Monday, June 30, 2025

Shaun has been talking about grilling food...

Shaun has been talking about grilling food off and on for a while. I talked to him about our food situation recently because I have no interest in cooking, so I'm rarely going to make healthy food (for myself or anyone else). We all just kind of fend for ourselves around here, and when we're tired of that we eat out. We want to do better.

I especially have issues with eating because I don't eat much meat, but if I had to cook it, I wouldn't eat any at all. I have the same trouble with eggs. I get grossed out by handling those things uncooked and by the time I get it done, I can't stomach it. I tend to have cycles of "safe foods" that I eat repeatedly and then go a while not really wanting anything. It's not great.

Shaun is similar to me about meat, but not to my extreme. We're a damn mess. 😂

So, we got an inexpensive charcoal grill and tried it out today. Shaun grilled tofu and it came out really good. I thought it would be chewy, but it wasn't. He grilled corn, carrots, cauliflower, and sausage, too. I ate everything but the sausage, and it was all delicious. We made wayyy too much food, so if the kids don't want any we're going to be eating it for days.

I helped with prep for everything but the sausage (not pictured).  But I think it went well for our first time.

We're definitely planning to collaborate on dinner more often than not now. He's open to trying cooking some types of meat, too, so that's nice, because I already know I won't. And it's great that we now know we can always throw tofu on the grill if we want to. I can help with prep for the grill and make sides or whatever, but I just have a hard line with dead animals.

Shaun cooked everything to varying degrees of done to see what we prefer. So far, he prefers the tofu more cooked than I do, but that's ok. He can always leave his on the grill for longer.


I'm getting my eyes checked Wednesday...

I'm getting my eyes checked Wednesday at Wal-Mart. I spend too much time taking my glasses off to see. I'm a mess, and I'm getting mild headaches that I think are related.

Story time!

Story time!

Last night, I stayed up late to redo my hard gel because my nails were in terrible shape. I wasn't sleepy because Shaun tried to murder me with incense earlier in the day, so I had to go upstairs to nap off a headache. So my sleep schedule was thrown off.

Cub had gone to bed with Shaun, but he heard me making pizza rolls before I went to bed, so he wanted out of Shaun's room. Shaun let him out. Cub ate my pizza roll pepperonis (I like the grease and flavor, but the meat itself grosses me out), and then I went upstairs to go to bed.

Cub wanted to come, so I let him. He got up there and cleaned the cat plates and got a few treats, but he wouldn't lay down. He kept going to the door because he wanted back downstairs, so I finally took him back down. When he realized no one was in the kitchen and that Shaun was asleep, he wanted back up. But I'm not playing these games, so he had to sleep downstairs anyway.

All that's to say... When I came downstairs this morning, he took my seat right as I was about to sit down. Shaun said it looked intentional, and Cub's sitting there looking guilty. I think he might still be upset about last night. 😂

Also, look at my Booger this morning. He's so cute. He was laying by Shaun's legs and got up, circled the coffee table twice, then laid down next to me. ❤️ Shaun made fun of him for having to circle the table, but Bear do how he do, so... 🤷🏻



Adrian's beans. 😂

Adrian's beans. 😂


Sunday, June 29, 2025

Lazy Sunday. I'm in my nightshirt still.

Lazy Sunday. I'm in my nightshirt still.

This is Scar being good for his inhaler. If you look closely, you can see the little green flap at the front that counts his breaths vibrate because he's purring. 😂😊❤️

The winds must be blowing in our favor.

The winds must be blowing in our favor. Sometimes we go a while with no balloons, and sometimes we'll see them every day for a bit.


I love seeing these kids when they come out at night.

I love seeing these kids when they come out at night.

I was just talking to Shadow in the kitchen and he was standing there with his hair all picked out and his arms crossed. He's been working out and is putting on some good muscle. But the way he was standing there made me think he looked like he was about to go Super Saiyan on someone. 😂

It's crazy how much he's changed just since last year. He's definitely putting in the work, so I'm proud of him.

Saturday, June 28, 2025

I love how the cats...

I love how the cats are completely unbothered by anything outside of this house. 😂


It's a party in our neighborhood tonight. 😂

It's a party in our neighborhood tonight. 😂

We have one neighbor that's having a graduation party, complete with a DJ. It's been going since around 5.

Someone else is shooting fireworks. Or several someones; I don't know.

I'm not upset. I'm just glad I don't live in fear of my neighbors anymore. These people can have all the fun they want and I'm gonna sit here minding my business and/or comforting my creatures if they're bothered. So far, Cub is the only one having feelings and he went to bed with Shaun, so he's ok.

I mean, I like some of the songs they've played and I could just go sit on the balcony and see if I can see any of the fireworks. I might check it out when I get ready for bed. I'll take this over drugs and fighting and stealing ANY DAY.

OMG, they're playing the Macarena. Gotta go do the dance. It's the law. 😂

I was talking to Shaun today...

I was talking to Shaun today about how/why I get frustrated/annoyed when he talks to me sometimes. I feel this way about everyone, but he's the person I'm around the most, so... Poor Shaun. 😂

So as anyone who's paid attention to my recent posts knows... I'm living my best life with the music of Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso right now. It's fun, it's brilliant, it's helping me with my Spanish, they're beautiful, they're talented, etc. I listen to their music pretty much daily and also check their social media. I don't do that for anyone else. Despite loving music, in general I rarely listen to it.

Here's why:

When music is on, it's the most important thing happening to me. I don't want to be talked to because it causes sensory overload to hear both and I don't want it paused/interrupted because I'm enjoying it. I mouth/quietly sing the words if I know them and usually at least sway to the beat if not straight up dance.

Needless to say, I can't work with music on. I can drive. I can walk. I can skate. I can mess around in the greenhouse. But anything that requires more brainpower than that, I just can't do. So I don't get to listen to music often.

Since I'm currently unemployed and have free time, I'm able to indulge in music. And all I want to hear is Ca7riel and Paco. I've had them on repeat enough that I'm able to remember many of their songs, so I'm able to listen to it without using my ears. Shaun calls this an ear worm, but I guess I always associated ear worms with something you DON'T want to hear. 😂

He obviously can't tell when I'm listening to/enjoying my ear worms, so he talks to me whenever he feels like it. And I don't always want that. So I think I'm going to start wearing earplugs as a signal that I'm not up for talking. Or wear earbuds and actually listen to songs. That would be better for both of us, I think.

I asked him why he thinks it's ok to talk to me just because I'm in the same room as him. He said that's just normal to him. But I really enjoy being near someone without worrying about having my thoughts or ear worms interrupted. I have a hard time switching contexts, so it's a little stressful not being able to just exist near someone without the burden of having to unexpectedly pay attention to them.

OBVIOUSLY, if I've made plans with you and am purposely hanging out with you, I am up for/expect conversation. I am ready for it and enjoy it, genuinely. But I think it's different when sharing a living space with someone. Thankfully, we're able to talk things out and we're actively still working to improve our relationship, even after 17 years together. You'd think we'd have it figured out by now, but I'm still unmasking and learning a lot about myself, so the work continues.

Who else is sensitive to having their thoughts interrupted? I know I'm not the only one like this.

I just came downstairs...

I just came downstairs and told Shaun to look at my pants because:

1) I fit into them and
2) I think they might be petite because they aren't a foot too long...

And we looked up to see Habibi having a look, too. Why is she so CUTE!? 😭 Just peeking out. I'm deceased.

I could just eat her up! ❤️


The best wake up! Three balloons! 😍

The best wake up! Three balloons! 😍


Friday, June 27, 2025

The way I just danced/skipped/scrambled...

The way I just danced/skipped/scrambled to find my phone so I could get a picture of this celebrity...

😍😍😍



Wednesday, June 25, 2025

General Life Update:

General Life Update:

Today was nice. I felt refreshed and ready to handle life.

I had an appointment with Midi and it went well. I'll have to pay out of pocket for the visit because my insurance doesn't cover them, but I need HRT to keep feeling my best, so it's ok. The appointment fee is about 1/7 of what I was paying for insurance monthly at my job, so paying this out of pocket once or twice a a year is still worth it.

Speaking of insurance:  It fully covers my therapy sessions, so I'm scheduled to resume those next week.

I need to go to the pharmacy tomorrow to work some things out. I also have an appointment at the unemployment office.

I stepped on the scale to see how I was doing since I was basically in vacation-mode for the last 10 days. I gained 1 pound. My provider had a miscommunication with the pharmacy, so I've been out of Semaglutide for 2 weeks. I'll have it again on Friday. I thought I'd have gained more than a pound after being out of meds AND basically eating out every day, so I'm not upset at all. I think that making (mostly) healthy choices and staying active kept me in line. I'm amazed that that works for me now!

I feel like I'm in a pretty good spot mentally at the moment. I'm sleeping a lot better. A couple of weeks ago, we moved the litter box out of our bathroom. It's on the balcony now. The upstairs cats have to go through a cat door and tunnel to get to the boxes. The room smells a lot better, I'm not sweeping up litter twice a day, I don't hear them scratching around in the box, or hear the Litter Robot cycling. As a light sleeper, those subtle noises were waking me up constantly. This is a lot better.

I think I'm going to start my walking again. I felt energetic today... probably because I had tea. 😂 I did some light cleaning and laundry, and also watered some plants. But also, in general, I just feel better after having spent time with one of my best friends. Most of my friends are long-distance these days, so just having a break and not worrying about stuff and being with someone (besides Shaun) who loves me and understands me was super great. I think it really did me a lot of good.

Anyway. I'm crashing out at a appropriate hour, so I'm about to tuck myself in and call it a night. I hope y'all are doing well. ❤️❤️❤️

Is that a double-rainbow or nah?

Is that a double-rainbow or nah?


It thundered.

It thundered. Poor Cub. 😂❤️ He's about to get held.


Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Scar was looking goofy on my lap this morning. 😂

Scar was looking goofy on my lap this morning. 😂 Look at his teefies. 🦷


My friends have made it to their next destination.

My friends have made it to their next destination. Things are back to "normal" around here.

The dogs looked pretty upset when we got home from the airport without them. Little Bear was confused. He said "Where's the rest of my herd?" 😂

Bear was mostly good aside from getting mouthy a few times. We left the dogs home alone for extended periods and that went ok. We'll have to take them for pup cups tomorrow. Cub loves to go and he hasn't been anywhere in over a week, but he did love having new people around to pay attention to him. So did these cats that we obviously never pet. 😂

I really needed adventure times and good company, so I am feeling happy and good. It was a great break from the boredom and stress of being unemployed. Now it's back to appointments, getting prescriptions transferred/filled on this new insurance, and of course the job search. Super fun stuff going on around here. 😝

But for real, the company was excellent. Please come back anytime, Janet and Dianne! ❤️

Saturday, June 21, 2025

Today, we got our exercise in.

Today, we got our exercise in.

We started the morning heading through the Jemez Mountains (in the car). There were so many scenic stops where we could walk around and take pictures. I got a bunch despite being the driver today. I even got one of a little waterfall!

Then we made it to the Valles Caldera National Preserve. The Caldera is where a volcano erupted and the land sank, so it's a flat area on top of a mountain. Shaun and I had gone before and saw the prairie dogs that live there, but this is the first time we saw the elk! There was a whole herd and it was amazing! They were super far away, but one of the rangers let us see them through his binoculars. When we go again, we'll definitely take binoculars and try to get a photograph through them!

After that, we drove towards the Bandelier National Monument. On our way there, we went through Los Alamos. That was interesting. There was a security check and they said "Don't turn right for the next mile and a half." It was government property and I guess we'd have gotten in trouble if we'd gone onto it. We saw a lot of signs that said "Tech" with a number. Didn't know what exactly those meant. We also saw Oppenheimer Drive. That was pretty neat.

We finally made it to the museum and monument and it was really interesting. The museum was small, but gave a good background on what we'd be seeing. The weather was warm; we're having a little heat wave. It was in the 90s today despite the 6066 foot elevation, but you gotta love the New Mexico breezes!

We hiked the monument loop and took a ton of pictures. It was really interesting to see how people made homes and towns there.

I know I say this all the time, but I love New Mexico and I love living in the desert. It's so beautiful and interesting here. The drive was scenic all day. There were decorative overpasses and walls when we started to head home through Santa Fe. It was just lovely all around, although I will admit we almost turned back halfway through the Bandelier loop. It was so hot with very little shade walking/climbing up the face of that mountain. The end half of the loop was through nice, shaded forest, though, so we're glad we stuck it out.

Here are a few photos. 😊

Just beautiful desert-scape through the Jemez Mountains

A little waterfall under that weird rock formation

Elk on the Caldera. They're the brown line just below the green patch.

One of the cave homes at Bandelier

A squirrel on top of some giant rock formations

Interesting cliff side at Bandelier

From True Facts: Beetles That Took Things Too Far...

From True Facts:  Beetles That Took Things Too Far on YouTube...

I'm dying laughing over here. 😂😂😂


Friday, June 20, 2025

Yesterday we took a rest day.

Yesterday we took a rest day. We had lunch at Hot Tamales New Mexican Food and mostly just chilled out.

Today, we were ready to go adventure again. We went to Santa Fe, so OBVIOUSLY we had to see Meow Wolf Santa Fe. They had done some updating since the last time we'd been there, so there was new stuff for us to see even though this was the 3rd trip for me and Shaun. Even if they hadn't, we'd still go again and again because you just can't experience all of it, regardless. The most exciting part (for me) was a telephone with a video screen where we could see people at what I'm guessing is another Meow Wolf location. We could also speak to each other, but it was super distorted (probably intentionally). It was so neat when we realized that the people on the screen were interacting with us!

After Meow Wolf, we had lunch at Plaza Cafe Santa Fe, which is always delicious. Then we walked around the square. There was a vintage car show happening, which we didn't see advertised, so it was dumb luck that we found it. Janet and her mom are into old cars. I don't know a ton about them, but I do love seeing them fixed up all sexy and still working.

We found a really cool shop called The Mineral, Meteorite, and Fossil Gallery. Shaun bought me a fossil and a piece of black Tourmaline. The shop owner was very confusing and delightful. I wanna be his friend. 😂 There were also trash sculptures in there that looked to be made by the same person who made the Transformers. I also really wish I had $1200 for this flamingo/dinosaur hybrid. 🦩🦕

We took the long way home so we could see The Turquoise Trail. We found some cool rock formations at Garden of the Gods and also tons of really pretty blooming cholla.
We're off to bed so we can rest up for tomorrow!

Random Zia/Ghostbusters sticker on a pole outside of Meow Wolf

The "phone"/video station where we interacted with other people

All of the decor in this room was made from trash/recycled items. It was super cool.

The four of us taking a picture of us taking pictures. 😂

Saw these little monsters in the gift shop of Meow Wolf and had to snap the pic. I obviously have Ca7riel y Paco Amoroso on my brain. 😊

My fossil and tourmaline

Iron Man and Darth Vader made from scrap metal

🦩🦕

A bear holding a dragonfly statue

Garden of the Gods

Blooming Cholla

Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Last post for the night.

Last post for the night. Janet wanted to see Pinkman's Pickup spot (from Breaking Bad) and the Transformer statues, so we did that. She's got the photos for those things.

Then, we went and saw some cars. Specifically, the Batmobile, the De Lorean, the Mystery Machine, and the A-Team van. Here are a few pics.

Then we went to the The Paleta Bar Rio Rancho for a snack/dessert.

It was a busy, but fun day!









It's a lot of posts tonight, but...

It's a lot of posts tonight, but it's the first time I've chilled in a few days, so it's catch up. 😂

Today we went to the ABQ BioPark. We didn't make it to the zoo part, but we did see the Botanical Gardens, the Bugarium, the Aquarium, and the Shark Reef Cafe. The cafe was cool because it was part of the aquarium and you could watch the fish, rays, and sharks swim while you ate. The aquarium was pretty small compared to the ones in Tennessee and Georgia, but it was still very nice. I didn't take any photos there, though, because my phone was dying from the Botanical Gardens and Bugarium. Also, the Bugarium had Naked Mole Rats for some reason. I didn't get any good photos of them. They were roped off, so you could see them, but not up close.

I'm not going to post every cool photo that I took today because I don't think people want to scroll through all of that, but I'll post a few of the best ones with captions.

Shaun making faces near a Tree Aloe. 😂

Euphorbia something. It's really pretty.

Me and a Tree Aloe

Dragon in the area of the cave/maze for kids that we also definitely went into. 😂

Shaun in the cave

Me with a little cactus

Shaun said we can get married in here. 😂❤️ I guess if we ever decide to renew things, I know where we'll do it. 😊

This Agave is death-blooming. 🙁 It pushed through the thick leaves of the Yucca to get it's pollen up high.

Yesterday, we also went to Old Town Albuquerque to look around.

Yesterday, we also went to Old Town Albuquerque to look around. I was trying hard to be good and not buy things, but of course we had to get some candy from The Candy Lady. It's just not a stop in Old Town without some.

We also got thirsty and happened upon the Blackbird Coffeehouse, where Shaun won a free drink for balancing a coin on a lemon that was floating in water. I had a delicious and refreshing Prickly Pear Lemonade. The decor was gorgeous. Janet got most of the good pictures, so I'll post those later, but here are a few that I got.

Me and a Prickly Pear

Some flowers growing in Old Town

A wall at the coffeehouse

I love these chairs; they look like tree branches!

A bat skeleton hanging outside the coffeehouse