Uh, hi?

It seems as though my best efforts to keep up with blogging/journaling have yet again gone awry. Ah well. Onward and upward.

These last few months have truly been a struggle. I feel like that's basically the story of my life at this point. It's hard to feel like continuing to try is worth it. But here I am, continuing to try.

One thing that's been a huge blessing is that I've carved out time in every single day to engage in my hobbies. That's hard, because my hands don't always cooperate. It's really painful and difficult to do a lot of the things I enjoy, like stitching, coloring, and playing the piano. However, my mom saw a set of hand warmer/massagers and thought she'd get a set for me to see if they'd help my hands. Oh my word, they've been a miracle! They make it so my hands don't hurt as much and I've been able to spend more time enjoying my hobbies. I'm so incredibly grateful to my mom for this gift!

I got a piano! I've wanted one forever, but it always seemed so out of my grasp. First, because of finances, second, because I lived on the third floor for a long time, and finally, because of my disability. Things have been slowly changing, like a bit of a raise, moving to the first floor, and the hand massagers. There was still the matter of an actual piano though. But one ended up in the lobby of my school one day, and I asked what it was for. No one actually knew, and figured it had probably been donated or something. After some digging, we learned that it had been donated a long time ago by a former music teacher. I mentioned that if they needed to figure out what to do with it, I had the perfect solution - my house! My principal checked with the superintendent to see what the procedures were for passing it on, and there were no obstacles. So I now have a piano and I got it for free! I have loved playing and singing.

That's really all that's going on now. I'm getting ready for the end of the school year (it can't come fast enough!!) and prepping for next year. I'm ready for summer for sure and I'm looking forward to the break. I'm planning on getting a lot done around my home, playing a lot of music, doing a lot of stitching, reading, painting, and cleaning, and prepping materials for next year. I can't wait to be able to just be still.

Oh hi, Fall!

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year. I love the changing colors, the crispness of the air, the smells...all of it. Hot chocolate season is in full force here, and I'm happy about it! 

Two weeks ago, I went on a drive with my parents up to the Palisades Reservoir in Idaho. We wanted to see the fall colors and we were not disappointed. They were gorgeous! We don't get a ton of red leaves here, so when you do see them, it's a glorious pop of color that stands out beautifully.

Here are some pictures:

The last two are my favorite. I love the contrast of the stormy sky with the beautiful fall colors. I may be alone in this, but I find a good fall thunderstorm incredibly calming. I can't explain it. I just do.

Happy Fall, y'all! I hope you enjoy the season as much as I do.

A New, Fun Hobby

My sister gave me a super fun model kit for my birthday. I've seen these little buildings all over social media, and I've wanted to do one forever! So I've actually done two now and I had a ton of fun building them. I don't usually like puzzle-type things because you spend all the time to do them and then what? I'm not the type to glue them and hang them up, and I hate seeing my hard work go back into a box. So these were perfect for me.

Check them out!

I am honestly SO OBSESSED with these! They're so adorable and they look amazing on my bookshelves! I may need to do another one...

Book Review: Into the Fire

It's been a hot minute since I've done a book review. If we're being honest, it's been a hot minute since I really felt "into" reading. I've been in a slump where I'd rather watch true crime than read. I've been reading, but not nearly like I used to. It's a hobby/habit that I want to spend more time with again...like a longtime best friend where we haven't seen each other for a long time, but we pick up right where we left off. 

Here's a synopsis from Goodreads: "As a former smokejumper, arson investigator Bri Tucker knows her way around fires. But after a mysterious blaze takes the life of a former colleague, Bri inherits a curious puzzle from him that raises questions about several fiery deaths. Someone, however, doesn't want her picking up where he left off in search of answers.

When she teams up with ATF Special Agent Marc Davis to solve the puzzle, the danger escalates. But will they manage to track down the person behind the mysterious deaths before their budding romance--and maybe even their lives--go up in flames?"

What a ride! I love a great romantic suspense story and this delivered. Bri reminded me of me a little-slow to trust, very independent, tenacious. Marc was a dream guy! Strong and intelligent, respectful and caring. This guy’s a green flag if there ever was one!

I thought I had the villain figured out pretty early on, then I was convinced I didn’t. In the end, I totally did. They were absolutely perfect. I second guessed myself the entire book, until the reveal. At that point, I felt like I knew it, but also like I didn't! They were very well-written.

Plot-wise, things were well paced. Sometimes, a thriller feels a little like whiplash where it's a constant go go go go go. This wasn't that. It's a story that held my interest the entire time without leaving me feeling breathless. (I mean, I did, but that's because Marc was divine.)

Fast paced, full of thrills, and a fantastically awesome story! I can’t wait to jump into the next book.

Covid...again.

So I got really sick over Labor Day weekend, while I was having a girls' weekend with my mom and sisters. I felt awful the entire time, but still did it. I didn't want to miss out!

Probably a mistake (that I don't regret), because I ended up missing all but one day of school last week. I felt horrible!! I went back to work this week, and I started feeling better. Well, this morning I woke up all congested, with a sore throat, and a fever. GOOD GRIEF. My fever spiked, so I ended up going to urgent care.

Turns out, I have covid. AGAIN. I've lost track of how many times I've had this stupid virus. I'm so sick of it! (no pun intended)

Ugh. My brother and his family are in town this weekend, bringing my niece to college (!), and I can't even go see them. 

SO. NOT. FAIR.