Bumming Around

Last week was a weird week, for sure. I mean, it wasn't all that different from a normal week, but just felt weird. Does that even make any sense?

For one thing, there was a lot of togetherness with my friends. While fun, these outings completely threw me off my game--emotionally, financially and foodily. (Yes. I just made that up.) Trips to Starbucks a couple times, two lunch outings, a work related shopping trip and that's not even counting our usual break time chats. And while I do love my friends, overload can be dangerous to my psyche.

Being friends with E is easy. I've known her forever (we both started as student assistants) and she's just so stinkin' easy going. A, on the other hand, is very high strung and competitive. She and E have a lot in common--husbands and kids, mostly--and I think A is a little jealous whenever E spends more time with me than her. She got very snippy with me several times last week to the point where by Friday I was pretty much done with her. I'm over it now, thankfully, just more cautious with how I interact with her from now on.

I can't really pinpoint whatever else threw me for a loop last week but I just felt weird and oddly strange in my skin.

So Saturday instead of a quick trip to the small town nearest my home, I went to the "big" town where I work. I had an itch to get away from my usual routine and visit some grown up stores instead of the little stinky toddler stores in my small hometown. And really, when I say "big" it's just relative to the smallness of my hometown.

I started with a leisurely breakfast at MickyD's (chicken biscuit, hashbrown and large caramel mocha) before heading across the highway to Lowe's. I spent probably a good hour and a half just browsing around at all the stuff I wish I could afford to have for my home. Things like new vanities in the bathroom. New counter tops in the kitchen. New faucets, rugs and French door refrigerators. A set of whirlpool duets and pretty new pantry cabinets for the laundry/mudroom. You know, just dreaming.

All I ended up buying was four six packs of begonias for $1.98/six pack, a roll of weed guarding fabric and two bags of drainage/decorative rocks. More on all that tomorrow when I have my camera. ;-)

Then I made my way on down the highway to the BIG (again, relative) Wal-Mart where I spent an hour or so wandering around admiring all the stuff they have that my "toddler" Wal-Mart doesn't. I dug out my birthday money and bought some frames to finish out the TV wall and a new lampshade for the floor lamp so that it matches the other lamps. Also picked up a couple bags of potting soil for the begonias. I love birthday money. :)

I wish I'd had more on my grocery list to purchase because the selections there are so much more than the other Wmart, but alas, I still had a nice cache of groceries at home and only had to pick up a few things. Most of my grocery budget went to purchasing stuff for our student assistant appreciation lunch this week. I totally wimped out and bought a tub of cookie dough instead of doing homemade. It was cheaper and way easier. Plus, I doubt they'd know the difference between the tub stuff and the homemade anyway. Also, instead of cooking something, I picked up a few packages of cocktail smokies to swim in bbq sauce. Those are always a winner and, well, it doesn't get much easier then emptying some packages into a slow cooker and letting the appliance do the work for you!

By the time I finished up in there, the hordes of college students and families were descending and I was starting to get claustrophobic. Besides, I was ready for home and my favorite snugglepup anyway. On my way out of town, I stopped at Sonic (bad Jana!) and got a small order of popcorn chicken and a Java chiller. It was snack time...that magic number of hours in between breakfast and lunch when I need a snack. Because, oh yeah. Did I mention my breakfast at MickyD's was a 6am?? :-D

I waited until I got home to eat the chicken so that I could share with Libs. I always feel guilty eating stuff I know she likes when I can't share. Weird, I know. But that's how I roll.

Normally on a Saturday morning (It was 10:30ish when I got home.) I'm all fired up to do laundry and clean the kitchen. Sweep, maybe vacuum. Pick up and put away stuff. Get in a walk. Not so, this Saturday. I did pop a load of laundry in the washer but then I sat with Libs for a while and we snuggled as we watched whoever was on Food Network.  Then we mosied outside and played gardener for a little while. (Again, more on that tomorrow when I have my camera.) Talked to Sis2 on the phone. Sat on the front porch and soaked up the gorgeous weather because it really was amazing outside Saturday. And you know it had to have been fairly awesome for me to have been outside in it. I'm not an outdoorsy person, if you recall.

I never did finish the laundry. Never got around to cleaning up the kitchen. Instead I heated leftovers in the micro and ate lunch around 1pm and then the DP and I snuggled in on the couch and watched a handful of television shows I'd previously recorded. (Two episodes of Awake and The Killing.) Watched Gilmore Girls on Soapnet. Started a new book.

Oh! The book! Let me tell you about it. It's actually the second of a trilogy I started reading last summer. Amanda Stevens' Graveyard Queen series. The Restorer came out last June (I think) and The Kingdom (The one I read this weekend) came out this month. Was supposed to be out in November but it got pushed back. The Prophet, the last of the trilogy, comes out next month.  ANYWAY, it's an awesome trilogy, so far, about a woman named Amelia who can see ghosts. What really makes it fun is that she's a grave yard/cemetery restorer. (Trix, you'd so love this series! hehe) I started The Kingdom Saturday night and finished it last night. Would have finished it earlier but I had to, you know, sleep. And go to church. And visit the folks. Important stuff. But I highly recommend the series and can't wait for the next one in May!

But back to my Saturday, I read, watched the season finale of the BBC version of Being Human and went to bed. Total bum. Yesterday was pretty much the same. Read, went to church, napped at visited the folks'. Read. Watched The Killing and went to bed. We didn't have evening services last night so I wasn't even skipping that. But yeah. Total bum.

The thing is, I feel really great and well rested for the first time in a long while. I think I needed that non-whirlwind weekend to recharge. I still need to finish the laundry and clean up the kitchen but maybe tonight I won't mind it so much.