You ever just been not that all into it? I mean, you were but now not so much? Happened to me.

It's official... I had four days off work... just staying in my house in pajamas... drinking coffee... sitting on a heating pad round the clock... cuddling with pups... getting snuggles from the husband... watching The Machine and laughing my ass off... receiving various and random tattoos... and now I'm back at work.

Don't get me wrong, I love my job (most days), but the effort it took for my ass to crawl out of my demon hole and present myself to the world bright and early this morning was ridiculous. Seriously, you would have thought I was Grandpa Joe... without the golden ticket.

I say that because I'm apparently at the age where I have a bad hip now? Like, both my hips were fine and then I just randomly woke up one morning, after having done NOTHING to require said injury, and now my left hip is my designated bad hip? Because it's always hurting and the cold doesn't help? Wtf?!!

Anyhoos... this past weekend was amazing and Dev and I (and our babies of course!) mostly stayed inside and hid from the rest of the world. We only ventured out on Saturday for a little bit to pick up a few grocery essentials (ie: pup food and chocolate milk) and the rest of the time? Spent together at the house. And I LOVED it. 

Our poor little Sparkles is still feeling rundown but I would like to say he's on the up-and-up of it. I mean, I would like to say it even though I don't know if it's true. We're basically on a routine of Tylenol and allergy meds to try and manage until this thing goes away. My poor baby, I just want all my guys to feel good.

Dev also gave me a few new tattoos while in our own lockdown (we made alot of pandemic references this past week so forgive me). I have a shit ton of ink now and honestly, I love it. Dev essentially helps me put my personality on the outside of my body and makes me feel pretty. Pretty colors and shapes and things that mean something to me. I feel like a walking art gallery and it makes me feel nice. I think the majority of people would be very surprised to see how much of my body is now covered... Dev's family would be pumped and think it matches my personality and quirkiness to a tee... my family... would probably have me committed and that's why I wear long sleeves around them. 

I'm kidding...mostly but not really at all.

OOOHHHH!! So Thanksgiving consisted of Dev, me and the pups at our house. We didn't see the need to have a ginormous meal with all the fixins (Dev is still recovering from mouth surgery and learning to chew again), so I made French dip roast and mashed taters with homemade beef gravy. Y'ALL. When I say that shit was delicious I'm not even trying to toot my own horn. But seriously, that shit was sooo good. 

I hadn't made homemade gravy in a damn minute. Don't get me wrong, I know how (pretty sure they'd have kicked me out of the holler if I hadn't learned), but it's been awhile. Honestly, the entire time I was making it I kept waiting for it to f*ck up. But, it never did and that shit was delicious. Seriously, even Dev said had he not already loved and been married to me, that gravy would have sealed the deal.

And in case you need any pointers for your next gravy run (you know, because expert now obviously), just know, add butter until that shit looks exactly how you want and think it will work. Sure, you may already be using another kind of fat to start off with (bacon/sausage grease, etc.), but honestly, if you get that shit too thick or clumpy, add some butter. It'll help and be delicious. 

Artery clogging but delightful.

So yeah, that's where we are with it. We had a wonderful few days but now it's time to get back to our everyday adult lives. And by that, I just mean I have to wear regular pants for like ten hours and then I'll be back home with my guys getting snuggles and snacks and lovin and tattoos and just living a good life with my babies.

Worth it. 

Happy Holidays from my family to yours!!

❤️ One of my guys is always in recovery. ❤️

You ever have one of those weeks where it feels like no matter what you do, you just can't catch up and be ok? That week ever extend far beyond said week and at this point you're like wtf?

Happened to me.

We've been a recovering household this past year and things have been all over the place. Dev's still in recovery and feeling better... but still... recovering... and now Sparkles has another hematoma.

Let me backtrack a little. Sparkles developed a hematoma on his left ear July '22. He had to have surgery and the recovery from that was awful. Poor little guy does not do well with anesthesia. Now, it's back. 

We're trying to deal with it a different way this time around and I'm seriously hoping that it works and he starts feeling better soon. My poor little fella is so f*cking pitiful.

With two of my three guys in recovery though, that means we're spending the next few weeks at home. Sparkles needs to be monitored basically 25/8 and Dev still isn't feeling the greatest, so we're essentially not leaving our house except for important instances (ie: I still have to go to work and stop by the grocery store on occasion). Xur and I are on "fix these dudes" duty.

Did I mention it's been a rough year?

That being said, at least it's a short week? I only have the rest of today to get through and then two more days and I'm home free for four days. Since we're staying home, I'll be cooking us Thanksgiving dinner (we're doing french dip taters and such) and we'll be spending all the time we can just hanging out and being with one another.

And honestly at the end of the day, that's the only thing that makes me feel better.

That never happens to me.

I think we can all agree we've had those moments in life where we're telling a story about our childhood, or something we regularly did throughout our life, thinking it's perfectly normal and all of the sudden somebody hits you with one of those THAT'S NOT F*CKING NORMAL, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!

No? Just me then? I highly doubt that.

The point is, I'm usually on the colorful side of those stories. I'll pop off with some shit that I think is perfectly fine and people around me are like, are you ok? Because trauma. 

How was I supposed to know it wasn't normal to live in a tent and eat green beans and vienna sausages for weeks on end growing up? I'll go ahead and tell you, I DIDN'T. I thought it was normal to have to wear four layers of clothes to stay warm, and bathe using a spicket over the hill. Thought it was normal to work tobacco until your hands bled and for eight kids to share one bed because they didn't have shit either and y'all were just hanging out and living life.

Everybody doesn't have a bucket in the holler that substitutes for an outhouse? 

My bad.

I could keep going, but honestly, I don't need anymore reason for people to assume I need therapy. After reevaluating some things and reviewing my life, I've come to look at it as learning experiences and character building. And yeah, maybe there's some deflection and wishful thinking on my part. Perhaps it's denial in it's plainest form.

BUT I'm good with it and at the end of the day, it's given me a dark and morbid sense of humor. And let's be honest, those are the most fun.

HOWEVER, we went to Mavis's last night and when I tell you Mace popped off with some shit that even had me like WTF?!! I'm not exaggerating. 

I won't go into all the details (or any details really) but let's just say her family had an interesting way of dealing with a pet's passing when she was growing up and I'm pretty sure she's going to have her own three-part Netflix special in the coming years.

Not to mention, it really freaked Trav out and Dev and I teased him about it... but also talked about it on the way home and are hoping for the best, because maybe sociopaths? I don't know. All I know is our cousins/besties are forty some odd days away from having the baby and there is literally not a dull moment to be had when we're all hanging out.

Wish us luck though... because damn. We're just adults doing our best. And sometimes our best needs a f*cking vacation.