A New Year, New Beginnings...sort of...

Suffering from bipolar disorder...I catch myself having ups and downs and it is a roller coaster of a ride.  I lived in Los Angeles for 2 years and realized it did not help with my mental health.

The yak is so sweet, and decided it was time to leave and pursue new adventures and be closer to family.  Moving back to Northern California in Amador County.  What an amazing place.  Why did we not do this sooner.  YEARS, agooooooo!  I absolutely love living out here.  Yes, my drive commute can be horrendous.  I admit it is worth sitting in traffic for.  It is quiet and people are friendly.  I also got myself a new buddy.  My little girl, Lucy.  She is a god send.

Everyday I wake up, and I see her face.  She reminds me that she needs me to open that front door so she could go out for her walks.  She reminds me, that I need to go outside for some fresh air and enjoy the beauty that is outside my very front door!

Because, I am going outside, I now do NOT have time to sew.  I do have passion for sewing still.  But, I would much rather be outside spending every moment I have with this little girl that needs me to be there for her.  She has become my little child.  Working on teaching her obedience or words so she could understand what exactly I am looking for.  I know, you ask...what about the cats?  I absolutely loooove and adore the kitties but they are so much more independent.  They do not need me, as much Lucy does.  I do try to spend time with the kitties.  Currently working on Miu and her weight loss.  She needs to lose some.  She became a little heavy living in LA.

She seems to enjoy it a lot out here.  Better for the mind and soul.  Plus she gets to spend some time outdoors for some supervised lounging.  The square footage in our new home is a lot bigger and she gets to be alone when she pleases.  She no longer screams at Chuck.

Chuck.  Oh dear Chuck.  She on the other hand changed a bit.  She has become more of a cat.  She spends most of her time upstairs basking in the sun in the hall window.  She will come downstairs during the evening for her dinner and cuddle time with me on the couch.

She is slowly exploring what the outdoors has in store for her.  Slowly coming out of her shell.

I am blessed for the yak, my new family, my kitties and my little Lucy.

L.A.

Thinking that I would be driving in a reverse commute I set out to do a few errands. *DOH* I need to drive back home. Normally my route would take about 12 minutes without traffic. It took me an hour and 25 minutes! Surprisingly I did not want to shoot myself. The weather was beautiful. A nice 66°. Perfect temperature in my taste. Slight overcast and a hint of rain in the air....PERFECT.
I guess I can not win all the battles I have with Los Angeles.
Thanksgiving is coming up and I am working for about 9 days straight. I want to put up a coupon code in my etsy shop. But I won't be able to ship things out until a week later....what to dooooooo.....
Well, I will offer it here. If you are willing to wait for your parcel to ship out on December 5th and want to have huge savings. Use coupon code PRETHANKS (expires thanksgiving day). This will be the best deal, I ever offer...40%!!!!! Enjoy!
manikgrl.etsy.com

instagram and twitter announcements

From time to time, I post exclusive coupons to instagram and/or twitter....so please make sure you check in, or even better follow me to get the coupon codes!
i n s t a g r a m
t w i t t e r

the world is spinning and not in a good way...

anxiety...
How in the world can I have social anxiety you may ask. I enjoy being with my friends and traveling. How can I possibly be stricken with social anxiety. I am and always will be awkward. I hide it rather well, if people are convinced I am an extrovert. I am completely, the opposite. I would rather stay at home. I could actually stay indoors on a daily basis without leaving. With amazon or google express I have the convenience of not leaving my home and have things delivered. People say that it is not healthy. But who is to dictate what is good and bad for me. Wouldn't you say that is better for me, when I do step outside of my home, I wonder the worst case scenarios? Will I get hit by a car/bus. What kind of people will cross my path today? Will I see a bad accident along my route? I then start to have a panic attack. The world starts to shrink around me. The air feels thin and I start to see spots before my eyes. But, if I do not leave my apartment, I will not get the benefits of the sun, vitamin d. Or the daily walks, to kick in endorphins as I take each step. There will always be an argument on any side of the matter. Instead I choose to have a little of both. I take daily walks in my neighborhood just to get outside. To take each "battle" of being outside my bubble. "Just one more time around the block", I say to myself. Then I hurry back to the safety of my home. I hope to overcome this battle of anxiety, one day at a time...

Eric

I have a fabulous friend who is fighting the battle on addiction and getting clean and sober. He is riding for AIDS Lifecycle and I can not be any more proud for what he has accomplished and the many more he will overcome. Come help me donate funds to his ride...

You can click on his photo above and it will link you to his bio...OR if you would like to buy a pouch from my etsy shop, I will be donating $2 from every pouch sold.

manikgrl.etsy.com
In addition to the donations...follow me on twitter for coupon codes. For a twitter follow there is always the coupon code TWEET for 10% off your purchase!

Social Media

Social Media It is everywhere you go. I go into a store and they say "Follow Us! Great deals and exclusive sales for our FaceBook followers" What about us?! The very handful that is not active on FaceBook. I do have an account, only because I love the social ride share program LYFT. I use them frequently in California.
But do I care for FaceBook? Not much. I once did. It was a place where I can catch up with old friends or see pictures of their expanding family! It was great. Until the drama started to unfold. I see bitter break ups, divorce or just plain old catty fights.
I also used FaceBook as an extension to view topics placed by my union. Yes, I am part of an union. I get a lot of useful information there until, the merger of two companies. Tearing the work groups apart. It became nasty. Yes on a page meant for friendly conversation and news. I keep my account "live" but rarely participate.
However, I am an addict on Instagram. I frequently post pics. I actually have THREE accounts. One personal. Second is my "promotional" account. Last is for my kitty. Yep, an addict. I seem to have found less drama there. I guess you are pretty limited to airing out dirty laundry, since you have to post pics.
erisa415 - personal
manikgrl - shop
kissamiumiueasterbunny - my kitty
Twitter was, my OF (original favorite). Tweeting nonsense was a novel idea to me. Then I read back my tweets and think to myself..."what the???"
manikgrl tweets
Last and final...my FaceBook "fan" page...only because I seem to be active on that site more than my regular account...
manikgrl facebook page

The Paths You Take...

Life is strange... The different paths you choose, may lead you anywhere! The good, the bad, some you just think to yourself, "what the fuck?". But every life path I choose, I am in for an adventure. That is how I see it. I never thought of choosing this path...but I chose to have a life partner. I was in a very long term relationship. After that relationship, I knew...I WANTED a life partner that wanted to be with me as much I wanted to be with them. I found that person...

Once we took this road...our lives changed, dramatically. We moved. I never thought I would leave the bay area. The bay area has changed so much. Admittedly, I did not like the changes. My neighborhood changed so much. Who would have thought, the richmond district would be affected. It did. We paid $1600 for our little one bedroom. I inquired what the rent price will change to, (I knew a few people moving to SF) $2400, at LEAST! WTF?!?! Seriously? It does not come with parking, nor laundry. You need to walk a few blocks to get your clothes washed.
The last time I will look out these windows...

All packed and ready to go...

Umm Charles, seems to have hidden all her "toys" under the stove

My final goodbye with my remaining posessions.

SoCal is where I now call home. I used to "hate" L.A. Everything about it. But you know what? People change. Places change. I am enjoying my new adventure here. Though it is warm, I do miss the fog. It is a-ok. People are so much nicer here. Chivalry is still alive in this town. I say "thank you" more than I ever did living in San Francisco. One other perk of living in Southern California?!

Miu seems to enjoy her new life here? "wassup!"