HEARTC♡RE

I decided . . . . . . .  a post a day for the month of Mayo. Very ambitious but maybe I write an essay or maybe I just say hi.

Let's talk about my traffic ticket. Back in mid-March, I was on my way to the office and decided to take a little detour to grab a coffee 🤓. Well, unfortunately for me, there was a Sheriff behind me, as soon as the light turns green HIS lights came on and I'm like ?? the fuck. Thankfully he didn't turn on the siren because that would've just been SOooO EmbARRASinG. I pull into a parking lot and he tells me he pulled me over due to an expired tag. I truly entered the twilight zone, because officer you must be mistaken - I most definitely have everything in order. So I tell him (yeah I'm shaking in my boots LOL), "officer, I totALLy believe your system but there's NOOO way - may I check?" and bless him, he lets me shakily ruffle through my paperwork (he knows damn well my tags expired) and he's like "no need to be nervous" - I shoot him a stare (no I don't) and keep ruffling. Anyways, he spots my insurance and he's like at least you have insurance (yes officer I'm not some riff raff) and he's like let me get your license. He comes back a short time later - gives me my citation💀 and calls me Miss Ortiz (this has been happening to me since middle school). Y'all I am SICK about this. . . I can't remember if I actually pass by for my coffee at this point or drive back in silence. But I am SICK because ironically, Yuri and I had a conversation about expired tags AND AND I had just taken my moms car for an emissions test and renewed like 3 vehicles/trailers at the tag Kiosk at Kroger.... so that's what sucked that it was NOT intentional. But this is the rollercoaster we call life you know. The officer told me if I got my tag renewed within 10 days the judge may be nice to me, regardless I did it the same day because I really had no business breaking the law. 

In the days before my surgery I went up to the court to ask about resolving my ticket - it had been like 13 business days and they still hadn't loaded me into the system.... so I decided to just wait until my court date which was today. I'm the first in line 🫡 and one of the staff grabs my paperwork and places it on the docket. I'm hoping I am up first because your girl needs to get to work and really, I am just not trying to be there till 10am. So while I am sitting in the pews I am practicing how I am going to deliver my plea for a lighter *sentence*, and thinking about how I have to refer to someone as "Your Honor" like I'm some peasant from the 1500s. So I have my ChatGPT lines memorized to about 90%, when the clock strikes 8:30am - and the prosecutor (I am assuming here) calls me up and asks me how I want to plea. I mouse out a "guilty - but I want to speak to the judge" and he's like they're just going to make you pay the fine anyways, and I started mumbling (y'all know how I do) about how I got my tag renewed and he's like You got your tagged renewed? Let me see, and I start YET AGAIN SHAKILY RUFFLING my two documents and he takes a quick glance and he's like I am going to give you a warning this time. :D :D BOY! My good luck has waned down over the last 6 years so this was literally a miracle. So I give him a  little *insert concerned Ariana grande eyebrows here* "thank you" and I went on my merry way. 

Guys, I am reminded DAILY - DAILY - that I am old now and today was no exception. As I am walking out of the building onto Marietta Square I think "today's my luck day, I better stop and get me a lottery ticket" 😾

God what a scary word!!! :-( Well to fill you in, that's what I am dealing with right now. Don't want to leave you in suspense - I am fine!!! Let's take it from the top.

It's borderline embarrassing to say that this started a little over two years ago now. At the time, I was doing kettlebell exercises and one day I felt a hardness on my back, after showing everyone they're like it's totally a muscle knot. When I went to my regular physical, my doctor said it's probably a muscle knot and to get it massaged, but that she could put an order for an ultrasound in too to confirm. Guess who didn't schedule an appt?? :D 

So anyways time passes on, don't really pay it much mind and don't even remember I have it to be honest. But then this summer, I do a bit of a lifestyle change and lose some weight around my waist or whatever so she's like visible and I am now aware of her presence. I have my physical coming up so I bring it up to the doctor. I say it during the first intake convo/catch up and she's casually like yeah we can check it out and put in that ultrasound request too if needed. Okay, cool cool cool. So she comes over to do the actual physical and as soon as she sees it she's snapping pics and is like okay can you get an x-ray any time today, just so we know what it is before the weekend (it's Friday). And I'm SICK baby, SICK. 20% sick she's suddenly alarmed, 80% sick I didn't do this shit in 2022 . . . (if you need something checked out, go 'head and do it after you finish reading this).

So, I usually take the day off to do all my appointments and had an hour and a half gap between this and my Gyno appt, so I ask if it takes long and they say no so I rush over to the imaging center. Although the x-ray tech didn't SEEM to concerned with my results, I still cried driving 75 North LOL on the way to my next appt. So now it's my Gyno's turn to check me out and she sees it and all casually she's like "Do you think you're going to get that removed" and I'm like okay okay she seems casual and she was! she said it's no biggie. But technically I still don't know that for sure. 

So anyways my primary doctor sees the inconclusive x-ray results and puts in an ultrasound request, I go to my ultrasound and again doesn't really show anything (technically good news!!) and I have some good banter with this tech and he's like yeah probably not anything but of course he's not the final say. So anyways I'm kinda cruising/kinda chill but WHAT IS IT??

So again, primary doctor needs more info so she sends me for an MRI and the results come in and one of the comments say this - 

I think I'm working between an apple and a grapefruit

Well last night after 3 or 4 days of back pain, I can't find a comfortable position to be in bed because it feels achy and like I am going to trigger a spasm. So I decide to lay with my stomach on the floor, my logic is its hard and flat and will help lengthen my spine the most and not be as strained?? Well I am there on the floor for like an hour, between a cries and a sobs (I can LOL now, no worries). 

I mean, I am a self proclaimed drama queen so in moments like these I have a hard time separating what's me wallowing in my self pity and what actually warrants being in a dark room crying in fetal position. Well does anything really warrant that?? But the floor was for posture assistance not the drama production. It's not really the pain itself, but the fact that - 

• why is it suddenly hurting- 
• is there long term damage on my spine or nerves as we speak?!
• do I need to alert the authorities or can I endure it in silence, I would endure in silence because:
• a trip with important events coming up - in less than a week and a half
• it's non refundable (yes $$ is the least of my worries but it was my parents GIFT to me and its naturally a stress factor)
• my bff also booked her month long non-refundable trip 
• if I have to cancel my trip to schedule my surgery sooner than later, I would ruin the peace of mind for the people that care about me most and they couldn't enjoy their trip
• just not mentally prepared for surgery or have all my ducks in a row
• work shit (yes I am a corporate overlord sympathizer) 

The corporate urge to start the blog greeting with HELLO TEAM - 

photo from 2011 - courtesy of my facebook

Today, Atlanta had a ~ snow storm ~ I don't know what actually constitutes a storm so I'm going to go with snow drizzle. I have to admit I was a doubter. I didn't believe it for a second, but I woke up this morning, eager to open the blinds, and audibly gasped when I did: a fluffy blanket of snow covered the yard. I almost regret not taking photo, but nothing around me is picturesque, so we're not missing out. I clocked in and after a quick meeting, I brewed a cup of coffee and sat on the porch to take it all in. It was still before 9am, so I was able to sit in silence and hear the snow hit the ground. Ahh, so peaceful. As I was ready to go back in, some of the neighbors were going for walks, running with their dog, and playing in the snow. I think the best part of all this is just the joy the snow brought :-). 

I had to get back to work, but watched the light snowfall throughout the morning. It was hard to focus on work when my Instagram was full of everyone capturing their 2025 snow memories. SHARE, SHARE EVERYTHING WITH ME. Apart from yesterday when I went out for drinks, I have gotten pretty good at being a homebody for the last couple weeks . . . but today will be PEAK homebody vibes.

First of all I took an everything shower earlier this week, iykyk. I found, yes I promise I forgot about it, espresso flavored vodka I got from Sara when we helped her move ( :-( ). God bless, Paco has a cocktail shaker so I chilled it, hopped in the shower - lathered in L'Occitane shower oil IFYKYK, skincare routine, moisturized and so now I am typing away but ready to start a cozzzzyyyy night in. 

Lana's Norman Fucking Rockwell! album playing on volume 99, espresso vodka, per my last email 

Micro Fleece Henley Pajama Romper for Women - 3.5in inseam I got from Old Navy back in February 2024 for $3.88!! And I am wearing them for the first time today (can we put the temp down I'm hot 👹)

If my photos above look shitty it's because I HAVE WARM AND AMBIENT LIGHTING GOING ON.

And while I was grabbing ice to shake this vodka - I found a Jamaican beef patty for a late night snack. . . . . My night couldn't have gotten better. 

I thought I may have written a post on the 2014 snowmaggedon - snowpocalypse or whatever you want to call it that we went through, but I think I might've gotten confused with my burning bridge post LOL. Well I went to Facebook bc I know I had a few snow day photos from 2011 and MY SHAYLA, I am tearing up I couldn't even look at them, my babies, they're so grown up. The first photo is also from that time and I love that all the kids were in our yard - haha. I wish there was a photo of me but I guess that was one day I didn't take a selfie. 💁

UGH, life is great!! 

WAIT I FOUND ONE OF ME HAHA