The other day Shaun really had me giggling like crazy at 3 in the morning.

The other day Shaun really had me giggling like crazy at 3 in the morning.

We'd stayed up later than we wanted to and usually when that happens he crashes hard and fast when we go to bed. That night was no exception. But when he crashes that hard he snores. Usually if he snores I shake him a little and he'll adjust his position. I GUESS that's still an accurate description of what he did, but it was so much weirder than usual. 😂😂😂

So I shook him a little. And this time - for whatever reason - he IMMEDIATELY clutched his pillow to his chest and rolled mostly off the bed. 😂😂😂 He ended up with his pillow still clutched to his chest, head popped up facing me, torso on the bed, legs kind of standing / squatting. In my half-asleep mind I was like "What in the hell just happened?! 😂😂😂"

So I was like "Hey, you were snoring. I just needed you to move a little."

He mumbled something unintelligible in return.

Me:  "Hey. You can get back in the bed."

*stares blankly*

"Bud, put your legs back in the bed!"

*continues staring*

So at that point I was like "He's not listening" and I decided to watch him. He eventually nodded off on the pillow he was still clutching while his bottom half stood / squatted at the edge of the bed. I had started to wake up because it was weird and I wanted to see what would happen. 😂😂😂

After a few minutes his head popped up off the pillow suddenly and he was looking towards me again. So I tried again: "Hey, get in the bed." After a long pause he slowly climbed the rest of the way back into the bed and passed back out immediately. The next morning he remembered exactly none of this. 😂😂😂

I have no idea what caused that reaction this time, but it was so goofy. He's calmed down in his sleep a LOT over the years, but I guess he still has a fight or flight response sometimes. He cracks me up. I love his weird self so much. He definitely keeps life interesting - even in our sleep. 😂

Look at Toebean.

Look at Toebean. So precious! Almost getting spooned by Cub. 😂

We're back from the vet with Scar.

We're back from the vet with Scar. He doesn't have any broken or fractured bones, thank goodness. But his back leg is swollen and very obviously painful to walk on. He's got antibiotics and pain meds and the doctor is going to call us on Friday to check on him.

This is gross, but last night Scar was on my lap as usual and he coughed a couple of times. Then me and Shaun were hit with an awful smell. Poor buddy sharted on our blanket when he coughed. 🙁 I wonder if his sore leg was preventing him from pooping. I bet it's hard to squat on one leg. 🙁

Anyway, he's medicated and full of wet food this morning. Hopefully, he'll be feeling all better soon. ❤️

Appointment first thing in the morning.

Appointment first thing in the morning. The best we could do without going to the emergency vet. 😕 He's getting lots of love tonight, though. ❤️

Cat News:

Cat News:

Scar (my boyfriend) hurt one of his back legs last night (out best guess as to what happened is that he jumped off of the refrigerator onto the hard tile). We are waiting for a call back from his vet today. If they can't get us in we will get him seen somewhere else. We don't think it's broken, but it looks worse than we'd imagine a sprain to be. That's the sad part.

The sweet part is that Shaun has been carrying him around like a baby since last night. In the morning and the evenings I give the cats a little bit of wet food. Scar usually eats his in the bathroom, and he's always so excited that he spins in a circle in the hall. Last night and this morning when it was wet food time, I told Shaun that Scar was excited and to spin him around. 😂😂😂

He could have refused. He did not, though. He twirled with my injured cat because the cat was excited.

I love this man with my whole heart. He's so kind and sweet and goofy. 💗💓💗💓💗

I'll keep you updated on Boyfriend's leg.

Yesterday, I had ALL THE FEELINGS...

Yesterday, I had ALL THE FEELINGS and I was SUPER exhausted by the end of the day. I couldn't sleep, though, because my brain was too excited. 😂 I guess I finally fell asleep around 4 this morning. Shaun woke me up at 1:30 this afternoon with a cheese Danish. That was amazing. ❤️

I've been a drowsy, lazy lump in the few hours I've been awake. I need to go repot some plants and make some plans, but I'm not feeling it yet. I might need to make another cup of tea and force myself into action. THAT sounds really fun. 🙄

You know what? I'm getting up. If I'm already not having fun, then I might as well do my chores and get all of the less-fun stuff out of the way. Thank you for letting me pep-talk myself. Also, I love you. ❤️

I'm in line at the Post Office...

I'm in line at the Post Office with goosebumps and my hair standing on end, trying not to throw up, crying happy tears.

I'M IN! I GOT THE JOB! I don't even know what to do with myself.

I'll be heading to Cincinnati for training next month. I'll be gone for 3 months so I need to figure out an apartment or long-term hotel situation. After that I'll be working from home, making more money than I ever have, with benefits I can't even fathom.

I think I've gone and done it. I think I changed my life.

#LFG

I love so many of Sipsey Wilder's accessories...

I love so many of Sipsey Wilder's accessories - especially the different sizes / shapes of the fanny packs.  I did not think I could love them any more when they busted out with AXOLOTL MERCH.  Already ordered one.  How could I not?

https://sipseywilder.com/search?q=axolotls

One of the guys who interviewed me...

One of the guys who interviewed me recommended this video - Sounds of Sorting Algorithms.

It is EXTREMELY visually pleasing to me and it sounds like old school arcade games.  You should watch it!

My lullaby last night.

My lullaby last night. Volume up! 😂

Today has been a good day so far!

Today has been a good day so far!

I feel that the final interview went well. I met 2 more people from the company that I'm applying to and it felt like we had a good chat. No matter what happens I'm grateful for the experience, but I do really hope that I'll be chosen. I would absolutely love to be a part of that team. I should know something no later than the 29th!

After my interview Shaun and I went to update our licenses with our new names it felt really nice to check that off of our to-do list. Before we went home we stopped and got burritos. I got a tea and he got a coffee. All was delicious and exactly what I wanted.

I got home and chatted with Janet and that was super nice because I missed our chat last week. While talking I told her about an injured squirrel that visited our feeder a few days ago. I told her I was worried about him because I hadn't seen him in some days. Wouldn't you know that before we hung up little baby showed up! He looked a bit better this visit, thank goodness.

So far I'm battling a headache with Tylenol and Ibuprofen. Hopefully I won't have to take migraine meds today and if I do I hope it will be much later in the day. But so far, so good! I'm going to get some rest and then I plan to keep myself busy for some days to keep the anxiety at bay. Until I know something about the job I will be obsessively refreshing my email! 😂

I hope you all are doing well! ❤️

I'm at a doctor appointment...

I'm at a doctor appointment with Kira. Her doctor was called into emergency surgery and we're going to have a (gasp!) *possible* 30 minute wait. We were told this up front when she checked in and given bottles of water in our room.

Do I even have to say it? 😂 I fucking LOVE IT HERE.

This is how I know he's my boyfriend.

This is how I know he's my boyfriend. Look at how he looks at me. 😍

Shaun and I went to the local park this morning...

Shaun and I went to the local park this morning with Cub for some exercise and were greeted by these two sweet boys. Another person at the park told us that a lady in a van dumped them and called Animal Control.

We weren't planning to leave them at the park alone, of course. I had barely posted these guys to Facebook and Nextdoor, looked up the local rescue, and drafted an email offering to TEMP foster when Animal Control showed up. My mind was BLOWN because after dealing with animal services in Alabama - this is NEXT LEVEL. W.o.w. 

I'm going to edit my email and let the local rescue know that these cuties are now with Animal Control and ask about how both AC and the rescue works. I'm hoping someone can help these babies if they aren't already someone's pets. They looked very healthy and had collars on so I'm not sure what their backstory is, but hopefully they'll have a happy ending.

Also, one of the puppies was startled when the AC worker picked him up and yelped and Cubba LOST IT. He said they better be gentle with those babies! ❤️❤️❤️ He's the bestest boy!

Is this real life?!

Is this real life?!

THIRD INTERVIEW SCHEDULED FOR THURSDAY.

🤩

The other day...

The other day I was struck by a very random memory of being SUPER young.... like 3 years old (if that) and in this memory I was crushing up Saltine crackers and trying to fill up my dad's belly button. I never could get it full, though.

This prompted me to poke my finger into Shaun's belly button... at which time I proclaimed "You have a shallow-ass belly button."

He, uh... He didn't quite know how to take that. 😂😂😂 But I'm 100% sure I could fill his belly button with crushed crackers in no time. Maybe even with just one Saltine. 🤔

We just gave Leon a shot.

We just gave Leon a shot. We are all SO grateful that next Saturday is his last one. We've been stabbing that boy nightly since April and he's honestly been the most unbelievably patient, wonderful kitty about it, but we know he especially is DONE.

Tonight he made a little fuss when we injected him and right after Shadow burst out laughing. We all looked at him like "What's funny?" and then he explained that that Leon's fussy meow sounded like he was falling off a cliff. He was absolutely right, too, and we all laughed after that.

We are all exhausted tonight and I am pretty sure that this is the least fun part of the day for all of us, but sometimes you just need to laugh. Leon always gets treats and wet food after his shot and of course lots of loving from Kira so I really hope he knows we don't enjoy hurting him. Poor little Gramson. He's a trooper, though.

Went on a walk this evening...

Went on a walk this evening and the sunset was STUNNING. These photos are not edited at all. Look at them enlarged, for real.

I spent yesterday celebrating...

I spent yesterday celebrating that I think the interview went well. I did that by buying cupcakes and going to the park, then having a movie night with Shaun and the kids. The rest of the day was spent trying to chill down to manage my stress level and hopefully avoid a let-down migraine.

I've been headache-y today so I've been chill and napped, but I'm ok. Now it's time to get back to work! I asked the interviewers if they had feedback for me and they said to keep working on my JavaScript (which I'd already begun doing in preparation for the interview / job), so I'm headed back to Codecademy to do just that. So far, so good!

I hope you all are having a lovely weekend. I'm hanging with the fam and making progress towards some goals, so no complaints here! ❤️

Look at this cat.

Look at this cat. He's had a hard, busy day of bird and squirrel-watching. He's literally taking up all of my legs. 😂😂😂

Ok. Ok then.

Ok. Ok then.

I don't want to speak too soon, but I think that went WELL. I had so much fun at that interview. We talked nerd shit and it was awesome. Wow.

#LFG

Haha.

Haha. I woke up today with a toothache. I think I unknowingly flossed the same filling out again... I have no idea when, but apparently long enough ago for it to start getting infected.

Interview in an hour!

I'm shockingly calm right now. I'll let you know if that changes. 😂

❤️❤️❤️

I'm a dang mess right now.

I'm a dang mess right now.

I get migraines when I'm excited. I have an interview on Friday for the holy grail of jobs. Of course I'm excited. Excited to DEATH. 😂😂😂😭😭😭

Also when I went to the botanical garden the other day I took a chance and went sleeveless because it was early in the morning and we weren't staying long. I did slather myself in 100 SPF before we left, but the skin on my arms bubbled up and I've been sick ever since.

I'd planned to spend the week preparing for my interview. Instead, I've taken migraine meds and slept for 3 days in a row. I've been hit with a PMS / sun allergy / excitement combo and it's ROUGH.

If I'm slow to respond just know it's not personal. I hope you all are doing well. ❤️

We went to a botanical park this morning...

We went to a botanical park this morning and had a walk with Cub. Not trying to overload everyone with photos today, but here are a few:

Shaun is always making faces for photos. 😂 But why is my husbang so cute, though?! He has the best face. 😍😍😍

This was taken shortly before we left... at which time I called him a Nasty Trickster for having me reach into his pocket for the car keys only to find something disgusting there instead.

(It was CHANGE! 🤮🤮🤮 Get your mind out of the gutter!)

Interesting layers in this rock.

I tried to be as fair with this photo as I could; as in, not some weird forced-perspective trick. This bloom was STUPID TALL.

Here's a fun game: Spot the bun.

Also, peep those mountains in the back. You might have seen them in Stranger Things. Those are our beloved Sandia Mountains.

Boyfriend was supervising...

Boyfriend was supervising and said that the furry bird had eaten enough. Cubba came over to manage the situation. He said "I thought we couldn't do that?!" and then gave the cat a dirty look.

Oh, the drama. 😂😂😂

Video

These furry birds sure have fat cheeks. 😂😂😂

These furry birds sure have fat cheeks. 😂😂😂

I am nauseated.

I am nauseated.

I have a second interview for the job I super want coming up on Friday, and PMS time is upon me.

I don't know which of those things to blame my nausea on.  😂😂😂

Happy Weekend, friends!

Me and Shaun have basically turned into my MaMaw and PaPaw. 😂

Me and Shaun have basically turned into my MaMaw and PaPaw. 😂 They both loved to watch the hummingbirds on their front porch. We now have hummingbird feeders up in the front and back yards, and also seed bird feeders.

Shaun has security cameras everywhere, but also one on the window aimed at the bird feeder. This is my favorite. We get alerts on our phones when we get visitors looking for a snack. We can either go to the window or watch them on the video feed. We caught this super-furry bird eating earlier, plus a bonus little hummingbird in flight. 😍

This is the front window next to where me and Cub and the cats sit so we're all enjoying the outdoor visitors. Cub is learning not to bark the furry birds away, Tobi likes to pat them through the window, and Boyfriend likes to chatter at the little hummingbirds. It's fun for all of us. 😊

We're out doing errands and Cub is with us...

OMG. We're out doing errands and Cub is with us. We stopped by Piñion Coffee and they gave him this ding-dang-diddily adorable pup cup. The workers talked to him, as well, and he of course ate it up. I love that dogs are family here. My heart is melting.

Just look at this sexy boy...

Just look at this sexy boy all splayed out. He kills me. 😍❤️😂

Watching Stranger Things...

Watching Stranger Things and just recognized the skating rink. That's where I went skating back in December!

Holy shit. I love it here.

The storm is over and it's beautiful outside.

The storm is over and it's beautiful outside. There was a brief rainbow, but I missed a photo of it. We're all out here appreciating the beauty. You can see Shadow taking photos in my bottom left corner.

New Mexico skies are gorgeous.

It's literally a loud thunderstorm...

It's literally a loud thunderstorm with rain starting to fall and this is what it looks like. So sunny and dark and beautiful.

Holy shit, y'all.

Holy shit, y'all. If you ever need your skin, eyeballs, teeth, or lungs exfoliated then come take a walk in a New Mexico "breeze." 😂😂😂

I love it here and I love the windy days, but this walk with Cub and Shaun was a WHOLE EXPERIENCE. 😂😂😂

OMG. Shaun is the best Papa.

OMG. Shaun is the best Papa. I love him more than words can say.

He's comforting this scared, trembling puppy. Cub wants no one but Shaun.

Wow.

Wow. Our house is situated in such a way that we can see fireworks from all over the city. That is wild.

I haven't left home on an Independence Day evening in many years so I'm used to missing out on the shows. I'm not a big fan of fireworks because of how they affect animals and people with PTSD, but they are pretty. It's neat that now I don't even have to leave to see a bunch of them if I want to.

I see you, Watermelon Oolong.

Ok. Ok. I see you, Watermelon Oolong. This is NIIICE. A sugar cube and some ice just set it off.

This is the first Oolong I've liked. Definitely gonna keep exploring that.

Ugh - I love this stupid cat so much. 😂😂😂❤️❤️❤️

Ugh - I love this stupid cat so much. 😂😂😂❤️❤️❤️

He's (thankfully) not being a brat and demanding lap time at the moment, but yesterday I scratched Bastian on the head and Boyfriend turned around and YELLED at me! It didn't even sound like a "Meow" - I was definitely in trouble! 😂😂😂 I don't know who he thinks he is talking to like that! He better be glad he's cute! 😂

I'm tryna make sure I'm ready for the interview...

I'm tryna make sure I'm ready for the interview I have coming up, but Balthazar needs some snuggles, I guess.

"Let me just squeeeeze in. You won't even notice I'm here." 😂😂😂

Hard Agree

I think it's culturally time for us to re-frame how we think about the uterus.

It's not a nurturing organ—it doesn't need to be. A fetus is frighteningly good at getting the resources it needs to nurture itself. If they are implanted anywhere other than the womb (most often the fallopian tube, but also sometimes the bladder, intestine, pelvic muscles and connective tissue, and the liver) placental cells will rip through a body, slaughtering everything in their path as they seek out arteries to slake their hunger for nutrients.

Fetal cells will happily grow in any of these places, digesting and puncturing tissue, paralyzing and enlarging arteries, raising blood pressure to feed itself more, faster; but it will be unable to be ejected. It's no coincidence that genes involved in embryonic development have been implicated in how cancer spreads.

Rather than a soft cozy nest, a womb is a fortress designed to protect the person from the developing cells inside them.

Because of our huge and (metabolically speaking) expensive brains, human fetal development requires unrestricted access to a parent's blood supply, which makes pregnancy (and miscarriage) incredibly dangerous for the carrier. The uterus has evolved to control and restrict whether placental cells can get that access, and to eject it before it develops enough to kill the host. THE FUNCTION OF THE WOMB IS TO PROTECT THE PARENT'S LIFE. The very structure of the womb very firmly prioritizes the life of the parent over the life of the fetus.

Even with modern medical care, at least 800 people die EVERY DAY from pregnancy (and childbirth-related causes). Among developed countries, the United States has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the world, and Texas has one of the highest rates within that. The rate is even higher when viewed among BIPOC only.

Pregnancy may be necessary for the continuation of the species, but it is not a joke. It is a life-threatening event, a parasitic attack on a human body; just one we have romanticized and been desensitized to.

The "miracle" of birth is that we have a protective organ designed to, if all goes well, let us survive it. It doesn't always go well. It is life or death. Someone who chooses to get pregnant, stay pregnant, and carry a fetus to delivery is legitimately choosing to risk their life to do it. Nobody else has the right to make anyone do that, and nobody should be punished or vilified for not wanting to do it. Forcing someone to carry a pregnancy, ANY pregnancy, is attempted murder.

—Anonymous via UniteWomen.org

Cubba's not having a great time with the fireworks.

Cubba's not having a great time with the fireworks. Doesn't help that Balthazar is snuggling him and Bastian keeps giving him a dirty look for being too close. 😂

Cubba handles the fireworks...

Cubba handles the fireworks better than my pack ever did, but I still run the group, still spend the holiday glued to FB for timely post approval, and my words from before are still true.  Well, except that we've more than doubled in members since 2016.

PLEASE take care of the innocents in your charge, today, tomorrow, and always.  ❤

Me and the kid are in the floor with a shaking, cowering pile of dogs.  I'm on Facebook, rapidly approving lost and found posts in Happy Tails Lost & Found Pets of Calhoun County.  This is how we spend Fourth of July. 

If you have pets and haven't yet secured them and assured their safety, please do it now if they haven't run away in terror.  If you can't find them, post them ASAP.  We have just shy of 5000 members in the local area, so maybe your fur-child can be found before it's run over by a car.  Don't mean to be a damper on everyone's party, but seriously - take care of the innocents in your charge, this evening and always.  Thank you.

Oh, I miss Math so much!

Oh, I miss Math so much! This is an interesting problem!

I've felt very grateful this week for where we are.

I've felt very grateful this week for where we are. I went with a friend to the tea shop and it was such a lovely visit. I am so happy for all of the nice things around us - even (maybe especially) those we've yet to discover.

Coming from a small town to a place that has things I'm interested in feels amazing. I am really enjoying getting to know our new hometown and there is so much we haven't even seen yet. I'm just soaking it all in.

Yesterday me, Kira, and Kalien went to a neat little Boba and Ramen shop. The food and drinks were so good and the place was decorated adorably. I don't even know where I'm going with this. I'm just happy. This is just a rambly appreciation post, I guess.

Right now I'm trying this house tea blend from the New Mexico Tea Company. I've never had a smoked tea before, but it's interesting (in a good way). I like it.

Also, there is this:

Gov. Lujan Grisham takes action to safeguard abortion access, protect New Mexico health care providers

I feel so cared-for here. I feel safer than I ever have. I'm so grateful every day that we made it out of Alabama.

I had the skate park to myself again this morning.

I had the skate park to myself again this morning. It was nice - a new park this time. The half pipe was super-smooth. The regular pavement was less great, but still fun. I only wish I'd gone earlier.

We need this treatment available. Full stop.

We need this treatment available.  Full stop.

Cub seems to be back to normal...

Cub seems to be back to normal - thank goodness. I would have updated yesterday, but I slept on the couch again the night before and felt pretty awful yesterday. Shaun and I both slept in our room last night and it was nice that we both got some rest.

I've been battling tension headaches for a few days now. I think that worrying about the pup and sleeping badly really got to me, but hopefully I'll feel better soon, too.

I hope you all are doing well. ❤️