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We just had a VERY busy weekend and I’m exhausted as I type this (Monday). It was one of those weekends where we could have really used just one more day to recover from all the fun and get our lives back together, but life doesn’t work that way, so here we are. ;o)
Let’s get to the recap!
Monday, September 21
Monday morning, school was moved to virtual learning because the power and internet was still out all over the school campus from the storms that blew through Saturday afternoon. We knew Sunday evening that school had been canceled, so we all slept in Monday morning. Brian worked from home, so even he was able to sleep later.
I woke up around 8:15 AM and lay in bed until about 8:30 AM, and then I got started on breakfast and unloading the dishwasher. The kids had assignments in their Google Classrooms, so they both spent the morning getting those done, and Belle stayed in the kitchen with them while they worked.
While they were all occupied, I headed to my office to work on my blog post for the next day, and then I made a meal plan and a grocery list since it was grocery shopping day. I usually do that on Sunday, but when I found out the kids were going to be out of school Monday, I decided to relax on Sunday and wait to do the list Monday.
After that was done, I played fetch with Belle for a bit so she could burn some energy, and the kids played video games.
I got showered and (somewhat) ready after that, and then after lunch, Jacob and Olivia went to Walmart and Publix with me. They both wanted to see if they could get some Pokemon character in a raid in their Pokemon Go game, but apparently there weren’t enough people in attendance at the raid… or something? Haha. I still don’t know exactly how all that works but I’m learning!
While we were at Walmart, I saw a guy I used to work with at my old corporate job. I didn’t even recognize him because he retired and decided to grow all his hair out on his head and his face. He looked completely different! And, of course, the one time I didn’t wear makeup while I was out, I saw somebody I haven’t seen in forever. Happens every time! Hahahaha.
I retreated to my office after that with a muffin from the Publix bakery + some hot tea, and I checked emails, checked in online for my appointment the next day, fixed some blog typos, and added a few dates to my planner. I gave Belle a bone in my office while I worked, and she behaved like a good girl since she had that to keep her occupied.
I let her out to potty after that and then I cleaned off my computer
desktop, did some blog housekeeping, and threw a load of towels in the wash
before taking Olivia to dance.
After dropping her, I spent some time with Belle and then I did two Bible studies and my devotional for the day, I put the rest of the groceries away, and I started making breakfast for dinner while Brian picked up Olivia from dance.
We ate dinner when he got home and then we cleaned the kitchen. I walked two miles after dinner, got showered, and then did an arms workout, and we watched two episodes of Friends. Belle was a total spaz the whole time we were trying to watch even though Brian had taken her outside numerous times to get her zoomies out. She ended up pooping on the floor which was so weird, since she had multiple chances to go outside. Other than that, she’s been doing well!
Tuesday, September 22
Tuesday morning, I was up at 6 AM, I dropped the kids off at school, and then I headed to my annual checkup at the dermatologist. This year, I had a couple of spots I wanted her to look at, but thankfully, neither of them are anything to worry about. She gave me a clean bill of health, and I was on my way!
I headed home after that, and Bellie and I played outside for a bit. I took her to my office to get some work done, and she ended up sleeping for a couple of hours, which was great! We’re at the point now where I just never know what we’re going to get with her. Some days she wants to chew everything. Some days she still has accidents. And some days she just wants to sleep the whole time. I was so grateful for a sleepy day because I had a lot of catching up to do!
At lunchtime, I ate and played fetch with Belle outside, and then I let her be on the loose upstairs with me while I got some house chores done. I folded and put away all the clean towels, I watered all the indoor plants, and I wiped down all the countertops and mirrors, and she was really well behaved the whole time other than running away with a couple of items from Olivia’s bedroom. She loves to chew on pencils and markers and anything that looks like a stick, so I did have to take a couple of those away from her. Haha.
I kept it simple with turkey and cheese on Hawaiian rolls brushed with a little bit of garlic butter, and then we all grabbed chips and fruit to have with them. It was quick and easy and yummy, and it got the job done.
Olivia showed off her latest creation with us, too... she crocheted shorts for herself and they actually fit! She can't wear them without shorts under them since they're a loose weave, but she just wanted to try her hand at something more challenging and she nailed it! This is before they were completely done.
We are so lucky to have The Peach State Tour visit our area every year, so we could attend one of their admissions information sessions, and we got to hear from a representative from University of Georgia (in Jacob’s top two), a representative from Georgia Tech (also in Jacob’s top two), a representative from Georgia State University, and a representative from August University. They gave us lots of information about each of the schools, they talked about what they expect from the college applicants, and they gave us a general idea of the application process.
Jacob is only in 10th grade this year, but by this time in two years, he’ll have to be done applying if he wants to submit his applications for the early deadline, so we thought we’d go ahead and get a jump start on the information process. We considered going last year, but we had to cancel because something popped up, but Jacob really wanted to attend this year, so we made it happen.
He was able to grab brochures from each of the schools, and we were also able to get a bunch of information on scholarships in the state of Georgia, so we’re slowly gearing up to send our baby away… assuming that’s what he decides to do in three years!
Jacob’s #1 choice has always been University of Georgia, which as most of your know, we are die-hard UGA fans. Brian and his sisters all graduated from there as well as my grandfather, my aunt, and two of my cousins, and one of my cousins is the assistant director of equipment for the football team, so our roots run deep there. Jacob has been visiting the campus since he was tiny and he’s been loads and loads of times, so I think he already feels comfortable there.
The kicker – UGA’s engineering department doesn’t offer aerospace engineering, and that’s what Jacob is currently leaning towards exploring. So now, he’s been looking at Georgia Tech (as they do offer aerospace engineering) because it’s in Atlanta which isn’t too far from where we live, and we also have several family members who have graduated from there as well. Both schools are hard to get into, so nothing is guaranteed, but those are the two on his radar for now!
I did a stair stepper workout when I went back inside, and we watched a few minutes of Dancing With the Stars. Just like every other millennial girl, I was THRILLED to see that Julia Stiles was going to be on it because she was in two of my favorite movies as a teenager – 10 Things I Hate About You and Save the Last Dance. Gah, those are just the best!
Wednesday, September 23
Wednesday morning, I was up at 6 AM, I got ready, and I took the kids to school. Belle and I played outside for a bit, and then I left her in the kitchen for a while because she hadn’t peed outside and I didn’t want her to have an accident in my office.
I have several gift cards for massages that I’ve been holding onto for years. Since I started seeing my upper cervical chiropractor, I haven’t wanted anyone else massaging my body for fear that my adjustments might not hold if someone who’s not familiar with my situation starts messing around with my neck.
After my last appointment with Dr. Brandon, I finally asked him if I could start seeing a massage therapist locally, and he told me it was no problem at all for me to do that. He told me to tell them to focus on my scalene muscles as well as my SCM muscles (sternocleidomastoid), and I did just that.
My massage therapist asked me what kind of pressure I wanted, and I told her hard, and boy oh boy was that a big YIKES. But in a good way?? I don’t think I’ve ever had a massage that was so painful, but so good all at once. I was literally grimacing most of the time and even though I knew I could tell her to lighten the pressure at any time, it felt so good that I didn’t want her to stop.
I actually had tears come out of my eyes a couple of times. She said my muscles were ridiculously tight, and she told me afterward that she can tell I clench my jaw at night based on the patterns of tight muscles I had in my neck and down the front of my clavicle. She told me if there is any way for me to relax enough at night to get out of that pattern of clenching, she thinks I would have a way easier time with my neck issues because all those muscles interconnect.
She also told me it would be extremely beneficial for me to start doing some jaw stretches as well as some other upper body stretches to keep the muscles from getting so tight again. And she told me she thinks I would benefit greatly from a monthly massage to keep everything loose. Too bad they are crazy expensive. Sigh.
And I legitimately think part of the reason my adjustments aren’t holding long is because my muscles are so tight that they’re pulling everything all out of whack. It’s time to focus on massage and then strength, I think!
When I got home, I felt like Jell-O and I could barely pick up Belle even though she only weighs seven pounds. Haha. I played fetch with her for a bit, though, I couldn’t throw the ball far, but she enjoyed it, nonetheless.
After that, I had lunch and then played fetch with her again. It was only 82 degrees, and it was partly cloudy with a breeze at that point, so it was actually bearable to be outside for once.
Once she had her fill of fetch, we went back inside. I got my planner caught up from the last few days, I tidied my office, and then I took her outside one last time before I had to leave to pick up the kids from school.
I finished my book in the car line, and I was SHOOK. Oh my word, I had no idea how dark that book was going to be, y’all. It was really good, but soooo cringe at the same time, and it was like a train wreck that I just couldn’t look away from… definitely worth the read!
When we got home, Olivia had to study and read for a bit, and Jacob did something for homework, and I grabbed a cup of tea and a snack and headed to my office to tackle a few more things. I corrected some typos on the blog that Brian had found, I started my blog posts for Monday and Tuesday, and I did two Bible studies + my devotional for the day.
By the time all that was done, it was time to head downstairs to start cooking dinner. On the menu Wednesday night was fettucine alfredo with chicken, steamed broccoli, and Cheesecake Factory brown bread. Wednesday nights are basically the only nights I can cook anything that takes longer than 30-45 minutes, so it was nice to have a good meal.
After dinner, we cleaned the kitchen, and then I got out for my evening walk. I took it easy Wednesday evening after my massage since my body was exhausted. While I was out, I finally got to see our neighbor, Joe. He’s almost always out in his yard in the evening when I walk, but I hadn’t seen him in weeks, and I was starting to worry about him. I stopped walking to chat with him for a bit, and he told me that he’d had a setback with his cancer, but that he’s good to go now, so I was happy to hear it! And relieved to see that he was okay.
After that, we watched three episodes of Friends and then Brian and I watched Outer Banks after the kids went to bed. Belle was being a menace all evening while we were trying to watch Friends, so we gave her one of her bones and she calmed down and focused on that so we had some peace. Haha.
Thursday, September 24
Thursday morning, I was up at 6 AM, I dropped the kids at school, and then I headed to Starbucks down the street to kill 20 minutes while the car line wrapped up for the morning. I had to return all the tablecloths from Grandparent’s Day, and rather than making several trips through the parking lot while dodging the car line, I thought it would be worth it to just wait until the car line was done so I could pull right up to the curb.
While I was there, I grabbed our resource officer a coffee, too, since he loves his caffeine. Aaaand it was also a bribe so he’d help me get all the tablecloths in because those things are freakishly heavy, and I knew I didn’t need to do it alone. Haha! He totally would have helped me no matter what, but I thought the coffee would be a nice way to say thank you.
After the tablecloths were stored away in the school office, I headed home. It was 67 degrees, cloudy, and breezy Thursday morning, so I had chill bumps the whole time Belle and I were outside, and it was just the best thing ever.
Anyhoo, as I was reading, I started making a spreadsheet of the blogs I read and then I took Belle back outside at 9:45 AM for another potty break.
When we got back to my office, she lay right down and went to sleep and I was able to get this post caught up to present, I checked in for an appointment this week, I went through some emails, I added some dates to my planner, I sent an email regarding our schoolwide tailgate and started to estimate how to allocate funds for the food, drinks, and décor, and by that time, it was lunchtime.
Bellie and I went downstairs for lunch after that, and it was so lovely outside that we stayed out there for nearly an hour. I ran around with her a lot and we played fetch for a while, and then I let her explore the yard while I sat on the porch. It was so refreshing to be COOL for the first time in a long time!
I went back upstairs after that and I caught up responding to blog comments, and then I went through all the photos from Jacob’s retreat that had been sent. Then, I priced a couple of things for the tailgate and went back and forth with the other middle school room moms to discuss next steps for our planning. I left Bellie downstairs because she was wanting to chew everything and she was getting on my nerves. Lol.
After school, the kids had music, and I sat with Olivia. She’s been learning Animal by Katseye, but the tempo is fast, so she worked on speeding it up.
When we got home, I made dinner for Olivia, I did my Bible study and devotional for the day, and then we Facetimed my mom for her birthday.
I dropped Olivia at dance after that and then I swung by the library to drop off and pick up a book. Then, when I got home, I made a simple dinner for the boys and me – burgers, tater tots, and fruit.
After dinner, I went for a walk, and it was soooo nice outside, y’all!! It was in the low 70s, it was cloudy, and it was breezy, so it felt amazing.
When Brian and Olivia got home, she had a snack and got showered, and then they went to bed. Brian and I watched the Falcons play for a bit, and then we went to bed, too.
Friday, September 25
Friday morning, I snoozed one extra time, and then I got ready and got the kids to school. After I dropped them, I swung by Walmart to pick up stuff for dinner on Monday since I’m making a meal for a friend who recently had surgery.
When I got home, I put away the groceries, I let Belle out, and then I grabbed a cup of coffee and a pumpkin streusel muffin that I’d gotten from the bakery. Gah, they’re so good! I just love all the pumpkin things!
After that, I left Belle in the kitchen, and then I headed to my office to cross things off my list for the day:
-
Download Taylor Swift’s new songs! (priorities)
-
Listen to Taylor Swift’s new songs on repeat (and
analyze all the lyrics)
-
Catch up on emails (again)
-
Work on this blog post
-
Tackle some more blog housekeeping
-
Update a few things in my planner
-
Make Belle’s first grooming appointment
-
Pay our car insurance (yuck)
-
Add Jacob to our car insurance (thank goodness the
price doesn’t skyrocket just yet… apparently that will happen when he actually
turns 16 and gets his full driver’s license!)
-
Look into driver’s ed for Jacob (GA law requires all
teens to take 30 hours of class training + 6 hours behind the wheel)
-
Looked at tickets for the pumpkins event we always
go to each year
-
Rearrange my content calendar because I hadn’t taken
the time to take photos for Monday’s post
-
Start my blog post for Monday
After all that was done, I had lunch with Brian and then I got right back
to tackling tasks on my list:
-
Wrap a gift for a birthday party
-
Call my Momma to make plans for Bellie Saturday
-
Call the eye doctor to order a different pair of
trial contacts since the new ones are giving me trouble
-
Order my brother’s birthday gift
-
Work on blog post for Monday some more
All the adults chatted during the party while the kids played, and Jacob and Mack and one of Mack’s friends went on a Pokémon walk through the park.
Once the kitchen was clean, the kids got showered and in their pjs and Brian and I tidied the whole house because it was a disasterrrrr. I also decorated the front porch for fall (finally!!) and then I got in my pjs once the kids were ready for bed because they were ready to watch some Friends!
We watched three episodes Friday night, and they were some of my favorites ever – The One After I Do (the second half of Monica and Chandler’s wedding) and The One With the Red Sweater (IYKYK!!!!). SO GOOD.
After the kids went to bed, Brian and I made toasted marshmallow old fashioneds (and I’m sure many of you already predicted this… ha!) and then we watched the newest episode of Ted Lasso.
We had to be up early Saturday morning, so we went to bed at 11:30 PM rather than staying up past midnight like we’ve been doing most weekends lately.
Saturday, September 26
Saturday morning, our alarms went off at 6:45 AM (BOOOO) but it was for a good reason… we were heading to Athens for the Georgia vs. Oklahoma football game!
We all got ready and flew out the door in a tizzy (because per usual we hadn’t quite given ourselves enough time to get out the door because we prioritized sleep instead – haha) and then we headed to my parents’ house to drop Belle. This was the first time we had to leave her with someone else, and I was nervous she was going to have a bunch of accidents, but y’all, she did SO well! She only had one accident because she got so excited when their next-door neighbors brought they puppy over, and she was great for the rest of the day! They sent us a few pictures throughout the day, too. :o)
We watched ESPN College GameDay all the way there and then we arrived around 11:15 AM. We unloaded our chairs and all the goodies we’d brought to my Aunt Joy and Uncle Greg’s tailgate, and they were already set up and rolling along!
We all immediately dug into the food – Chick-Fil-A nuggets, some delicious chicken, bacon, and ranch pinwheels that one of their friends had made, chicken salad, chips and various dips, and so many other things. Brian had made his grandmother’s chocolate chip cookies (best recipe ever!), Olivia had made the turtle brownies, and we’d also brought along some store-bought sugar cookies with frosting. One of my aunt and uncle’s friends also made some brookies that were to die for – part cookie, part brownie with a Reese’s cup baked right inside. Delicious.
We spent the next few hours watching football, eating, drinking, and talking… mostly about my cousin Shelby’s, upcoming wedding!! EEK!
We shut down the tailgate around 2:30 PM and walked to the stadium, said goodbye to my aunt, uncle, cousin, and her fiancé since they don’t sit with us, and then we made our way to our seats for our first game of the season! It’s always so good to be back after so many months without college football! And it’s always great to see our next-door seat neighbors who we’ve been sitting next to for years!
We dominated the game, and since we were up by so much in the fourth quarter, we left the game a few minutes early to get a jump start on traffic. It’s always so hard getting out of Athens on a game day, so we will sometimes leave a game early if the score is lopsided.
Our GPS ended up taking us a way that we’d never been before, and there was no traffic whatsoever, and we ended up making it back to my parents’ house by 9:45 PM which is so much earlier than we’d anticipated getting home. I think it was the fastest we’ve ever made it home on a game day.
We picked up Belle, headed home, everyone showered, the kids went to bed, and then Brian and I stayed up late watching more football.
Sunday, September 27
Sunday was busy. I slept in until 8:45 AM because I was exhausted from the busy day Saturday. Olivia had just gotten up right before I did, and she went downstairs with me to let Belle out so I could get started making waffles for breakfast.
After breakfast, we tidied the kitchen because it was a disaster again since we’d gotten home so late and dumped all our game day stuff on the countertops. Then the kids headed upstairs to do their laundry and get a few other things done before playing video games for a bit.
I went to my office to finish my blog post for the next day, get my planner ready for October and the week ahead, transfer photos from my phone to my computer, and start organizing the photos. I ran out of time to finish, though, because I had to start getting ready for the day.
We had lunch at my mother-in-law's and step-father-in-law's house, and after we all ate, Jacob and Olivia’s friend, Mack, walked over from his house since he lives close by. They spent the afternoon doing Pokémon Go things together while the adults hung out in the dining room.
I had to leave early because I had a funeral visitation to attend. The son of one of my supervisors from my old corporate job passed away last week, so I met all my old corporate friends at the funeral home so we could be there for him and his family.
I was there for about 45 minutes chatting with Greg, Donnie, Adrienne, Tammy, and Larry, and then Adrienne, Tammy, and I went in to see Tom and his family. We ended up talking to him for a while, and then our old boss, Yoji, joined us, too. It was so wonderful seeing everyone, but so sad seeing them under those circumstances.
We try to get together once a year or so for dinner, so we’re all hoping to do that sometime soon.
After the visitation, I headed home. Brian and the kids weren’t home from my MIL’s house yet, but they got back shortly after I did. At that point, it was already after 3 PM, and we were going to 5 PM Mass and picking Mama Cass up beforehand, so I only had about an hour to try to get as much stuff done as I could. I turned on You’ve Got Mail and spent my hour organizing the photos I’d transferred earlier in the day because I knew I’d need them for this post. Lately, my phone and computer have been getting along, but of course, the one day I needed them to cooperate, they didn’t, so it took foreverrrr since so many of the files were missing or broken.
At 4:15 PM, we all headed to pick up Mama Cass, and then we attended Mass with her. We drove home to pick up Bellie after that, and then we got to my parents’ house just in time to sit down and eat dinner with my family for my brother’s birthday. He’d requested a new recipe – French onion chicken – and it was delicious.
And that was our week!
And now for some current things…
Currently
Reading
In September, I read two books – Love You More by Emily Giffin and Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. Love You More was a solid read… I always love everything by Emily Giffin. This one wasn’t my favorite of her books, but it was still great, and I gave it four stars. Yesteryear was mind-blowing and it was way darker than I’d expected. I’m still thinking about the twist at the end, too. It wasn’t a five-star read for me, but it was compelling, so I gave it four stars.
I am still reading my new devotional for the year, too – Called by Name: 365 Daily Devotions for Catholic Women by Kelly M. Wahlquist along with my Bible and The Bible in a Year with Father Mike Schmitz.
Currently
Watching
With B: In September, Brian and I finished the newest season of Silo as well as season one of Scarpetta. Now we’re making our way through the newest season of Ted Lasso and the newest season of Outer Banks, and of course, we’re watching a ton of college football!
With the Kids: In September we watched a ton of Friends. We’re now on season eight! I’m going to be so sad when it’s over.
Alone: I’ve been watching You’ve Got Mail on repeat in my office on the weekends while I work. It’s my favorite fall movie!
Currently
Listening To
We’ve been listening to a lot of cocktail jazz in the evenings since it’s so cozy, and we recently turned on our Halloween play list for the first time this year because it’s tiiiime!!!! Olivia and I have been listening to Taylor Swift’s four new songs on repeat, and I’m still listening to the podcast The Swiftie and the Scholar as new episodes come out.
Happy Tuesday, y’all!
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