Kira's wisdom tooth removal went well.

Kira's wisdom tooth removal went well. They had planned to do all 4 at once, but we decided on doing 2 on one side. It seemed excessive to do 4 at once.

So far I'm healing up ok. I'm about to get brave and try to eat some pizza. 😂 I know I haven't been responding to comments - I've been resting a lot. I'll get around to it in the next few days.

I hope y'all are doing well. ❤️

I'm feeling ok - just tired.

I'm feeling ok - just tired. Tylenol and Ibuprofen are keeping any pain in check for now. I'm sorry to anyone I haven't responded to. I've been resting and taking it easy since this afternoon. I'm actually probably about to call it a night soon.

Shaun went back with me for the procedure and I think he's the one needing checked on. He's always had terrible experiences with dentists and I think he was triggered today by the sounds. He's been wayyy more off than I have today. I am usually really happy to go to the dentist and today was no exception. I must have been a hippo or a crocodile in a past life because I could just about go to sleep with someone working in my mouth.

Anyway. I'm finishing up some things and going to bed. I hope y'all are doing well! ❤️

I just had my top 2 left wisdom teeth removed.

I just had my top 2 left wisdom teeth removed. One was fully grown in and the other was coming in sideways. They shared a little cavity where they met. The dentist said it's better to remove them now rather than when I'm older.

Kira's next. She's got a sideways one trying to come in. Her appointment is later this week.

Oh, Harley.

Oh, Harley. Yes, this is exactly the reason we put covers on the couch - so you can burrow under them for a snug, hidden nap. 😂😂😂

I spent some time away from home this week.

I spent some time away from home this week.  I went to see Sabrina since we're not sure how much longer she'll be with us.

I guess we have a weird relationship.  She's a few years older than me and used to babysit me and my brother.  Our moms used to be best friends.  Needless to say - we spent some time together when we were younger.  As we grew up and grew apart we lost touch, but reconnected on here a couple of years ago.  I saw her a couple of times before she left Alabama and it was always great hanging out with her and catching up.  Though I lived a much more sheltered life than she did and you would think we don't have much in common, we can literally sit and talk for hours on end.  I don't know if it's because we share so much history or what, but she feels more like family than anything else to me.

We talked on the phone not long ago and she mentioned me coming to visit now that she lives in Phoenix.  I thought about it and decided to go.  I'm not working or anything at the moment so why the hell not?  I spent a few days with her, the pups, and her friend / roommate Beth.  It was a really fun time.  My last night there especially felt like a slumber party and it was awesome.  We did nails, karaoke in the bedroom, ordered pizza, listened to music, and just talked and enjoyed each other's company.  I've promised her that if she's still kicking on her birthday in May that I'll come back for a pool party.

I didn't see much of Arizona except for my drive to Phoenix and back, but that's ok - I went to see Sabrina.  Arizona will be there.  I will say that I drove through some mountainous areas that were gorgeous.  The first silhouette of a Saguaro I saw against the sunset on the mountain made me feel like I could die happy. Then there was a forest of them!  I loved seeing the yards full of cacti and palm trees.  It felt like a whole new world.  I would love to take the kids and Shaun and go explore.  Maybe we will one day.  Anyway, this was the first time I drove hundreds of miles away from home and back by myself and it felt pretty liberating.  I felt free.

Overall, I am grateful for the whole experience.  I am really glad I got to see my friend while I still could and I hope it's not the last time I do.  I would much rather have this time with her than a bunch of regrets about missed opportunities after she's gone.  Here are some photos of us and the pups.  We basically lived in pajamas the whole time I was there so pardon our fanciness.  I hope it's not too much for y'all to handle. 😂

Me, Sabrina, and Jerseybell

Me and Beth. I don't know what I'm doing with my face. 😂

Me and Sambosy. He gives big wet smooches.

Today is our girl's 22nd birthday.

Today is our girl's 22nd birthday. We are so grateful she came into our lives. We didn't do a big, spectacular celebration, but we did take her shopping, give her a few presents, and get takeout from Red Lobster. I promised to paint her nails today, too - if she ever comes back downstairs. 😂 Shaun found a bakery to make her a strawberry shortcake like she wanted. We really hope her day was good and that she knows how much she is loved.

Happy Birthday, Kira! We love you! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I haven't bragged on her in a minute, but...

I haven't bragged on her in a minute, but Kira has still been at it. These are some of the things she's made recently, and OF COURSE they were delicious. 

I was talking to my mom earlier and was about to get off the phone because I was hungry and as if by magic a pancake appeared from behind the couch not 10 seconds later. 😂😂😂 That's how she do. Sneak the food up on you when you least expect it. 😂

Speaking of sneaking the food... when she made those Snickerdoodles Shaun was EXHAUSTED... but Kira made him stay awake long enough to try one. 😂 He loved them and said they'd be good with icing and then went to bed. So then she looked up an icing recipe and made some. It didn't turn out acceptable by her standards, but the fact that she tried was sweet. We are so lucky to have this kid. ❤️

Homemade peanut butter cups

Snickerdoodles

Sugar cookies with Reese's pieces

After hibernating for the last few weeks...

After hibernating for the last few weeks and focusing on nothing but my nail polish database I finally left the house today and had a nice time. I guess I've gone on short walks near home a few times, but by and large I've been on my butt in front of the computer for most of that time.

Anyway, Shaun and I packed up Cub and went to the park. They had a lap around the walking trail while I skated for a bit; it was a lot of fun and I didn't fall (I also didn't try anything tricky or new), but I can tell that I am out of practice. I have gotta start making it a priority again now that the weather is beautiful.

After their lap, Cub and Shaun came to me at the skating area and I put my shoes back on and we all walked to the dog park area. Cubba went in and got his sniffs. A very excited pup ran between my legs. Cubba peed and then kicked for a comically long time. Like, ridiculously long. All eyes were on him before he was finished. 😂😂😂 Not long after that he was at the gate - ready to go. Dog business accomplished, I guess. 😂

Before we left I let my little Tort Baby out and he seemed to really enjoy exploring. He walked for probably 2 hours. I trimmed his beak some because it was getting long. He needs a bath and a little more grooming, but I'll get photos of his little sexy self soon. I've missed him so much and I'm happy he awake now.

Anyway, it's been a pretty good day and it was nice to move my body instead of sitting like a lump. I need to learn to be better at life balance. 😂😂😂 Well, I'm off for now. I hope you all are doing well! ❤️

Oh, to be this dog.

Oh, to be this dog. He was in Shaun's lap, but Shaun had to move so to make it up to this not-at-all spoiled mutt he wadded up a blanket as a make-shift pillow and stuffed it under his head and then tucked him in with a blanket. Shaun spoils the ones he loves. I guess being married to him is the next best thing to being his pet. 😂😂😂❤️❤️❤️

Today is Shadow's birthday...

Today is Shadow's birthday and I think he had a pretty nice day. We gave him a few small gifts, ordered takeout from a place he wanted to try, and watched the most recent Spiderman movie as a family. He was excited about that and it was fun to see him that way. 😊 Kira also made him this delicious homemade Hershey Pie and it was damn good. 

It's hard to believe that our not-so-little boy is 22; I'm grateful for the time with him, but it sure has flown by. Here's to 22 years and many, many more! Happy Birthday, Shadow! ❤️

I was chilling on the couch earlier...

I was chilling on the couch earlier and heard Cubba wagging his tail. I looked over and he was asleep. I wonder if he was dreaming about meeting that kid yesterday... He usually runs and barks and growls in his sleep. I hope that doesn't mean he usually has nightmares.

I'm sharing this again...

I'm sharing this again because it's one of my favorite things anyone has ever done for me.  I wore this polish the day we got married and still haven't gotten a great photo of it yet.  I am going to have to change that.  (It's not what's on my nails in the photo - that's just what I was wearing when he gave it to me.)

Happy 4 years of marriage to my favorite person - Shaun, of course!  I love doing life with you.  You've been my best friend for almost 14 years and those have been the happiest 14 years of my life.  Even if you hadn't asked me to marry you in such a creative and thoughtful way I would have said yes.

I wish I could think of something more thoughtful to say, but since we've had our date and I'm in a food coma over here my brain is a little tired.  😂 I'm glad you don't regret tying yourself to me in a legal way (I ask him about that periodically - gotta keep my finger on the pulse, ya know?)  I enjoy being your legal spouse, as well.  😂  More than that I love the life that we have been slowly but surely building for ourselves.  It's more amazing than I ever dared to dream.

Digest, my love.  I'll take you for ice cream later.  ❤

I was going to skate today...

I was going to skate today since it's been a while (among cold, snow, dust storms, and me hyper-focusing on my database I haven't skated in a few weeks), but Shaun woke up with a headache this morning and took an impromptu nap before we were planning to leave this afternoon.  The weather here was great (in the 50s with sunshine!) but it gets significantly colder when the sun goes down so I opted to walk at the park with Shaun and Cubba rather than spend the time putting on my skate gear.  That went pretty well.

There was a dad and little boy playing at the park and Cubba DESPERATELY wanted to meet the little kid.  The dad asked if his son could pet him and we were like "Yes!"  So we made new friends.  🙂  The little boy's name is Luca and he just turned 2 yesterday.  He was super friendly and reminded me of Shadow when he was younger.  Ah, my heart.  I got 2 hugs without even asking.  Cubba loved all over him and got a bunch of hugs and pets, too.  I don't know why Cub is so good with kids but he loves them.

After that me and Shaun and Cub picked up dinner at a drive-though and came home.  I love that Cub can go just about anywhere here.  I know it was just a drive-though, but we see dogs everywhere here.  In other cars, on walks, coming in and out of places... it's awesome.  They are just furry family members here and that makes my heart so happy.  It makes Cub happy, too, because he's a social butterfly and needs to make ALL OF THE FRIENDS - human or not.

I'm glad that spring is coming and really glad that the whole family seems to like it and feel safe here.  Shadow went on a jog yesterday.  He left from home and jogged to the nearby park and back.  That is not something we could have done at any place we ever lived in Alabama.  He used to walk barely down the street as a teen in Anniston to visit a friend and I was always so scared.  Here, so many people walk alone or with other people or dogs (or cats!  Yes, I've seen that.), or run, or cycle, or skateboard that it's not suspicious or creepy and I don't feel too concerned at all.  I love that and wish everyone could feel this secure.

Well, I'm rambling and I'm sorry about it.  I'm just feeling grateful for life here and it kinda spilled out of me. I guess I'll end this post now.  I hope you all are doing well.  ❤

We got permission to operate our solar panels yesterday...

We got permission to operate our solar panels yesterday so we're finally up and running! We have an app that tracks how much energy they're producing and it's looking like we're going to be able to cover most of our energy needs with solar power. Our power bill will be $8/month as a base operational fee from the power company plus whatever electricity we use from them.

Our last power bill was $224.00. We've been here almost 6 months and that's the highest it's been, but all 4 of us are home almost always so we've constantly got things turned on and running. I'm excited to see how much the bill will change over the next few months now that our system is operational. This is something I've wanted to be able to do for so long and I'm so happy it's finally done.

I woke up today feeling overwhelmed...

I woke up today feeling overwhelmed and stayed in bed FAR too late.  I had errands to run and a doctor's appointment today and just wasn't feeling any of it.  It's kind of my own fault because all I want to do is work on my database right now and it's hard to get up the motivation to do anything else.  But this post isn't about that.

Once I was finally up I told Shaun how I was feeling and he drove me around to do my errands (which was a big help).  By the time I got that stuff checked off of my to-do list I was feeling a good bit better.  Shaun also offered to drive me to my doctor's appointment and I took him up on that, as well.  It's amazing how gestures of support like that can change my day.  I'm always so grateful for him.

During my doctor appointment, though, was when my day absolutely went from "This is ok." to "Holy shit, I'm happy and excited!"  I was due for a coochie-probing and while that is usually not very fun today it was AWESOME.

For one:  I have a new doctor and he's a little bit goofy - which I LOVE.  He always jokes around with me and has a good sense of humor.  So does the nurse who's usually with him.  So I felt comfortable enough today to ask him to take a picture of my cervix.  Y'all, he did it!  I have a picture of my cervix and now I've seen it.  That made my WHOLE day!  Or should I say my HOLE day?  😂😂😂

He asked if I had kids and I told him I birthed a son almost 22 years ago.  He asked me if it was via c-section and I said no.  He showed me on my photo that my cervix looked like it had never given birth which is pretty neat.  I told him I was young and probably bounced back but he said they don't usually do that.  He also said that my vaginal tissue was beautiful, pink, and healthy.  So I ain't gonna lie - I honestly just fucking loved that.  My downstairs business is in good shape!

I know this post is gonna weird some of y'all out and I'm sorry about it, but I've been having the goods examined for more than half of my life now and several doctors have seen a part of me that I haven't and I just didn't think that was fair.  I like to see things and know things about my body.  Hell, if I could have surgeries while awake and watching I probably would.  I'm pretty sure that my curiosity knows no bounds and I am NOT sorry about that.

Anyway, I came out of the appointment almost skipping.  Shaun was waiting for me in the car and he could tell the minute I came out of there how excited I was.  I've been happy-dancing for the last few hours.  I saw my cervix, y'all!  😁😁😁

This is not a flattering photo of me...

This is not a flattering photo of me and it was taken in the dark so the quality is bad, but I don't care. Adrian has decided that she's my snuggle buddy and it's too sweet. For the last few weeks this is how I fall asleep at night.

While it's precious as fuck there are some drawbacks. Either she's the juiciest wuss I've ever met or her lack of teeth contribute to this, but when she bathes before falling asleep she showers me in her spit. 😂😂😂 I keep tissue nearby and it's not a big deal, but it WAS quite a surprise the first time it happened.

Also last night she apparently woke up and decided that my cheek was dirty because I awoke in the night to PAIN. She licked my cheek RAW and was still going when I woke up to stop her. Hopefully that doesn't become a habit. My skin gives me enough trouble as it is. Either way, though, I'm enjoying the love. She's a sweetheart. ❤️

Tort Baby is awake again!

Tort Baby is awake again! He ate some salad and a blueberry. My heart and whole everything is happy. I've MISSED him! ❤️

This is his favorite seat.

This is his favorite seat. He gets to keep an eye on things through the window while being COMFY. You can't convince me that he's not rotten. 😂

Boyfriend took good care of me today.

Boyfriend took good care of me today. He was my little spoon for most of the day as I laid around with my groggy headache trying to recover.

At some point Cubba got on the couch and was my big spoon. I think everyone could tell I wasn't feeling well. I love these sweet kids. ❤️

I needed to do some things today, but I had nightmares and woke up around 7 with a migraine brewing.

I needed to do some things today, but I had nightmares and woke up around 7 with a migraine brewing. Took my meds and slept for most of the day. Now I'm just sitting here feeling foggy and groggy with a dull headache. How stupid.

He's asleep with his toes on his nose. 😂😂😂

He's asleep with his toes on his nose. 😂😂😂