The Colours of Happiness

I've been wanting to foster dogs for a while now. Since our move to Atlanta, I started looking into animal shelters and trying to see when we could make it happen. Well, all the stars finally aligned, and we got our first foster dog today. Dexie is three years old and she's a short-term foster. She will soon travel out of state to train to become a service dog. She has a cough and is taking medication for it. Hopefully it helps clear soon. We didn't anticipate getting a foster so quickly so I ordered a few things from Walmart for delivery tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing more of her personality over the next couple of weeks.

I have 3 house projects on the horizon, and I am so excited to do them. I've always wanted to learn more trade skills and these projects allow me to take my time and learn new things.

Was sick like a dawg 🤧 for the past two weeks. Finally getting the energy and clear nasal passage to do daily tasks. 🙌🏾

-Ah cyah manage this nah.

-Rain falling, the place dark......

I've been walking and gaining weight ferociously. I'm not stressed about it cause that's just life - it's either up or down.

I played mas this year but I wasn't sure I was going to. De money did done spend and I had to make a conscious effort to go forth and keep pushing despite all the issues I was dealing with. While I had fun, there was a moment - while at the lunch stop right amidst the sea of masqueraders, color, laughter, and music - where it all felt too much. I started to spiral and I could feel the panic overtake me, and I felt torn between throwing up, passing out, or screaming in frustration. Looking back, I was probably dealing with some blood sugar or pressure issues as well because it happened right after I stood up, and I was barely eating for weeks prior. It was unnerving to go from having so much joy while crossing the stage to having a mild panic attack all within an hour, in one of the biggest celebrations in our culture.

I sometimes buy a first-class ticket if a flight is 3 hours or more. After I started leaning into travel hacking, it has become much easier to validate and afford purchasing them. Most of the time, I use points to book the most affordable economy flight, then update to first class from there but sometimes the first class price isn't as far from the economy flight, and depending on what status/redemption I want to achieve, I'll splurge on the first class to hit the requirement. It takes some work but it's fun and exciting for me to get those wins. My couponing skills definitely helped prepare me for it. The biggest win is booking first class with the lowest number of miles - those are rare but definitely my favourite easter eggs.

N booked an owl experience for me at a wildlife reserve. It was so awesome. I got to meet this cute owl and learn more about my favourite flying animal. I also had the opportunity to have him sit on my hand for a while. It's very unnerving when an owl is watching you really close up - the best way I can explain it is that their eyes are simply amazing and so vivid in color (you can't help but be mesmerized) but there is always the risk that maybe they don't like what they're seeing and want to peak you with their beak. Anyhoo, he's an eurasian owl and while the average weight for birds of his type are about 5lbs, resting on your arm with his full weight definitely gave my arm a workout after a while. I would gladly have propped my arm up somehow to keep him sitting on it though. Random Tidbits: -Owls are my favourite birds because they are nocturnal and I'm a night person, and have always called myself a night owl. -I find all birds of prey fascinating, but love owls the most cause they hoot (some of them), have super soft feathers, and look adorable. -Their necks are really flexible because their eyes can't move around in their eye socket (hence their stunning head turns in order to see things).

Wow time flies.

Recipe: https://www.thebewitchinkitchen.com/garlic-rosemary-bread/

Anyway, my therapist said I should start journaling again so I've been writing a daily physical journal to catalogue how I've been managing from day to day. The past week has been hard, both physically and mentally. On the worse days, I just want to sleep - sleep until I wake up on a better day. The conundrum is that the medication is making me a super light sleeper and I wake up to every single sound/movement, so I don't feel fully rested. The lack of good sleep, coupled with the side effect of the medication, makes me groggy all day and unable to eat. I don't nap, which is now beginning to feel like a weird masochistic kink of my body, so I endure hours of relentless tiredness, dizziness, and nausea. I just want to wake up feeling good again.

Tried on jeans in American Eagle.

Definitely buying a bottle of Peardrax for the Christmas.