Random pictures

(This is one of my favorite affirmations. I look at it almost every day. I usually fight myself and try to push and keep pushing, even when I should rest, so it's a great reminder!)

Eli's

Beef/lamb schwarma, the gluten and gluten free option

Falafel plate (I ate one before I remembered to take a picture).

It was around ten bucks a person, but my falafel plate was cheaper than theirs. Worth every penny.

Mischief held my hand for an hour!!!

A quiet weekend

Blurred into a quiet Monday.

Charlie and I went to the library in town and handled job hunting and the like. 

I really don't like our local library. There's hardly any book turn over, and I couldn't stop myself yesterday from taking a sign they had posted to them. It said: "when going threw our DVDs, we notced these were scratch. They are a dollar. We will not refund you."

O_O

So I wrote on a little note page: "We know these DVDs have been scratched. They're a great deal for only a dollar! No refunds will be issued on them."

They did not understand why my corrections to their grammar were being suggested. The librarian looked at the sign, at my note, back at the sign and said: "I'm assuming I'm showing ignorance here, but the sign doesn't look like it has anything wrong. I'll give your note to the head librarian."

I didn't have any reason to burn gas going 37 miles one way just to go to my favorite library and handle business, so I guess that's what I can expect.

When we got to our computer, a woman jumped up, grabbed her bag and half ran to the circulation desk. I heard her say "please just log me off! I can't stay near that!", which I assume "that" meant Charlie. I don't know why some people are so scared of him when they are strangers to us. I think his face always looks gentle and kind.

So that was our most eventful highlight. For today we plan on doing laundry and snuggling. <3

Friday

Mayhem. Doesn't she look like she's popped out of a Charles Wysocki painting?!

Home made energy balls and silk brand "holiday nog". Mmm!

Recipe for energy balls found here: http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/no-bake-energy-bites/

Thursday

Sleepy baby chilling at our local game store while we played with friends this week.

Sleepy girl cuddled up on momma's lap this morning.

Enjoying a pig's ear after knit group.

Beauty at Starbucks.

My husband and our friend Ben (aka "uncle Ben" to the aminals)

A little wine for thy stomach's sake, and pumpkin spice homemade angel food cake. Why yes, I did improvise the recipe, and it was awesome. 

I am so much more myself when I'm not exhausted. :)

November 4th, because I didn't post that day

I had to work on the 4th, so Charlie and I went to vote before that. They were so professional and accommodating at my polling place! It was really busy (which was awesome) so I had trouble navigating. I walk with a cane in one hand, and holding on to Charlie's rigid handle, so I never have a free hand. As soon as we opened the heavy metal door, a poll worker said "hello! Would you be needing help today?" (A quick "thank you, God!" prayer shot up in relief)

"Yes ma'am, I'm a little overwhelmed. Where do I go first?", I asked her quietly. I'd voted before, but not in that location, and it's still a little weird to my mind, counting Charlie as my body space. I spent 27 years with just me, and now my body space is double, so navigating crowds and having to worry about drive by petting (which I equate to someone grabbing at my butt) is a little intimidating.

"Oh, okay! First you'll go to this table and show them your id.", she gestured like Vanna White and disappeared like a fairy godmother.

At ever single step, she gently showed up, discreetly offered information, and disappeared again. When it was time to take the blank ballot and marker, she saw my hands were working and offered to take it to a booth for me. She said if I needed to, she could read me the ballot, but I would need to fill it in myself. I have trouble writing, but I thanked her and said I was settled.

Charlie stayed in my close "down, stay" under the table while I got my vote on. When I told him "up, brace!" My fairy godmother appeared again and offered to carry my ballot for me. When we got to the machine, my hands were shaking, but she handed my ballot back to me and waited while I tried to put it in the machine. (When my hands are in a lot of pain, usually after writing or scrubbing something clean, they shake.) While I was trying to put it in, my fairy godmother created a discreet physical barrier between us and the crowd on Charlie's side. I couldn't help thinking she must have someone in her life who's disabled, because she was so easy and effortless in helping and sensing how to discretely do so. The teenager who was handing out stickers kept trying to hand a sticker to me while I was fighting the machine, so I paused and popped it onto Charlie's forehead. After I got the ballot in finally, it struck me as funny that he had melted down to the ground with huge, sad eyes. The teenager thought it was hilarious too and she quipped, "haha, your dog has an 'off' switch!"

I gave him the "up" command, took the sticker off and kissed his head. She asked me if I would like a sticker for Charlie too, but I said "Aw, that's sweet! Thanks, but I think he doesn't like stickers apparently!"

Our good fairy offered to help with the door, and I wish I had hugged her outside the polling place (because I'm a very huggy person). She was a God-send! I would have had to take a half day at work from spending so much energy navigating that all by myself. Stress eats up B vitamins, and my body is always super deficient, so if I had been on our own it would have really depleted me.

I  decided in the car to give my sticker back to Charlie by putting it on his American Flag bandana. It really is a privilege and honor to be an American, and it makes me weepy thinking about the Capitol Crawlers in '90, who willingly and physically put themselves through pain and mockery. They were arrested and belittled so I could have such a perfect and equal access to having my views counted with every able bodied voter's ballot. Without their sacrifice I don't think I could have voted like everyone else. I really and truly don't!  If I didn't have Charlie I couldn't have done it, there's no way I could have navigated the throng with one of my walkers. Without the godmother's help I would have spent so much more energy and been too exhausted to work. It's because of the Capitol Crawlers I had such a perfect morning. They knew they were helping the generations to come, but the oblivious 4 year old I was had no idea she would ever even need help or be disabled. I just feel a huge heart swell of love for them, and they are what I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving season!