Hello everyone!

I want to thank everyone who read and commented on my post. You guys were all so supportive, and made me feel like I wasn’t alone. So thank you for trusting me with your own stories and experiences, and for just in general making me feel so much better. You guys are wonderful!!

As for that, I am feeling much better. I have some twinges here and there of worrying about my blood pressure but that is a normal level of anxiety for me after I come through a time like I did with it. And thankfully the Xanax is taking the edge off until I am fully confident that my medicine is working. But my last reading was fantastic so I have no reason at this time to believe that it wouldn’t be. I think that the excess serotonin that was causing my issues has dissipated as well, as I was only on that increased dose two weeks. Two weeks all, and that is all it took to make things go very very awry! But I am doing much better, I am back to bustling around the house, working on projects, fixing things up, making stuff. I am giving Wyatt and I a prolonged homeschool break to enjoy spring, and we will pick back up again next month and go through summer. We are not hot weather people anyway, and will be hiding in the air conditioning more then anyway. It makes sense for us to take our break in spring when we can be outside more. We are however, going to continue reading and we are about to start a super fun Wind in the Willows unit study.

Over the weekend we actually went and did some things! On Saturday we went to my very favorite pet store, Lou’s in Grosse Pointe Woods. I feel like they are just a very responsible pet store, that they care about the well being of their animals, and it is even part of their mission statement as they state they are a place “where we’ve been crafting a culture of kindness through responsible pet ownership since 1970! Education, Community and Happy pets are what we do!” The staff is amazing and is so knowledgeable. I did not leave with another creature though, aren’t you proud of me? Lol. I was greatly tempted by a black rabbit with long ears that I desperately wanted – I even had a name picked out, Blackavar (from Watership Down, of course). However, I am so reluctant to get a rabbit although I want one so bad. I think I might have allergies to the timothy hay, etc. so I don’t want to adopt one and then find out, so.. I will have to just wistfully pet them at stores.

We saw so many fun animals though!

The teeny tiny bebe turtles were so adorable, as was that teensy little snake baby. Unfortunately that snake baby gets huge so that is another no go for me. If they stayed like 6 inches long that’d be cool. Lol.

We did drop some cash there though. I was upgrading Applejack’s enclosure because she has outgrown her current tank. It was a good size while she was a baby but now that she is an adult crestie she was cramped. My Harry passed away from a genetic defect over the winter, breaking my heart, and his ginormous tank had sat empty for months, and I finally was ready to clean it all out and turn half of it into a home for Applejack. I am going to use the other half for another crestie, but we are not ready to add to our creature menagerie yet. Billy had a piece of plexiglass cut to divide it, then we added a drainage layer, her substrate, and all her decor and plants. She had fun exploring her new space! I still need to add more plants and cork bark but we are off to a good start.

Billy however left with some new friends. Bugs. Isopods to be exact. Apparently you can get all kinds, ranging from pretty inexpensive to very very expensive (like 5 for $200!). We of course did not buy those. You use them as clean up crews in bioactive tanks like we have for our lizards, and you can breed them and sell them. So Billy is growing his “horde” as he calls it, to add to Applejack’s new house and then to ultimately sell. It’s his project so I don’t know much about it honestly, I just know he tends to them very lovingly. Lol. We bought a version called Armadillidium gestroi, and they get sort of biggish for an isopod (roly polys to the rest of us) and are yellow and black.

That literally took us all day Saturday, to build these terrariums, shop, and move Applejack.

Sunday we had a birthday party for one of Wyatt’s little cousins! T. had a party at a painting place and it was so cool – T. and J. are pictured below but from behind out of respect for their parents wishes. There was a painting session, pizza, popcorn, and lots and lots of kids screaming along to baby shark while popping balloons. It was way overstimulating for me! It was a bit overwhelming for Wyatt too, but he did have a good time popping balloons and using the swing. And of course, eating his cupcake.

Kiddo had a blast!

I have spent this week cleaning, sorting, I made new spring soap, and made reservations for a trip up north with my dad/stepmom/nephew, brother/SIL/ and the two girls they have (Mermaid Girl and baby E), the three of us, and two dogs. Let me tell you, that was a juggle to find the right amount of beds, that allowed pets, was on water, the right price, and fit everyone’s schedules, annnnd late in the season to find rentals. I finally did it! Want to see where we are going?

I am super excited!!

And I will leave on that happy note. Again, thank you everyone for all of your kind words, they were like warm virtual hugs and helped me a lot.