Tommy has been off work all week. He works today, and then he’ll be off again tomorrow. We’ve managed to get quite a bit done around the house over the past week.

One of our biggest projects was trying to fix the washer ourselves. Unfortunately, that didn’t work, so we had the appliance repair company come out today to take a look at it. We have really hard water out here, and it turns out the cold-water valves have become calcified over time. The technician diagnosed the problem today, and they’ll be back on Tuesday to replace the parts and get everything working again.

Tommy also cleaned the grill and the Blackstone. Then spent some time working at my desk. It’s coming along really well, and I’m excited to see how it turns out once it’s finished.

Tomorrow, the plumber is coming to fix the sink in the kids’ bathroom. They need to replace a section of pipe, but unfortunately, the only way to reach it is by cutting through the wall in the office. We’ll have to move Kel’s desk out of the way so they can access the pipe. Kel cleaned up most of her desk yesterday, and today Karissa cleaned under the desk and behind the office door, so at least everything will be easier to move when the plumber gets here.

My left ear has been hurting today, but it’s strange because it’s only the outside of my ear, not the inside. It’s also funny because my left ear almost never gives me any trouble. Usually, if one of my ears decides to act up, it’s the right one.

Everest has been such a good puppy today. She’s been outside most of the day, staying in the yard without trying to escape, which is a huge improvement. It’s been nice not having to constantly check on her. Although I still get nervous and thus, constantly check on her.

I’ve been spending the day reading my cybersecurity book and trying to stay focused on studying. It’s been harder than I expected because I feel so restless. I keep finding excuses to get up and wander around the house. At one point, I even started cleaning the kitchen before I caught myself, stopped, and made myself come back into the office to study.

Tomorrow is my birthday. I wonder if I can get my free Starbucks drink.