Meeting Baby J and other happenings leaving 2023.

Y'all, 2023 is coming to its end and we closed out the year (or, we're in the process of closing it) with getting to meet the newest little Glisson member. He was born on Tuesday 12/26 and when I tell you he is about the best natured baby I've ever met in my entire life, I ain't playing.

Meet- Jensen. JT. Baby J. Glissonbug. 

Whichever we choose to call him at whatever point (we've had over nine months to come up with these nicknames), he just coos and scrunches his little nose up. It's so f*cking adorable. 

Dev and I were so damn excited to meet the little guy. 

We weren't sure how the hospitals work when you deliver these days (after Covid everything changed, when his sister gave birth last time, they barely let her husband in the room), so we didn't go there (we didn't want to kick any parents or such out to visit), but yesterday they had been home for about eighteen hours and invited us over... so over we went!

It was amazing to meet the human Mace has been growing this whole time and getting to see them interact and Trav handle his first baby, it was just an incredible thing to be apart of. Dev and I even got a little teary-eyed on a few occasions and honestly, I didn't know we were that age yet but I'm good with it.

When I was younger, being around babies and kids got on my nerves. On so many levels it was insane and I felt like such an asshole at all times. I know that's harsh and mean, but it's accurate. I thought they were too loud and too wild and honestly, just too much. However, as I've gotten older, I've come to the realization that I do like babies and kids... I just needed to age into my patience for them.

Don't get me wrong, we're still very much on the "we're not having kids" train because we do not want any of our own, but it is nice that we can spend time with the ones we love and enjoy that time and watch them grow into full ass people. It's fun and exciting and emotional. 

Being Uncle Devon and Aunt Katie is a wild ride and we wear those badges with love, honor, and pride.

Aside from meeting Baby J, we have a busy weekend ahead of us leading out of 2023.

Dev and I have some WRTTMM errands to run and then tomorrow we're helping out my cousin, Bonehead, with his move. It's going to be a whole lot but hopefully, we'll get it at a good spot for him and make life a little less chaotic.

After that, the plans are kind of up in the air. We don't have anything "planned" for Sunday but we usually tend to spend it running our store errands or chilling with each other at the house. Depending on how long we're helping Bonehead tomorrow, I may see if we can just stop at the store and at Patsy's (I need to see if she'll go with us to have my phone switched over) on the way home so we don't even have to leave our house at all Sunday or Monday.

Like I said, Sunday is still debatable. Monday, however? We're staying home and not leaving our house AT ALL for anything. Not debatable. We literally started off 2023 getting brutally attacked by a hobo and frankly, we ain't trying to relive that life. We learned our lesson and will be spending our time inside with each other and our pups and ignoring the outside world.

Just the way we like it. Besides, we got Dev a bunch of new tattoo ink that I know he's itching to try out, so we'll probably be spending some Saturday evening, Sunday, and Monday time doing that. Hanging out, together, while my hubby makes me a human art gallery (that's how I feel and I love it!).

Christmas was... interesting and eye-opening. Definitely learned some things. Not anything bad or upsetting concerning my direct family, but certainly some things that throw change into action for the future.

Here's to all of us. We're two days away from 2024, and we're all literally just hoping for the best. It's been a rough year for everyone (it's been a shit year for us but I know it is not exclusive to us), but we're all trying to pull through and do our best.

And until then, I'll be busy getting hubby and pup snuggles. 

The ramblings of a cold little gremlin. *it's snaining outside*

It's that time of year again where everybody feels the need to be extra. Extra blessings (braggadocio), extra tidings (passive-aggressiveness), extra presents (audacity), extra extra extra. I really shouldn't be as cynical as what I am and yet, HERE WE ARE. You know, I wouldn't be this way if people didn't make me this way. But, I digress.

Christmas is in one week and would you like to know what I've done for the holiday season? Not a damn thing. Ok, that's not entirely true... I did make cards and get them sent out (literally all done on the 15th) and we put up our tree yesterday.

Other than that? Zilch.

It's been an off year so we decided to take an off year. Usually this time of year we're running around like crazy people. D's making jerky and I'm baking treats and we run everything down to the last minute of getting everything done and shipped out. This year? Nope. With D being off work with his health and me having very little to no will to actually roll out of bed in the mornings, we decided this year just wasn't it. So, we didn't.

And you know what? While it feels a little off and there are certain moments that you feel guilt, the majority of the feeling I get is... oh well. And I know that sounds shitty, but I don't mean for it to. I just happen to like the feeling that it's holiday time and there are no expectations. We're not killing ourselves trying to finish baking and cooking. We're not running crazy trying to remember if we got everybody gifts. We're not going into monumental amounts of debt to show people hey we're here. We're just doing our thing and have no set plans.

Sparkles ear is still swelled up. Poor little guy has had this issue for weeks now and while I would like to feel like it's better, I don't really know. It looks like the swelling is going down to me but I'm also not a doctor. I'm just a gal doing what I do and trying to be a good wife and (pup)mom over here. We still have him on round the clock meds and he's still a little turd about all of it (anybody ever tells you pitties aren't stubborn is a damn liar), but for the most part, I think we're doing all we can. He's still stubborn, I'm still a worry-wart, and D probably needs a vacation from us all.

We've had a little craziness at work lately. The last few weeks have been hectic. Between year end and the holidays, letting people (one person) go and people wanting the final of everything, things have been round the clock consistent. We're not doing a big holiday party at work this year like we usually do (and I for one am NOT sad about it), but we are doing a little something. 

I have to get payroll done early so we can get all that lined up because we are having a little meeting on Friday. Everybody is supposed to be at the shop around noon and we'll have pizza (that I preordered last week), soda, beer (no worries, all employees are 21+), and some treats. Then they'll hand out checks and the little treat bags Dani and I made last Friday (she had a cute little idea and who doesn't love a good treat bag?) and everybody can be on their merry way.

Festive and efficient. Just the way I like it.

Other than that, we've been going through the things in our shed/garage. It may not sound like much, but let me tell you, it is quite literally my entire life for the first almost thirty years thrown into boxes and shoved into a bin to deal with another day. The only reason it hasn't been done before now is because I quite literally find the task to be so overwhelming. It's my life, my Momma's life, and some of my Grammy's life. All shoved into boxes and bins and totes and honestly, at times it all makes me want to cry. It's alot. To deal with, to carry, to go through, just all of it. We've made pretty good progress and I'm pretty happy with the results so far. While it is overwhelming and at times wants to take me to my knees, I carry on and eventually, I'll be through it all.

The amount of tattoos I now have is a little insane to me. I currently have four healing (two small, one medium and one large) and I don't see myself stopping anytime soon. I used to think I would hate being covered in tattoos. It was always a bit of a "no no" and was kind of engrained into me that it was something I just wasn't going to do. And then one day I realized I didn't do it for all reasons someone else had that I didn't believe in the first place... and then the cycle started. 

Personally, I love feeling like a doodle pad. It may sound strange but I almost feel like a piece of art in a gallery. Not a fancy and/or expensive gallery... perhaps not even a gallery at all... yeah, I more feel like a graffiti wall that people adore. Maybe people don't adore me but the art on my skin makes me feel like how I think people feel looking at the art they love. And that's a good feeling to me. I like looking down and seeing pieces of me and reminders of my life told through a story on my skin. It's fun and addicting and beautiful. D's currently reworking a moon piece on my back (he completed my thigh angular fish last night) and I was up until one this morning getting the work done and then all cleaned up. It's nowhere near finished but it's looking beautiful.

D finally got his new/permanent plate. He's going through the adjustment period of getting a new one (you wouldn't think it's a thing but it truly is a hell of a learning curve) and he's still sore from the bone/tooth fragments that are working their way out, but for the most part, he's doing real good. While it's been a hell of a process, he says he would do it all over again to not be in the pain he was in, and honestly, that means it was all worth it to me.

And yeah, that's where we are. We're waiting for the holidays, and getting tattoos, and spoiling our pups while watching Sparkles ear, and unpacking all of my childhood trauma. It's been a good time. Also, I've successfully avoided round the clock Mariah Carey this season, so we're taking the f*cking win.