First things first, our sweet boy had his surgery on Monday and is home resting and I am so thankful that he is going to be okay, the weight of worry hasn't be lifted yet, but I'm so thankful that he's home and he's going to make a full recovery.

Now that is out of the way, we moved and I posted the above photo to welcome everyone into the face that we had moved and I've been thinking a lot lately, What is home?

Clearly I consider the house I share with my husband my home, but I've been contemplating a trip to Mississippi, where my father lives because my grandfather is sick and it feels foreign to say that I need to go "home". That place isn't my home. It never was.

I consider Florida, where I grew up my home state, but Mississippi, my family just lives there. I also know trouble lives there. That's just something I've been thinking about a lot lately, I obviously don't want to miss this time with my grandfather, but too many people back "home" forgot who the fuck I am. I'd like to just fly in, see my family and leave, but blessings of a small town I guess.

I'd like to say I'm grown enough to just turn around and walk away, but my time away from there, I've grown, but I wouldn't say up, more like elevated. I've grown tired, tired of the bullshit and intolerance. I won't stand for the racist, disrespectful bullshit that Mississippi brings, I mean it goes deeper than that too, of course, it always does. I just know I'm going to find myself in a world that I'm not comfortable with and before I would just camouflage myself and not rock the boat.

I'm not that girl anymore, I'll fight, I'll fight every single day if I have to. I will not accept anything less that what I deserve. My brownness might have been a joke in the past, but in my home now, they accept me and love me for being brown and I know THAT is what I deserve.

HOW TO MAKE MOVING WITH A DOG EASY!

Y'all, I love my dog. Simon is everything to me. He completes my heart in the best way. This upcoming move with be our second move and the only the third place that Simon's ever lived in his entire life! I was SO nervous about his first move, but with a few tricks, he adapted just fine.

TIP #1 - MOVE THEM LAST 
I chose to have Simon be the last thing that we moved when we moved into the apartment so that he wouldn't be under foot. With this it was easy to make sure that I could set up his spot (at the time it was under our bed) for him to go and hide right away.

TIP #2 - ENSURE THEIR SPOT IS SET UP
Simon doesn't have a traditional dog bed, but he used to hide under our bed for security (now he loves the couch with a blanket to cuddle up on) that is the first thing that I made readily available before bringing him over.

TIP #3 - DO YOUR HEAVY CLEANING BEFORE DOG ARRIVES (IF POSSIBLE)
Our current apartment was never lived in before we moved in so I wasn't too worried about him being around for the light cleaning I was going to do, but this move I will use all of my heavy cleaners before he comes so that we can just have a calm environment for him to adjust to.

TIP #4 - BE PATIENT WITH ACCIDENTS 
We didn't have this problem because there wasn't any previous dog ~*aroma*~ but we did offer WAY more walks in the first few days just in case.

TIP # 5 - ROLL WITH THE FLOW
Just give your dog some overall grace. For the first few weeks Simon didn't leave our side. I mean EVER. He was even following me to the bathroom. I think he was a little nervous about the new place but after about a month he was finally settling in and even though it was a little annoying to have him constantly under foot, I'm sure the new place was scary for him.

FIVE THINGS TO DITCH BEFORE YOU MOVE

I always try to purchase things that will last for several years, I'm not into just "ditching" things after one use but there are FIVE things that I never bring from place to place when I move.

# - THE BROOM/DUST PAN - I always purchase a super cheap broom and even cheaper dust pan from Walmart every time I move. THIS is the broom I always buy and a cheap Walmart brand dust pan is cheaper than buying the combo. 

I feel like I get the life out of a broom when I use it for a year - fifteen months, plus I feel like it has soaked up germs and dust and I'm using it up until the last minute that I'm in the apartment before the final inspection. 

#2 - THE MOP - On the same sentiment, I buy a cheap mop and use it and then throw it in the dumpster on my way out of the apartment complex on the final moments before the inspection. 

#3 - ANY BROKEN FURNITURE - This might be a no-brainer for some, but I love to re-purpose furniture. I love finding it and giving it a new life, but anything that isn't fixed by moving day, I don't bother with it until I'm just really in love with it. 

#4 - HALF USED ANYTHING - I'm big on ditching anything cheap that is half used and might be messy to move. I try to use up everything in my fridge the last month that I'm in a place but I'm talking about half used hand soaps, half used special spicy mayo for that one dish I only make occasionally. I try to keep everything that I can, but some things aren't worth the effort to keep. 

#5 - ANYTHING I HAVEN'T USED SINCE I MOVED IN - If I find something while I'm packing up that I haven't even seen since the last time I moved, I just donate it, or throw it away! There is no point in moving it again, just to not see it for twelve - fifteen more months.

THE MONTH OF MOVING!

Y'all, the MONTH OF SLOW - CLICK HERE for the complete recap was so incredible. I loved having something to focus on for a whole month and I think that for the next few months until I move and can focus on decorating again, I'll try to focus on a topic each month.

This month, with only THREE months until we move, I'm going to start talking about all of the mechanics and the tricks that we are working on. Lots of fun stuff planned.

Cheers to the MONTH OF MOVING!