Hi, my name is Carli Lyn! I’m 28 year old grandma. I love to sleep, drink tea, & watch the same shows over & over again. I have three dogs & a cat- the “twins” Graci & Carli, my service dog, Patience & my boy, Winston. I love my title as fur momma & I wear it proudly.
Patience is my service dog. She’s my best friend & partner in crime. She’s a 10 year old golden/lab cross. She is my second dog from Canine Companions for Independence. She’s sassy, loves ice cubes, & has the most expressive tail in the history of tails. I would absolutely be lost without her. You can follow along her journey on Facebook & Instagram.
The “twins” are Coton de Tutelars or something (we got them from a rescue). Graci is my little lap dog who thinks she’s queen of the world (who knows, she might be). Cali was inherited when my grandparents passed this year. They are 3 weeks apart, and 9 years old. Graci was a high school graduation present & a product of very sad tweets to convince my parents that I needed a little dog after I lost my first service dog, Ralph in 2014. Cali is the sweetest little girl. She has legs for days & doesn’t know what to do with them. They are both spoiled rotten, kinda like her momma.
Winston Archie Sullivan is our first little boy He’s our rescue kitty & first animal we adopted together as a couple. He’s just as official as his name sounds. He thinks he runs the house, loves all of my random medical equipment, his food bowl (but only dry food), his farts clear a room, & loves to kill insects (but not eat them).
I have the cutest little big toes you’ll ever see & a hobby of growing a second skeleton. No literally- I have Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva or FOP. It’s a rare gentic condition that effects roughly one in two million people. You can learn more about how FOP has impacted my life here: Living with a Rare Disease. But you’ll learn more about it through my blog!
Learn more about me with these 15 Random Facts:
1. I’m picky in every sense of the word- food, household items, my pillows, my blankets- you name it, I’m probably picky about it. My items have to be in a certain order, my blanket has to go a certain way, I’ll freak out when my water isn’t in the right place… It drives everyone around me nuts.
2. Flamingos are my spirit animal. Because of how my hip was previously locked, I used to stand like one, which is why I adopted them as my sprit animal- see Stand Tall, Stand Out, & Don’t Give A Flock I’ve also recently adopted the Sloth as a spirit animal- I move pretty slow, love to sleep, & pooping is also a task I’d rather not do.
3. I hate odd numbers. Everything has to be on an even number, like the volume on the TV or the font size on my blog. And yes, I consider 5 to be a semi-even number.
4. I am overly organized. I love planners and notebooks and pens. Sticky Notes are my love language. I am a firm believer in writing EVERYTHING down & odds are its written in multiple places. I love pens & color-coding & organizing information.
5. I love Target! I’s a major obsession and I’ll have an anxiety attack if I don’t get to go enough (I wish I was kidding).
6. I love social media- but instagram is my app of choice.
7. I am a die-hard Cardinals Baseball Fan. I watch [almost] every game and follow the team religiously. Opening Day is my favorite holiday & baseball is my favorite season!
8. I have an addiction to Unsweetened Ice Tea (Sweet Tea is the devil). I can’t function without at least one cup of [Bread Co/Panera] tea before I start my day.
9. I hate cooking. You won’t even find me walking in the kitchen. (You think I’m kidding, I’m not).
10. I am not a night person, nor am I a morning person. I love to sleep. I cannot function without it. I will make the Grinch look like the nicest person in town if I don’t get at least nine hours a night, don’t test me.
11. Family is everything. Friends are the family you chose. Family isn’t blood or DNA, family is who is there for you when you can’t be there for yourself & in your best moments, too.
12. If I like something I’ll buy it in bulk. It doesn’t matter if it’s clothing or snacks or pens or a phone case…. I have 8 of the same shirt and a stock pile of individually packaged snacks that I’ll never be able to eat all of.
13. The house is NEVER- and I mean never above 70… I prefer it at 68. I’ll put a sweatshirt, slippers, pants, & a blanket on before I even think about turning up the A/C.
14. I have an addiction to online shopping. I have at least one package delivered almost everyday. Sorry to my UPS/ USPS driver…
15. I thrive on routine. I eat a plain bagel & Fruit Loops with Marshmallows every morning. Every Friday night I eat the same thing from Cheeburger Cheeburger- chicken fingers, fries, onion rings, & a s’mores shake. Mondays are for washing hair. every Wednesday I eat with my dad, on Friday nights I do a face mask & on Saturday we go to Target.
Follow along for more about my journey!
Carli Lyn 