Grant

“Protect Your Noggin Kid.”

March 28, 2021 by Caitlyn

Hello all!

A blog post is long overdue. If you are still watching the page/Facebook thank you for sticking with us! Hopefully this summer we will be able to be more active on here. We do have our wedding in July and a week together in one of our Jeeps with no real destination. Speaking of wedding, if you have an RSVP please get that sent to us soon. We have to give the venue a final guest count soon. We haven’t even received half of them back yet. Yes, this is me giving all of you stern talking too. Moving on folks!

Last night while giving Grant a bath, he was rolling around and hit his head on the side of the bathtub. This was the third time of the day that he had managed to hit his head. I told him that he needed to be more careful and that he needed to protect his noggin. He then gave me a very confused look and asked me, genuinely, “Why?” I couldn’t help myself, I laughed. Hard. He genuinely was asking me why he needed to protect his head. I told him that your head is very important and that you need to be careful with it so you don’t hurt it. He seemed good with that for an answer.

As I thought about it last night, that was good for the moment since he is only 4. I also realized that I am going to have to teach him about protecting his noggin mentally too. That his mental health is very important and something that he should learn. Right now he is 4 so let’s try to just survive his daredevil phase. But one of the best ways that he can learn about mental health is by me and Tyler modeling taking care of our own mental health. So I am going to tell you about what I have been doing to help mine. Will, he ever read this? Maybe, maybe not but the act of me writing it and putting it out there is important not only to become the model I want to be for him but also for myself.

A few weeks ago, I took a HUGE step towards taking care of my own mental health. I signed up for therapy through the app Better Help. Currently am in week 10 and Tyler was the only one who knew about it (Thank you love for always supporting me through this). I am so incredibly happy that I took this step and made the decision to do something solely for myself. Leaving my toxic marriage, moving to Bloomington, going to school, all of those things were for Grant’s benefit. Truthfully. I did those for Grant, not myself. But talking to a therapist once a week, I did that for me. I have gained so much insight into my mental health and also why somethings are the way they are in my mind. We also created some techniques for me to use and she has given me some great books to read in my spare time (which is almost never now haha).

I don’t think I am ready to fully talk about what I have learned but I will one day. I know that I don’t have to but I think it would be beneficial to my healing. That is going to be my next step I believe with my therapist. Last session she told me to take some time to figure out where we needed to go next or if this was the end of journey. I have seriously made some amazing progress. Tyler can be the biggest advocate to that. But I believe that I need to now figure out where I go from here. Now that I have discovered what the message is that causes me so many issues, I have come to a cross road it feels like. Do I continue living my life like I am now or do I make some changes and possibly confront some people? I truly do not know, but I have never felt more like I was heading in the right direction. All because I took a leap on myself and taking care of myself mentally.

To wrap things up, if you have seen ads about the app Better Help and are questioning if it would be right for you, take the leap. For a while now, I knew that I needed too but one I was scared that my ex-husband could use it against me somehow with custody of Grant, and two because it is expensive. With Tyler’s help, I realized that no one is going to see me talking to someone once a week as a bad thing or a reason why Grant is not in the best hands. Better Help is super affordable and if you fill out a quick form you can get it at an even more discounted rate. So check it out. Even if you don’t have a mess of things to sort through as I do, it could still be a beneficial thing for you.

Take care of your mental health folks. Protect your noggin kid.

With lots of love,

-Caitlyn aka Pretty Lady

We’re Still Here!

October 23, 2020 by Caitlyn

Hello All!

I wish I could tell you all about a grand adventure that we took. I’m currently on fall break and took some days off to allow for an adventure but alas, we have been too busy doing the adventure of every day life to go any where. This does not mean that we haven’t done any thing or not been kept on our toes. By no means at all! We do have Grant.

Concert Together

Tyler did manage to get a few hours of work at a concert. IU put on a few outdoor concerts that were only open to IU students and only allowed like 100 people to attend. Tyler worked the load in and load out. We were supposed to go out that night since we were kid free, but when he gets work as a local, he needs to take it. Starting a new company does take time, so in the meantime work local as much as you can. Tyler being Tyler, came up with the idea of me meeting him there and watching the concert from the outer edge. This was a great night. We got to enjoy each other’s company and then about half way through the show they let us come on in and move closer. Clayton Anderson put on a great show!

Hanging Pots?!

Tyler has also been working on the house as much as he can in his free time. He recently got some new hardware and rope to put these hanging pots up in our kitchen. I was not 100% on board with the idea at first honestly. I was not able to visualize how it would look. Tyler reassured me that it would look fine, that his mom had hanging pots there when they were living there. Safe to say, I really love having them now. They are a great addition, help to fill such a big space. Hopefully soon we will have tomatoes, and spinach. We also put my spider plant in one to allow it more room to grow.

Kitties!

Lucifer and Tubby on wall outside our door, waiting to try to run in.

Tubby in Caitlyn's sweater while playing darts

We have also had the pleasure of three kitties moving into our garage. They have become some of the most spoiled cats I’ve ever had. Mostly my fault but don’t let Tyler fool you, he loves having them around too. He likes to describe them as farm dogs, the three musketeers, his office staff, and the worlds worst dart partners. They will follow you around where ever you go outside, they get along well, and keep any small critters away. Momma Kitty (inside cat) has not enjoyed having them around. She is very concerned about making sure they stay outside and do NOT come in. Grant also loves having them around, no surprise there. They have been great to help teach him about being gentle and have now given him a daily chore. Feeding them every morning and at night when they get closed up in the garage. Speaking of Grant.

Pumpkin!

This past Sunday, while I was sitting on the couch enjoying a lazy Sunday, Grant comes up to me and says “mommy, I wanna go DO something.” Um….okay. We could go to the store, I need to get some things. OKAY! So away we went. Got to the store and saw the pumpkins out front and thought perfect! We bought a pumpkin and some things to make Halloween themed cookies. He wasn’t as on board with the decorating part of cookies and just wanted to eat them. When it came to the pumpkin, he wanted a T-rex. Kid, I can’t draw that well. Spider. Nope. How about a face. Fine. Proud to say that at 3 years old he is finally willing to at least stick his hand in the pumpkin with a spoon. Still won’t touch the pumpkin guts but it is progress!

Ducking

I have also been trying to make sure to place a duck on every Jeep I see. I am waiting for the day Jackson gets another duck but for now, Kyle gets to ride front and center. One day, I ducked a Jeep at our favorite ice cream place here in Bloomington, Bruster’s. It turned out to be the general manager! I wrote A Man, A Jeep, No Real Plan on the bottom of all of them and he found our Facebook page with the post about the ducking. These little ducks may end up being a great advertising for the blog. So if you are here because we placed a duck on your Jeep, welcome! Stay awhile and share with your friends! I hope we made you smile when you saw it.

More to come soon, hopefully

That is basically the highlights of what has been going on. Busy growing in our own ways. Him, creating a business. Me, finishing up school and looking to future careers. Together we have been focusing on Grant and creating a home. Hopefully soon things will settle down at home some so that we can take an adventure, even a small one. Until then, please share with your friends.

Now, go on your own adventure!

-Caitlyn aka Pretty Lady

Trains. Slides. Animals. Oh My!

September 14, 2020 by Caitlyn

Hello all!

Things have been pretty laid back here since our last adventure. Tyler gave you an update about him building his new company that has kept him busy. I have started back up with school, my last semester. In addition to school starting up, I have been working more. Jackson is an expensive purchase. I have also started to make the schedule for the cashiers at work.

With all these things going on, we haven’t been able to have much of a family day recently. So Friday when I got home from work, I told Tyler this weekend we needed to go do something fun together. We agreed that Saturday needed to be a chore day, lame. Sunday though we would go do something together. Originally we thought we would go to Spring Mill or McCormick’s Creek. Then Saturday, my sister posted on Facebook about her and her band, Hey Hey, performing at Apple Works on Sunday. To Apple Works we went!

Apple Works

Apples Works is an apple orchard in Trafalgar Indiana that has all kinds of family activity things. They have a petting zoo, a maze, a playground, a big enclosed slide, and lots of beautiful scenery to take pictures of. This is where I got my senior year pictures taken actually. I thought this would be a better option for us. Also because I have been wanting to see Briana and the band play for awhile but before COVID it never seemed to work out. Either too far away, playing too late, or somewhere I couldn’t take Grant like a bar.

We got there after their set had begun and Grant did not want to sit. Grant had fallen asleep on the way there so of course he was ready to go by the time we got there. So away we went to explore and play.

Play time

First thing we had to do was ride the train. Of course. When I say had to, I mean HAD to! The train was $3 per person which seemed like a lot to me but we all piled into the train car and away we went. The train took us all the way around the orchard and back. Grant was in heaven! Waving, saying hi to everyone we saw go by. I also managed to get my new favorite picture of the two of them. See below, I mean seriously! My heart!

Grant sticking his head out the window. Tyler looking very annoyed.

Grant then proceed to play in the mounds of hay they had. This is just what he needed. To be able to play outside that wasn’t at home or at daycare. Run all the energy off little one!

Here are some pictures that I got of Grant exploring the grounds. I really do tend to overload the pictures. Sorry!

We did get to sit and watch the last 15 minutes of the set though thankfully. They did great! If you ever see that the band Hey Hey will be playing close to you, highly recommend you go check them out.

New Game

Once that was all done, including a stop at the gift shop for apple cider, we headed for the car. That is when we saw this little guy on Jackson’s door. On the bottom it said duck duck Jeep. So I googled duck duck Jeep to see what it was. I thought maybe it was a blog like ours. It is actually a game that Jeep owners play. You find a Jeep and stick a rubber duck where they will see it and make sure to put #duckduckjeep on the rubber duck. Tyler and I love this idea! Tyler has already ordered a bunch of them. You bet they will become a part of our adventures. We plan on not only adding the #duckduckjeep but to also put A Man, A Jeep, No Real Plan on them.

Keep your eye out this coming week! We are planning a night away without Grant.

-Caitlyn aka Pretty Lady

We went adventuring again. Without Tyler!

August 5, 2020 by Caitlyn

That’s right ladies and gentlemen, me and Grant left early Wednesday heading for the Smoky Mountains for a long weekend. We didn’t go alone though, thankfully. My aunt, Danita, my older sister, Briana, and her three kids all piled into a big SUV. It was hard to leave my Jeep, Jackson, behind but this was one adventure where he would have to get left behind. Tyler also got left behind.

For a couple reasons. 1. He has been home way to much. Hahahaha, I doubt you guys would buy that. I enjoy having him around, he is my best friend and the one person I get a long with all the time. So, 1. He did start a new job that he needed to stay at home to complete. 2. We had original planned to do this trip on spring break while he was still touring, therefore it was just going to be a girls plus kids week, but we ended up having to cancel because of COVID.

Danita was able to get the trip rescheduled though for this past week and away we went! Unfortunately, in my mad rush to leave I completely forgot not only my phone charger but also my camera. The pictures I got were with my phone and are very lacking! My deepest apologies to anyone who loves the pictures!

Wednesday

We left super early Wednesday morning that way we could do something before heading to our cabin, we agreed to go to Wonder Works. Or as we all refer to it, the upside house. It is really cool! See pictures below for the outside view and of the lobby. The rest of it is kind of a mix between an arcade, fun zone, and a museum. It is kind of hard to explain to anyone who has never been before.

I didn’t get any pictures on the inside because Grant had me on my toes. I did have him on the leash though. That leash has been a life saver for us, makes going and doing things with him so much easier. Wonder Works had something for everyone though. We even left and ate dinner at the Apple Barn and then came back for more. When you buy a ticket you can use it for that whole day, allowing you to leave and return if you want.

Thursday and Friday

Thursday we spent the day hiking, and playing in the creek. Grant loves the water! I should’ve known better and brought his swimsuit with us that day. He was soaked by the end! Every where the cousins went, he was right there with them. Made bedtime a breeze though, poor kid would be out like a light within 5 to 10 mins of good nights and I love yous.

Friday we spent the day playing mini golf. I did get two hole in ones (I’m a little proud of myself for that). We went to Ripley’s Davy Crockett Mini Golf. It had two courses that you could play. Lots of different levels, water included, some holes had a challenge wheel you had to spin, and even a fort that you played through. It was really cool course. We all had a really good time, lots of laughs. At ourselves and at each other.

Grant also did surprisingly well. He didn’t try to throw the club or the hit the ball as hard as he possible could. He was trying very hard to hit it right and would play through till the ball went in the hole. Also stayed with us for the most part, a few times he would get excited and go to next hole. I told my aunt that the next time me and Tyler wanted to do a day thing with Grant I would need to keep mini golf in mind.

Saturday

Saturday morning Briana and her kids decided to make the hike up to Rainbow Falls. As a refresher for some, Rainbow Falls is the trail/falls that me and Tyler did a few months back when we went to the Smoky Mountains. Remember how that almost killed me and I swore I would never go back…WELP!

I most definitely did NOT go back up! No, thank you! When they told me that, I laughed and said have fun and no Grant is not going with. Danita decided that she would also not make the hike. So while they (The Crazies!) hiked, the three of us enjoyed the hot tub at the cabin, having the whole cabin to ourselves, and did some hiking around the cabin. Briana and the kids made it back early afternoon, she claims it only took them an hour and a half to get up the mountain…. I don’t know…. probably actually. They are all in pretty good shape and jog for fun (like I said The Crazies!). In all seriousness, when she told me that, that was my okay I probably should get more serious about mine and Tyler’s health. We’ll keep you updated on that.

After lunch was had, we headed to Cades Cove to do some last ditch attempt at bear hunting. I am proud to say that we did manage to see two bears! They were also little ones. It probably could have been three bears but then someone in the front of the line, honked and scared it away. At least that is what we are thinking happened since the line started moving again once the honk happened.

Time to Journey Home

Sunday morning, we all got up and started the packing to head home. I was getting out of the shower when there was a knock at my door, it was Danita. “Cat, there is a bear outside.” “A what?” “A bear!” I grabbed my towel came out into the kitchen, let out a yelp and went right back into the bathroom to get my phone. There was a bear sitting outside our cabin. I didn’t get out fast enough with my phone to get his face, but here is him getting up walking away.

Therefore, our grand total of bear sightings for the week was three! It just doesn’t feel like a successful Smoky visit if you don’t see a bear. Once the bear finally decided to leave we finished packing up the SUV and homeward we went. I was so glad to be home and be back with Tyler. Having him home for the last 5 months have spoiled both of us. We have gotten used to each other always being there. I’m not sure what I am going to do if he ever gets the chance to go back on the road touring.

What’s next?

We don’t have any adventures planned for August because this introvert told Tyler that I need to hermit for the month. I just want to go to work and then come home and only interact with people I have to. Knowing him though, I won’t be able to get away with that. So stay tuned for more adventures! Together or apart!

xoxo

-Pretty Lady

Grant

Concert Together

Hanging Pots?!

Kitties!

Pumpkin!

Ducking

More to come soon, hopefully

Apple Works

Play time

New Game

Wednesday

Thursday and Friday

Saturday

Time to Journey Home

What’s next?

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