I got off to a slow start this week. Sleep was challenging to get. A nap on Sunday combined with sleeping in some on Monday really helped.

My DIY kitchen project has a lot planned out and I’m doing things a bit at a time. This week, I figured out what floor I want. I originally thought I’d get something different, but I fell for a countertop and backsplash that I don’t think would’ve went with the original very well. A bonus with it is that it shouldn’t need me to use my tile saw and I don’t think I’ll have to worry about arranging it or special cuts. The backsplash will have both though. I cleaned up the remaining dust and debris on Monday. There would be more dust later, but I wasn’t at the wall install yet. I was really tired this week with all the stress, so I focused on my day job and resting. On Saturday, I returned some materials I didn’t need for the reno and got the paint for the walls. I’m not at paint yet, but it’s exciting to see the little blob on the can lid! By Sunday, I had it almost drywalled. I had to stop because there was no stud to screw into for the last corner.

In family, we had a likely date for my brother’s heart surgery, but it was moved. I spent much of the week worried because this particular brother has a lot of health issues that could complicate surgery and recovery. In some ways, it was better that it got moved. We had a second snow storm on the weekend that would’ve made travel more dangerous across the province.

I’m very thankful that I got to spend time with friends on the weekend. Especially with everything that has been going on.

One of my general tasks for this week was to go to the elections office and vote for the next premier of Ontario. I had to do it early because it was highly likely that I would be out of town during the actual election day. I really hope a change happens because I don’t know that we can survive another term with who we have. So many of our things that are part of day-to-day living have been majorly messed up. I didn’t take a selfie with the poster because it was way too high up for me to capture both of us! It felt good crossing it off the list.

Work is absolutely insane right now with amendments and setting things up for the next fiscal year that begins on April 1st along with the regular daily shenanigans.

I had to pull out of this choir session. My whole schedule got messed up with my brother’s surgery. I’m sad about it, but I have other things to focus on in the meantime like my kitchen. I’ll get back to playing my ukulele too. Hopefully, I’ll have better luck with the next session! With everything that is going on, my current anthem is:

Three Days Grace – The Mountain (Official Video)

I need to change books for now because Harrow the Ninth is too dark of a read for everything I’m going through.

In writing this week, I felt it was important to do a special post on ways to cope in these difficult times. I’ve been through a lot in my 43 years, so I felt like I had something to offer. I do many of the things on the list I put out. They’ve helped me survive countless losses, heartache, disappointments, injuries, and major life changes. They’re helping me deal with all the things right now, though some days I feel like I’m close to losing it! It’s all just a lot right now. I’m really thankful for my friends.