What A Difference a Week Makes

 Life can be one heck of a roller coaster ride.  So many ups and downs.  Sometimes they come way too fast and you just want to throw up.  Other times it is exciting, thrilling, and full of fun.  This past week has brought me both.

Last Saturday morning I woke up to this beautiful view:  

This morning I woke up to this view:  

Last Saturday I had a delicious breakfast served to me:

Since it's not overly obvious, this is an apple cider mimosa rimmed with cinnamon sugar.  (I know what the ingredients are...now I have to figure out how to make it!  I've found recipes on line, but they don't use all the ingredients that were in this one and I need to know the ratio of alcohol to juice.  And where can I find cinnamon sticks?)

I have yet to get myself breakfast, but here's my morning caffeine:  

(It's not just a coffee from Wawa; although there's nothing wrong with that.  It's a handcrafted Pumpkin Spice Maple Harvest [I hope I got that right] latte WITH whipped cream.  Decided that I deserved a little special something extra this Saturday morning.  I do love the Wawa which is less than a mile away from my parents' house [and is NOT in Lavallette, no matter what the store locator says]. The staff is incredibly friendly and the store is well run.  My only complaint is the new manager has decided to remove Fred [I believe that's what his nametag said] the inflatable turkey that sat on top of the donut/baked goods display and who's "attire" changed seasonally.  It always brought a smile to my face to see what Fred was up to/wearing when I went into the store.  Fred was missing when I went in earlier this fall and I really think he needs to come back.  Are you listening to me Wawa.  You need to tell your new store manager to put Fred back on his perch where he can oversee the store.)

Last Friday I spent 4+ hours hiking with my son in the beautiful mountain at Skytop

We walked approximately 9 miles and I still have the remnants of a blister on my left little toe.  It was exhilarating and exhausting.

 Yesterday, I walked 2 miles to get my Wawa coffee and to see the sunrise over the ocean.  In the afternoon I walked maybe .25 miles to see the sun start to set over the bay.  

Yesterday was exhausting too, but not in a physical way (like it was when I was hiking).  Work has been very busy (always is in the 4th quarter of the year) and yesterday was no exception with requests coming in at 7:30 AM and not ending until 12 hours later.  (Of course the question should be, why was I logging in so early and staying on so late?)  I took a two hour break mid-day to take my father (my mother came along too) to the spine doctor.  It took 20+ minutes to get there and 20+ minutes to get back (and school was just getting out at that time so traffic was heavier) and the rest of the time was waiting, finally seeing the doctor (I'll admit I don't really like him, BUT I DO think he knows what he is talking about and he very clearly explained and showed the MRI results so that I could understand what the issue is and how it can be solved, or at least helped) and then scheduling a "procedure" (outpatient/in office surgery) that will should aleviate most of his pain and thus help him to walk better and be active.  Less pain and more mobility for Dad means less stress for Mom (and for me too).  So even though getting to and from the doctor's office was a bit of a struggle, I think we are moving in a positive direction.  (At least for my father; I will hopefully know more about my mother when I take her to her primary physician on Tuesday.)  Moving forward is always the right thing to do in my book.

Last Saturday might have been more restful for me; this Saturday might be more stressful.  That's okay.  I can appreciate the vacation time that I had and I can work through the daily stress by finding moments of calm.  I'm planning on heading up to the beach and going for a walk, which will definitely bring down my stress level.  A gentle hike in the mountains can soothe my soul and so can the waves of the surf.  

Find solace where and when you can.  You never know what the week might bring.