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.

Let's play a little catchup and see what happens.

I'm having a real hard time with my attention span lately. Sure, I buckle down and manage it while at work, but once that clock dings, I'm out. Quite literally... mentally and physically, I'm in Lalaland.

But, that's ok. Because while I may be a bit of an airhead on the regular, D and I have been in a blissful little bubble. Sure, there are things looming in the background and we're on edge more often than not, but we've been trying to take it easy and be serene.

Personally, my goal for life has always broken down into four things I wanted: calm, happy, peaceful, stable. That's it, all I ever wanted for my life. Most people have big plans and goals and dreams. And maybe it sounds a little sad to most, but I never wanted all of that.

I just wanted a calm and happy life with a little stability. And I wanted to share that life with my best friend. I didn't need bunches of money or a fancy house. I didn't want to be entrapped in drama and I didn't want to have to answer to anyone other than myself.

And that's the life I have. 

We did finally get D's surgery scheduled. His pre-op appointment is on 3/14 and his surgery date is 3/17. We're both happy and nervous to have it finally on the books to be taken care of. We've been keeping his stress down and it seems to be helping quite a bit. His mom wants to fly up and be here for his surgery and I'm sure he would appreciate her being there. Personally, I was just going to sit in the waiting room alone and have a nervous breakdown, but it'll be nice to have company to melt down with.

Ok... probably not melt down. But, it is a nerve inducing situation.

My birthday was this past Monday and D has been spoiling me since last Friday because of it. He said I get a whole week, because I'm special and if I want the whole month or year, I can have that to. He's such an enabler and spoils me rotten. I love it.

Dani also invited us to my company's "gala" event this year. Basically, D and I are going to get all fancy and show up with the other fancy looking people and hang out. It's a formal event, so while D is wearing a suit (one that he looks damn fine in by the way), I have to find an appropriate dress to wear. Just the thought of dress shopping makes me itchy, but this time around D is taking me. He's actually really good at picking out clothes that look good on me and frankly, I could use all the help I can get. Besides, I'm usually in a pair of boxers and an oversized sweatshirt (that belonged to my FIL Dennis), so it'll be nice to let my husband see me all dressed up.

We've also been out on the bike a bit recently. Of course with winter being cold, wet, and all around miserable for most, the rides have been fewer and further between, but we've managed to get a few in here and there. We were gonna ride it when D took me to the Famous Tomato, but we didn't really want to drive on that side of town, so we've been taking random rides with no destination in mind.

Other than that we've mostly just been hanging out at the house with our pups and having chill evenings (and days). And I have to say, I'm into it. Like, this could keep on keeping on and I'd be extremely good with it.

People literally tried to make me throw in the towel on the first day.

Y'all, people didn't even wait until we were a little bit into 2023 before they decided to make me lose all faith in humanity. Like seriously, what the fuck is wrong with people? 

On Sunday, D and I decided to spend the day on his bike. We took a ride out to my aunts house in the morning and by the time we got home, Travis and Mace showed up so we could all ride up to my brothers and hang out together.

We all had a fun day and couldn't wait to get home and spend the last "free" evening before we all had to prepare ourselves to reenter the world of our regular jobs and everyday life. 

We decided to use the GPS on our way, because traffic has been a nightmare with all the construction and holidays, and it took us a route we had never been before. Sure, we've driven that way in our vehicles, but never on the bike. 

About twenty minutes from home, we were driving under a bridge coming up and we had to make a left. There was a man on the left side of the road and when we came up on him it looked like he was waiting for traffic to pass through so he could cross the street. D got into the opposite lane to ensure we wouldn't be close to him and all of the sudden he charged at us full force and tackled us.

I'm not even shitting you, he tackled us while we were driving down the road and sent us into the guardrail/almost the concrete barrier. If that wasn't enough, he proceeded to loop his arm around me and try to yank me off the back. Oh... and he had a knife. You know, in case this wasn't escalating enough to fucking begin with.

Luckily, my fight or flight instinct kicked in and my first reaction was to tighten my legs around Dev as tight as I could and just start punching the dude in the head. I don't know how D managed to keep that bike up and get us away from the man, but he did.

He didn't stop though. He chased after us and then started throwing beer bottles and pieces of concrete cinderblocks at us, Travis, and another dude that just so happened to be passing by on a bike. 

I called the police and of course Dev and Travis made sure that Mace and I were far enough away to be safe and then kept an eye out on our surroundings and where the dude took off to make sure he didn't get away. Once the police showed up I had to tell them what happened (a very short description of events as they were in pursuit immediately) and they caught and arrested the man.

I would be lying if I said this turn of events didn't freak me out a little bit. I feel like I'm usually a pretty strong person and while I have fears, I'm usually pretty good about keeping myself together. However, it's not everyday you get sucker-punched into a motorcycle accident and possibly abducted and/or assaulted. At least, I don't and if this is an everyday occurrence to y'all, please send tips.

I'm jumpy now and more on edge than I'd like to admit. My paranoia has gone up about four notches and honestly... I don't want this to affect me, but I think it is. The whole way home afterwards I couldn't get my legs to stop shaking and when D asked if I was cold I thought it through and said no. I wasn't cold, but I also couldn't stop shaking and I'm smart enough to know that's adrenaline... and possibly shock.

We're all ok. Dev hurt his leg when we went into the railing and we're both extremally sore, but considering the turn of events and how it could've went down, I'd say we're grateful to only be sore. Luckily, Travis, Mace, and the other guy weren't hurt at all. 

And while I am thankful that we're all ok and the man was arrested (thank you, nice policemen that showed up and helped even though I know I was on edge and freaking out some), I honestly just want to know what the fuck is wrong with people.

I mean, what possesses someone to tackle a person they've never met and try to assault them with a weapon for absolutely no reason at all? And I know this happens all the time and we should all be more prepared, because people just keep proving that they're the worst, but... COME ON, DUDE.

Is this really where we're at?

The only people in my family that know are my brother and Dani. The only people in D's family that know are Travis (and Mace) and his dad. We didn't want to tell alot of people, because then all they'll do is worry and freak out and honestly, I feel like my mental health is hanging on by a loose thread, so maybe let's not deal with all that right now.

Dani said she probably wouldn't ever get back on a bike again. I can't say I blame her and I would be lying if I said that thought hadn't crossed my mind at first. But you know what? I enjoy riding with my husband and spending that time together and I'll be damned if I let some asshole with an anger issue and a small dick complex ruin that for us. People aren't going to stop being horrible and doing what they do, so we all have to find a way to keep living our lives all the same.

It's shitty, but it's accurate.

Instead, I have to say I'm thankful for my husband for making me feel safe when that was the last thing I thought I would feel again. For protecting me and loving me. I'm thankful for our cousins that were with us that stood by our side and had our backs. I'm thankful for the stranger who stopped to help even though it put himself in danger. And I'm thankful for emergency personnel (from the amazing dispatcher on the phone to the patrolmen that showed up). This was an incredibly shitty moment and feeling, but we're ok. We're together and safe.

And at the end of the day, that's all that really matters.

A reenactment of 7:00am. (Aka, my husband is the sweetest and best to me without even realizing it).

Looks everywhere for my glasses because apparently Velma is my blind ass spirit animal and I need coffee… finds them on hubby’s bedside table and realizes that I passed out with them on last night and he took them off so they wouldn’t get jacked up… visibly awes and tears up because that shit is sweet without him even meaning to be and I apparently have emotions in the early waking hours… debates on whether to wake him up smothered in kisses but thinks better of it because he’s the best man on the planet to me, but even I ain’t trying to wake up one of my MIL’s kids.

The holiday season is here and we're cold. Also, breakfast.

I don't want to be one of "those people" but have y'all felt the temperature outside lately? Holy fucking shit, it's subzero. Ok... maybe that's being a little bit dramatic, BUT it feels ridiculous to me. And also, I am dramatic. So... there's that.

This is the first year that Winter has ever bothered me. Usually I love and welcome it with open arms. Cuddly days and sweatpants? Hell yes. And I have to say, if I didn't have to be an adult and go out into the world... if I could just enjoy Winter from my house... I think I would still love it as much as what I always have.

However, 6:00am Katie feels very different about the weather considering she's dealing with the frigidness in the pitch black. I'm already over having freezing fingers and having to warm my car up. And it's only been a couple of weeks. D was over it before it even began and honestly, I get it.

But... we're not gonna let this get us down. Why? Because we're fucking tough, that's why... also, we don't really have a choice considering if we want to live our everyday lives we have to deal with it.

Tomato, potato.

Thanksgiving is the day after tomorrow and what are our big plans? Well, in true us fashion, D and I will be at our house celebrating with our pups and I'm going to cook us a big brunch situation. The first couple of years I did a turkey, last year I did a roast, but this year we decided to go all out on breakfast foods. 

I know it's not traditional or anything like that, but why can't it be our new tradition?

That's how traditions are made, right? Somebody just thought of something one day and ran with it? If not, then I'm breaking tradition again and doing it anyways. I was going to cook a big dinner like always, but I somehow came up with the idea of a "brunch" situation (I think maybe I seen it on one of those random Netflix shows or my little buzzed ass was Tiktoking or something?)

Either way, I mentioned it as a possibly and D informed his mom Saturday on the phone that's what we were doing when she asked, so I'm assuming that's the go ahead on this plan? 

I'm not gonna lie, I'm actually really excited about it. D isn't a huge breakfast person, and doesn't even like biscuits and gravy (I KNOW and I was unaware of it until after we were married for over a year), so I don't usually cook breakfast foods. Which is insane, because it's my favorite. Sure, we'll have pancakes for dinner or something on occasion, or we might stop at Pana and pick up some donuts, but mostly we just don't have breakfast.

This time though? Y'all better be prepared because I am going all out. If I only get a giant breakfast spread once a damn year you best believe it's going to have EVERYTHING. Ok... maybe not everything. But, it will have all the shit we like.

And honestly, isn't that and being with people you love the most in the world the whole point of the holidays? Hence spending all of mine with D and our babies. 

Also, not for nothing, but this past weekend D and I got some winter gear and I officially have to wear three layers of clothing everywhere except in our house. Therefore, when my four day weekend gets here (starting after work tomorrow), I probably won't be seen out of the house much. Unless I'm on the back of D's bike.

Another story for another day. 

A little catchup on life in general and the daily struggles of mental health.

Life has been... I would like to say good, because it really does feel that way, but I also don't want to jinx myself or anyone around me either. I'm not sure what it is, but life has had a kind of calm around it lately. Things are very go with the flow and I find myself reflecting on memories or thoughts in a peaceful kind of way.

Don't get me wrong, there's every day normal stress... daily personal problems, work, health, financial. But, life in general has felt a bit serene. I find myself on edge less and it takes more than usual to make me panic.

Perhaps it has something to do with my surroundings... D and I finally managed to get our house and yard cleaned up. Don't get me wrong, more could definitely be done, but for the most part it's clean and doesn't look like a swarm of crackheads came through and had a field day. It actually looks like normal people live there... well, mostly normal people.

I don't think anyone would accuse us of being too normal. Or, normal at all really now that I think about it.

Also, I find "normal" to leave a bad taste in my mouth. I'm not sure who decided what was appropriate and what wasn't, but the fact that we live our lives how we see fit and let ourselves be happy is good enough for me. I don't really care if other people don't find my way of life to be acceptable.

But yes, our house being clean was like a giant weight lifted off my shoulders. It may sound insane, but I had so much anxiety that constantly ate at me when our house was a mess. 

And yet, I couldn't find any motivation to do anything about it. It was a real Catch-22 situation. I didn't like it a mess, but couldn't find the effort to do anything about it. Ironic, huh? It literally took me four hours to scrub our shower down.

FOUR. And don't get me wrong, it probably didn't need that thorough of a cleaning (yes, it did) and I could've probably stopped long before I did (no, it definitely needed all of the attention it got and probably then some), but it looks so much better now... and I feel so much damn better about it. 

I've talked about not cleaning or maintaining a house like Momma used to... I'm just not that person. I've thought about it, accepted it, and moved on. However, there are some things that are forever ingrained in my brain and while I may not keep house like her, I do still like to keep house. Or yet, I like having a kept house. It doesn't have to be perfect or immaculate, but it does have to be comfortable 

And I do like cleaning house... mostly. I find it comforting to toodle around mopping or cleaning... making sure laundry is caught up. Once everything is cleaned, the windows are open, and the candles/incense are lit, I'm at my most calm. Remember when I said I sometimes wake up early in the morning and stand in my kitchen with nothing but silence and coffee and contemplate the day ahead or my life in general? Well, it's even more peaceful surrounded by cleanliness and comfort items.

D did the entire back yard by himself and I am entirely impressed. He hacked down all the crazy tomato plants and vines that had taken over and put everything back in its rightful place. Even our firepit is standing at the ready to take out all the hang around stuff that shouldn't be there. He blew off the sidewalk and the pups are so damn thrilled. Spart and Xur love to run around and play in the openness and even little Tayderbug appreciates not having to scour the jungle looking for a place to pee.

We've been meaning to do this for quite some time, but always lacked the motivation to do so. I always joked with D that something like his mom coming to visit would have to happen before it actually got done. I mean, something would have to kick us in our asses to get the ball rolling, right? Well, something did apparently.

D's cousin, Travis, is staying with us for a bit. I love the guy like he's a little cousin or brother so when D said he needed a place to crash and asked if he could stay with us, I didn't mind at all. In the span of one day he... lost his job, house, fiancé and dog. Honestly, I'm just glad the guy has a newer truck, because I had a feeling it was going to be turning real 90s country love ballad soon. He started staying with us last Thursday (? I think it was Thursday) and it's been going real good. We don't mind having the company and we've seemed to find a somewhat routine with each other for now. D and I have a very calm and "hippie-esque" vibe about our lives and that's how we live it... and he seems to be ok with that and fit into it nicely. We all go about our own business, but also co-exist and hang out.

With that said, that's the motivation we needed. Trav is currently crashing in our spare room, so we rearranged to fit his stuff, but that also kickstarted our cleaning weekend. And honestly, I'm glad it did, because I love our house even more now. 

Other than that, we've just been relaxing and trying not to get too stressed about anything. D's been taking me for rides on his bike (and got me all decked out in gear-helmet, gloves, jacket) and it's something that we both have fun doing together. Between that and the random fishing trips we've been taking down at the river, life has just been... nice.

Cleaning, cooking, reading, relaxing... I know it all sounds ridiculous and you're wondering how any of that could possibly make me happy, but it does. Because I feel like me and I feel happy and I feel peaceful. I have an amazing, loving, caring, compassionate, adoring husband and three of the most adorable and loving pups that were ever put on this planet.

Sure, I have everyday stress and worries, we all do. I struggle with my mental health on a daily basis and there are times I feel so overwhelmed I don't know which way is up. I have moments or thoughts that are sad or unsettling, but I also have wonderful moments full of laughter and light. 

Things aren't perfect, they rarely ever are, but if this is the feeling I have for the rest of my life, I'll take it. Because while it may not be someone else's perfect, it feels pretty damn great to me.

It's been an exhausting week, but we totally got this.

This week has been exhausting. Nothing extensive has happened within our lives, but it's just one of those weeks. You know? Aside from the fact that I've been thoroughly freaked out, because there was a shooting at our local mall last Sunday (and the fact that D and I almost went to said mall that very day to pick up a backpack but decided to go to Walmart instead, because we felt lazy), nothing else has been out of the ordinary.

My MIL was supposed to be up this week, but because of my FIL's health, she's had to postpone her trip indefinitely. We would have loved to see her, but we completely understand the situation and why she felt like she needed to stay home. I myself would have made the exact same decision. Sometimes when something happens to your person, you have to put everything else on hold and deal with it the only way you can. However that may be.

We've been spending alot of time customizing D's new bike and I have to say that it's coming along rather nicely. He decided he wanted to go with a "Merica" theme and we definitely went with it. From the handlebars to the seat, we have customized it all. There's absolutely no way I can look at that bike and not see my husband in it. I've also taken to calling it "Mistress" and it makes D crack up every time.

Our pups are still my amazing little babies. Sparkles' ear has healed up all the way and he's still napping as often as the opportunity presents itself. Xur's anxiety is through the roof 24/7 even though we did have a handle on it, but he's still as lovable and cuddly as ever. And my little Tayderbug is chugging along and simply reminding me what a gift they all are to me every single day of our lives.

Can I just say how happy I am that its Friday? Like, forreal I'm so happy about this. All I want to do is stay in my house with my pups and hubby and let the weekend crawl by. Unfortunately, D has to work tomorrow so there will not be any sleeping in then, but maybe a chill day and a relaxing Sunday? One can hope for the best even if disaster is on the horizon.

Today we picked up a bike for my little Gatorbaby.

And I have officially resorted to calling this little baby "mistress." Because damn, nothing can take your man's attention quite like a beautiful piece of machinery.... or COD. 

No worries though. I'm actually pretty fond of the bike and find that watching my husband ride on it develops some pretty ridiculous fantasies in my head. And if you didn't see that coming, you obviously have never seen your man on a bike of some sort, because damn. I don't even care what kind it is, my imagination gets the best of me and then next thing you know, I'm zoning off and he's wondering if I'm having some kind of mental break.

Don't fret, baby. No mental break.... well, in my head there is shit breaking, but in a very good way.

Say hello to the newest member of the Glisson family: Mistress Benalli.

Sounds like some Italian Mafia shit, right? Hot. **hahahahaheeheheheh**