So, a week ago I posted that I'd just returned from some time away with my family, that it was late, and that I was tired. I also said I'd be right back. Well, I woke up the next morning really sick. I spent all of last week recuperating. It wasn't until Saturday that I felt remotely like myself. I've still got a lot of congestion, but I am able to do a normal workload again. Fortunately my daughters pitched in with the cooking all last week. And more fortunately, I was the only one who got really sick.
Sunday after church I made it to the grocery store. We were out of so much! When you're out of milk, peanut butter, cheese, and fresh fruits and vegetables, you know you need to get yourself to a store soon. Since I didn't want to tire myself so soon after being sick, I just did a small shopping at Walmart. I'll do a big WinCo stock-up in a few days.
Last Monday, we got home a few hours later than we'd originally planned, and perhaps that contributed to the degree of illness I experienced. Our flight was delayed due to a mechanical issue. I don't know if you know this, but if a flight is delayed 3 hours or more (not related to weather, however), most airlines will issue meal vouchers to passengers. Our airline issued these through the email used for making the reservations. I was checking my phone for emails, and there were the vouchers. Alaska's vouchers were for $12 per person. Unfortunately, airport food is expensive. For something non-junky, $12 doesn't go far. We found sandwich-chips-fruit meal bundles for $14 and entree salads also for $14. This meant we had to spend $2 per person to buy meals in the airport, which isn't too bad. Even though we would have made dinner at home if the flight had been on time, the food we would have cooked with would have cost something too, maybe not $8, but it would have cost something. I'm glad to say that it all worked out.
I don't know if you feel this way too, but when I return from a trip away I don't feel the blues or down that the trip is over. I feel grateful for the experience and energized to tackle daily life once more. Yesterday I was making plans for spring and summer in our yard. I'm excited to have home-picnic lunches on the lawn, enjoy quiet moments in the garden, and host fun cook-outs around the fire ring. I guess I truly feel there's no place like home -- my own bed, my own cooking, our good PNW water, the comfort of my own routines.
I'm glad to be back, glad to be feeling better, and glad to be back to connecting again with you. Tomorrow, I really will be back to regular posts! Have a great rest of your evening/day.
I guess maybe the good news is that you didn't get sick on your trip? I'm glad you are feeling better. We're always looking for interesting places to visit. Do you recommend where you went?
ReplyDeleteThat is the good news, Live and Learn.
DeleteWe just went to Southern California, where I grew up. There's a lot of interesting places to visit there, like the mission San Juan Capistrano (free to visit), the Getty Villa Museum in Pacific Palisades (free but needs a reservation time), The Huntington in San Marino (pricey admission, but one day a month is their "free" day, tickets/reservations available a week prior online), several ghost towns within a reasonable drive, Yosemite Park, and many, many other places. But, our trip was not a sightseeing one. We were simply spending time together as a big family (all 6 of us).
Southern California is on our list of places to visit. I was there years ago, but haven't been back. We have friends we'd like to visit there as well as see some of the sights.
DeleteI'm sure your friends can point you in the direction of some interesting sights in their immediate area.
DeleteI'm glad you are feeling better. I was hoping everything was fine with you. Looking forward to hearing more from you in the days ahead.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kris. Getting sick blind-sided me. I'd been careful everyplace we went. But I was the one going to markets to buy food regularly, while others rested or swam. I had more contact with lots of people. And I didn't sleep well the entire time away. No sleep + contact with lots of germs + stressful trip home = getting sick.
DeleteI'm glad to be back and feeling better.
Were the tornadoes anywhere close to where you live?
The tornadoes were a couple of hours south of us. My niece and her family were driving to Indiana, and got to where the tornadoes had been about 15 minutes after it had happened. Very thankful that they weren't in the midst of it. The pictures of the devestation are awful. We had more storms last night, with flash flooding. The weather is up and down, which unfortunately makes for tornado potential.
DeleteI'm glad your niece and family were kept safe from harm. What a scary thing.
DeleteUgh! Being sick is just not fun. So grateful you are mostly mended and back to yourself. Yes, I agree when I return from a trip I am eager to be back to my happy normal routine. Looking forward to your posts to come. 🩷
ReplyDeleteHi Amanda,
DeleteThank you. As much as I enjoyed having so much time with my family when we were all away together, I'm also really enjoying getting back to normal routines. Routine is comforting.
I hope your week is going well, Amanda!