Life at a "Swell's" pace: August 2025

Hello.

Here are five things this week.

1. These books.

I picked up these books to read and add to the blog's Read with Me page. I mostly pick thrillers, crime, or horror. If that is your genre, too, follow my reading picks here on the blog.

2. This bra.

I already had this bra from Anthropologie that I picked us shortly after my breast surgery and I love it! This week I went back to Anthropologie to pick up another one. I love how the straps don't dig into my shoulders and the band at the bottom holds where it needs to hold. It's one of my favorite bra brands that I love.

3. This moment.

It's been a rough two months without Hardy. We had him for so long that it feels like something is now missing from our everyday life. Losing a pet is a hard blow to our hearts, but the times we had with Hardy are times we will always talk about. My love for animals is deep. Pets seem to have a way of showing us what love is really like. These paw and nose prints came this week in a card signed by everyone who helped Hardy the day we brought him to the Willamette Veterinary Hospital. They have always been wonderful to us when we bring our pets in during their final moments. We will always be so grateful to all of them for everything they do during those emotional moments. I hope Hardy and all of our pets feel loved during the time they are transitioning from this life.

4. This update.

We have been working hard on removing the old flooring of the bus to clean it and prepare it for a new floor. It hasn't been tough work, just time-consuming, but it's getting done, and we are excited about the progress. You can follow our bus's progress here on the blog or on our Instagram or Threads.

5. This heater.

While working on the bus floor tear out, FedEx delivered our Camplux portable water heater. Jeff was pretty pumped when it showed up and we are going to try it out this weekend with our outdoor shower.

One last thing:

A lot of people don't know that I struggle with large amounts of anxiety and have been diagnosed with panic disorder, OCD, and ADHD. The combination of these causes me to experience depression at certain times too. I have always had these mental health issues my entire life, but only learned what they were until about 15 years ago. Since that time I have been an advocate for people to reach out and seek understanding about what is happening with them emotionally, physically, and mentally. Living a life in the dark about what is happening with your body is a form of self punishment. Everyone deserves to live a good life and understand their own individual symptoms. Since the time I have learned more about mine I have created a mental health profile on Instagram to help those that are struggling through theirs. It's named The Color of my Anxiety. I post six mental health positives each month and change the color based on that month's shade. If you are needing a boost for the day, or just want to scroll through and feel like you are not alone, please visit me there. And for everyone that is struggling with us, we are going to be okay, and I hope these positive memes on The Color of my Anxiety Instagram helps you.

Positive affirmations this week:

You can do this!🌈