We get so many rainbows here. I love it.

We get so many rainbows here. I love it.

If I'm not super social or responsive

On this day 2 years ago...

On this day 2 years ago we were halfway through our journey to our new home.  I didn't get to make a "Happy 1 Year Anniversary in Our New Home!" post last year because, well... I wasn't here.  I guess I'll always be 5 months shy of being here as long as the rest of the family, but I made the sacrifice of my time here to jump-start my career in Cincinnati and so far that has paid off.

I never did write about what it took to get us all here, though.  It wasn't an easy trip, but it went about as well as it could.

We left the house in Talladega for the last time with my dad seeing us off.  He came to help us finish loading the truck and brought someone to help do the last bit of cleaning in the house.

We left with a large U-Haul full of our possessions and a van full of animals.  Shaun and Shadow rode with the stuff, while me and Kira rode with the animals.  The (expected) distress of the animals as we began our journey broke Kira's heart a little and I felt that, too.  But they eventually calmed down and just rode.  We stopped often for bathroom breaks, both for us and the dogs.  It went about as well as it could - no one was injured, lost, sick, or dead.  Stressed?  Absolutely.  But we all made the first half of our journey in one piece.

We ended up at a hotel somewhere halfway between Alabama and New Mexico.  It was likely in Texas.  Me and the kids shared a hotel room to get some rest.  Shaun (poor, sweet, caring Shaun) "slept" in the van with the animals because they obviously could not be left alone.  He did not get much rest, as you might imagine.  Nevertheless, we got on the road the next morning and continued our journey.

At some point late in the evening there was a traffic jam.  It took HOURS for it to clear up.  We walked the dogs.  Kira had to pee so bad that she peed in a cup in the van.  (She was so, so proud of being able to do that.)  Eventually it cleared and we were on our way again.

We got to our new house super late that night.  We were all exhausted.  The only thing we really had to do was unpack the animals so they could begin to settle in.  The cats were easy enough.  We knew that Sindar and Adrian would share the bedroom with me and Shaun.  Leon was obviously bunking with Kira.  The rest of the cats had the run of the house.  Anansi (the tarantula) was easy, as well.  She was in her tank for the whole ride, so we just put her tank somewhere safe.  We put the dogs in the covered dog kennel outside since they were not reliably house-trained.  The weather was nice and cool.  We gave them blankets and food and water.

Next, it was time to move Bruce (the ball python).  He was in a cat carrier because his tank was in the truck.  I (stupidly) reached for him without thinking that he might be stressed or hungry, and he struck my hand and immediately wrapped it up.  It took a few minutes for me and Shaun to get him to let go.  I know that sounds scary, but it wasn't too bad.  He barely left a mark.  The cats have done more damage to both me and Shaun.  Anyway, we got him loose and put into his tank to let him settle, and then we all went to bed.

Overall, it could have been worse.  It was a 2-day move carrying everything I hold dear halfway across the country.  Many of my plants died before the move (due to humidity), during (falling and breaking in the truck), and after (I had to adjust to how to care for them in this new environment), but I'm grateful for all of us who made it safe and sound.

Life in New Mexico has been great to us.  The state welcomed all 4 of us jobless heathens with healthcare.  There is free college, too.  The weather has been amazing with no natural disasters.  The food is the best I've ever had.  There is plenty to do:  Hiking to see the Petroglyphs, balloon rides, skate parks, going to the mountain (whether by tram or by car it's a beautiful view), we have Santa Fe with all that it offers (including MeowWolf and the burning of Zozobra), White Sands, Balloon Fiesta, the Badlands, ruins to visit, the calderas with Elk and Prairie dogs, and that doesn't even count what all is in Albuquerque!  We've been here for 2 years (as of tomorrow!) and still haven't seen it all.

Anyway, that's the story of our move - two years later.  I'm sure I've forgotten many of the details that I wanted to remember by now, but what's important is that we made it.

Cub just had the most hilarious and cute crisis. 😂

Cub just had the most hilarious and cute crisis. 😂

We went out for my lunch break because we had errands to run.  We took Cub with us because why not?  We decided to hit the Einstein Bros drive-through for lunch because they are pretty good and they have doggie bagels.  They also have coffee shakes, which Shaun is into.

So we got our order and as I was getting the doggie bagel out of the bag for Cub, he was trying his best to get to Shaun's coffee shake... I'm assuming because it had a bunch of whipped cream on top (which Shaun doesn't normally get).  I gave Cub his bagel and he sat it down in the back seat and made it clear he wanted "his" pup cup.  Since we had an empty cup left over from a previous pup cup, Shaun told me to just scoop the whipped cream off of his shake for Cub because he didn't want it anyway.  So I did that.

In the meantime, Cub had picked up his bagel again (they are SUPER hard) and was just holding it excitedly.  He was going from window to window with his bagel in his mouth.  It looked like he wanted to show it off, goofy boy.  So I called his name to give him his whipped cream and he came to get it... with the bagel still in his mouth. 😂😂😂 He desperately didn't want to put his bagel down, but kept trying to lick his whipped cream anyway.  It was too funny; me and Shaun were both cracking up watching him try to lick with a bagel in his mouth.  He was drooling, his little eyebrows looked distraught - I could tell he didn't want to have to choose between treats.

After he figured out that he couldn't eat whipped cream with a bagel already in his mouth, Cub had another idea:  He took the whole cup of whipped cream from me - with the bagel still in his mouth!  I usually hold it for him while he eats his whipped cream so he doesn't make a huge mess in the car, but I legit did not see that coming.  He struggled with what to do for a good minute or so before he put the cup AND the bagel down.  Then he licked the cup until he got it cleaned and resumed holding his bagel before he decided to eat it.  What a problem-solver.  😂

Thankfully, he (somehow) didn't make a mess in the car.  Then we hit the CVS drive-through where he got ANOTHER treat!  What a day!  You would think he'd be satisfied, but when we got home and Shaun was still drinking his coffee shake, Cub kept looking at him and licking his lips while giving puppy eyes.  I do believe he thinks that Shaun stole "his" big, giant pup cup.  I guess that's just a good reason for us to try to remember to say "hold the whip" on Shaun's drinks.  We can't have this puppy out here thinking we're doing him dirty.  😂😂😂

I wasn't going to post this because it feels like a brag and that's not usually how I roll, but...

I wasn't going to post this because it feels like a brag and that's not usually how I roll, but I should be able to post the things I'm excited about to my own page. I can't keep it a secret forever, anyway. So... We're having a pool installed. It should be ready by the upcoming summer and I'm pumped about it.

We've been researching the pros and cons for months and we finally signed the contract last week, as well as picked out the pool, cement, and cover colors.

The weather here is usually beautiful (even in the summer), but this past summer was pretty hot.  We mostly stayed indoors and that is not something I've done since we left Alabama.  Not to mention that Shaun keeps tweaking his back somehow and could use a gentle form of exercise (well, we all could, really).  Kira was asking for a pool before we moved so we're sure she and Shadow will make good use of it.  We're also pretty sure that Cub likes to play in the water, as well, because when we lived in Talladega he would go splash in the pond across the road.  So we are getting a pool with a small splash pad in case that's all he wants to do, although he'd be perfectly welcome to full-on swim if he wants to.

So that's some news that I've been sitting on for a bit.

I'm pretty excited, but probably not for the reason you'd think.  Yeah, I'mma put on my little floaties and get in there, too, BUT... there has to be at least a 4-foot concrete sidewalk around the pool... and if you know me then you already know I'm going to be skating on that.  (The pool comes with an automatic cover that can hold a grown adult, so don't be worried about me falling in.)  After the pool is done we'll have to do a bit of work in the yard, but I'm excited for that because we're also putting in a swing set.  Not a crap one - one that me and Shaun can swing on.  Yeah, the pool will be fun in and of itself, but SKATING and SWINGING, too.  OMG!

I know - I'm still a kid inside and I don't even care. 😜

I already feel like our home is better than anything I ever dreamed I'd have.  It feels like a palace to me.  And with the updates we're doing outside I'm just in shock that I could possibly love it more.  But here it is looking like that's going to happen and I'm excited.  I think the hardest part is going to be getting through the pool construction.  I already love my yard and I think that seeing it dug up is going to hurt a bit, but that part is temporary.  At least our grass is fake, though, so it's not like we're going to kill it.

The only big reservation we have is about being the people who get a pool... in the desert.  But they are gaining popularity here and the value it will add to our house if we ever decide to sell makes it seem like a smart investment.  Plus, we should be living our best lives, too.  I have a hard time accepting that sometimes because shit isn't fair and I know so many people who struggle, but it's not like we're the billionaires hoarding the wealth of the country.  Why does wanting to add a healthy and fun thing to our yard and add value to our home make me feel so damn guilty?

Haha.  I guess this didn't end as the fun, happy post it started out as, but overthinking is practically a hobby for me and if I can possibly feel guilty about something I WILL DO IT.  (I need therapy, I know.)  But yeah, unless something goes wrong and construction can't be completed for some reason, we'll have a pool in time for summer next year.  Yay! 😁😬

Dang. The LITERAL second my ass hit the couch...

Dang. The LITERAL second my ass hit the couch and I got the blanket on my lap this turd laid down. 😂 He was not messing around. He's tired of having to lay further down on my legs while I'm swatching. He's made it clear he'd like to be the main event today. 😂😂😂  Why do I neglect him so?

Edit:  Balthazar came over like he wanted to cuddle, too. Scar swatted him away and IMMEDIATELY laid like this. "Problem solved. Back to being happy and spoiled and THE MOST SPECIAL CAT." 😂

He's letting his feelings be known today. Gosh, what a sassy little terror he's being. 😂

Good morning, I guess. 😂

I swear I just woke up to someone stealing our solar panels. I called Shaun (who was downstairs) and told him to come up here, fast! I was like "Something crazy is happening on the roof!"

He said "Is it this?" and started making the noise again (which had oddly stopped when he answered my call). And I was like "Yes! What are you doing on the roof!?"

So he's not on the roof. He's in the dining room downstairs (below our bedroom) putting up a new ceiling fan and SOMEHOW the sound sounds like it's coming from above me. That's the craziest shit I ever heard!

Well, except for maybe last night when I said something extra stupid, which was "Look at that metal pillow!" while we were watching a YouTube video about bathroom renovation. Turns out the "metal pillow" was an oddly-shaped water faucet for the tub (it was on the wall above the tub in my defense), but I swear the placement made it look perfect for leaning your head back onto so you could chill in the tub. 😂😂😂 Look, I was tired. I don't know what else to say. 😂

Good morning, I guess. 😂