happy 10 year anniversary to my blog!

♪♫ Brass Devil - Parov Stelar

Thats right! I have had this blog for exactly 10 years today! I have been blogging in general for almost 15 years, but I've had this blog for 10 of those years and its been a wonderful journey. This blog has helped me in so many ways, mostly with processing a lot of past trauma and emotions about things. I have come a long way since I started this blog. I was 17 years old and was living on my own through a program for homeless teens. I was a high school dropout and was binge drinking frequently. My mental health was garbage. I was dirt poor. I smoked cigarettes. I was self destructive and chaotic. Now I'm 27 and I'm a live-in support worker for youth. I have another job at a homeless shelter for youth and I have maybe 5 glasses of wine per year. My mental health is stable. I make a comfortable income. I quit smoking. I do lots of self care and I'm calm. I feel completely different! Anyways, I got a little cake to celebrate...

Another small anniversary announcement; its been one year since I graduated from college! Woo!

Moving on... quarantine restrictions have been lifted where I live. Not entirely, but we can do a lot more stuff now. I was able to visit my family a few days ago and we had pizza/set up a porch swing on my grandmother's deck. Next week I'm going to see them for a family BBQ! I also went for lunch with my dad yesterday and we looked around in a few local stores. I ended up buying 4 more little cacti babies and a cactus light as well. Oh and at work I made some cute things; a travel journal and two roll on essential oils (I love unexpected self care)! I can't tell you how wonderful it felt to go out and do normal things again. It really reduced my level of stress. I'm excited to do more stuff!

The ones in the white pots are new! I've named them (from left to right); Theodora, Lana, Frank, Ed, and Lou! The cactus light isn't very bright, but its cute.

Also... look at my first baby's flowers! It hasn't bloomed in so long and I'm so excited!

Here is the travel journal and roll on essential oils.

Yesterday I also got a bed frame for my bed. My boss dropped it off, along with a mattress cover. She also gave me a thank you card and told me that I'll be getting a Bed, Bath and Beyond gift card soon (because I worked through the pandemic)! Speaking of new stuff, I also did a lot of online shopping recently. I bought a new planner that I can start using in August. Its different than my old one, but I am excited to try out a different format. I also bought tons of stickers for it and some washi tape. I also ordered a grow lamp for my cacti (I live in Canada & there isn't enough sun for my cacti to be happy) and a night table (I was using a standing tray thingy from the dollar store - I decided its time to treat myself to a nice night table)!

One last purchase announcement; The Last of Us Part II is out tomorrow! I already have it pre-ordered, so I'm just going to wait to get it in the mail. Hopefully it comes early next week. I really want to play it on Tuesday when I have a day off from work (I work for the next 5 days). I'll have to grab some munchies too. I'm so excited! I also heard they are introducing a transgender character, which is so awesome! I love how diverse the game is!

That is all for now. I'm going to go read my old blogs and reminisce about the old days. If you are interested in reading my old blogs, my archive is at the bottom of the page. You can even read my first blog on June 18th, 2010! Anyways, I hope everyone is well!