An incredibly productive Spring day (personal updates 3-22-2017)

   Hello readers! Great to see you again. :) I haven't given any updates in awhile, but as always, many things have been happening. In general, I'd say that in my life I've made very good progress towards my goals and whatnot, but there's more to be done that I've been putting off. I've reached a point where I just kind of went, "You know what? Things are very good but I have to get my shit together if I want it to really take off. I'm going to do that now", and so far, so good! At this point in my life, things are going very well, I've made great progress! 

To-day was a particularly progressive day, in conjunction with a very progressive week, within a very productive month! The ball is really starting to roll. :) 

  We had a huge storm on February 25th, after which we were blessed with a HUGE double rainbow that spanned the entire sky from end to end! Unfortunately, I was unable to get a picture that captured the whole rainbow, simply because it was too huge! It was beautiful, and I got to see it for about 20 minutes on the way home from Gran's to my parent's house. It was more than a usual rainbow (which are fantastic too), it was a sign, as it was something that really stuck out to me on a spiritual level. To me, it was a sign from God of the great things to come after a symbolic storm that went on for so long. 

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  I started a new muggle job on March 1st, as a cashier at a locally owned hardware chain. Yay for small business! It's been going very well, I really like it a lot, and it's getting me the funds I need for my silicone tail. The month of April will be extremely busy, mostly with 6 day work weeks. I'm picking up the hours of another cashier who'll be out for surgery, but I don't mind, as I need the funds for my tail. My last "job" (one I'd rather not speak about...terrible, terrible experience) majorly screwed up the budgeting plan I had for getting my tail in time for summer, but this new job is putting me back on track, and it looks like I'll be making it in the nick of time! It'll take a lot of patience and hard work, but I can do it if I work hard and stay focused! :)  

  If it appears that I fell off the face of the Earth (more-so than usual, at least), it's because I'm now working pretty much full time on top of all my other projects. My apologies if I appear inactive on social media; I'm not dead, just a busy bee. :) 

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  One of my biggest accomplishments in March (not really one particular day, but sometime in the beginning of the month) was finally reaching my weight goal, after years of struggling with weight issues. There will be a blog entry about this coming up. I'm now officially a "healthy weight" at 5'10" and 130 lbs. :) This was a HUGE accomplishment for me, one that I consider to be a triumph! 

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  On March 12th I won a giveaway hosted by the newly opened Esty shop, Rocky Rainbows! :D 

  She is a new seller on Etsy with high quality crystals and minerals, specializing in rainbow titanium aura crystals (my all time favourite!). If this sounds interesting to you, feel free to give her shop a looksee! There will be a blog entry about this coming soon. 

 I took some professional photos of the crystals for my blog entry and to add to my dA gallery, both to enjoy some photography, and to advertise the generous giveaway host. Until I get those photos edited and uploaded, here is a quick cellphone photo I took showing off all the wonderful goodies that Rocky Rainbows sent! 

  This is the 5th giveaway I've won; four (including this one) have been on Instagram, one has been on DeviantArt. Each one makes me feel so excited, so very grateful, and just all around wonderful. When the prizes show up in the mail it's like Christmas! Hahaha, thank you all so much! <3

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  On Sunday I met up with Orion for lunch. We had a lot to catch up on, and had a very important and deep heart-to-heart talk. Other than the very needed catch up, Orion also gave me a BEAUTIFUL vintage cloak from the Victorian Era, which was given to him by a relative to give to me. Thanks so much, to both of you! 

  Also worth mentioning, Orion and Amy's new baby girl is due any day now! :) Congratulations to the Nelson family. <3

  Besides fun with Orion, the owner of the local food shop where we had lunch approached us, and we started talking art and business. Without giving out any spoilers, we're looking to collaborate in the near future, which will be a big deal, and mutually beneficial! Looking forward to that. :)

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  Yesterday I finally called my Drivers' ED class to schedule my behind-the-wheel sessions. At the time of writing, here in Maryland, USA, in order to get your driver's license, you need to not only pass a knowledge test to get your learner's permit, but also pass a Driver's ED class, then pass an MVA driving test. There are some more details regarding additional rules for different ages and provisional licenses in between, but that's irrelevant for this story. Anyway, the Driver's ED class is 30 hours of in-classroom learning and 6 hours of behind-the-wheel learning, broken down into 3 sessions. I already completed the classroom portion months ago, but have put off scheduling the behind-the-wheel part; They want you to have X amount of driving experience and to feel decently comfortable behind the wheel before signing up, about which I was self conscious.

   I felt proud of myself for finally taking the plunge and scheduling the behind the wheel sessions that I put off for months and months. All three of them are already on my calendar ready to happen. This will give me the final kick in the pants force myself to make time to "tune up" my driving as well as getting the ball rolling on completing the required trials towards getting my actual license, which in turn, will open up countless opportunities in my life.

  However, when I was getting everything ready after scheduling, I had the urge to look at my learner's permit. Guess what? It expired 5 DAYS PRIOR. D: I could have sworn it expired in May, not March, but what are you gonna do. I called the MVA and they told me that I'd have to re-take the knowledge test, update my info if applicable, and shell out $50 for a new permit. Sigh. Well, a minor setback, but not the end of the world! In fact...it lead to my adventure to-day!

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  So, my awesome cousin, Joe, is back in Maryland for two weeks to help take care of his brother, Jason (also a great dude), who had an accident and is now on crutches, with leg surgery coming up soon. Joe is a Marine stationed in Hawaii (with a year left), so we don't get to see each other nearly as much as we'd like. He messaged me last night, and as fate would have it, had to go to the MVA to renew his own driver's license, so we planned to go together today!

  When he was on his way to pick me up, he said he was stopping at Dunkin Donuts, and asked if I wanted anything. I requested a particular donut, but they didn't have it, so he bought me two to make up for it- Boston Cream filled and chocolate frosted with sprinkles! What a way to start the morning. :)

 We headed to the MVA, and after sitting for an hour and a half, got our stuff done about the same time. I had to update my info (I get a new card with my new weight on it! More about that soon...), re-take the vision test (all good), and re-take the knowledge exam. I got 100% on the exam! :D 

  After that, he told me how he needed to finish up some paperwork on some handguns he purchased, so we headed over to Jason's house to pick him up and head to the gun range. Next time I totally gotta get a picture with Jason, had too much fun and it slipped my mind this time.

   They let me drive to the range, which was a pretty good distance away, as well as making a stop in between, during which I got some parking experience too. It was really good to get back on the road, and after shaking off some initial discomfort from not doing it for awhile, I did pretty well. I was proud and they were very kind and patient with me, which I appreciate. :) 

   At the range, we all got a turn to fire both Joe's new guns and Jason's gun. I've shot rifles and shotguns in the past, but this was my first time firing a handgun of any kind. After getting over the initial flinching phase, it was really fun! I did very well, especially for my first time using a handgun. I used a 357 magnum revolver with 38 special rounds, and a Smith and Wesson 40 caliber semi automatic pistol. The 40 had a good bit more kick to it, but I like it more overall because it was more accurate.

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  Now I have a lot to do and a lot to get wrapped up, please stay tuned! :) Thank you for reading and following me on my journey. Sending love!

Love,

Queen Werandra