Cat Dragons, Poop Bags, & Someone Likes My Face

  I have lots of fun little things to share, but we should definitely start with rainbow dresses:

The pastel necklace is by Whimsy Kei, a local resin artist, and both dresses are CowCow brand from Amazon. I love them, but they're a little smaller than my last CowCow dress - maybe because they shipped from China? So I'm tempted to re-order them in XL.

 

Wearing rainbows is fun. A++, highly recommend.

 John did some death-defying lawn work:

 A few folks thought that was a weed whacker - bahaha! - but I promise both are legitimate hedge trimmers, rented from Home Depot.

 

 I promise you, I know what I've got - and I try not to take John for granted.

 On the kitty front, Suki has taken to bringing all her toys onto our bed (including dragging the plastic sticks with toys attached), and on laundry day she claimed my sock pile as her new dragon hoard:

 

"MINE"

 Then this happened:

 Have you ever tried to contain a massive belly laugh while madly scrambling for your phone to take a picture? Because that was me.

 

 My Hope robot has seen things, y'all. Hilarious things.

(Also I just re-read my old post about Hope and I'm kinda misty again. Aww.)

Random prettiness:

This gorgeous art book by our friend Danny Haas was the birthday gift I brought for that dinner last week. (The one with the infamously bad group photo, ha.)

If you're ever up really late on a weeknight and suddenly struck with the thought: "Hey, I wonder what John and Jen are doing RIGHT NOW," then here's your answer:

 

We're in the toy aisle at Walmart being giant goofballs.

Also please note that the "Pooey Puitton" purse by the brand "Poopsie" is a thing that exists.

 You and I live in this world.

 What a time to be alive.

 On a slightly more serious/potentially helpful note:

 I know some of you won't be able to resist reading my list, so IN MY DEFENSE: 5pm is only 2pm in California. :p (My night owl schedule is also why we end up playing in the Walmart toy aisle at midnight on a Tuesday, lol.)

Here's a cute pic of John he took for Selfie Saturday a while back:

 

 I worry people won't know he likes Harry Potter.

Oh! And speaking of selfies and faces and my whole Self Hate Battle Plan thing, I got an anonymous package in the mail. This was inside:

 It lives on my desk now, right next to my computer:

 

Before you ask, the fabulous plush is a JellyCat Rainbow Ostrich from my friend Sharyn. 

Everything in that photo makes me happy.

I don't talk about it unless I screw it up somehow, but I'm still happily chugging along on Low Fodmap over here. 

These are still my favorite kinds of meals: a little of everything!

I've been able to eat at lots of restaurants pain-free (sushi rolls are the best), and ironically my worst setbacks have been home-cooked meals where John and I decided to risk "just a little" of something I know I can't have. Last week it was a few bites of pre-packaged stuffing, which had onion in it, and another few bites of cranberry sauce, which is packed with high-fructose corn syrup. Hard to believe, but that night my chest spasms from reflux were so severe I couldn't even sit down 'til 6AM the next morning. Every time I tried another spasm would hit, so I just had to pace the house all night in agony. (I was taking the appropriate drugs, but it took a quadruple dose before the Ranitidine started to work.)

Then there was this:

I can't over-emphasize the connection I'm seeing between gut pain and anxiety, you guys. The next time you're feeling panicky, do me a favor and take note of how your stomach feels. It won't be subtle: I'm not talking about a little twinge, but full on pain or nausea, constipation, cramps - ANYTHING out of the ordinary. Now that I actually feel GOOD most of the time, these connections are glaringly obvious. (That and hormonal connections, of course, but that's another ball of wax.) Before, when I just always felt kind of crummy, it was impossible to connect the dots.

Anyway, I hope by talking about it I get more people to pay attention and connect their own dots! I know gut stuff can be embarrassing to talk about, but I suffered half my life because no one did, not even my doctors. So please, speak up.

 And finally, because I have my priorities straight, MOAR SUKI:

 

 It looks like she's standing on the window, but she's really lying on her side on the window shelf! I love this shot.

Ahh, but THIS is my new favorite:

Technically that's Eva's baby blanket, but Suki matches it SO WELL. 

(Lookit her pink tummy! I die. I die of teh cute.)

Oh wait, I do have one last thing! I don't have a picture for it, but the past few weeks I've found myself pondering new ways to interact with you - new ways to reach out and make connections and maybe inspire more people to do the same. Maybe it's something in the air, or the time of year, or a shift in the Force, but I've been hearing from more hurting people lately. People who are lonely, who are scared, who don't know where to turn for a kind word or a safe space, online or off. Heck, maybe I'm even talking about you.

I want - no, I need - to do more. I don't know what exactly, or how, but I feel it in my bones. So whether you're the praying time, or the meditative type, or the type who writes lists and brainstorms and knocks at every door 'til you find what you're searching for, I hope you'll ponder this with me. How can we help bring people together not only online, but in the real world as well? How can the geek community foster more of a sense of family?

I don't know, not yet. But I'm going to keep pondering.

 Also I love you guys. Pass it on.

::MWAH::

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