Bogged down...

The stress of work and family worries is catching up with me this week. I'm glad it's a short week. Our agency is closed on Friday for the holiday and that's a very good thing. I spent the better part of the day checking airline ticket prices and car rental prices in Sweden. We're going to have to get over there soon but everything is happening at once and we are just trying to breathe too.

My father in law seems to have had another relapse and they still don't know for sure what's causing these moments of confusion. It's scary being this far away and not really knowing. I know it's taxing Alex because he's been snipping at me all evening and that's not his usual way. We are both stressed and figuring it out as we go.

So, in trying to tread water as best we can, we're looking forward and planning and hoping to get there soon to see how he's doing and what's going on. We'll get there. We have to and I know we'll figure this out.

In the meantime, I have to try to not let this stress bog me down. I need these three days off that are coming my way. I need to get some things done at home and have time to just kick back and relax a bit. We both need that.

A good day to be alive...

Today was one of those days when nothing much happens but everything is right.
I did this:

Slept really late.
Ate some Chicken McBites at McDs.
Had some good hot chocolate.
Scanned old photos and had a good laugh at the memories.
Had some good egg nog.
Made a great dinner.
Soaked beans for ham and bean soup making tomorrow.


That's it. Nothing else. And it was great. Sometimes I need days like this. We all do,

Wanting to get away...

It's been a while since I had a real vacation. I think the last actual vacation trip I had was a couple of years ago when I went to Sweden. Since then, all of our time, money and effort has been in getting Alexander here so we could marry. We didn't even have time or money for a honeymoon. We're planning to go to Sweden early next year but that's a long way off and I'm feeling the need to get out of Dodge and have some pure relaxation time.

Used to be, my family would go up to Hayward, WI each year and stay at a place called Pat's Landing. But the kind folks who ran the place retired and we just stopped going. I've missed those long, lazy days sitting on the deck with a cold beverage watching the ducks and loons. I know it's far too late in the summer for us to get a place now. In Northern WI if you don't book a cabin at least a year in advance your pretty much out of luck.

OH, I know, I could just sit in my yard, a mere half block from Lake Michigan and enjoy a cold beverage. That's not the point. The point is the getting away part. It's the planning, the excitement, the packing, the re-packing, the driving, the arriving, the unpacking, and the collective sigh once you get there. It's the feeling of being far, far away from the usual daily grind. It's exploring a new place, seeing new things and just leaving it all behind. I really need that right now.

A week off!!

I have all next week off of work. I was trying to hold onto my paid time off because I wasn't sure when Alexander would be coming here but since it looks like it will closer to Sept/Oct when he gets here I decided I needed time off to think, to relax and just enjoy whatever's left of this summer.

I spent today at a festival called "Taste of Wisconsin". It was actually alot of fun. There was live music, beautiful weather and any manner of local foods you could think of! I ended up having a pulled pork sandwich, some homemade Parmesan potato chips and some fried cheese curds. Hey, it's Wisconsin...you gotta have the cheese curds. There was also some awesome local wine there but I didn't buy any...just tasted. I may have gotten a little bit more sun than I needed but it was a lovely day spent at the lake with good people. What's not to like about that?

I'm not going anywhere special this week but will probably take some day trips with my sister just to get out and about. It's just what the doc ordered!

Cheeseheads Unite!

Yesterday I had to go grocery shopping. A task I find particulary tedious. I think food should magical appear behind a stainless steel sliding door like it does on Star Trek. But it doesn't...so I went. My normal shopping journey generally starts badly and ends up with me having a cart full of crap that I can toss in a pan and cook up mindlessly. So, I end up with a lot of mac and cheese and Ramen noodles. This time was different. I don't know what came over me. Maybe it was spring wingding or something but I got totally caught up in the cheese aisle. I ended up getting some excellent Jarlsberg and garlic toasts. I then swung by the fish section and picked up some incredible smoke fish. I then passed through the produce section taking on some fresh pineapple, grapes, and strawberries. I got some of the usual crap too but tonight when I came home I had the fish, cheese and toasts for dinner, followed by a bowl of ice cold fresh berries and a lovely Bloody Mary with garlic stuffed olives in it. I felt decadent.

I realize that I love cheese. Which shouldn't be too surprising since I do live in America's Dairy Land. But I also realized how nice it was to treat myself to something I'd probably only ever eat when out in a restaurant. I think I'm worth it.

If I can get stuff like this maybe grocery shopping isn't that bad after all!

Oh, I HIGHLY recommend those garlic stuffed olives!

The glory that is Friday...

Without going into too much detail, suffice to say this past week hasn't been great. Too much work and too much emotional crap to wade through. Which is why Friday feels, to me, like a deep sigh of relief. I was supposed to go to my sister's house for dinner but seriously I just wanted to come home. I stopped off and got a lovely bottle of wine, came home, got in my jammies, had a glass and watched old movies and bad TV. And you know what? That was exactly what I needed.

Sometimes being solitary and quiet is what I need. Not that I like being alone. No, I hate that. There's a difference between that and being solitary. Solitary to me means to have time to breathe, look inward, regroup and relax. It's healing. And I highly recommend it...with a good glass of Chardonnay.

Ahhhh, Friday....

There's nothing that having a fresh salmon dinner with my family followed by copious amounts of good wine and glogg can't fix.

TGIF

'nuff said....