Another week, another reminder that apparently I am not allowed to have a normal, peaceful existence.
😂
I’m on fall break, which sounds lovely in theory.
In reality, I’ve spent most of it battling a sinus headache that refuses to leave, dealing with an upset stomach, chasing toddlers, and wondering how three children can make more noise than an entire classroom.
And somehow, in the middle of all of that, I’ve had some pretty wonderful moments.
I’ve had a date day, watched some good television, gotten some exciting news, and spent a ridiculous amount of time laughing at the tiny humans who seem determined to drive me absolutely insane.
So, let’s talk about it.
☕ This Week’s Comfort
Sunday was date day!
We went to Texas Roadhouse and then to see The Other Mommy.
There were two separate moments during that movie when I said:
“That was terrifying.”
Followed a little later by:
“I lied. THAT was terrifying.”
🤣
Overall, though? It was decent.
I had a few lingering questions afterward, and it was incredibly predictable. I had the whole thing figured out before we were even halfway through it.
We’ve definitely seen better.
Don’t get me wrong. I absolutely love our date days. I love getting out of the house with my boyfriend and spending time together.
Sometimes, though, I wish we’d change things up a little.
It’s always Texas Roadhouse and a movie.
And while I’m certainly not complaining about getting steak and watching horror movies with my favorite person, I wouldn’t mind doing something different every now and then.
Speaking of movies—
Y’ALL.
I HAVE NOT ONE, BUT TWO JOHNNY DEPP MOVIES TO LOOK FORWARD TO!!!!
TWO!
Do you understand how happy this makes me?!
I LOVE THAT MAN!
🫠🫠🫠
Unfortunately, I spent most of Sunday fighting a sinus headache. I even had to stop for Sudafed before the movie.
And that headache?
It decided to move in and make itself comfortable for the rest of the week.
By Monday, I was still feeling awful, so the boys and I spent the day in our pajamas.
That evening, my boyfriend decided to cook steak and baked potatoes for dinner.
Now, listen.
When I’m not feeling well, a baked potato is one of my favorite comfort foods.
I was SO excited about that damn potato.
He fixed my plate and was bringing it to me when somehow—
The entire plate ended up on the floor.
Broken.
Food everywhere.
Y’all.
MY POTATO.
😭
Of course, I immediately jumped up and started reassuring him.
“It’s okay! It’s fine! We’ll clean it up. Are you okay? What happened? It’s just food. I’ll eat something else.”
And I meant every word.
Was I secretly mourning that baked potato?
Absolutely.
Was I going to make him feel worse about it?
Absolutely not.
He felt terrible.
He even offered me his steak and said he’d eat the one that had fallen on the floor.
Sir.
There are pieces of a broken plate down there.
Absolutely not.
He ended up cutting his steak in half and offering me some, but by then I’d already ordered White Castle.
Chicken rings and mozzarella sticks.
I’d been craving them for about a week anyway, so I figured this was as good an excuse as any.
😂
Friday, however, was a different kind of comfort.
I slept until 8:30!
I know that doesn’t sound particularly impressive, but around here?
That’s sleeping in.
I took a shower, put my hair in my bonnet, and planted myself in the recliner for a day of television.
I finished Carrie and ASH13, then started watching The Buccaneers.
And since I finished Carrie, can we talk about Josie Totah for a minute?!
Because MY GIRL ABSOLUTELY KILLED IT AS TINA BLAKE!
🤗🖤
Honestly, everybody did a wonderful job.
And I’m not even going to get started on Matthew Lillard, because we ALL know how I feel about that god of a man.
🥵🫠
ANYHOW.
BACK TO JOSIE!
What I loved about her performance was that she didn’t just play a stereotypical mean girl.
She gave Tina so much personality.
The attitude. The facial expressions. The comedic timing.
She could make me laugh one minute and want to reach through the screen and shake her the next.
And underneath all that attitude, you could see how insecure Tina was. How desperately she wanted to fit in.
Josie managed to bring that out without making it feel forced.
THAT is good acting.
But here’s the funniest part.
The ENTIRE time I was watching the show, I kept thinking about how gorgeous this woman was.
And I could NOT figure out why she looked so familiar.
Y’all.
Y’ALL!!!!
THAT’S LITTLE STUART FROM DISNEY CHANNEL’S JESSIE!!!!
😭🤣
EXCUSE ME?!
Can we please take a moment to appreciate this woman’s glow-up?!
Seriously, though. She looks so happy, and I love seeing how far she’s come in her career.
From making us laugh on Disney Channel to absolutely rocking a role in a Stephen King adaptation?
LOOK AT HER NOW!
I’m here for ALL OF IT!
And with the wind blowing, the rain coming down, and a cup of tea waiting for me?
Friday was the perfect cozy autumn day.
Sometimes comfort really is just a recliner, a good show, and absolutely nobody asking you for anything.
Even if it only lasts a little while.
📸 Through My Lens
I don’t think my camera has ever had quite as much competition for my attention as it did this week.
Tuesday, I took Sissy and Doodoo outside to play.
We were having a perfectly lovely time on the big circular swing when I happened to look down.
Jumping spider.
NOPE.
I jumped off that swing so fast.
Unfortunately, I apparently didn’t jump far enough, because the metal bar swung around and smacked me right in the ass.
I swear I bruised my entire ass trying to get away from a spider.
🥲
So we moved over to the teeter-totter.
Surely we’d be safe there.
WRONG.
ANOTHER JUMPING SPIDER.
And this little asshole was running straight toward Doodoo.
Absolutely not!
I snatched that baby off the swing so fast.
Then, because apparently I enjoy making questionable decisions, I decided I wanted to get a video of the spider to send to my sister.
Except every time I tried, it would run and hide.
BRO.
JUST SIT STILL SO I CAN SEND A VIDEO OF YOU TO MY DAMN SISTER!
🤣
The little shit acted like we were playing hide-and-seek.
My other camera-related entertainment this week was significantly less traumatic.
Thursday, I taught all three kiddos a viral TikTok dance.
And for about thirty minutes, that was our entertainment.
Same song.
Over and over.
And over.
And yes.
I have videos.
🤣
I love photography, but I also love having those silly little videos to look back on.
The dancing.
The laughter.
The completely ridiculous things these kids do.
Those are the moments I know I’m going to want to remember.
Even if the soundtrack occasionally makes me question my sanity.
💭 A Thought I’ve Been Carrying
Tuesday, my boyfriend and I were texting, and he brought up the idea of a destination elopement.
Now, don’t get me wrong.
That sounds absolutely wonderful.
Getting married somewhere beautiful, just the two of us, without having to worry about planning a big wedding?
I understand the appeal.
But can we be realistic for a minute?
I have over $3,000 in surgery bills that I haven’t even started paying yet.
That’s on top of everything else.
And now we’re getting ready to start this whole IVF journey.
Which brings me to another bit of news from this week.
My first official appointment with the fertility clinic is scheduled for next month!
It’s virtual.
And it’s going to cost me $324.
For a phone call.
😅
Listen, I knew this wasn’t going to be cheap.
But seeing an actual appointment on the calendar makes everything feel a whole lot more real.
We’re actually doing this.
We’re taking the next step.
And while I’m excited, I’m also very aware that we’re about to spend a ridiculous amount of money trying to have a baby.
Which brings me right back to the wedding conversation.
I cannot afford a destination elopement.
I can afford a $200 wedding.
And you know what?
I’m perfectly fine with that.
Let’s go get our marriage license.
Let’s go to Eagle Creek Park.
It’s six dollars per car to get in.
And if somebody can’t afford the six dollars to come celebrate with us, then they don’t deserve to celebrate with us.
I’m just saying.
🤣
I know a few people who could officiate for us for free.
We can get some cupcakes.
My sister has even offered to help us with food using her SNAP benefits.
We could invite the twenty-five or so people we actually want there, have a small ceremony, eat some food, and call it a day.
Nothing extravagant.
Nothing that puts us thousands of dollars further into debt.
Just us and the people we love.
Would it be some elaborate dream wedding?
No.
But I’ve never needed that.
I don’t need a destination wedding to feel married.
I don’t need an expensive dress, an enormous cake, or a venue that costs more than my car.
I want to marry the man I love.
I want our families there.
And I want to be able to enjoy the day without thinking about how long it’s going to take me to pay for it afterward.
Especially when we’re already preparing for something as expensive and important to us as IVF.
I think sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in how wonderful an idea sounds without stopping to consider whether it actually makes sense for your life.
A destination elopement sounds amazing.
But so does getting married in a park and going home without another few thousand dollars in debt.
And right now?
That second option sounds pretty damn good to me.
❤️ This Week’s Gratitude
Honestly?
I’m grateful that I got to spend my fall break with the kiddos.
Yes.
Those same kiddos who have spent the better part of this week making me question every decision I’ve ever made.
😂
Listen.
They’ve been loud.
They’ve been fighting.
They’ve been crying.
They’ve been throwing things.
Somehow, there’s Sprite on my CEILING.
And I have heard “BLAHBLAH!” approximately nine million times.
But you know what?
I wouldn’t trade this time with them.
I got to help my sister out this week, too.
She didn’t have to worry about paying somebody to watch the kids while I was off work, and I got to spend some extra time with my niece and nephews.
That’s a win for everybody.
And somewhere between the tantrums and the absolute chaos, there were some pretty damn cute moments.
I got to teach them a dance.
We invented a new game.
We watched movies.
We played outside.
And even when Doodoo couldn’t decide whether he wanted Momma or BlahBlah, he still wanted his BlahBlah.
Even if he changed his mind seventeen times before we made it to the car.
🤣
I think that’s what I’m most grateful for.
Being somebody these kids want around.
Being the person they call when they want to come over.
Being somebody they feel comfortable asking for things, whether that’s a bath, a movie, or just somebody to hold them.
I know these days won’t last forever.
One day, they won’t be this little.
They won’t be calling me every five minutes or demanding that I come pick them up.
And I’m sure there will come a day when I’ll miss hearing “BLAHBLAH!” shouted across my house.
Probably.
Maybe.
Ask me again after I’ve had a full night’s sleep.
😂🖤
😂 This Week’s “Well…That Happened.”
Oh, I have OPTIONS this week.
First of all, let’s talk about Monday.
Doodoo wasn’t feeling well, and this child could not decide what he wanted.
He wanted me to hold him.
So I picked him up.
Then he wanted down.
So I put him down.
Then he cried because I’d put him down.
Then he wanted picked up again.
BRO.
I GET IT.
YOU DON’T FEEL GOOD.
BUT CAN I CRY BECAUSE I WANT SOMEBODY TO HOLD ME TOO?!
😭☠️
Meanwhile, Pooh Boy apparently decided Uncle’s PS5 needed to learn how to fly.
Absolutely not.
Nap time.
Immediately.
Wednesday and Thursday weren’t much better.
Sissy was bullying the boys.
The boys were fighting each other.
Everybody was yelling.
Nobody wanted to listen.
At one point, I got so tired of the noise that I sent the boys to take a nap and told Sissy to go play with her clay in the kitchen.
And suddenly?
Peace.
Beautiful, beautiful peace.
Unfortunately, Thursday’s naps lasted approximately thirty minutes because Sissy kept waking the boys up.
Then somebody dropped a Sprite.
And by somebody, I mean Sissy.
And by dropped, I mean apparently detonated.
Because that Sprite ended up on the carpet, the toys, across the room—
AND ON MY CEILING.
HOW?!
HOW DO YOU GET SPRITE ON THE CEILING?!
😭
I spent so much of that day telling somebody to stop doing something that I was sick of hearing my own voice.
But then?
I had an idea.
A BRILLIANT idea.
I invented a game.
It’s called Toy Store.
Here’s how it works.
I give Sissy a plastic bag.
She goes around collecting all the toys off the floor.
Then she brings them to me.
I pretend to scan everything like I’m working at a checkout counter.
And the boys take turns putting the toys into the toy box.
Y’ALL.
THEY LOVE IT.
They’re cleaning.
They’re taking turns.
Nobody is fighting.
Nobody is screaming.
And I don’t even have to get out of my chair.
I’m not saying I’m a genius or anything.
Buuuutttt…
🤣
I’m pretty sure Toy Store is here to stay.
And then Saturday happened.
Doodoo called me.
“BLAHBLAH! UP!”
Say less, little man.
I’m on my way.
I got to my sister’s house, picked him up, and took him out to the car.
Immediately, he started crying.
He wanted Momma.
Okay.
Back inside we go.
Then he started crying because he wanted BlahBlah.
So I took him back outside.
And he started crying because he wanted Momma.
AGAIN.
Back inside.
At this point, I decided he obviously wasn’t feeling well, so I’d just leave him at home.
I drove all the way back to my house.
Sat down in my recliner.
And my phone rang.
My sister.
Doodoo was standing at the window yelling for BlahBlah.
SIR.
YOU HAD YOUR CHANCE.
🤣
So I told him if I came back over there, he was absolutely coming home with me.
He agreed.
I went back.
And the moment I tried to get him?
He threw himself on the floor.
“I WANT MOMMA!”
Nope.
We made a deal, little baby.
You’re coming with me.
Then Pooh Boy saw us leaving and threw HIMSELF on the floor.
“I GO!”
Y’all.
I hadn’t even gotten them in the car yet, and they were already on my nerves.
😮💨
Fine.
Get your diaper changed.
Get in the car seat.
I finally got Doodoo settled, handed him my car keys to play with, and he stopped crying before we’d even left the house.
We got home.
I carried the boys onto the porch.
Asked Doodoo for my keys so I could unlock the door.
And he immediately started crying again.
OF COURSE.
I unlocked the door, handed him the keys back, and gave both boys a Hershey’s Kiss.
Peace restored.
For approximately twelve seconds.
Because Doodoo immediately ran to Mawmaw Nesi’s bedroom door, started knocking, and began yelling for her.
🤣
Later, I put Finding Nemo on for him.
He laid on the floor in front of the recliner and watched it.
Then, before dinner, he looked up at me.
“BLAHBLAH!”
And started singing Let It Go.
Oh!
You want Frozen?
Okay!
I put it on, and he sat there watching it.
After dinner, he came up to me and said:
“I bath.”
And started signing bath.
So I got the boys ready for their bath.
My boyfriend apparently took that as an opportunity to change the movie.
Absolutely not.
Doodoo had specifically asked to watch Frozen.
He’d been sitting there watching it and singing along.
Just because he was getting a bath didn’t mean he was finished watching it.
My boyfriend said:
“He’s not even two. He’s not going to care.”
YES.
THE.
FUCK.
HE.
WILL.
He asked for that movie.
He was watching that movie.
And when he got out of the bath, he was going to finish that movie.
My boyfriend got irritated and said he’d turn it back on.
Then he put his headphones in and decided he wasn’t talking to anybody.
Okay.
Have your big boy feelings.
I don’t care.
😂
After their bath, Doodoo climbed into my lap, asked for a blanket, and settled in to finish Frozen.
And eventually?
He fell asleep.
Once he was asleep, I told my boyfriend he could change the television.
He said he was listening to his music now.
Okay.
Cool.
Guess I’ll watch what I want to watch.
So I put The Buccaneers on.
I had two and a half episodes left, and I was determined to finish the show.
And here’s where things get funny.
Apparently, somewhere along the way, my boyfriend started paying attention.
Because by the time I got to the last episode, I had to PAUSE THE SHOW.
Why?
Because he had so many questions about what was happening!
SIR.
I THOUGHT YOU WERE LISTENING TO YOUR MUSIC?!
🤣
By the time we went to bed, this man had his own opinions about the characters AND his own conspiracy theories about what’s going to happen in season three.
I cannot make this shit up.
And speaking of season three—
PAUL WESLEY IS JOINING THE CAST!
Y’ALL!
I CANNOT WAIT!
🤣🖤
I think that’s a pretty good place to leave this week.
Not because everything went smoothly.
Clearly, it didn’t.
And not because I managed to get everything done that I wanted to do.
I absolutely did not.
But I’m starting to realize that I don’t need every day to be productive, exciting, or even particularly peaceful for it to be a good day.
Some days, I accomplish absolutely nothing.
Some days, I accomplish a whole lot and somehow still feel like I’ve done nothing.
And some days, just getting everybody fed, bathed, and settled down feels like a personal achievement.
I’m learning to appreciate all of them.
I’m also learning that it’s perfectly okay to love your life and still occasionally want everybody in it to leave you the hell alone for five minutes.
Both things can be true.
😂
And I think that’s where I’m at right now.
I’m tired.
I’m happy.
I’m excited about what’s ahead.
And I’m trying not to get so caught up in everything I still want to do that I forget to enjoy what I already have.
Because even with all the noise, the messes, the frustrations, and the occasional complete lack of personal space—
I really do love my little life.
And I hope I never get so busy chasing the next big thing that I forget how much the little things matter.
Until next time,
—Destiny
P.S. What’s one completely ordinary thing about your life that you’ve learned to appreciate? Something you might not have thought twice about a few years ago, but now you wouldn’t trade for anything? 🖤
