Today is a bittersweet day for me.
Yes, it’s a day when we proudly stand up as a nation and say “we support our veterans”. But this year my family lost two of them.
My father and my second cousin.
They both served their country and after the wars they fought, they each came home to fight two very different battles. But battles they were nonetheless.
We love and miss you both.
It’s that time of year again.
The time when we start prepping for the holidays.
This year I am sending out greeting cards. I don’t usually manage to do this, but since I have the time I might as well.
I have all my pens laid out.
I’ve been practicing my hand lettering. I can’t call it calligraphy, cause it ain’t that fer sure. But hand lettering, I can go with that.
I’m excited to get these cards out this year. I am going to be sending them to more than two people, so it should take a few days to be ready. And then I can mail them out when it gets closer to the holiday.
This is going to be a fun next couple of days.
So I think I found my therapist.
It also just so happens that it is the first therapist I went to see. We are still in the early stages yet, so time will tell, but so far, so good.
I mean, I can’t be that lucky.
Can I?
As you might have guessed from the title of this post, I am going on a two week trip. It’s to visit both my mom and my in-laws. They live about three hours away from each other, so when I go to visit one, it’s super easy to go and visit the others.
Twice the love, one trip!
One of the things I don’t love?
Packing.
Lucky for me I’ll be able to do at least one load of laundry while I am there, which means I don’t have to take the big suitcase. We save that one for when both the hubs and I go on trips. One small suitcase and a “personal item” , aka backpack, for the win.
Now, I just have to figure out what to pack in it. One of my favorite things is dresses. It means less clothing items to actually pack. The downside is that some can actually be quite bulky. And of course, we have to account for the weather, so dresses may not always be appropriate.
Jeans are good for multiple days of wear, but where I am going it’s going to be hot, so Jeans are out. Out I say! Capris all the days it is. Maybe a pair of shorts.
And I can wear a pair of capris on the plane, which means one less thing I have to worry about in the suitcase.
Now tops are easy, just throw a few in there and you’re done.
I do have to fit some books and some crafts in my suitcase. I will need things to do while I am there. and since I am going to be gone for two weeks, it’s good to have options.
Toiletries, of course, go into the backpack.
All in all, a successful packing endeavor, I think. Maybe. We shall see.
We booked our trip to Disney!!!
I’m so excited! Too bad I have to wait a year.
But wait I shall.
I mean, this wait gives me all the time I need to plan my dining reservations and reserve my FastPasses. It also gives me time to go over all the menus and find allergy-friendly food options for me to nosh upon.
Traveling with a food allergy is always fun.
That being said, I am still really looking forward to this trip. I love Disney like Jafar loves power.
And that guy really, really loves his power.
This past Labor Day weekend I got to go to New Orleans to help celebrate my friends 40th birthday!
Whoo Hoo!
We had so much fun! We spent time in the French Quarter and the Garden District. We also took a walking tour of St. Louis Cemetery Number One.
I really loved the greenery on this random building inside the French Quarter.
Fun Fact: Filming videos of any kind is not permitted inside Catholic-owned cemeteries.
Nicholas Cage actually owns this tomb. Apparently, they have to keep painting it white because people keep kissing it!
The tomb of Marie Laveau. This is where she is actually buried. Fun fact: she liked to lie about her age on official government census documents.
Cafe du Monde. Where the Begniets live. I can’t eat them because they are made of eggs. Stupid food allergy.
Jackson Square is quite pretty.
Wish I could have eaten here, but we weren’t dressed appropriately so we didn’t even try. Also, no one even suggested we try, so there is that.
There is beautiful filigree work all over the Garden District.
I happened to take a picture of the one house not obscured by giant, beautiful trees. It is quite a beautiful house.
All in all, it was a great trip. 10 out of 10, would do again.
Believe me, this is as much of a shock to me as it is to you.
Me, in a gym!!
Yes, it will be happening. It needs to happen. I need to get healthier.
And not just physically healthier. Exercise can be good for your mental health as well. So says the internet! And my doctor. Doctors are sometimes right about such things.
Sometimes.
Well, I can do this because I am an adult and I can adult the shit out of this, right? Right?
Right.
Well, I didn’t see this one coming.
You know that trip I mentioned in my last post? The hubs and I were saving to go to New Zealand next year.
I say “were” because the hubby totally flipped the script on me and suggested we go to Disney instead!!!
For some reason I am way more excited to go to Disney than I was to go to New Zealand! Go figure.
Naturally, I have been in planning mode since I calmly, and quietly (squealed at the top of my lungs) agreed to this. I mean, we have a full year and some months before we are going to go, so I have some time to plan. Not that much time if my research is correct, but time none the less.
Squee! I have much excite!
So the hubs and I are in the market for a new phone service. Not that we aren’t happy with the service we have, it just seems to cost all the monies.
See, the hubs and I are trying to save for a trip next year, so we have been trying to cut out the things we don’t actually need. Or use. Like the cable service we had and didn’t watch for 3 months.
So trying to save money with a cell phone plan seems like a good idea right?
Turns out, not really. They seem to all cost around the same amount. Which makes sense from a business standpoint anyway. They all want to compete and yet still make money. Stupid logic. Good for business, bad for our wallets.
We do think we found a winner though.
Maybe. I hope so at least. I mean, I don’t want to have done two days worth of research for nothing.
And the winner is Google Fi!!!
Now, I know what you are thinking. “What the heck is Google Fi?” Well, it’s Google’s answer to mobile phone service. And after all that research, it seems to have everything we are looking for.
I would be more than happy to give you a review after I have had it for a few months…once we switch.
We still have to switch first.
So I am currently trying to find a therapist. After all the loses over the past few months, some counseling seems like a good idea. My doctor was helpful and provided me with a 6-page list of therapists to choose from.
6 pages! Front and Back! 12 pages total! Ack!!!
You think I kid, but I do not. Luckily, only 4 of those pages were for adult therapies/in the area of town I was looking.
Gotta have that criteria.
Speaking of, here are a few tips to helping you find a therapist before you even meet with one. Or, at least, tips I used when trying to find a therapist.
1. Do your research. A google search is great, but don’t forget to look at their websites and check their approach to therapy. Make sure their approach aligns with your goals. Scour those websites. Check the address to make sure it’s in a real building. Check reviews if you can find them.
2. Call multiple therapists. Some may not call you back for days, and some may not call you back at all.
3. Don’t be afraid to make appointments with multiple therapists. It may take a while before you find someone you really click with.
So far I’ve researched and called 2 pages of this list and only have two appointments. It’s slow going, but I know the end result will be worth it.
Lauren Corcur 