I am moving!!

Not in real life.

Just my blog.

I gave up before I got a response and I will now be at


www.ohdawn.wordpress.com



See you there!

HELP ME I.T. PEOPLE!!!

My blog is telling me I have to pay to add more pictures.  Are they serious? Is this the truth? Do I need to start a new blog in order to continue? I will if I have to.

Help!

Anyone have any answers?

Home and functioning

Can I just say how sexy we are? 

Wow. 

Love this picture.

I am back from my conference.  And wow.  I do not have the words to describe how amazing it was.  I went to the Hoffman Process.  It was an 8 day residential program that looks at the first 2 years of childhood.  Huh.  What the heck is that you might ask? Well? It is looking at the negative patterns that your parents had that you have taken on and how to deal with that.  How to let them go, deal with them, and the tools to keep going from there.  And let me tell you! The tools I took home with me? Have saved my bacon more than once this week.

What an eye opener.  I came home laughing and talking to Husband about what I had all done there.  Some of the patterns that I dealt with.  He was shocked and amazed to say the least! I feel good though.  I love that I feel like I finally have some peace and joy in me that has been lacking for a long time.  I also have a confidence that I have always faked but has never been there.

So yeah! I am good.  Actually? I am doing pretty freakin great.  I wish all of you and more could go.

Then? I had to come home.  And that? Maybe not so fun :)

Big Red is struggling.  If you are praying folk, can you pray for him? He is not doing well.  He is getting increasingly aggressive, he is breaking every rule, he is constantly sabotaging himself and our family and it is not OK.  The tension in this house right now is at an all time high and is making me want to scream!!! I am hanging onto my hope though and breathing my way through it.  Husband said that this is the test of if I am actually doing a lot better.  As of last night? He is glad I spent the money to go. So yeah.  Life at home is a little insane these days.

I am sitting in my office though enjoying a coffee, burning a candle and just breathing.  Big Red is grounded to his room for the day.  He is allowed up to pee and eat and that is all.  He had a go around with Husband this morning before I even got up which was awesome.  Not.  I woke up to a stomach ache!

On a good note? I am ready for Christmas for the most part.  And I am doing some office organization today which will make me happy and give me a place to focus on me.  And it is snowing.  I love snow.

Holy randomness at its best.  I am signing out now.


Later!

Snow and life

A quick update on life lately:

• figured out this morning that I am a mom.  Not biologically, but figuratively speaking.  Not sure why this only hit me today.  As we go into week 10.
• just spent 5 lovely days in Las Vegas with Husband.  He was working the entire time and so I feel like I didn't really see him at all but it was a nice warm break from life here in the zoo
• it is snowing today.  The first real snow we have had this year.
• I am leaving tomorrow for a conference for the next 9 days.  I will be cut off from the world.  No cell phone, no tv, no computer.  I am scared.
• Big Red's parents were here with him while we were gone and they left this morning.  Needless to say? Big Red is anxious as hell today.
• I am tired.
• I am almost done my Christmas shopping.  I have 2 gifts left to buy and can't get those until I get told the list of items wanted by each person (family gift exchange)
• I am starting my Christmas planning next week.  "Hello.  My name is Dawn and I have a problem" I am thinking the OCD in me is going to make this Christmas either amazing or funny as hell at how organized it is.
• My gray hair is almost funny now.  People are looking at it more often than normal and I am kind of liking it.  The hair.  Not the looking people.
• I bought a few new things on our trip including:

My first pair of boots.  Ever.  Love them!

This adorable shirt.  Seriously love it.

• Have I mentioned that I am tired?
• I started a little bit of Christmas decorating last night to irritate the men in my house.  I could put up my tree today if it was my choice.

COLOR!!!!!! leads to concentration

or so I have been told.

My nephew (Big Red) has been with us for almost 9 weeks now.  Things are definitely getting easier and yet school work? Hard to get done! And to make things worse? I avoided his school room because it was so ugly.  Can we just say? BEIGE IS NASTY!!!! We had the poor kid in a beige box all day.  The desk was beige, the walls were beige and oh the carpet.  UGLY.  The only word do describe that room.  Oh my ode to being happier, I decided one night? It had to change. And so down to the basement I ventured to see what kind of paint I could find.

I found two lovely shades of gray! The kid loves it.  He claims it is so much easier doing school work in there and that he can concentrate way better.  I personally? Love it.  Could be my new favorite room in the house.  And I do love the orange bedding that we put on the bed.  So fun!

This is the lighter gray.

The darker gray

The closet which we also added a pantry pack to and it is incredibly organized now too! It is stuffed with Christmas presents right now which is why I will not photograph it for you.  Soon!

We might have also finally painted the last wall in the family room! Husband loved the orange so much we continued it around.

This shows the true color.

Loving this room.  The paint is a mood paint so it changes drastically with the light as you can tell in this picture.  Want to paint more!

Pitter Patter

I am odd.

Can we just say that? 

One of the things that I have realized about myself is that I need certain things in my life to be certain ways.  Most people are like this I think.  Or hope! My areas in my head are

• marriage
• house
• work
• family

At all times, I cannot have more than two of these not feeling perfectly amazing to me.  When I find myself with more than two needing work, I stress out.  So, I do what I can to control certain things.  One of these? Organized house.  Ever since we moved into this house I have hated the master closet.  It is a fairly big room (around 5 ft by 8 ft) and has a large window which make it bright but had horrible storage.  It was starting to drive me crazy and so this last weekend, I convinced Husband to help me fix it. 

Here it was when we started.

One shelf along the back and a dresser we added

One shelf along the side

So, first things first? I took everything out.  Crap.  We have a lot of stuff!

And yes.  I fully make my bed every day.

We started by removing the existing shelves.  And when I say WE I mean Husband.  Can I just say that he is amazing? He is the best husband ever.  He hung 5 shelves on the far wall.  We bought a Rubbermaid Pantry Pack and used that.

Then he raised the other shelf and added another one underneath it.

I love the window!

Can we just say HOLY CRAP THAT IS A LOT OF STORAGE??????? We now both have a long wall area to hang clothes and then end shelves for additional.

I love how organized it is!!!!!!!

A break and a breather

No, I am not stopping my blog.  I am actually trying to write on here more!

The title is regarding the fact that at 6 am tomorrow, Husband and I will be on a plane to destinations far away.  Ok, just the states, but far enough! Husband has a work trip there and so I am going along.  Big Red is staying here and his parents are coming to take care of him.  That whole statement sounds funny, but in reality? That is what is happening.

I can't wait.

Can I state that loud enough?

I seriously? Can't wait.

We get 5 days to ourselves.

No kids.

No chores.

No cooking.

No laundry.

No snow.

No rules.

No teaching school.

No shuttling to practices and activities.

Nothing.

Just us.

I am smiling right now.

Can you tell?

What I have done? I have pre written a few posts about some organizing we have done around here lately.

Enjoy!

Alone in a restaurant

I am thinking the waitress is wondering about me.

I am sitting in a restaurant by myself working.

And eating.

And eating some more.

I have been here for an hour already and have gotten more done than I did in the previous 4 at home.

I am so distracted there.

There is laundry to be done.

There is a kid that needs help.

There is outside noise from construction that irritates me.

There are barking dogs.

I needed this.

I am thinking I will schedule 2 hours a day to work in a restaurant or coffee shop 3 days a week.

I understand this is expensive.

But so is not working.

The kid needs to learn to work on his own.

The phone can ring other hours of the day.

I needed this.

And my waitress who has kept my water filled non stop?

Will get an amazing tip.

Pinkberry

Can we take a pause right now to talk about my new favorite thing?

Seriously people.  Better than bacon.

My sanity.

My love.

This would be Pinkberry.

It is frozen yogurt.

Creamy.

Delicious.

Amazing.

My favorite?

The chocolate hazelnut.

And these?

Some of the toppings.

I smile just looking at these pictures.

You pick one of the flavours of yogurt

pick your toppings

pay

eat.

Enjoy.

Mmmmmmmm.........

P.S. I might be addicted

I change my underwear 2 times a day

and other oddities.

Like the really old picture? It makes me laugh.  I miss my glasses though!

I have struggled a lot over the years with my identity.  This sounds odd to the people that know me but to the people that are really close? Maybe not so.  I think I have figured it out though.  Where this issue came from.  I had a brain aneurysm when I was 18 and when I came out of it, I felt like everyone around me wanted me to be the same.  There were so many physical issues that had changed and it felt like people were clinging to the old me.  Yes things still changed, but I made a conscious effort to try to stay the same for my families sake.  I know my mom especially could not handle me changing too much.  Life was all chaotic and she needed the norm.  I would not be surprised if all my family felt that way but didn't realize.  

The problem with this situation? at 18, you start to change naturally! You develop different tastes in things, new hobbies and habits and you figure yourself out.  Do you remember the scene in Runaway Bride when Richard Gere makes her eat all those types of eggs so that she can actually figure out what she likes? I feel that way.  I have never shared this problem with anyone.  This year? Amongst all the chaos of my life? I have decided to try to figure me out.  And it has been entertaining.  I am finally admitting some of the oddities that are part of my daily life that I have tried to keep hidden from people.  So here we go.  I am about to admit a few of them to you.  Bare with me.  This is not easy.

• I actually do change my underwear 2 times a day.  In the morning and at night.
• I am an organized hoarder.  I pick an item.  Hoard it until it is ridiculous and then stop.  Pick another item and start the process again.  Items in the past have been mustard, socks, purses, cookbooks, icing sugar, toothbrushes and shampoos and conditioners.  Currently? Cases of bottled water.  These items don't make sense but this is something I do.
• I use Bic old school pens.  If one has a cap on it when I go to use it, I bend the cap three times, the place it on the top of the pen and line up the long piece with the words on the bottom of the pen.  If it is not lined up? I have a hard time using it.  I will straighten other peoples pens.
• When I enter a grocery store, I have to walk to the left first.  Even if I come in on the right hand side of the store.
• I need my office to be clean.  Not a paper out of place.  Yet I have most of my filing cabinet not even in alphabetical order because it annoys me to have things so organized.  This one makes Husband laugh.

This is all you get today.  This list is making me feel a little weird.  But? That is ok.  We all have our things.  I just actually started writing mine down!

Things I still want to find out about myself:

• my sense of style
• what music I like
• home decor.  This one I am finally figuring out.
• what makes me happy
• who I am as a friend, sister, wife
• and more other areas than you can imagine!

I will keep you updated on what I find out! Time to go eat some more eggs.....

Boots for butt kicking

Life these days has changed a lot.  Some good some bad.  

One issue we have? A 13 year old that does not know how to occupy himself and cannot let me repeat cannot get bored or the shit hits the fan.  I completely understand that part.  For some? When you are not busy, your brain starts going and the thoughts it thinks? Not safe.  Not happy.  Not healthy.  We get this is our house and so while we challenge him to occupy himself by giving him lots to do (practice guitar, school work, chores, etc) we have to help him out sometimes.  Let me just say that he is doing WAY better at this than 5 weeks ago.  Still not perfect though!

So? We play games.  Let me just note that Husband? Hates games.  This is a HUGE challenge to him.  To have to play games more than 3 times a year :) I personally? Don't always mind playing.

A few favorites that we play all the time?

MUCHKIN

This game? Hilarious.  The rules are ridiculous and the entire thing is a little inappropriate for anyone.  That being said? I would recommend it to anyone that like games with reading (lots of details on cards) or who wants to try a completely different game.  Is it silly? Yes.  Does it cause arguments? Yes.  But it is very fun and I am more than willing to let my 13 year old nephew enjoy it.  He is obsessed with it to be honest.  We have already bought 2 expansion packs!! I am thinking more in the future.  Poor Husband.

The other one that we are playing lots of right now is:

PANDEMIC

What can I say? Amazing game.  Husband and I cannot get enough of this one.  We have the expansion pack which is needed in our opinion.  This is a cooperative game so it is all the players against the game.  You work as a team and choose how hard you want to make it.  It makes you talk, think outside the box and the game is different each time you play it so it is always a challenge.  I would recommend this game to anyone and everyone we have played it with? Loves it.  And the graphics are beautiful.  Doesn't hurt to have a pretty game board to look at!

We play games daily these days.  And are always willing to try new ones.  Do you have any recommendations? Have you tried either of these?

I know it is Thanksgiving but I am not feeling very thankful this year and so I am not writing about it.  Maybe tomorrow.  Please pray for me.  I am having a hard day.

Dr's and pills

I walked into my doctors office today to have him look at me concerned and ask if he can help me get through these next 10 months.  Well, I guess we are down to 9 at this point.

I laughed.  He had phoned me to come in for my annual checkup! But yes.  If I look that rough, talk to me.  I have now promised to start going to counselling again within the next month and he sent me home with Ativan for my anxiety.

Today? I could use it.

Rage.  That is all I am feeling right now.  If you don't want to hear about my day? Stop reading now.  It is my blog and I can type what I want :)

6:45 am Woke up after a fitful night full of anxiety attacks and very little sleep.  Should have know at this point that this was going to be a rough day.  Got up in a good mood and ready to go!

7:30 Sat at Nissan with Husbands truck waiting to get a service done.  Yup.  There I sat.  With an obnoxious man telling me that kids these days should all be shot and they are all abnormal.  More parents should have abortions and what not.  Wow.  Just what I needed to hear.

10:00 Truck is done! Yeah.  Hope they fixed it properly! I then headed to the bank to find out hey had lost my paperwork for a personal deal and we have to wait longer for things now.

11:00 Arrive home in a rush.  Find out that the kid? Has done NOT A FREAKIN' THING! while I was gone.  He had a list to do so that we could leave with Husband this afternoon on a road trip for a treat.  Nothing is done.  I am now raging.  We have to leave right away to get to the doctors office.  He takes his sweet ass time doing everything.  I am now beyond mad.

11:15 Doctors appointments where he blames us for his health issues, won't look at the doctor, completely embarrasses me and makes me even more angry.

12:00-2:00 Spend doing running around that has to be done before we can go.  Keep in mind? I have more work to do right now than I have had in a long time.  I am stressed out and need a few days to work.  I was taking this break to breathe and see some new scenery as I have been so stressed out and anxious lately.  Big Red proceeds in pushing every last button! Complaining everywhere we go, being rude and ignorant and just making me wonder why I am even doing this!!!!!!!!

2:00 Arrive home.  We have one hour to get ready to go and get all our packing and laundry done.  Big Red refuses and then spends the rest of the afternoon ignoring me and not talking to me.

I feel like I spent all day doing everyone elses wishes and work and am now even more stressed out.  I feel like I need to head to a hotel for a day or so to get away and get some work done.  I am so beyond exhausted right now it is not even funny!



Question of the Day: Do we still go and make him come anyways because if I am home alone with him this week I might harm him? (don't worry.  I know my limits and would walk away first)

Or do I just stay home with him, take my pills and fight with him for the next two days alone.  He will be raging mad that we didn't go and take it out on me.

Husband just got home and I am letting him deal with it.  I have work to do! And maybe packing to get done?

Some days I just want to curl up and cry.

Today is one of them.

Me. That is all.

Things I have learned in this first month of parenting a teenager:

I know.  Sexy right? This is how I look these days.

• It was a good thing I started with gray hair
• I love to torture teenage boys.  In good ways.  I assure you.
• Teenage boys stink.  Bad.
• I need ME time more than ever.
• I need to figure out more balance for me and Hubby compared to US time.
• Get it all in writing.  All of it.
• Teenage boys can go a whole day without eating due to stubbornness and not even die! Really! I am not even joking!
• I might have been in the middle of losing my mind before this all started but I am sure now.
• The support I thought we would have (friends and family) is not there.  The people that you least expected have shown up in major ways.  Most of them strangers.  Sad but true.
• Teenage boys become obsessive over silly things
• I am one of the most stubborn people I have ever met.
• I have cooked more meals in the last month than I have in the last 6 months.  Can't afford to eat out with a teenager in the house.
• The things you think are cool? Are not.  Unless you are Captain Awesome aka Husband.  Then you shit diamonds and wear capes.
• An iPad with games in the back seat is the sanity of life while driving in the car
• Boys stink.  Have I mentioned this?
• Just when you think you are having a good day? Jekyll and Hyde show up.
• Your walk in closet in your master bedroom (it has a window so is pretty) is a wonderful place to escape.  He doesn't look there and I can pretend to not hear him.
• He will always take Husbands side.  Keep your discussions about yourselves to yourselves.  I understand that it is not fair that I get the iPhone 5 at some point but Captain Awesome doesn't need it!!! And he is ok with me getting it first! And so you don't need to tell me 10 times a day that it is unfair that I get all the cool things and I am cheating him out of the things he wants.  He is a big boy! Really!
• No matter how many times you tell a boy that he stinks? He doesn't care.  For some reason? It is a good thing for them.  Something to be proud of!
• That there are good times mixed in with the bad and the horrible which make it all worth while.

Friday 5: Good and Bad

 Good

1. I went on a date with a friend and had Pinkberry.  I had the original with strawberries, kiwi, cap'n crunch cereal and almonds.  It was yummy.  And the date was a lovely breather too!

2.    I got to bring home my fun pottery! This was one of the things I made.  Was supposed to be a candle holder but seeing as I don't like to follow rules, I made it a queen bee in her hive with a man that she kidnapped and is holding ransom.  Hes.  His arm is nasty.  Yes he is crying out for help.  My instructor when she finished laughing congratulated me on my creativity.  And then asked how old I was :) It makes me happy.

3.     I got a quite a bit of work done.  Had two amazing meetings and a phone call that encouraged me and made me feel better about the business that I own.  I am now looking forward to the next 5 years!

My 82 year old grandma on her cell phone.  Can I just say how funny it looks to me? And no.  She doesn't dye her hair.

4.     I made salad for lunch and or dinner 3 days this week.  Amazing salad.  Load with goodies.  My favorite so far? Lettuce, chicken, corn, avocados, radishes, tomatoes, orange pepper, jack cheese, banana peppers, and balsamic vinaigrette dressing.  So yummy.

5.    That Husband is coming home today :)

Bad

1. Big Red had a horrible week.  Which meant I lost my temper a few times and felt overwhelmed a lot this week.
2. Husband was gone all week.
3. I had horrible sleeps and woke up each night  between 3 and 5 and couldn't fall back asleep for hours.
4. Due to #1 I missed out on a lot of business stuff that had to happen this week and now I have an insane week next week.
5. I felt sad a lot this week.

AMAZING

I LOST 4 LBS THIS WEEK!!!!!!!!!

No more Mister Nice Guy

Remember that song?

My last button was pushed this morning.

And it was pushed hard.

I gave an inch? He took 14 miles.

No more.

Welcome to Mean Auntie

You are not here for fun and games anymore.  This will be the hardest year of your life.  Figure it out.  No more second chances.  No more fun and games.  None.  When I tell you that you have to be up for school and ready to start at 9am? You will be ready.  At 9:01 you will be getting a bucket of ice cold water thrown in your face.  Yes you will.  Can't keep your room clean? Funny thing.  I can clean it for you and you can pay me for every item that you want back.  This could get costly.  Don't want to do school work with me? Husband is more than willing to do it with you all weekend.  That means early mornings and long days of school work and no fun.  You want treats? Earn them.  You don't like that food? Starve.  Nice Auntie is not working and you have officially pushed her too far.  Things are about to change.

Harsh? Probably.

Necessary? Absolutely.

Pray for strength that I don't kill him this week.  Not joking.

Mini meltdown

This handsome man had a hard evening.

Husband is leaving tomorrow for 5 or 6 days.

We have been talking about it for over a week.

He realized it all of a sudden and had a melt down.

Poor kid.

So in love with him.

It is hard.

I want Husbands time right now due to the fact that I will miss him too.

But I have walked away.

Husband and Big Red are playing games together.

Alone.

Having fun.

Making sure that Big Red knows he is loved and cared for.

Having talks about behaviour for this week.

And I am alone.

Folding laundry and thinking this 10 months is going to be a lot of me giving.

My time.

My energy.

My Husband.

I will adjust.

I will be ok.

I have had him for 16 years already.

But I am jealous sometimes.

Of the attention he gets.

Big Red.  Not Husband.

Please pray for me as well as him this week.

We will both need it.

I win!!!!!

Today? has had its moments :) Big Red had a physical today which went really well.  The typical...lose weight, everything else is looking good and work on the bed wetting.  Really???? That is all you got? Working on it all.

For a treat for doing so well (these kinds of things make him a little twitchy) we went for lunch after.  So much laughter happened! It was amazing! I had him giggling so hard at one point he could barely breathe! I was trying to get a picture of him and this is what I got.  Isn't he handsome?

This is the best I got.

Can I just say the use of hair gel is making me smile? We have told him he can style it how he wants.  Too funny.  You should see the things he does!!!

So after lunch, I locked him out of the car and yelled DANCE out the window.  Does anyone get that?

The poor child.  This could be a long year for him!!!

The Orange Room and Waiscotting

Finally! Right?

Life around here these days is all about finding balance.  How to balance a child/teenager full of angst and needing more attention than you can possibly imagine.  How to balance my business during the day while trying to home school.  Trying to balance cooking/me time/tv/time with Husband on a daily basis without going crazy.  I have decided to keep the cleaner.  That is a saving grace right now.  I have also started the meal planning again and am taking it very seriously.  I have watched one hour of tv in the last week.  And have dates often during activities for the kid. (kid goes to boxing? We go grocery shopping and sneak kisses in the isles) Romantic? Not so much.  But needed none the less.

I have also had to put all house projects on hold right now while trying to find balance in all the other areas of life.  But? I did finish the paint at least in the orange room.  Husband and I were talking that maybe this weekend we will go around and do final touch ups on things so at least they are all done.

Here it is!!!!!

The color is Tandoori by Benjamin Moore.  These pictures do not do it justice.  I can't seem to get a good photo!

We have not decided what to do on the wall behind the couch for color as it is the wall that will connect to the main floor.  And no.  The lamp is not staying there or a lot of the other things.  Nothing has been set up yet in that way.  It is just kind of done right now.  Enough that we can use the room!

I love the texture of the wainscotting. I love the shadows! And yes.  I was watching old tv :)

A little closer to the true color!

We started with a template that we cut out of paper and a lot of sanded/cut/ measured  5/8th inch MDF

Here is our template.  As soon as one section (below) was done, all the big areas just continued.  I made the template to have all exact measurements (6 inches, 10 inches, etc) and all the middle pieces are 2 inches in width.  We used the template to fill the small walls.  We just moved the template over the wall until we found a section we liked! Then traced it and re cut the wood to fit.

This was a huge project but I am in love with the finished product.  This room was all this plain builders beige and with flat boring walls.  I am so in love! The paint is so warm and cozy.  Big Red even commented last night on how much he loves this room.  I can't wait to put up art and actually finish the room! And the coffee table? Martha Stewart from Canadian Tire.  The top is two pillows that you can take out and flip upside down to be a solid surface.  We usually have one side pillow and the other solid to hold remotes and a coffee cup or two.  There is also the storage beneath that we like.

So there.  It is finally done! Ask any questions you want.  And yes.  I would do this again in a heart beat! We actually have plans to do down the stairs with it as well.  Maybe in spring!

Work and life are making me crazy~

Life? Crazy.

Work? Crazy.

I went on a business trip to Vancouver last week which resulted in no posting! And maybe my life is imploding right now too.  Just sayin!

View from my hotel room in Richmond

Life is ok.  Big Red had a hard day today.  He started his home schooling and it is a huge adjustment that I am thinking is going to drive me crazy.  He is not so good at the reading instructions thing so I get asked questions every 45 seconds.  Screamed from the other room.  Lovely as it sounds.  I promise.  Just to go over there and point out what he needed to read! This will be a long year at this rate.  Oy.  He also started his counselling today.  He was terrified.  Went ok but he also lied about taking his medication in the afternoon which caused some issues that we did not realize until bed time.  Boxing? A gong show.  Misbehaved until the guy had to kick him out and make him sit out.  They are so supportive of him and want him there so bad and so they are working on it with us.  I could not ask for a better situation at all.  When we arrived to pick him up, he was sitting outside the gym talking with two older gentlemen that want to work with him next week.  God is seriously lining people up for this year to help him.

Tomorrow I am with my business advisor all day and so he is on his own.  We will see how that goes.  I am planning to work with him hands on all day Wednesday on his school work so that I can make sure he is going through everything that needs to be done and not just lying about it or fluffing through. Wish me luck! My dad and the step mom arrive Thursday evening.  I hope it goes ok.  I am feeling so mentally tired these days that I am afraid I have no filter at all! This could be interesting.

We also went to a wedding this last week.  Here are some photos from the last week of our lives!

So pretty

Where I spent every evening on my business trip!

Nephew made us muffins!

Hanging on the beach in Vancouver for a work meeting! I wish I could schedule those more often! And check out how long my hair is :)

The wedding.  With the most unhappy bride I have every seen!

Pretty centrepieces.  They had more jars with ritz crackers and carrots in them.

Where I found our dog this morning.  She waits for us to come home!

Overall? Life is pretty good.  I just need more sleep.

Speaking of.....

And I promise to clean my room long enough to photograph it soon!