Me and Shaun just finished putting together The 1 Million Dollar Puzzle.

Me and Shaun just finished putting together The 1 Million Dollar Puzzle. It wasn't hard; it took less than an hour for us. We won a whopping 25¢. 😂 But it was fun so there's that.

Also I made some Chai tea from a teabag rather than loose leaf like I've been drinking lately. I'm not a fan. I guess I'm a tea-snob now. File that under "Sentences Blu never thought they'd utter." 🤪

I haven't been up early in a while...

I haven't been up early in a while so I've missed the balloons lately, but we had somewhere to be this morning so I got to see them again. I don't know how people make their morning commute here with something so pretty and interesting to look at in the sky. I can't not take photographs every time I see them.

This evening we finally tried out our fire pit. I'm digging it. Shaun also put up some solar lights that look like flames. After we get the sunroom finished we're going to hang some string lights in and to the pergola and then the back yard will be just how we want it (for now). I'm excited for that.

We're just about settled and I'm grateful for that. Me and Shaun's bed is being delivered on Friday and I can't wait. I guess I need to fix the 3 tones of paint in our bedroom over the next couple of days. I hope you all are doing well. We're staying busy but hopefully we can relax soon. Love to all of my friends! ❤️

Before I say my thing:

Before I say my thing:  Yes, we're some blanket-loving mofos in this house. We need MAXIMUM COMFORT over here. 😂😂😂 I have a cube organizer in each living area full of blankets. This ain't a game!

So these dogs may look good but they are not. Shaun installed a doggie door. Cubba took to it immediately because he's a strong independent pup that don't need no help. Rose is (OF COURSE) scared of it. 🙄

Know why Cub is asleep? Because he's tired from his excursion this morning.

To recap, these are the things we've done over the last month:

• He gets out of our backyard, so we put him in the 10x10 kennel while he's out.
• He starts to dig under the kennel and Shaun blocks it up 1000 different ways. No dice. Cub is determined. 
• We tie him out for potty breaks in the middle of the yard. He starts digging and ruining things.
• Put PVC on the lowest gate so he can't get a grip to climb over, AND
• We call a mason out to raise the wall in the back. We get ~10 days of no escape.

We woke up this morning and Cub was gone.

So I went out front and called his name while Shaun went out back and whistled for him. Thankfully, he comes when called.

Before Cub arrived home Shaun went back inside to come out the front. While Shaun was in the house I was rounding the corner from the front (Note: Cub did not see me) and I witnessed this terrible, awful dog jump the block wall with no problem at all.

And guess what he did next. Just guess.

He went inside the house through the doggie door out back and then greeted me and Shaun when we came in through the front door like he'd been inside the whole time. 😑😑😑

I have had foster dogs with real issues who were easier to live with than these mutts. Shaun is about at his wit's end. I don't know what else to do. We love these bad things but they are really testing our patience. I hate the idea of a shock collar but we absolutely can't let Cubba run around the neighborhood here. I guess for now we have to keep the doggie door locked and only take them out supervised. I'd like for them (and us) to have more freedom but that doesn't look like it's in the cards right now. 😕

❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🤎🖤🤍

I really wanted to try this background because...

I used to have a cold Chai Latte every morning...

I used to have a cold Chai Latte every morning (made from milk and Tazo concentrate). Lately I'm into hot tea. This is Earl Gray with honey, Mexican vanilla, and steamed milk. It's really good.

I'm not the only tea person here. Shadow likes tea, as does Boyfriend. Boyfriend used to finish my last few drops of Chai. Just now I messed up and let him try some foamy milk from this drink and now he won't leave me alone. I've created a monster! 😂 At least I have ⅔ of my guys to have tea with. 😊 Shaun and Kira aren't about that life.

We got a lot done yesterday, but...

We got a lot done yesterday, but not everything we had planned.  That's ok.  We got a little sidetracked with making room in the garage for Shadow's car since we've been able to move more stuff out of there into the kids' bedrooms.  I got a lot of stuff put away and the whole downstairs vacuumed.  We also took a whole carload of flattened cardboard recycling to the bins.  We have a recycle bin at our house that picks up every other week but there has been far too much cardboard for it with the unpacking.  I think all of the tidying up helped me more than I thought it would; the clutter is wayyy reduced and it looks very nice in the lower part of the house now.  Due to that I got a happy little let-down migraine about it late last night and for most of today. 😂

I had to take two migraine pills today and slept until around 2 pm.  Shaun made me food and I woke up a little and we cuddled and watched TV.  Then I decided to make a warm cup of tea.  I'm over here feeling like Captain Picard with my "Earl Gray - hot."  Of course - I add stuff to it unlike Picard.  I'm trying my best to re-create an Albuquerque Fog which is the New Mexican spin on a London Fog.  I'm getting close.  Shadow tried my tea and liked it today.  He tried a London Fog from my favorite coffee shop not long ago and said it was ok but that he preferred the Albuquerque so that was confirmation that I'm heading in the right direction.  In any case, I sat outside in the cool weather enjoying the sunset and my tea.  I feel almost ok now, thank goodness.

Last week I applied for the New Mexico Medicaid program for all of us because we need health insurance.  Shaun and I received our acceptance letters in the mail last week because we already had our NM state identification.  The kids got their identification updated at the end of last week so I had to send in proof of identification for the insurance application yesterday.  We haven't received their acceptance letters yet but I checked the website where I submitted everything and they have been accepted, as well.  Their letters will be here this week, I'm sure.  It's for full Medicaid for all of us including dental and prescriptions and all that.  And it was so easy.  I could honestly cry.  I haven't had health insurance since I reduced hours at my job in 2017 to attend JSU full time, and didn't have insurance before the ACA was put into place before that.  It's hard to live that way - especially with autoimmune conditions like I have and with Kira having conditions but not being legally related to us so therefore unable to be put on Shaun's insurance (when he had it) in Alabama.

We don't plan to stay on Medicaid past the time when I get a job with insurance that covers us all, but this safety net is a huge relief for us.  Kira's ongoing struggle with IBS-C has been tough financially.  She just got her braces off and now has a wisdom tooth coming in that looks like it has no room to do so, so that needs to be taken care of.  I've been lucky that my psoriasis / arthritis hasn't been terrible, but my current migraine struggle is no joke and the medication I've been taking isn't the most effective - it's just what I've been able to afford.  Shadow's been saying that his bones hurt for a while now and with how super flexible he is he might have some kind of connective tissue disorder, but he and Kira both aged off of Alabama's Medicaid program a few years ago and couldn't get affordable treatment without going through Quality of Life, which is (to be honest) kind of a shitshow.  Shaun needs his lungs checked.  He might have asthma or something worse (and has since before COVID).

What I'm trying to say is that I'm GRATEFUL.  I'm so sorry but the state of Alabama doesn't give a single shit about you or your family or me and mine and it has proven that to me in so many ways over the almost 39 years I spent there.  We chose NM on purpose because we wanted better for our family but holy damn am I still surprised at the ease of things here.  At the efficient way the DMV works.  At the signs on the roads telling the taxpayers how much the road work costs and the estimated time frame of when it will be completed.  At the COVID response.  At the kindness of the people.  At the beauty.  Like, I am honestly gobsmacked and in love.  I can't wait to start working and giving my tax money to a place that makes me feel like I'm a valued human being who's health and well-being matters.  I want to contribute here and show my appreciation.  I don't know what else to say except that I am happy and us moving here was the best decision of our lives.  ❤️