Ahhhh! Time Off

Last week was the much-anticipated week off of work that I have been needing for months, and boy was that just what the doctor ordered!  Actually, it is the first time ever that I have had time off and felt like it lasted longer than it did.  I feel like I have been gone a month!  Maybe that's because so much happened! 
I built my first ever DIY project from Pinterest


Wood Crate Bookshelf


I finally vamped up my boring patio
Before and after of my patio.  I am no Suzie Homemaker but I think its a big improvement
The kids and I spent a boatload of time at the pool and at a real beach:
Beach time with the ones I love
And this past weekend I went to visit my mom and we talked geneology, visited the churches and graves of my ancestors.
A fantastic old church in the country
My kids and I narrowly escaped one of the 11 tornadoes that hit our area on Wednesday (the nearest one was less than 20 miles from us and we got some wind damage to trees and rooftops but nothing serious).  We were in the pool when the tornado alarm went off right next to us.  I've never seen the wind like that and I hope I don't have to anymore.  My kids and I protected ourselves in the bathroom with our dog, and thankfully it passed without harm for my town. 
I also had to miss church last weekend because my car window, which I have been having problems with, decided to come out completely, so I spent a few hours doing that.  The kids and I started another new project that I didn't have the ambition to complete and I had a root canal (fantastic fun) at least my blood pressure was back down to normal this time. 
Despite all the things I got done on my vacation, I do actually feel rejuvenated from it all.  It was great to talk to my mom about some of the darker stuff that has been hanging over our family, abuse, criminals, drownings, afairs, orphans, etc.  My own mom was abused by her father and no one has ever talked to her about it, but I finally broke open conversation about it and she said she feels like she deserved everything she got because she was a rebel, and she loved her dad because he always played with them and taught them.  It's not the kind of reaction I would have expected, but it helped me to see things a little better from her perspective.  It was nice to visit and be able to ask what my great grandparents were like because I don't remember them that well.  My mom has a great collection of photos too!  We even got to eat lunch at the bar and grill that my dad's granfather owned sometime before the 1950's.  Of course, a lot has changed, but just being there was such a great feeling!
What I didn't do was worry about what I was eating.  I ate a lot of stuff that I normally wouldn't if I were just at work.  We ate at Taco Bell, had some pastries, even had McDonald's one day.  The crazy thing is, I had a lot less caffeine because the days were so busy and it was mostly hot and humid so I drank a lot of water and didn't really think about it that much.  I also walked the dog every morning, which adds about 2,500 extra steps on my pedometer.  The dog convinces me to do it even if I don't feel like it.  What a little stinker!
It was really hard for me to get back into "normal mode" this morning, getting ready, eating better, coming to work and having to be nice to people.  Haha.  I really wanted some chips with dip today, but I decided to stick with the cashews I brought.  I had my fun and I have to put things back into perspective if I am in the least bit concerned with my health.  I feel like I gained 40 pounds over last week, which makes me feel slow and sad.  And older.  And no woman ever wants to feel that way!
With cooler weather in store this week, coupled with cleaning/lightening up my diet a little, I think my brain will catch up with the rest of me and before I know it I won't be fighting things so much.  That's the plan/hope anyway!
Hope you all had a good week too.  It's good to be back!

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