a big endeavor, but I'll be so thrilled to have it done. 😁

Have a closet selfie.

Have a closet selfie. It's been some years since I was feeling myself enough to capture my image on "film."

In 2014 when my psoriatic arthritis flared up it was hard to walk - much less exercise. Being in constant pain (plus some other things going on) sent me into a pretty serious depression spiral. Until it was bad enough that I went on medication I coped by eating junk food, which exacerbated the pain and depression. Then college and the stress that brought kept me eating junk food even with medication.

Needless to say, over those 6 years until I graduated I packed about 20 extra pounds onto my 4 foot, 9 inch frame. That probably doesn't sound too bad for an average-sized person, but being so short it was very noticeable and my self-esteem took a hit... obviously contributing to my depression. When I say that the last several years have been a struggle it is not an exaggeration.

Anyway, this is me right now. No filter, no editing, no makeup. Bonus points for goofy "I woke up like this" bed hair. 😂 I don't have a scale at home, but as of my last doctor appointment I was down 10 lbs. The fun thing about that is that I wasn't even trying. I've been enjoying my body by roller skating and staying busy organizing and cleaning. My depression is leveled out enough that I don't crave junk food 24/7. I still have down days once in a while, but honestly it just reminds me to be grateful for all of the good ones.

I'm still thicc, but I feel my muscles and endurance growing. My clothes fit better and I'm more confident than I've been in so, so long. My psoriasis is down to some very small, tolerable patches / spots even without medication. My bones haven't hurt me in quite a while, thank goodness. All in all I feel like I'm finally on an upward spiral and I hope it continues. I've fought my battles and I'd love to spend some time reaping the rewards and seeing what I can accomplish without my body and mind working against me.

For any of my friends and family who are struggling, please hang in there. It gets better. ❤️

I guess Shaun doesn't think I've fallen enough on roller skates...

I guess Shaun doesn't think I've fallen enough on roller skates because he got us and the kids a Hoverboard. 😂😂😂 We've all been playing with it this evening and I gotta say - it's pretty fun!

He said it was a Deal of the Day from Best Buy. It's a pretty multi-chrome color that I guess no one else wanted because it was on Clearance for $50 (down from $250)! No complaints here!

It's a beautiful day to play outside; 60° F and not a cloud in sight.

It's a beautiful day to play outside; 60° F and not a cloud in sight.

I'm feeling down today.

I'm feeling down today. I woke up earlier than I wanted to for Rose's appointment. Then the news wasn't great. It was beautiful out and I kept telling myself that I should go skate, but could never muster up the mojo to do it. My butt still hurts from my last fall without butt padding (over a week ago now). I don't think I broke my tailbone but it feels bruised and really sore when I move certain ways. Skate practice is tonight and I just don't think I'm gonna make it.

For the most part lately if I don't exercise I make it a point to do physical activity like chores or something. And yet today I've sat here like a lump. I napped. I ate. I sat. I scrolled. Blegh.

Rose usually hangs out with me when I'm on the couch, but she's not today. I think she is holding the violation of her bottom at the vet against me. I don't blame her. I know it wasn't a pleasant experience for her, especially since she's so scared of anything when Cubba's not around. Poor pup.

Anyway. This is a jumbly mess. I wanted a photo of my skates all together so I took one. Here it is. At least the shiny and colorful sparked a few moments joy.

Rose had another vet appointment today.

Rose had another vet appointment today. After having her anal glands expressed at her last visit her doctor said her bottom would likely be irritated and that her weird coochie-stomp behavior may not improve for a day or two. He said if it persisted that we should bring her back.

Well, it persisted.

He examined her again, but this time when he parted her vulva a mass of tissue about the size of a small bouncy ball came out. I was like "I didn't know they did that!" and he explained that normally they do not. He said that did not happen last time he checked her, either.

So weird-puppy is scheduled for surgery in a couple of weeks. Doc said that due to her age and being spayed there's an 86% chance that it's NOT cancer. Given that information we might have considered not doing surgery; however, the fact that it clearly bothers her means it needs to be dealt with. The up-side to doing the surgery is that we can confirm whether or not it's cancer. Paws crossed that it is not.

I didn't skate today like I'd planned to.

I didn't skate today like I'd planned to. My body is a little sore and I was really more into cleaning and checking other stuff off my to-do list during the good daylight hours. That's not exciting, but sometimes it's hard for me to switch gears. Better to get SOME things done than waste the day trying to change my mind. I already know how stubborn I am. 😂😂😂 

This evening I removed some old chipping polish from my nails, cut and filed them, pushed my cuticles, moisturized like crazy, and re-painted my nubs. After a week of cleaning and organizing my nail plates my poor fingernails were dry and broken and peeling and sad. I hate it when I let them get in that shape; it literally just FEELS bad to my body.

You'd think that with as excited as I am about getting my nail plates organized I'd be dying to get my nails super fancy. I am; however, my stamping polish is still packed away and it's a whole thing to dig it out. I've got some drawers coming on Friday and I'm planning to get my nail stuff (except for the rest of my polish) unpacked and organized. Polish comes last... I need a(nother) giant, sturdy shelf before I start (or finish?) that endeavor. 😬

Anyway. I feel better. Except that Rose and I both have doctor appointments tomorrow and skate practice is tomorrow and I haven't tried my speed skates yet. I kind of don't want to show up in them until I know I can use them. It might end up being too hectic of a day to make it to practice, anyway. I'm trying not to stress over it. The person who helped me Sunday probably won't be there and I don't think I can keep up with the group so it might be for the best if I sit this one out. We'll see.

I'm winding down for the evening. Goodnight, friends. ❤️

How is this for a 10 year challenge?

How is this for a 10 year challenge?  I created this group from scratch exactly 10 years ago today.  It has grown to over 12,500 members and helped at least a few pets get home over the years; I know this because I personally got involved at times.  Other times the communities and neighborhoods stepped up and made all of the difference.

For anyone who is unaware - running a group can be a JOB.  Unpaid.  Often thankless.  People get angry when they can't just post whatever they want.  They will get nasty and message you slinging insults.  I've been called both a Democrat and a Trump supporter by different people trying to get a rise out of me.  😂😂😂 It's times like those I have to take a deep breath, put on my "professional / diplomatic" voice, and if that fails, say "Screw it" and block them because I'm not sitting here unpaid AND taking their abuse.

NONE of that even encompasses Facebook and its need to constantly change the way things are done.  I feel like I'm always learning and re-learning how to best keep the group going.  It also doesn't take into consideration that there is no easy way for me to take a break from this site even if I need to; I have a responsibility here.  It's honestly a labor of love and sometimes one that takes more than its fair share out of me.  I've been considering for the last few months giving the group over to a shelter or rescue or someone I could trust, but it hasn't happened yet.  We'll see.

Anyway, it's the 10-year birthday of Happy Tails Lost & Found Pets of Calhoun County.  🥳

I went to a Derby practice this morning.

I went to a Derby practice this morning. It was fun even though I'm light-years behind the other skaters as far as skill goes. One person took me to the side when the group did things I wasn't ready for and helped me improve on some things. She told me to get low, keep my eyes on her, turn more... It was so helpful! It's exactly what I'd hoped for.

Most of the other skaters weren't wearing heeled skates so I think it's time for me to try out these bad boys. I think they'll help me stay low because I'm likely to fall on my ass if I don't. 😂 I put hybrid wheels on these because I'm too nervous to change to an entirely different skate with super hard wheels. I'm planning to take these to the park tomorrow and see how I do. If I can stay upright I'm going to work on my T-stop and transitions like I learned today.

These are my freebies from eBay. I got my new laces and added the toe-guard as well as the mustache that Shaun got me for my birthday. I think they're adorable and I'm pretty excited to see how they do / I do in them. 😁

I finally have photos of our bedroom / my loffice (loft+office).

I finally have photos of our bedroom / my loffice (loft+office). We haven't made it to the decorating stage of moving in yet, but it's getting close.

It's a ridiculously large room and I AM NOT complaining. The door to the left of my loffice leads to the bathroom then through there is a walk-in closet. That's probably a major reason the bedroom itself looks so empty; it's not cluttered up with drawers and other furniture. I'll have to post pics of how the closet is organized when I'm finished with it. It soothes my brain and I love it. 😁

So there are 3 beds in this room - our king-size that we share, my full-size that is the top of the loft, and a twin-size pull-out at the bottom of the loft. When we lived in Anniston and I had my old pack of dogs they slept on the pull-out. I used to love waking up and being able to check on them simply by looking down. Anyway, I'm not trying to get in my feelings right now so back on track I go. 

Shaun and I share this room with our 3 "special" cats:  Sindar (who is the oldest), Ember (who is the scardiest but who is photo-bombing the pics), and Adrian (who is the smallest and sweetest and gets picked on). Their bathroom is in our bathroom and that works out fine. Much better than having litter boxes on the carpet, anyway. 

I'll put captions under the photos with a bit more description for anyone who is interested. Also, the walls are a weird purple / gray that I didn't intend and it looks more or less purple depending on the lighting. We like it, though. Usually. 😂

I took this photo from the bathroom door. Ember wanted to be in it. 😂 Entrance to the room is to the right beside that cool retro table we inherited from Shaun's parents. Poor table is cluttered and holding my plants that I'm trying desperately to make live. I'm working on all of that.

Corner view showing our little balcony. You can probably tell which side of the bed is mine and which is Shaun's. He only sleeps under a sheet and sometimes that thin fuzzy black blanket. I sleep under the sheet, my JSU graduation blanket Shaun bought me, and my weighted blanket that's in the colorful duvet. Sometimes there's even one more blanket on top of me. I like to be mashed while I sleep, I guess. 😂

From the left: bathroom door, loffice, balcony, Ember. Hanging on either side of the balcony are the anniversary gifts Shaun's given me. A paper succulent he made by hand and a Tree of Life (which was on our wedding cake) plant hanger. He's so thoughtful and sweet.

I've been eyeballing these skates for literal months...

I've been eyeballing these skates for literal months and they showed up at my house today. If anything stinks it's me because I'm spoiled. 😂😂😂 Shaun is the sweetest. ❤️

These came with pink wheels and pink laces but I changed them out. I put on the indoor light-up wheels that Shaun got me for my birthday and these laces from my speed skates because they were super too long for those skates, anyway. I added white toe-guards because I love these and don't want to scuff them up. So now I have a super nice, super pretty, super colorful pair of skates for the rink. I just have to hope the pandemic dies down enough that I'm not too scared to go inside places soon. 

I ordered some shorter laces for my speed skates and I'm putting black toe-guards on those when the laces arrive. That'll make the mustache pop. 😃 I think they'll look great. They should have their make-over sometime on Friday.

So I have a pair of skates for every possible occasion now. Outside, inside, speed-skating... I just need to make myself worthy of them. I feel like I've hit a plateau with what I can achieve on my own. Video tutorials have only taken me so far. Now I need people to critique my form and tell me how I'm messing up with new things I try. I'm planning to start attending derby practice now that I'm more steady and confident on my feet.

Anyway, just wanted to show off these beauties. They are so colorful and bright that they made my heart happy today. ❤️

Calypso, aka Club Soda.

Calypso, aka Club Soda.

Hands down the worst cat. 😂

Vanessa Power is feeling thankful with Blu Stephens.

"This amazing lady right here!! Blu Stephens met me at North Domingo Baca skatepark for a roller skating session in the sunshine today, and ended up being my ambulance and personal assistant for the rest of the afternoon. She drove me to the emergency room, entertained another very, very chatty patient in the waiting room, while I did Lamaze breathing in order not to scream profanities due to the pain in my right shoulder. She even managed to make me laugh at moments when I was holding back tears. She then drove me to Walgreen’s to pick up my pain prescription. Drove me back to the skatepark to pick up my car, followed me back to my apartment, and carried all my skate gear upstairs for me. All without a single complaint. All with the patience of a saint. And now she is on call in case I need a ride to the ortho doctor tomorrow. I am humbled and thankful and will give her a huge hug…..when I can lift my right arm again.

Thanks for being a wonderful human! 

Skate buddies forever!"

I got my roll on today.

I got my roll on today. It's sunny and in the upper 30s. Shockingly, I didn't even need a jacket!  The sun here is AMAZING. As long as there's no freezing wind it feels nice while the sun's out. 

Butt padding and new helmet courtesy of my mom for Christmas. I had on my ear-covering visor and didn't realized how stupidly I was wearing my helmet. You'd think SOMEONE *ahem Shaun* might have pointed it out, but whatever. 😂 I'll make sure it's on better next time.

I had fun. I needed some exercise! ❤️

The business end of Cubba.

The business end of Cubba. You'd think the end with teeth would be more deadly, but the farts that come out of this dog... PHEW!

I don't do New Years resolutions; however...

I don't do New Years resolutions; however, I thought about a thing I'd like to do and realized that today would be the perfect day to start (because the date is easy to remember).

I used to post all of my stuff on MySpace.  Then the world switched to Facebook and so did I (eventually).  I have blogs that are so sadly neglected that I've been meaning to update for literal years.  Facebook didn't make it easy to keep similar content together until you could put text-only in albums but there is still a ton of content that I just wouldn't easily see by going through albums.

Then I thought:  Facebook Memories.  I'm going to slowly but surely update my blogs using Facebook Memories because there is a lot of stuff that I would like to have better organized and I really don't want to lose it should Facebook go the way of MySpace.

So... now I have a thing to do that starts today.  I'm going to put a task reminder in my phone to stay on track.  That means I will update (at least) 11 years worth of content day by day until the end of this year.  I guess I'm a nerd because I am honestly pretty excited.

Haha.  I played myself into having a resolution - on New Years Day. 😂😂😂

My current plan for this blog:

I had such grand plans to update this blog with all of my rescue, rehab, and pet stories.  It's been literal years and I haven't found the time or energy to do it so I've come to the conclusion that it's not going to happen.  I've made the decision to be ok with that.  The way society switches from social media platform to social media platform makes it difficult to keep up and keep everything together.  I simply don't have the energy or willpower to cross-post pictures, videos, and stories repeatedly.

Most of the posts on this blog were saved from MySpace before it became what it is now.  After leaving MySpace I moved over to using Facebook primarily and pretty much neglected blogging.  Facebook has changed a lot over the years and for a long time you could not add posts without photos to albums.  That has changed now, thank goodness, but it means that many of my animal posts would not be easily found.  On the bright side, it is the first day of 2022 and Facebook Memories are now a thing so I will do my very best to check my memories every day this year and cross-post any animal-related posts that I find.  That will be a very slow but steady way to get my animal posts together.

Other than that, the current plan is to buy a domain name sometime in the near future and create a webpage for myself.  Until I get that up and running, here is a list of links to my easily-found animal posts and albums on Facebook:

Foster Kids

Rehab

Forever Kids

Bugs

First accomplishment of the New Year:

First accomplishment of the New Year:  I passed my first ServiceNow Delta exam. 😁