Our Week - The One with a Soft Bookshop Opening, the Election, Poker Night, and Christmas Decorating

Last week was a tough one for many reasons, but I’m hoping it’s onward and upward this week.  Here’s the recap.

Monday, November 4

Monday was a pretty busy day, so I got the kids to school and headed straight to my Home and School Advisory Board meeting at the kids’ school.  Once I was done there, I had to head straight to an orthodontist appointment.

They’d told me that they were going to be doing some pretty in-depth stuff at this appointment and that I needed to allow about an hour for it (I’m usually in and out in less than 10 minutes), so I was fully prepared. 

They started by removing my four front bottom brackets, cleaning off those teeth, and placing four new brackets on.  Then, the orthodontist shaved my teeth down in between my two front top teeth and the ones on either side of those.  He said that my gums had big gaps in them when my teeth were straight, so by shaving down my teeth slightly, that would allow the teeth to come together even tighter and therefore, close the gaps in the gums.

They put a new wire across the bottom and a new chain across the top (those are seriously the worst) and my teeth felt so tight, my bite felt completely different, and my entire face felt like someone else’s face by the time I walked out of the building.  It’s amazing how much they can move stuff around in just one visit.  I was in pain for much of the week after that, and I had significant dizziness for much of the week, which I assumed is partially from the orthodontal work and partially from my anxiety since it was a tough week.

After that was done, I headed straight home to do some work, eat lunch with Brian, and finish up some laundry that I’d started before I’d left.  And then at three, I grabbed the kids from school, and the kids did homework while I did my Bible study.

My friend, Khristina, is opening a new local bookshop here in town, and she’d invited us to her soft opening Monday evening, so the four of us piled in the car and headed there when Brian got off of work – a bright spot in our week!  I quizzed Olivia for her science test all the way there, and then we got to mill around her finished bookstore.

Her store is such a gem, located in a great location next to a popular coffee shop near our downtown area, and we were so excited to get to attend.  They had champagne and hors d’oeuvres for everyone to enjoy while we shopped around, and we ended up leaving with a bag full of stuff. 

Her shop is seriously the coziest, cutest little spot, and I’m so thrilled to finally have a local bookshop to support.  There was a hole in the market here in town for that prior to her opening the shop, so I’m hoping that it’ll be a HUGE success for her.  She and her whole family have worked so hard to make it happen, and it turned out even better than I ever could have imagined. 

We ended up staying there for nearly an hour, so we swung by Chick-Fil-A on the way home to grab dinner and take it home, and by the time we were done eating, it was time for the kids to get showered and ready for bed.

While they did that, I got in a half cardio/half strength workout, and then we got the kids in the bed.  B and I watched some more Saturday Night Live while I got some work done on my phone, and then we called it a night.

Tuesday, November 5

Tuesday morning, I dropped the kids and headed home to work on laundry and blog stuff all day, stopping only for an hour to visit with my therapist.  I also spent the day chatting with Abe Parker’s sister.  As I said in my last blog post, she saw a comment that I’d left on one of her brother’s posts, she just happened to click over to my Instagram bio, and she saw that I’d been experiencing vertigo and dizziness for a long time.  She ended up reaching out to me because she has gone through something similar, and she wanted to help.  She sent me her phone number, so we didn’t have to DM back-and-forth on Instagram, and we ended up chatting back-and-forth via text/voice memos all day.

She is the kindest human ever and she gave me a ton of information about her situation and her diagnosis, she suggested several books to read, and most importantly, she gave me HOPE because she has mostly healed from all of her issues.  We both agreed that it was a total God moment that brought us together, and I cannot say enough wonderful things about her.  You all know how much I love her brother’s music, so they are just a great family.  If you haven’t already checked out Abe Parker’s music, do it.  You won’t regret it.  He is so talented.  And for her privacy, I won’t be sharing her info here as she’s not a blogger or a singer or any kind of public figure like her brother is.

At three, I grabbed the kids from school, and we headed home.  The kids worked on homework until it was time to drop Olivia at dance, I did my Bible study, and then she and I headed there, jamming to Taylor Swift all the way there.

The rest of the evening was spent cooking and eating dinner – sausage, peppers, and onions tacos – doing a stair stepper workout, and watching the election coverage along with the sweetest coverage on Calm app’s live stream of some cute puppies… they all knew that everyone was going to be anxious, so they ran that live feed all evening.  We knew there wouldn’t be a result until the next day, so Brian and I headed to bed at 11, which is a little later than usual.

Wednesday, November 6

Wednesday morning, we woke up to election results that deeply disappointed me and saddened me to my core.  I would like to say that I was shocked also, but sadly, nothing really shocks me anymore.  I’m not going to say much about it as I already covered much of my feelings in an old blog post in 2016 after he was elected the first time (and I have to say that post aged VERY well as my concerns about his character proved to be 100% valid).  But I will say that I am just really struggling with the fact that the next President of the United States of America is going to be someone who has made countless racist and misogynistic comments on record, was found liable of sexual abuse, incited an insurrection on his own country’s Capitol when he didn’t get his way after the last election, bullies others constantly, and is an actual convicted felon.  This is not the example I wish for my children to see.  They deserve so. much. better.

Do I have faith in our system and accept the fact that he won fairly?  Yes.  Have I been praying for him every single day since his win was announced?  Also, yes.  But am I deeply disturbed by the outcome of this election?  Very much so. 

And I know a lot of people have a lot of opinions, and while I respect your opinions, please remember that this is my corner of the internet, and I will not tolerate any hateful feedback.  I don’t post a lot about politics as I like to keep this a light and happy space, but my main goal here in this space is to be authentic, and it would not be authentic of me to come on here and pretend like last week was just another fun, great week, because it wasn’t. 

And to all of you who are here reading today who are also worried about the outcome – especially those of you who are more vulnerable – you are all in my prayers and we will continue to move forward for you.

Thankfully, I didn’t have anywhere to be on Wednesday, and that was much appreciated after waking up to that news.  It was also dreary and eventually rainy on Wednesday, too, so it was nice to not have to be out in it. 

I had major issues with my blog post not going live Wednesday morning – Blogger marked it as spam for some reason (which has never happened in my nearly 10 years of blogging) – so I had to dispute it, and then ultimately copy and paste it into a new post, publish it, and then cancel the other one, but by the time I caught it, I had already lost eight hours of pageviews and ad revenue.  I still don’t know what caused them to flag it, but it was bizarre.  They ended up emailing me back and removing the spam flag, but it took them more than 24 hours to get back with me, and it was just a lot of time wasted trying to get it to go live. 

The rest of the day was spent working, chatting with Emily (as we do most days… so grateful for yoooou, Emily!), and dealing with another issue that’s been plaguing our fam for a few months now.  Needless to say, it was not a good day.

At three, I grabbed the kids from school, and they were thrilled because they got to talk to Jacob’s old piano teacher at a red light.  Our paths cross nearly every day now, but most of the time just in passing, but Wednesday, we were both stopped next to each other at the same red light, so we all rolled down our windows and the kids were able to chat with him for a bit.

After that, it was straight back home to tackle homework, studying, AR reading, and a Bible study for me.  I also watched Kamala Harris’s concession speech, and it was really good.  She went out with peace and dignity and grace, and that’s how it should be done.

Olivia had her long dance night, so she ate dinner in the car and then I dropped her off for that, and then I headed back home to get dinner started.

Brian and Jacob and I had fettucine alfredo with chicken, steamed broccoli, and garlic cheese bread for dinner, and then I got in a strength workout afterwards.

I spent some time with Jacob at the piano after my workout, and then when Brian got home with Olivia, she got showered and we got the kids in the bed.

B and I ended the evening with a little bit of The Golden Bachelorette, and then we headed to bed.

 

Thursday, November 7

Thursday morning, I dropped the kids at school and then I dropped Maui at the groomer before grabbing some gas on the way home.  I worked diligently on a few blog posts when I got home, and then late in the morning, I left to pick Maui up.  On the way, I swung by the local music store to grab a couple of new picks for Olivia to try.  Her teacher has been telling me to grab a 0.5 mm pick for her for a while, so I finally got one, and I’m so glad I did because she is playing even better with that one since it’s more flexible!

After I picked Maui up, she and I headed back home, and I worked for the rest of the afternoon until it was time to get the kids from school.  We went to music lessons right after that, and Jacob worked on Golden Hour by JVKE and Olivia worked on Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.  Mr. Steve changed the song over for her to play in the C chord, and ever since he made that change, she picked it up quickly.  She’s doing so awesome!  I’m so glad that she has chosen to play guitar.  <3

When we got home, I did my Bible study, and then the kids and I had breakfast for dinner.  Brian had a tennis match during dinner, so he was gone all evening.  After dinner, I got in a cardio workout, and then I spent some time with Olivia, watching her practice some of her dance moves and contortion.  My little girlfriend can fold her little body up like a pretzel now, and it just amazes me!

By the time Brian got home, it was time to get the kids in bed, and then he and I watched some of The Golden Bachelorette before heading to bed.

Friday, November 8

Friday morning was another gloomy day.  I got the kids off to school, and then I dropped Maui at the vet for her annual checkup.  After that, I swung by Walmart to grab groceries for poker night (minus the beer… still boycotting alcohol at Walmart after what happened this summer!  LOL.) and then I headed home to work all morning.

Most of the day was spent working on things other than the blog because I had so much other stuff to get caught up on.  As a matter of fact, I didn’t even touch blog work until after I picked up the kids from school.

Mid-morning, I got a call from the vet wanting to discuss Maui’s health.  She said that Maui was down to just three pounds, which means that she’s lost 25% of her body weight in the last year.  We’d noticed that she was feeling bony, particularly in her spine and rib cage, and we’d also noticed that she hadn’t been eating as much.

The vet said she wanted to do some extra bloodwork to see if her kidney disease has progressed, so we told her to proceed, and I also talked to her about switching Maui’s food.  She is currently on a prescription food specifically to help with her kidney disease, but she’s lost interest in eating, so I asked if there was a soft food option that we could try, and I was so happy to hear that there was!

Maui was ready to be picked up right before the kids got out of school, so I swung by and grabbed her – with no results from her tests since they had to send her bloodwork away – and then she and I got in the car line together.  She was a mess and just couldn’t settle down, so I pulled her bed into my lap, and she finally fell asleep.  Y’all it is so hard watching our babies age.  She will be 15 in December, so I know we don’t have much time left with her, and that is just so hard to think about.

When the kids got in the car, we headed straight home, listening to some new music I’d downloaded on the way.  Brandon Lake had dropped his much-anticipated song, Hard Fought Hallelujah, and I couldn’t listen to it enough on Friday.  If you’ve been struggling with something or if life is really hard or sad right now, put it on repeat and scream it from the rooftops.  It’s the anthem I’ve been needing for the last 16 months since my vertigo and dizziness started.

When we got home, I got my Bible study done and then I worked on some blog stuff for a bit.  Then it was time to get ready for poker night!  Our group has been getting together once a month for the last two years now for a poker night, and we all take turns hosting.  We all eat dinner and then the adults play poker (dealer calls) while the kids all hang out together, and it’s always one of my favorite nights of the month.

After our week, it was exactly what I needed.  I made Pizza Joes and threw together a Caesar salad, I baked some mozzarella sticks for the kids and set out a fruit tray and we all ate once everyone arrived.  The rest of the evening was spent drinking, playing cards, laughing SO HARD, and talking about life and current affairs and everything in between.  These people are my safe space, and I love them so much. 

We ended up playing a little later than usual, so by the time everyone left and we got the kitchen cleaned up, it was after 10.  We got the kids in the bed, and then Brian and I watched an episode of Outer Banks before calling it a night.  

 

Saturday, November 9

Brian had to be at work early Saturday morning for a project that he’s working on, so he was gone long before the kids and I got up.  When we woke up, Olivia mixed up the waffle batter for us while I unloaded the dishwasher, and then I assisted her with the waffle iron. 

The three of us had breakfast, and then I sat down on the couch with Maui (and Olivia for some of the time) and snuggled all morning.  Brian came home late in the morning, and he finished watching ESPN College GameDay with us.  I don’t know who here follows college football, but IYKYK – Kirk Herbstreit – my favorite analyst on GameDay – had to put his dog, Ben, down last week.  Ben always traveled with him to the show and to all of the college football games with him, so we’ve all fallen in love with him, and we were crushed to hear the news last week.  They did a special tribute to Ben on College GameDay on Saturday, and I bawled through the whole thing.  It was just devastating, but so sweet, and seeing Kirk Herbstreit get choked up to the point where he couldn’t even talk was, perhaps, the most touching part.  I love a man who isn’t ashamed to show his emotions.  We need more of that here in this country.

During GameDay and all of our couch-sitting, we also Facetimed with my parents and my niece and nephew since they were there with them.  We got to chat with them for about 20 minutes and it was good to see them since it had been a while.

After GameDay was over, I finally got off of the couch and I got out for a run.  It was gloomy Saturday yet again, and it started drizzling halfway through my run, but it was more invigorating than anything.  I ended up having a decent pace as I ran the whole way through without having to slow down to a walk not even once.  When I got home, I got in a quick arms workout, too, and then I got showered for the day.

After my shower, we all had lunch together, and then I got a couple of things done around the house before settling in to get a little bit of blog work done before the Georgia game started.  Olivia painted and Jacob played the piano for a lot of the afternoon.  Jacob had woken up Saturday morning with a little cough and a stuffy nose, so we just took it easy at home all day.

Brian had to work during most of the game, so I sat and watched it alone, and I started pulling out some more Christmas decorations in the second quarter since we were struggling so badly.  When we do poorly in a game, I always get up and do something to distract myself because it’s hard to watch when it’s a train wreck.

At halftime, I ran out to grab barbecue from our favorite local place since Brian was still working, and then we all ate dinner together (along with all of Brian’s co-workers and clients since he was on a call the whole time – haha).  I watched the end of the Georgia game with the kids, and it was a heartbreaker, which unfortunately, I predicted.  I’d been feeling nervous about it, and as soon as I saw that they were playing in the pouring rain, I knew things weren’t going to go well… we always struggle when we play in the rain, and our QB has been struggling this whole season.

After the game, I got in my PJs and did my Bible study, and then I sat in the living room with the kids while Jacob played piano, and Olivia played guitar.  I just love those musical kids of mine so much!  It’s my favorite thing that both of them do!

Brian took a short break to get the kids in the bed, and then he went back to work.  I sat with Maui, watched the Alabama/LSU game, and finished two books that I’ve been reading, and eventually, Brian joined me on the couch for a few minutes just before bed.

 

Sunday, November 10

Sunday morning, we got up and had cinnamon rolls, and then I retreated to my office to do my usual sermon, planning for the week ahead, yoga, and Bible study.  We all got showered and ready late in the morning, and then we headed to my MIL and step-FIL’s for lunch.  Brian was still working all morning, so I drove since he was on a call all the way to their house. 

He was able to join us long enough to eat, and then he worked from his mom’s house for the rest of the time while the rest of us chatted for an hour after lunch. 

We got home around 3, and after the kids had prepped for school Monday, we all retreated to different rooms.  Brian worked all afternoon, I worked on the blog all afternoon while watching Serendipity, Jacob played video games, and Olivia watched crafty YouTube videos. 

One good thing that come out of the weekend was that Maui really loves her new food!  She's been eating the full amount that the vet suggested, so I'm praying she gains her lost pound back quickly!

My parents didn’t do Sunday dinner, so we were on our own Sunday night.  I had  planned on putting up our main Christmas tree, but Brian ended up working all afternoon into the early evening, so we ran out of time.  He was able to get it out of the box and set up, but we didn’t have time to decorate the whole thing. 

It was nice to have that beautiful glow again, though!

The rest of the evening was spent watching Saturday Night Live and snuggling! 

Happy Tuesday, y’all!