A we do what we want kind of weekend.🛻🌲💸😍

This weekend was... eventful. Actually, now that I think back on it, last week was INSANE for all of us. Not just Dev and me, but ALL of us. You, me, and probably the dude on the corner. Seriously, y'all have those weeks, right? Where you're super productive but also it feels like you have a million things to do?

Happened to me. To us. 

We decided to get a jumpstart on the weekend and paid our mortgage on Thursday after work. Smart, right? Would've been if I didn't also get a case of "fighting for my life" but whatever. I also got a little update on my cousin, Shanny, while we were out that way. She's having a second surgery on my birthday and another one in three-four months. Hopefully, everything goes ok with her and she's alright as can be. I should probably call her to check in on her and my uncle.

Even with my gut being an asshole (they were in a fight and yes... pun intended) we still managed to get in a WRTTMM Friday evening and were back home in time to get some rest and prepare for the day ahead.

Meanwhile... our pups were wylin out because that's what they do.

Saturday rolled around and Dev had a tattoo appointment up in Muncie. Like the true daddy he is... he made sure I got Mickey D's breakfast and coffee to fill me up before we made that trek. While it was an all day event, it was a good time and the piece turned out AMAZING. I'm so proud of Dev and the things he's accomplishing. Also... just to put it out there... being married to a tattoo artist? Fuckin hot. Being able to be tattooed in the comfort of my home by the sexiest man I know? Also hot.

His client was actually Macey's bio-dad and since Travis had a piece on her stepmom, we got to meet that side of their family. They were SO nice and he trains Malinois's for a living... so obviously he must be the dog whisperer because Sparkles was all up in his business. Seriously, my grumbly pup that doesn't like much of anyone... ok not true... he just doesn't like men... he's a real ladies man... was ALL OVER this dude. 

It was so amazing to see and actually made me a little emotional, because Sparkles has been real down since we lost Xur-Xur. Like, real down to the point of depression and we can't seem to pull him out of it. But after Saturday he seems a bit more like my old pup and it is without a doubt, more precious than I could describe.

We got home late from that appointment and successfully made our list of everything we needed to get off Amazon... and while the pups, Dev and me are now covered in all our areas... fuckin ouch, dude. Shit be spensive.

Sunday rolled around and wouldn't you know it... there was things to do. Luckily, it was minimal and we had everything done and were back at the house by 10:30AM. We headed out about 9:00AM so we could get Trudy her very FIRST oil change. She's officially almost 5,000 miles deep and it was that time. Technically, she had another like thirty miles left in her, but I'm trying to take care of her to the best of my abilities. Have I mentioned how much I love that truck? Because I do... we really do. Also... shout out to Jiffy Lube! They're not only open on Sundays... but that's where I took Doug Judy... and now Trudy. They had us in/out in like twenty minutes. Fuckin, G's.

After the oil change we filled Trudy up, picked up a few things from the grocery (this gal needed coffee, our pups needed food, and Dev needed burgers), had another Mickey D's breakfast run and hightailed it back to the house before church let out.

The rest of the day was spent hanging out and not doing anything... but I'm still somehow exhausted?

Also, now that Trudy is a bit broken in with a new oil change and a full tank? Pheesh. Fuck out of my way, because she is a BEAST.

So yeah... we had an incredibly busy weekend... we spent way more money than we intended... we're so tired you would think we haven't slept in three days... BUT it was so worth it and I had an amazing time.

I love spending all my time with my family and seeing them as happy as possible. Watching Dev do what he loves is incredible and I'm blessed to be able to share in that with him. The fact we all get to be together and can travel with him (most of the time) while he works is just an added bonus onto the ever-evolving amazingness that I call life.

And now... we start this work week over. It's all good, we're on a mission to be as chill as possible from here on out. The only things we have are my work schedule and Dev's appointments... other than that... home free!

Oh yeah... today is also Macey's birthday. So... HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MACEY-JO!!

🎄It's not a bahumbug, but I did think it was already done.🎄🎄

Christmas is in two days and I would like to go on the record of saying, it feels like Christmas already happened. Maybe it's the fact we had our company party last Friday... maybe it's the fact there's no snow or family is spread every which way... but essentially, we're all just waiting.

Waiting for today and tomorrow to happen so I can be off on Wednesday. Ok, not everybody is waiting on that one, but you can't blame a girl for trying.

Last week when Dani and I ran to the Costco to pick things up for our party, I found Sparkles and Steve a couple little Christmas llamas. They're so damn cute. I got a gray one for Sparkles and a white one for Steve... and Sparkles is having none of it. I don't know if he's scared of them or just doesn't like them, but he gave his to Steve and she took them without hesitation. Little chunker loves them.

Dev also put our tree out last week. Put a little Santa statue out too. I guess you could say the Glisson house is all ready for Christmas morning. 

This past weekend was the cookie weekend. We didn't do Christmas presents this year (because everything is like five million dollars!), but Dev did ask me to make his parents some baked treats so we could mail them out. That's what his daddy always requests... homemade treats! 

Why? Because he's a fifty-something year old single man that lives alone with his pups and works construction. He ain't exactly breaking out the cookie sheets anytime soon... so being the DIL I strive to be, cookies it is! And of course we have to send some his momma's way... can't send treats to one but not the other!

I made four different kinds of cookies (oatmeal/coconut, gingerbread, quick drop fudgies, and peanut butter) and a batch of peppermint swirl brownies. Because my MIL doesn't really do cookies, but she'll f*ck a brownie up. 

I thought I was going to have to make a whole other batch of peanut butter (I made a double batch to begin with!) because Dev couldn't stop eating them. Seriously, he loved them and I wanted him to eat as many as he wanted, because that's not usually his thing. Usually, I make bake treats and he'll eat a little but he's never one to clear something out.

So when I make something he's ALL into? Take it, eat it, IT'S YOURS. That's how I ended up promising to make another batch of peanut butter cookies and another batch of peppermint brownies this week. If that's what he wants, that's what he's gonna get.

I don't know what we're gonna do for Christmas this year. I think Mavis may have invited us over (we do tend to spend holidays with them), but if I'm being honest, I kind of just want to stay home with Dev and our babies and do Christmas with just us. I guess we'll see how things turn out. Who knows, depending on how things look, maybe we'll have a regular ole WRTTMM.

OH!! One more thing... Dev informed me a few years ago that he didn't like nor did he eat biscuits and gravy. I was like WTF??!!?! because that's essentially one of the things that raised me... and asked him if he purposefully didn't tell me that until after we got married because that's some dealbreaker shit. And then we laughed, because we both know I love him more than B&G but still. This has been going on for awhile and I've been giving him shit for it. Well... last week he asked what I wanted for supper and I REALLY wanted B&G. So, he told me to make it and he'd try it... he hadn't had it since he was a kid so he was willing to see if things change.

Guess what? Things changed. He not only loved the B&G I made (hallelujah!), but he requested that I make it again this week. Guess what else? I learned that my hubby didn't like B&G because when my FIL makes it, he fries it all up... and makes brown gravy. Sorry, what? BROWN gravy and sausage biscuits? I didn't know my FIL was a terrorist but here we are. 

I told Dev if he tried it again he would like it... and all I can say to that is... VINDICATION!

The bathroom art on Thanksgiving was giving *chef's kiss*

Holidays are usually weird for us. The majority of Dev's family lives in Florida and the majority of mine have their own things to deal with. It's usually just our little family at the house, having a good time come holiday time... but sometimes we venture out and pretend that we're normal folks doing normal folk things.

Usually with Mavis. And this year was no exception. Mace's mom and stepdad moved this year and they all invited us over to spend Thanksgiving with them. We had a good time. We all ate, hung out, rode go-karts, and just enjoyed the day.

But the highlight? The wall art on Mace's moms bathroom walls.

It's not like we haven't already been playing the game the last few weeks.

It's always weird when a holiday that I get off work falls in the middle of the week. For instance, Independence Day was this past Thursday so work Mon-Wed... off Thursday... back to work on Friday. I'm not complaining by any means, because yes, give me all the days off while still being employed... but it still feels weird and throws shit off. Luckily, Dani is awesome and let me do a halfsie day on Friday (hoorah for her).

People do it big around us for the 4th. We've spent the last three weeks or so playing our annual neighborhood game of "gunfire or fireworks?" and people are still ringing it out.

While Dev fell asleep Thursday... with Sparkles faithfully under the covers hiding from the boom-boom... I sat outside with Xur and Steve for a bit watching the firework show the city puts on (our house was surrounded by the bright lights). It was relaxing and I sat out watching lights and contemplating life.

We decided to do it right come Saturday though. We needed it.

Last week was a clusterf*ck of anxiety and the weekend entailed stress-induced debilitation, so come Saturday... the Glisson's needed a little pick me up. We loaded our three babies up and headed over to Mavis's for the afternoon/evening. I mean... nothing says feel better than hanging out with your bestie couple friends, right? That's what we're going with.

Mavis was kid-free for the night (a rarity in their lives) so we loaded up all our pups (and one of theirs) and we all headed down to Prairie Creek to watch the firework show. Nothing says good time quite like watching fireworks on the lake with your hubby and babies.

We had a great time and didn't even make it home until almost two in the morning... because we're wild and do what we want! Really though... it's cause Mavis lives SO far away. And yes, I'm being a little dramatic but damn, I want those bitches to live closer... like... can y'all just be my neighbors already?

And that's how we spent our Saturday... hanging out, helping Mavis move a couch and watching fireworks. Because nothing says good time like fire in the sky.

💙Who says you can't eat fair food and dress like a princess? 💙

We're going to Bean's 4th birthday party this Sunday (but like... I swear we just celebrated her last birthday?) and the theme is... 👑 PRINCESSES. 👑

No specific princess... just princesses in general. I was thinking Princess Peach... but they're leaning more towards Disney and the likes. Makes sense... even though we assumed she would go Scooby-Doo (she's obsessed). With that being said... princess time.

With this opportunity presenting itself, I had no choice but to consider actually dressing up as a princess. I mean... I'm thirty-four years old, how many legit opportunities are just hanging around out there waiting for me to live out my princess fantasies? I could just dress like that all the time... but then people are going to start asking me if my hubby and I are into some weird shit (#smutreading) and I'm gonna be inappropriate and say yes... it'll be a whole thing. So we don't typically go there.

Dev was completely onboard and started googling costumes because he's an enabler that thinks my quirks and complete lack of social propriety are adorable.

I text Mace to make sure it was ok... and she informed me that she too was dressing like a princess for Bean and was super stoked I was already onboard without her having to ask (Aunt Katie has totally got you). She even suggested Belle... and while Belle was one of my favorites... that's a whole lot of fuckin yellow. She also let me know that Jasmine is Bean's absolute favorite... but I'm not trying to insult peeps... so I'm pretty sure I'm not allowed to dress as Jasmine... or Pocahontas... or Mulan. All the damn good princesses are taken.

I settled on Anna... because that's the only costume available in my size... and just as a side note, I never thought I would have this much trouble finding clothes at the size I am. Clothes that hang and do whatever? Easy. Clothes that legit fit my body type and shape? Nope.

Dev loved it... but also let me know he had actually never seen Frozen. I was very much like- 👀👀.

Cut to about ten minutes later... and we're snuggled in with the pups watching Sven being the best reindeer around... only taking a very small break so Dev could make me funnel cakes (because he's the best). We were about ten minutes away from Hans and three minutes into Kristoff before Dev was all, "she should be with Kristoff... that other guy just got lucky he ran into her first." And when Hans was revealed as a villain? You should have seen the "I TOLD YOU" look that came across his face. Hilarious.

So yeah... we'll be playing princess come Sunday (my costume is supposed to be delivered today) and my husband has officially watched Frozen. All is good with the world.

I was bamboozled and I'm not even sorry about it.

There's officially a new member of the Glisson household. She's a six week old blue nose pitty and her name is... Steve.

Steve Irwin Glisson.
(And if you don't think that's f*cking funny, we can't be friends).

When I tell you I had no intention of getting a third pup, I whole heartedly mean it. I knew eventually we would bring another little pup into our lives, and we would love them unconditionally, but after losing Tayder last year, I honestly didn't know when that would be.

I didn't know when I would feel ok or if this was going to be a bandaid situation. Friday night, the answer was clear. I was neither ready or unready, I was just... me. Dev and I drove up to hang with Mavis, they got me inebriated, sat my ass down on a kitchen stool and put a six week old puppy in my lap while proceeding to tell me all his siblings needed a home. Saturday rolled around and next thing I know, we're headed fifteen minutes down the street to pick up the newest member of our family.

It's strange having a third pup again. I love it... I mean... the more dogs the merrier, right? But, it is an adjustment and completely different than it was. Dev and I haven't adopted together since Tayder. When we found each other again, Tayder was still with me and I had the addition of Sparkles. Dev had Xur and we became the most beautiful blended little family.

Now, we have a new little one to add in our ranks. And let me tell you, she demands to be seen. Little shit.

Xur is loving it. It's like he was made for this life. He wants the little darlin to follow him around and treats her like a proper mother hen. It's adorable and the sweetest little thing. Sparkles is Sparkles. He neither likes nor dislikes Steve, but he is warming up to her a little more each day. I swear, that pups middle name should be Indifferent. I feel like he likes her but he's a little thrown off by how small she is. I mean, six weeks really isn't anything and she's a spitfire in a teeny little body. Both pups reacted differently, but seemed to be on board with having a new sibling.

Then there's my Gatorbaby... the love of my life. The bamboozler that bamboozled his way into a new puppy. Because honestly, I can't tell that man no for shit and once he put the pup in my arms? Game over. I gotta hand it to him... man knows how to get his way with me.

Side note... when we adopted Steve, we were handed a box of puppies and told, "these are the boys." I'm a boy dog mom and haven't had female dogs of my own as an adult ever, always boys. Didn't think anything of it and went about our merry way... it took us a legit two full days before we were like... huh.. never confirmed that. And that's how we ended up having a girl named Steve.

And here we are. It was a bit of a crazy weekend but in all the best ways. Pup cuddles, hubby kisses, new ink, and visits from old friends (shout out to Dev's friend, Joshie!). 

Welcome to this side of the Glisson's, Steve! The four of us love you so much already (don't worry about Sparkles, I promise his grumpy ass will come around!) and are so happy you round out our little family.

Sometimes it's the little things in your everyday life.

Dev and I had a fairly busy weekend. We usually do, as there are few times we just get to hang out and do absolutely nothing (ie: what I want most of the time). We had a WRTTMM to handle, grocery trips to make, and another trip to see Mavis before they head out to FL this week.

I mostly just wanted to stay in bed and not move because my body is so damn sore. Apparently, thirty-four year old Katie doesn't travel as well as she used to and my left hip is going to be my demise. However, we pushed through (I make it sound far more dramatic than it really was... probably) and finished out our weekend with some snuggles and season two of La Brea. 

And now we get to start the week with no errands to run and all the love to come. Perhaps I'll have Dev give me a couple more tattoos and we'll finish out our show... all while banana bread is in the air.

Until then, I'll be enjoying long drives and beautiful skies with the love of my life and our furbabies.

Helloooo.... from the FROZEN SSIIIDDDEEEE!!

I know that reference is somewhere between nine-eleven years dated... HOWEVER, if there was ever a time for it to make a come back, IT'S NOW.

Y'all, it is so motherf*cking frigid outside. FRIGID. Capital F through D. It was a total of -2° outside when I left for work this morning and let's be honest, it has not improved much in the hours since. Frankly, it's gonna start dropping here again in just a couple hours. Just thinking about it makes me want to wrap a heated blanket around me. In fact, I have a low tire and decided at 6:30 this morning that it was afternoon Katie and Dev's problem because f*ck.

I DIGRESS. 

I have been blissfully holed up in my house with my hubby and pups on every available opportunity of this new year. Do I regret the things missed? NO. Because nothing was missed... things have been accomplished and no shit has been taken. It's been a good time.

What's new these last few weeks? 

Per every paranoia the hubby and I possess, we did in fact stay inside the first day of the new year. In fact, we stayed inside that entire three-day weekend as much as possible because last year started off with a shit show and carried on throughout the entire damn thing... we weren't trying to have a repeat.

We had another visit with Baby J and he is the cutest and snuggliest little baby this side of the Midwest. Sometimes a person just needs some baby snuggles... and then to hand said baby back to their parents because they gots to get home and eat snacks.

Sparkles ear is looking better. It's still not 100% but it's looking better by the day, if only a little, and it seems to bother him a little less. Poor baby just wants to nap and eat treats and honestly... same. He and Xur mostly hang out with us and I seriously don't know what we'd do without those little assholes.

After three years of marriage, Dev and I are finally on the same phone plan. Here's what happened... when he moved up here (five years ago) he switched to Sprint (later bought by T-Mobile). I was already on my Aunt P's friends/family phone plan (with Momma) with Sprint (again, bought by T-Mobile). We've been meaning to get my number switched from my aunt's plan to Dev's for a long time but haven't got around to it (for various reasons). We finally decided we were doing it regardless because damn we've been married for a minute and it felt weird.

Last week after work one day, we loaded up in Doug Judy, picked my aunt up and headed to T-Mobile. We only wanted to have my number switched from one T-Mobile plan to another. The clerk informed us that they can no longer do that in store, you have to call "customer care." While we were there, Dev asked if he could have a couple things removed from his plan... again... call customer care because they can't do that in store.

*side note* I'm really not trying to be "that" person I am just genuinely curious. If they can't change or update or service anything having to do with your plan in store... what is the purpose of having a store? I mean, you can order a phone online and have it delivered so it can't just be that, right? *anyways*

We left and took Aunt Poot home... attempting to call "customer care" on the way and got nothing. Cut to three hours, two trips, and a bunch of dollars later and now Dev and I are on the same phone plan... with Verizon. We got to keep our numbers and honestly, that's what I was so butt hurt over because it would be such a pain in the ass to switch everything over. 

JUST NO.

Dev and I got the bright idea to try new spaghetti sauces out at the store to "find a new favorite" and ended up getting one called "spicy arrabbiata" that almost f*cking killed us. That shit was so damn hot. All I tasted was tomato and heat. No spice of any kind just HEAT. We couldn't even choke down a full plate apiece so leftovers were totally out of the question. I couldn't imagine eating that shit after it set and got hotter.

We attempted to help Bonehead move a bit. We went over to his house for about three hours or so to help out but he had a whole lot going on so we did what we could and headed out. He did send us off with a shelf that's been handed down for years and now houses our dishes so fun!

Work has been crazy and going a mile a minute but that's all the time so nothing new there.

Other than that, we've mostly been staying home and snuggling in. I have gotten quite a few new tattoos as of late. I had a right rib piece put on a week ago yesterday and said screw it and had my left rib piece put on last night. Because I'm apparently a glutton for punishment or a masochist or something.

My big plans for tonight are for me and Dev to run to the grocery store (getting stuff for spaghetti-redo night) and then I'm taking a super hot shower and snuggling in. Because this gal is sleepy and frozen and not having it. Except hubby and pup lovin. 

I'll have that. Happy (hopefully, let's keep our fingers crossed and put hopefulness out for the best) 2024!

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. 

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.

❤️ Baby JTG for the win. ❤️

Yesterday was the day we all got together to celebrate Baby Jensen. And oh, what a celebration it was. To say once our motley crew gets together, things get hilarious (and tense) would be an understatement. It was a small turnout but it was so full of love (and soups!).

The party started around 3:00PM and of course in true us fashion, this set of Glisson's were damn near late. BUT we made it on time and honestly, I think we deserve a treat for that kind of punctuality (I literally was over two hours late to our wedding and haven't been on time for anything since that day).

Dev's still feeling pretty rough considering all the dental work he had done about two weeks ago but he was a f*cking trooper and couldn't stand the thought of missing out on a celebration of our cousin/friends baby! 

The pups had to chill at our house for the day (they usually go everywhere with us but it was a pup free zone considering the party was at their house and there was limited space) but don't worry about them. They were sleeping off D and mine's Friday spontaneous roadtrip so they were more than happy to sleep a Saturday away for a few hours.

We stayed for a few hours hanging out, opening presents, taking pictures, eating and such and then we headed to the house to chill for the rest of the weekend (I'm currently writing this via my pajamas in bed and have no regrets).

And the food?! JESUS. There was so much good food to be eaten... I think I gained four pounds. Potato soup, chili, bbq weenies, potato salad (we like taters in this family!)... the list goes on. I even made vanilla crinkle cookies (dyed blue!) and cream cheese frosted brownies (with blue frosting of course!) per Mavis's request. 

Full disclosure... my "blue" cookies and "blue" frosting had a touch of green to them but it still counts and I'm taking the win!

Mavis is so excited about JT getting here in the next couple of months (due in December like his daddy!) and we honestly can't wait to hold and snuggle and love the shit out of him. Speaking of Mavis, can we talk about how adorable they looked? They definitely have that new "we're about to have a baby and we're in love" glow about them and we are f*cking here for it.

Here's to Baby JTG and all the love this family has for each other.

Catch up... not to be confused with ketchup.

Life has been... lately. Things seem to be moving at warp speed and slowly crawling all at once. If I'm being perfectly honest, it feels a little Twilight-zoney around these parts.

But I digress... mostly because I don't know where that potential ramble is headed off to.

Our days are basically filled with work (both me at the shop and D at the house) and spending all the rest of the time together when possible. 

We finally got a call about Dev's oral surgery... they can't fit him in until October 9th. I'm so frustrated with that but also just want it done so he can stop being in constant pain. Poor man literally just has a toothache round the clock and I feel miserable for him because I know he's miserable as hell. We're just waiting on all the calls from the hospital and labs to confirm appointments/etc. Hopefully, things will go streamlined from here... fingers crossed!

Dev took me to my "lady" doctor appointment a couple weeks ago and I go in tomorrow to have my Kyleena changed out (its due in September). Thankfully, my insurance still covers birth control (for now) so while I'm not looking forward to being poked and prodded, I am happy to have this taken care of on the quick and up.

We've been spending quite a bit of time with Mavis and the cutest little Bean on the planet. We've come to the conclusion that we can rock this whole Aunt/Uncle life. Kids might not be our forte (we're not having any of our own) but dog parents/auntie-uncle life? We got this. Along with spending so much time with Mavis comes the fact we all have many more tattoos than what we started with. Dev and I counted the other night and he's on like forty-five/six and I'm on thirteen, I think? We're basically just all walking canvases at this point. I ain't mad at it.

Dev, Greg, Gabby and I went on a nice long bike ride yesterday. We were gone about four hours and had a real nice time. We ended up riding down to Morgan and Dev and I talked about moving out there someday and finding our forever home. That would be hilarious, right? For me to move myself and my husband and our kids (pups but they count!) to the first ever town I remember living in. Talk about full circle.

Other than that, we've essentially just been living life and going about our business. Work for me has been insane and busy as all get out (though I'm not mad at it and prefer to stay steady busy instead of lagging around) and Dev has been doing lots of cleaning and reorganizing the house. 

I would be lying if I said I didn't miss my Tayderbug so damn bad. Honestly, I look for him everywhere and think about him constantly. I just want to hold and cuddle him and love on him after a long day. But I can't and that makes me so incredibly sad. I still go looking for him and listen for him every single day. Dev told me it wasn't a "habit" that I do this, it's just my natural instinct for almost two decades, so it's going to take some time to be ok. Because I am not ok with it. I mean, I'm "ok" but I'm not "ok." Ok? Ok.

At the end of the day though we're just doing what we can... we're dreaming and making plans and loving each other.

I met his aunt that reminded me of my cousin and now we have more people.

Let me start off by saying I had no damn idea that my FIL had a little sister for the longest time. I knew there were four brothers but had no clue there was a sister. Apparently, because she was a little on down through the years and also grandad's with his second wife.

Even Dev's only met her a handful of times throughout his life and the most vivid memory he has of meeting her was his grandpa's last birthday. Then again, he only met his real grandpa a few times as well. Because you know, grandma had a second husband. Or, something. I don't really know if I'm being honest...

THE POINT IS... I got to meet Dev's aunt and uncle and we got to hang out with them for a bit.

They live in FL but apparently travel around up here to the Midwest because his uncle has quite a bit of family up this way. We didn't know they were coming into town (the trip wasn't to see us) but Sharla reached out to Dev a couple days before and mentioned she would be in town and would like to see him.

So, once I got off work Friday, we loaded our boys up and headed over to Mavis's house. It was nice to get to hang out, chill and have supper together. We all talked and carried on and it was real nice to see we each had some shit in common. It's always nice for me when I'm comfortable around people, because as most everyone knows, new people and awkwardness meetings are not my thing.

Crippling anxiety attack? Right here. It's me.

Like I said, his aunt was a down the road baby, so she's only ten years older than us. Between the three couples there we had two in their forties, two in their thirties, and two in their twenties.

And for the record, you couldn't pay me enough to go back to my twenties. Because f*ck that. Hoping to make it past my forties though... I mean, I don't want to get there too soon but I also want to see after that? Something.

They of course had other plans and a schedule to keep, and we had to head home, but we were able to hang out for a couple hours and they let us know the next time we come down to FL, they would like us to stay with them a couple days and see everybody on that side of the family. I mean, sounds good to us.

It'll probably be awhile before we're able to make a FL trip, but its nice to know we have many people to see and fun to have when we do eventually get to go.

Did I just do two Mondays in a row? I feel like I did. *suspicious*

Do you ever just have one of those days where you wake up and you're like this is just not it? Happened to me. Well, happens to me on the regular but especially today.

Y'all, this little chika ain't twenty years old anymore and I FEELS it.

Yesterday was the 4th which means there was a day off to be had and some fun to accomplish. It also means that I was off the weekend, worked Monday, off Tuesday, and back in the office on Wednesday.

What. The. F*ck.

Don't get me wrong, I love having certain holidays off (I never used to get those) and I'm not one to kick a gift horse in his mouth, but this off-on-off-on situation has me all sorts of confused. I swear, my ass doesn't know whether to shit or fart glitter.

My alarm went off this morning and I seriously contemplated throwing it out the window. Then I woke up a couple more seconds and realized even if I did that I'd still have to go into work and then I'd have a broken window, so you know... didn't want one more thing to deal with.

Yesterday was fun and we had a good time. We headed up to Mavis's for the day and hung out at Mace's parents house. We took the pups with us because we didn't want to leave them alone with all the fireworks, but they stayed with their cousins at the Mavis homebase. That way, they were right down the road from us but didn't have to stay out in all that constant heat.

And when I tell y'all it was hot yesterday, I mean SUMBITCH. We ate and laughed and all had a good time, but y'all THAT HEAT. Humid would be the understatement of the century. We walked down to some firework get together they have and between the four of us, I bet you could've filled a kiddie pool with all that sweat.

D and I headed out before the legit firework show started (we live about an hour and ten mins from them) since it was already so late (well after ten), but we essentially got a monstrous firework show because we saw everyone's from Muncie to Indy. It was pretty great.

We got home after eleven (almost midnight) and stayed up well until one this morning snuggling and watching Tiktok videos in bed together.

And now? We're back to reality and I need a nap and some cuddles. Luckily, I left all four of my boys at the house when I left this morning, so when its time for me to get off and come home, we can do NOTHING.

Because I'm old and need to recover. At least, that's what my left hip keeps telling me.

The happenings of the Glisson household.

How are we already six months into 2023? Things have been crazy and weird and lovely and insane.

We've been painting our house black and while we were on a role for awhile, it has essentially died off for a minute. Don't get me wrong, we still plan on completing it all, its just going to take longer than we originally anticipated. Then again, doesn't it always?

The pups are still spoiled rotten and as cute as they've ever been. Xur is still the protective middle child, Sparkles is forever playing the part of youngest child, and our little tiny Tayderbug is still the King of the Court with his oldest brother status. I love our babies and it would be a lie to say their presence didn't bring me extreme amounts of comfort.

Dev's been off work so far this year so we can get his health in check. Its almost like a snowball effect. It started with his heart and progressed to his teeth and now we're somewhere in between waiting to hear back from doctors and trying to pay medical bills as they come in. I just want him healthy and to feel good. The way I look at it, as long as we can get him happy, healthy and safe, we can catch up on the rest. That's what life's for... right? Right.

My poor husband. When we relax at night, we usually lay in the bed and watch tv, talk, or scroll on our phones. Sometimes a combo of all because we're multitaskers like that. However, I have this real bad habit of falling asleep while watching true crime documentaries and I think he may be scarred now. I mean, he's watching this crazy and then looking sideways at his wife passed out cold? Its funny to me, probably a little insane to him.

Travis and Macey (aka Mavis) are having a baby and we've been spending alot of time together. I would essentially say that those two are not only our family, but have also become our best friends (aside from one another of course). We cook together, laugh together, hang out and have a grand ole time. It's strange to have another couple that we can hang out with and either spend time all together as four or sectioned off. We've never had a "couple" friend like this and the fact that its family we love makes it all the much better.

Dev's got the yard looking incredible. It's been a long process, but everything is looking real good. And just in time for Summer? Whhhaaaaaa. We've decided that we want to have a bajillion plants (ok, I decided and my husband was 1000% on board). Seriously, I'm in this weird stage of life where plants are making me happy for some unknown and ridiculous reason and instead of fighting it, I have decided to embrace it fully. Along with Seth Green Bonsai, we've also started out propagating garlic and some other herb (I can't recall which it is because D started it, but its doing good!). Oh, and my mint is spreading and taking over EVERYWHERE. I love it. The irises and lilies look good this time around as well. I talked to my Aunt Mary and she let me know when we're ready for more plants to let her know and I could come out to her house and have a field day with her flowers/plants. I kind of want to go pick out a bunch of stuff in the next few weekends!

Along with that, I really want to delve into this plant thing and learn and grow (pun intended).

We've picked up a new recipe for chuck roast that is essentially our new go to favorite. We made it twice in one week just so we could have French-dip sandwiches. I'm pretty sure this roast would be delicious about fifteen thousand ways, but I had a new idea the other night for "Holler Pie" and D is so onboard. TBD on when that's happening (maybe when D has his teeth surgery and has to eat softer foods).

Oh, and D blew up our microwave. It's not really relevant but made me laugh the night it happened so I thought it was worth mentioning. Aunt Mary had given us some homemade zucchini bread and after eating a bit I wrapped it up and stuck it in the microwave. D didn't see it when we tried to heat up the au jus and well... the bread was in foil. Now our microwave only works in twenty second increments and then shuts off the power for that side of the kitchen. Looks like we're using all our other appliances for warm food for awhile.

So yeah, that's where this Glisson household is six months into this year. Trying and doing and laughing and crying and loving and living and essentially, trying to live an all around peaceful and comforting life together with our babies and each other.

Note to self: just because they said they got this doesn't mean they got this.

After work today we decided to ride up and see Mavis. Its always a bit of a trip but we've made it so many times at this point that its almost second nature and unbothersome. We just wanted to hang out and pick up a couple of things. Also, I seriously needed some cuddles from their little girl, Bean.

While we were there the guys decided to take a ride on the Nelli and apparently while they were traveling uphill, my husband fell off. Like, flew off the back of the bike and landed full force on asphalt.

Head, back, neck, and ass. 

Luckily, they weren't moving at a fast pace and he's ok. He's sore and has a bit of road rash but considering they were laughing when they pulled up and Dev said he was ok after some ibuprofen, I guess we'll pack this in the "I need to put my husband in a plastic bubble" box.

These dudes.

I know we just had Memorial Day weekend and all but... *SNORES*

Y'all, I am officially back to work after a three-day weekend and I am not having it. Sure, I'm very proud and feel blessed that I have a job I love (most days) and I am forever thankful for it BUT COME ON. Let me snuggle back into the covers and recover my whole ass body. That's it, I just need another day.

You see, we had a real fun weekend. While it was supposed to just be me, Dev and our pups, we ended up spending the majority of the time with Travis and Macey (aka Mavis). We alternated between houses and managed everything from tattoos to homemade french dips to dabbling in botany. 

And yesterday, the four of us took the tubes down White River for the day. I had personally never been tubing before and we all were a little lost on the process. It was supposed to be a three-four hour trip and it ended up being five and a half instead. Which was fine, except we're all a little crispy for it. Why we waited until the day before we had to go back to our normal lives to do this I'll never know, but here we are.

I straight up went from being Dev's little princess to being his little lobster. Seriously, my shins and stomach are F****D up. And D's shoulders? Pfsshh. CRISPY like KFC. I know Mace and Travis HAVE to be feeling that shit today. Mace is pale like me and Trav is a ginger so you know they're extra spicy looking this AM. *And yes, we used sunscreen, but that shit only goes so far.*

Full disclosure, I had to dress like Miss Honey from Matilda for work today, because things touching me aren't a thing. I asked Dev how I looked and his words were... "sexy... like a librarian." I wasn't aware dudes had a thing for librarians, so I'm taking it as a win. Then again, I mentioned the Miss Honey thing and he was like, "well, now that you mention it." It could be worse. I could be having a Trunchbull moment.

We all laugh about it, because what else are we supposed to do? Not to mention we have a couple new tattoos (Leo is a new dino-lizard on my thigh), a new bombass recipe, and memories to go round. Honestly, while I'm exhausted and want to do nothing but sleep right now, the fact we were going and had those experiences and that fun was worth it.

Seriously though, today when I get home I'm having a shower, putting on some comfy clothes, have a chill moment, snuggle with my pups and hubby, eat some leftover spaghetti (I made that shit when we got home from the river last night and it is delicious), and watching tv. That's it. That's all I'm doing and can't nobody change my mind.

Please.