VACATION

Not only did I take a vacation from blogging, I actually had a week off from work. A very relaxing week, though I did not actually leave town. I had a loaner car (my car is parked for at least another week) so at least I could leave the house and get some things accomplished.

Monday, the official start of my vacation, was very relaxing. Houston was on the tail end of a week of downpours, but the sky was dark and the rain kept falling all day. I went to the Galleria, a mall so spectacular, it is on the official list of things to see in Houston. The mall houses all types of stores, but in Galleria I, the second floor has many designer shops including Armani, Jimmy Choo (where a pair of sandals is a bargain price of $450), Versace and more. The rest of the mall is for regular folks like me. Ha ha.

I arrived at the mall an hour before the stores opened. I got a good parking space, which was great, because I was driving a loaner car (a 1990 blue Thunderbird) and I wanted to make sure I could find when I came back out.

First, I stopped at the post office on the food court level to get some stamps and ask about airmail. The lady was nice and very talkative, something I rarely find at the post office, unfortunately. We talked about her son, who is in high school. Apparently, he keeps turning down scholarships and educational opportunities because, “he might not want to be a doctor,” or he might not “go into science.” She is very frustrated with him, and I can understand that. He won’t even check out these opportunities. I’m not saying that this kid has to know what he wants to be right this very second, but how will he know if he doesn’t want to go into science if he doesn’t try it out first? I’m afraid this is a boy who will wake up in a few years and kick himself for not taking these opportunities.

Since it was still early, I went to the ice rink to watch some skaters practice. In one end of the ice rink is a three story Christmas tree that the skaters must maneuver around. There were four young girls there that early, and I suppose since they were of school age, for the holiday, they got a “late” practice (most schools close the entire week of Thanksgiving here in Houston).

One girl in particular was working on her arm movements as she did her jumps. In her hip pocket was a pad of sorts, to cushion her as she fell, and she fell many times. She looked to be 12-13 years old, and had great enthusiasm during the entire practice. She had a very patient and fun loving coach, and as a result, she was having a great time and by the end of practice nearly had the arm movements down.

Another girl, a bit younger, maybe 10 or 11 years old, had a very grouchy, stern coach. I could tell this was a girl who really enjoyed what she was doing, she bounced right back up when she fell, and she smiled when she made mistakes. The coach, however, was not so nice. She scolded the girl for laughing and she rarely praised her when she did get soemthing right. I felt sorry for the little girl. Unless she gets some encouragement, this coach will kill her joy and after the joy is gone, she’ll most likely quit.

I think you’ll have a better chance of seeing girl #1 in competition someday because her coach keeps it fun, yet disciplined.

As I waited the last fifteen minutes before the stores opened, I saw some power walkers who should have said no to the spandex they were wearing, Then practice was over and I started to peruse the shops.

Later that day, I got my hair cut, went grocery shopping and bought my first turkey, and it stopped raining. A very good day.

Tuesday, I went to lunch with a friend of mine who was visiting from Missouri. I didn’t get to talk to her as much as I liked, but it was good Chinese food and we laughed and had a good time. Then I took my friend C (whom you can read about our great emergency room adventure here: Adventures in Emergency Room ) to the new IKEA which just so happens to be next door to the Chinese restaurant. We spent over 2 1/2 hours exploring almost every chair and gadget in the store. It was fun, and we escaped the torrential rains by staying indoors.

Jene’ and I watched Harry Potter and the Prizoner of Azkaban. All in all, a good second day of vacation.

Wednesday, Jene’ and I went to Target to pick up U2’s How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, which was on sale for $9.99. They were out, so I got a raincheck for the price and we continued to shop. We went to Ross, and then went home…watched Prisoner of Azkaban again.

Thursday, had great Thanksgiving feast for two. Watched the Indianapolis Colts pummel the Detroit Lions while chopping potatoes. Managed not to cut off any of my fingers while chopping. Watched tv and went to bed full and happy…until the indigestion hit.

You see, I’ve lost 17 pounds since August. I eat small meals about 3 or 4 times a day. I don’t know why I lost my mind and ate so much (and in hindsight, it wasn’t THAT much but compared to what I have been eating). About two o’clock in the morning, my stomach was churning. After a few TUMS, I felt a little better, but I so paid for overeating, and I was so happy about it. Happy because the changes I’ve been making the past few months really have worked and now the old way of eating makes me sick. WOO HOO!

Friday, had no desire to fight traffic or the bargain-hunting hordes. Stayed home. Did Christmas cards, wrote letters, learned some Tai Chi and chilled out. Started to feel a bit bored, though. Vacations are good if you have something to do.

Saturday, I got up and went to Walgreens in my yoga pants, a t-shirt, no makeup and dirty hair. You don’t understand, I never do this. This time, I didn’t care. Major milestone for me. Besides I needed to buy hair color and more Tums, and to color your hair, it has to be dirty, so washing it before going out would have been pointless… but I digress. Found a 4-in-1 chess/checkers/backgammon/tic-tac-toe game for less than $10 and purchased it. Went back home, colored my hair, did laundry, read up on how to play chess (still working on that) and stayed busy all day.

Today, at some point, we’ll get out the Christmas tree and start decorating. I will go to church at 6 for my first official Advent Sunday and then to another Target to see if I can find the U2 CD and then gas up the loaner car before I have to return it tomorrow morning and go back to begging rides to work.

All in all, a good week. Next vacation, though, I hope to get out of town a bit and be a bit busier, while still taking my down time as needed. I feel refreshed and I haven’t felt that in a long time.

Now that you know way too much about what I’ve been up to, what have y’all been up to?