Don't look at my plants. They're naked.

Don't look at my plants. They're naked.

Update before I get this busy day started:

Update before I get this busy day started:

Yesterday while we were in Talladega we got a notification that a package was delivered in Anniston.  I didn't think I was expecting a package, but we decided to go ahead over there and see just in case.  Turns out that the large nail polish order I placed when I was consoling myself for doing what I thought was terrible on my final exam had arrived much earlier than expected.  Since I passed the exam and my class I guess that makes it a celebratory package now.  I let Kira know that we had nail mail and she came over and opened it for me.  I love watching her open things.  She Hulks out on packages and it's wonderful to behold.  😂😂😂

As we were looking at our goodies we were talking about what all we could do with them and I started to get really excited thinking about having time for my hobbies once again.  That was the first hint to me that things have changed - knowing that I'll be able to spend time with the kids and do things we enjoy together.  We're so busy moving that we haven't had time to relax, but just knowing that the down-time is coming made me super happy.

While I was at the house I started getting my plants ready to move.  It's going to be a much bigger chore than I thought, though - because of mealy bugs.  I had seen a few here and there and always removed them and sprayed my plants down, but I got really behind on that this past semester and it's a dang mess.  I'd been failing to get them completely under control for months anyway due to time constraints so I'm using moving as an excuse to throw away all of the current dirt, scrub pots, spray my plants down, and then soak them to hopefully drown any remaining bugs.  Of the many plants I did that to last night I found a single live mealy bug so maybe this system will be pretty effective.  I'm planning to spray them down for the next several days even after repotting, so hopefully once they're at the other house I won't have any issues.  I'm just over these bugs and want them gone.

Other than that Shaun and I spent yesterday going through things and packing.  The kids came over and it was great to see them.  They helped him do some things and then we had dinner all together for the first time in a while.  I am really looking forward to getting us all settled and being able to do that more often.  Also, not related to anything but something I found to be pretty funny:  After we got home last night, Shaun put a space show on TV.  It was about the Apollo space ship.  This one guy was talking about them landing on the moon and he said that if the calculations were off that the ship would "intersect the moon."  I've never heard the phrase "crash into the moon" put so oddly.  Intersect. the. moon.  😂😂😂  I found that HILARIOUS, but I was also EXTREMELY tired, so maybe it's not that funny to anyone but us.

Well, I'm off to put my plant shelf together so that I can start bringing my babies home.  I hope you all are doing well!  ❤

I brought my boyfriend home yesterday.

I brought my boyfriend home yesterday. I don't think he's ever been happier to be in my lap. 😂😂😂

As of today we have all 10 cats moved in. We still need to get Koopa (horned lizard) and Anansi (tarantula) moved, plus Cubba and Rose. We're working on it. I just want everything / everyone moved into the sun room before we get the dogs. I would hate to have to go through the gate and battle them to the doorway while carrying critters, or even things. I'm already struggling as it is.

We got a lot done last night, but both of my guys injured me yesterday. Shaun was trying to lay my back seats flat so he could fit more stuff in my car. In the spirit of being helpful I pulled the release so that the seat would fold. Fun fact: the release lives in the crack between the butt part and the back part of the seat. While I was pulling the release he slammed the seat forward to fold it. That would have sucked less had the seat next to it not already been folded down. Alas, it had and my elbow was resting on it. So when Shaun slammed the seat forward it put a lot of pressure on my elbow in the wrong direction. I rarely exclaim in pain, but I did that time.

Later last night I was showing Scar around the house and he was nervous. I take responsibility for not being more thoughtful of his needs. I opened a door and it made a loud sound. He freaked out to flee and in the midst of that scratched me pretty deep above my right eyebrow. Hilarious, considering this is a week I'd planned to have pictures made. 😂😂😂

A fun thing that happened today was that Ashanti (cat) decided to sneak out of the screen door that has problems closing. We ordered parts to repair it yesterday, but they won't arrive until tomorrow. Our cats are strictly indoor cats. We would like to get them a catio so that they can get fresh air, but that's a "let Blu get a job first" typa task. 😂 Back to the story:  I went out to get Ash and she was like "Fine, ok." But then we couldn't find Adrian (also a cat). Shaun and I both looked for like, an hour. We couldn't find her anywhere. Not in the cabinets, not on top of the fridge, not under the couches, not in the closets. We even looked outside although we didn't think it was possible she got out. Since we had stuff to do, we eventually decided to go do it. When we got home she was sleeping on the couch. We still have no idea where she was hiding, but we're glad she's accounted for. I was REALLY worried.

Anyway, we've been moving stuff all day and are pretty exhausted. I'm definitely going to be feeling it tomorrow. Well, I need to get off the internet (and also my butt) because I have a long list of things to do. Nothing urgent, but disorder gets to me mentally and I just need to handle it for my own sake. I hope you all are doing well! ❤️

I haven't really said much on here since announcing my graduation...

I haven't really said much on here since announcing my graduation because we've been busy moving.  I guess this is me checking in.

Before the pandemic hit I told Shaun that I wanted him to make the BIGGEST deal out of me graduating because it's been such a hard journey and it would be a massive accomplishment for me.  I don't care to recap every negative thing that's happened to me since I started college in 2015, but suffice it to say I've hung in there despite a lot of stress and major losses, and poor physical and mental health.  I'd planned to attend the graduation ceremony and I wanted a dinner party at Baja, at the very least.  Obviously none of that is going to happen and while I have a small amount of disappointment over it I know that FAR too many people have had much bigger losses due to COVID so I am not complaining.

In other news:  The house is coming along nicely.  The sun room looks great in my opinion.  We have about half of the animals moved in.  We brought Bruce (ball python) the other day, and brought the tortoises last night.  Tort Baby (predictably) dug a little burrow and went straight to sleep after the car ride.  Nom, on the other hand, peed and pooped in his carrier.  BLEGH.  It was probably a good thing, though, because there was a lot of poop and it looks like he might have been constipated.  On the bright side, he did not seem to mind riding in the car.  He didn't attempt to get out of his carrier.  Just chilled and pooped.  😂😂😂  I love having a utility sink in the sun room because it was super convenient to give him a bath before putting him in his new house.  Unlike Tort Baby, Nom explored and walked a lot and then pooped some more.  I bet he's feeling a lot better today.  I noticed he hadn't been his usual social self and I was wondering why.  I hope that explains it.

Last night despite the rain and darkness Shaun and I moved our big ass couch that we got in February to the house.  I don't think we'll ever buy another couch that isn't a sectional because we moved all but one piece of it in two trips in our little cars.  Not having to carry / maneuver one big piece of furniture is AWESOME. Also, I think it looks great here; it fills out the living room nicely.  Shaun's been doing a ton of work around here, but I could tell his brain was done working on anything else until he got the living room set up.  I totally understand preoccupation and mental blocks, so I was like "Yeah, let's do it.  Let's move this couch in the dark and the rain so we can move on to other stuff."  😂  I can tell he feels happier having a place to rest and take a break.

Other than that things have been going pretty well in regards to moving.  Shaun and I have decided that since the lease for the kids apartment is up in mid-January, they'll be staying in our house in Anniston while we get it ready to sell.  While that house is in a far better neighborhood than the house I owned for 14 years, we're still not comfortable leaving it empty.  I think that will work out great.  No rent for the kids and we get the benefit of their presence and their help while they are there.  So we are trying to go ahead and get moved out so that they can move in.

Anyway, I'm staying busy, as usual.  My stress level has dipped knowing that I passed my class, which is nice.  I basically went straight from the school mindset to the moving mindset, so the fact that I'm done with college hasn't really sank in.  I felt excited knowing that I passed my class, but that hasn't translated into "no more classes or homework" in my brain yet.  I am planning to don my cap and gown and take some photos at JSU (hopefully this week), though.  Maybe that will help it feel real.  Without a graduation I just haven't felt that there is a period at the end of the college sentence.  I know that probably sounds goofy because a lot of people skip the ceremony, but I earned it.  I need something to punctuate the end of this chapter.

Well, I'm off to go try to get some things done.  I hope you all are doing well.  If not, don't forget that things can change in the blink of an eye.  Hang in there.  That's the only advice I can give.  ❤

OMG, this old thing...

OMG, this old thing is loving all over me this morning. Why is she so precious?! 😍😍😍😭😭😭

This is Sindar, the cat companion Shaun had when we got together 12 years ago. I bet she misses the days of being the only cat, but she is pretty effective at letting the other cats know to stay away from her. It's probably a lot easier at the moment since there are only 4 other cats here. We'll be bringing the other 5 this week.

Bonus pic of Bastian napping sprawled out in the floor while Adrian chills under the coffee table.

We spent the last few days...

We spent the last few days working on the house in Talladega as a distraction from anxiety about my grades. We built new houses for the tortoises and the cats got a nice big tower. Bastian couldn't wait for the tower to be finished. He needed to supervise our construction. 😂😂😂 Sindar, on the other hand, is the oldest and just happy we put a couch in the sun room.

So... I did better on my final than I thought.