Bfth's "Vacation Day" (Or a "Working Mom's" Day off...)

 

Every year I end up with days that I need to take off or I lose them.  I get a decent amount of days off since I've been with the company (or at least the company that was bought by the company that is owned by the corporation) for nearly 10 years.  (How did that happen?)  I can carry over just a few days so I need to use them up.  But it just so happens that the end of the year is the craziest/busiest time of year, so while I'd love to take a bunch of days off for the holidays, it doesn't happen.  (And I usually end up losing a few hours of time every year.  Not a whole day, but...)

My son finished his exams, papers and presentations on the evening of the 10th.  He would be ready to come home on the 11th.  So despite that being the day of the departmental holiday lunch AND the company (corporate) after work holiday party, I took the day off.  (Part of me is sad that I missed it, and part of me is happy that I don't have to deal with it.)  So what did my "vacation" look like? (No parent is going to be surprised by what I am about to write.)

I slept in until 5:45 (yes that is sleeping in on a week day).  I think the sound of the heat clanging through the radiators woke me.  Which is why after I got up to do the laundry (because laundry), I also went to the thermostat (which is not smart, but IS programmable) and reset the timing.  Knowing that my son would be home for about a month, instead of having the house warm up by 6ish, I pushed it out to later in the morning and had it turn down later in the evening.

I lazed around doing the NY Times puzzles until 6:30 when I checked my office email.  (Again, I know I shouldn't but logging on Friday morning and finding over a hundred emails gives me a pain in the chest.)  I answered what had come in overnight. I got dressed and moved the wash to the dryer.  I watched some tv and answered some more emails and put away the clean laundry, before leaving the house around 9:15, texting my son that I was on my way and he should be ready for me in just under an hour.

Unlike my pre-Thanksgiving trek to NY, this one was much less painful traffic wise.  I did have to sit in the car and wait as my son had to make three treks from his room to the car.  The parking lot next to his dorm is always "locked" so I had to park on the road with my blinkers on.  While I was waiting, guess what I did?  If you guessed answered more office email/chats, you would be right!

When the car was finally loaded, we headed out.  I had intended on going straight to the grocery store before heading home so that my son would have food to eat, but the car was so packed and I had forgotten most of my grocery bags, so we headed home first.  We unloaded the car.  He unpacked a few things and I...if you said, answered emails/did some office work, you would be right!

Once I got to a place where I felt I could stop, we packed up some grocery bags and headed to the new ShopRite. (Funny, it takes longer to get from our house to this store than it does to get from our house in PA to the ShopRite we go to there, even though the distance in PA is longer.  I do love the "traffic" in my corner of the Poconos.)  I had a list, but...well you know how it goes.  We made our way through the aisles (and there were a lot of them) to pick up what he would need for the next week or so.  

We loaded up the car with groceries and headed home, stopping at our local bagel shop to pick up lunch.  (Actually my son did.  I tried to find a place to park in the small municipal lot.  Easier written than done.)  We unloaded groceries and had lunch. (It was technically breakfast for me since I hadn't eaten yet.  I didn't even have coffee!)

I did some more office work (do you sense a trend here) and my son made sure his car was working.  (Something I insisted on.  I wanted make sure that everything was in good working order before leaving for PA.)  Then the two of us went to the garden center to find a grave blanket.  (I always called it a grave cover, but now I'm learning the correct term is blanket.)  I bought a medium one.  The small was too small and the large was too costly.  It made me think that maybe I should have stuck with the tradition of just getting a wreath, but... (For reference:  https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2024/12/dear-dad-cemetery-wreath.html)

My son carried it to the car and then we headed to the cemetery.  It took a bit of time to figure out where to position it, but I think we nailed it.  (Or should that be staked it?)  I know it's not exactly what my dad would have wanted but...

Then it was back to the house where I once again...do I even have to say it?

I packed up the car, hugged my son and headed to the Poconos around 2:30.  Even at that hour traffic was heavy.  (Not awful, but more than I expected.)  It wasn't a bad drive, but about 5 miles from home the snow started to come down.  (My husband warned me.  It had snowed several inches the night before and thankfully our "plow man" had cleared us out somewhat.  Now another fresh coat was coming down.)  As a result I took a slightly longer (but safer) road to get home.

I pulled in the garage around 4:10 (give or take).  I unloaded the car. Unpacked what I had and then...

You know what I did right?

And then there was a glass (or two) of wine before finally calling it a day.  Technically a vacation day.  However, I am really tired and definitely not refreshed. (Isn't that what a vacation day is supposed to do?)

Oh well, the weekend is on the horizon (as is more snow).  Maybe Saturday and Sunday will be days of rest.  But I wouldn't count on it!