There and Back Again

My husband and I recently drove to Arizona to visit my dad, stepmom, half-brother, and half-sister.

Yes, we DROVE.

A road trip across the country with my husband of 17-1/2 years…nothing to it, right? RIGHT! We had a great road trip. Ok, he did nag a bit while I was driving (I’m an excellent driver, I swear), but other than that, it was a fun adventure.

We got to my dad’s house, and a whisky drink was waiting for Joe, and a daiquiri was waiting for me. We sat outside (in FEBRUARY) in the SUN (New York State has very little sun in the winter) and visited before we met my half-sister for dinner at a cool Mexican restaurant (where I had two margaritas).

The next few days were relaxing, walking in the warm sunshine, visiting old Scottsdale, going to an AMAZING Goodwill (I bought a legit Michael Kors purse for 29.99, thank-you-very-much), and having margaritas on the back porch of my dad’s house.

Wednesday was my birthday (45!!), and we went to a very posh restaurant for dinner. Turtle cake and wine later for dessert!

On Thursday, we drove up to Las Vegas. Dad and my stepmom followed, and we got rooms at Caesar’s Palace. When the woman at check-in noticed the birth date on my license, she told me HAPPY BIRTHDAY and said they’ll send something to my room. What did they send? A bottle of champagne and a birthday card. I felt like a princess!!

Vegas was FUN. I played slots once ($20.00 only) and won $73.00. I cashed in right away, so I didn’t push my luck. So technically, I walked away with $53.00 after getting my twenty back.

My husband bought me a Michael Kors purse from a Michael Kors shop in Caesar’s Palace for my birthday. Best birthday gift EVER.

Joe and I went to Red Rock on Friday to hike with my sister and her husband. Then we went to the Venetian and later met Dad and my stepmom back at Caesar’s palace. We had dinner there, then Joe and I went back to my sister’s to spend the night and drive home the next day.

The drive home was better than on the way because we only drove during the day, staying in Comfort Inn hotels along the way at night. We both love Texas (Amarillo) and Oklahoma.

Amazing trip. Amazing memories.

Would we do it again? YES. But we’d rent an SUV for more room and take more time off of work so we can stop at more places.

Have you driven across the country before? Tell me about your experience!

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What A Week!!

Thank goodness it’s Friday!! I tell you what, it’s been quite a week. Last week was catch-up week, as my husband and I returned from our 12-day vacation late Monday night. I thought for sure that this week would be better. You know, I’d be back in the groove, and things would run smoothly.

Nope.

Because it’s me.

On Monday, two of my three dogs went to the vet. One has asthma, so he’ll be on meds for the rest of his life. The other has a big tumor on the back of his neck that will be removed next week and will get biopsied. That was a rough day. On top of that, my foot had begun hurting over the weekend, and the pain progressed into Monday. Maybe it was certain shoes I had worn. Who knows? It was difficult to walk. It became worse as the week progressed.

Tuesday started great. Up early, did my morning routine then started work. Editing is my favorite, so I was well into that when I decided to take a break. After eating lunch, I had the “fun” idea to do a little cleaning. That resulted in me getting a shard of glass in my right eye. I had been cleaning the medicine cabinet. Don’t ask. Anyhoo, a $175.00 deductible payment later, the eye doctor—after squeezing me in for an “emergency visit,” bless his heart—said, “You dodged a bullet.” I wondered how. He told me that wearing my contacts pretty much saved my eye. The shard of glass landed on my contact, and when I took the contact out after feeling the immense pain, the glass went with it. After a thorough exam, he declared that there wasn’t even one scratch. Not on either eye! PHEW!! Thank you, Doctor!

The rest of the week wasn’t terrible, other than getting soap in my eye (GRRRRRRRRRRRRR), spilling wine (definitely cried about that one!!), and almost setting the toaster oven on fire. My foot still hurts, and I have no idea why, so I just limp around.

Needless to say, I am sooooooooooo thankful it’s the weekend. The way my mind works, the weekend is to rejuvenate, and Monday is the start of a new (and hopefully GOOD) week!!

How was your week?

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Irrational Fear...Or Is It?

We all have a fear of something. I have a few, but one of them, I would say, is quite irrational. Or so I thought until recently.

About two blocks from our house is a train track (on a small hill, not flat, so there’s a bridge you walk or drive under). Since we’ve lived here, I have feared that I’ll be in the shower and the train will derail (in the shower is my fear, nowhere else in the house), a round car will detach and roll through other houses and crash into mine, right into ME while taking a shower (our bathroom is on the end of the house where the backyard is and the train tracks two blocks beyond that).

Now, I am slightly claustrophobic, so while taking a shower freaks me out anyway, the thought of something crashing through and annihilating me causes extreme fear—one that I thought of as irrational, because what are the odds?

Recently, however, with the train derailments in Ohio and Nebraska, I think my fear isn’t so irrational after all. Seems awfully ironic that two derailments happened so close to each other (time-wise).

So…yeah. Now my fear is more heightened, and I’m thinking it's not so irrational after all.

 What are your fears?

 

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