Last Day of Holiday/Vacation

I'm sitting here in the early morning dawn, coffee cup in hand, gazing over the greenery of the land that is my view from the window.

It's, sadly, the last day of my and Paul's time off. The first really LONG holiday we have had together since we went on our honeymoon eleven years ago.

This ten days has been just what the doctor ordered. This month of August has been an emotional one for several years now. And this year- it was over the top emotional. ten days before my son's Angelversary, my best friend of 45+ years who lives with her middle son, went to wake him and found he had passed away in his sleep. She called EMS- then me. There was nothing she could do- rigour had already set in. He was beyond help.
Our firstborns are a bit over a year apart in age...our middle children were 6 months apart in age...our babies are 6 weeks apart in age. When they were growing up we saw each other almost every day. We lived within a stones throw of each other.
It was devastating for me and my family- as well as for her. It made it worse that I couldn't work details out so I could go back to be by her side, so my sisters and daughter stood by her side in my stead. But rest assured, as she sat in that service and as she listened to the prayers and hymns...as her tears fell and her heart breaks , I am, in my heart and mind, by her side, my tears falling as surely as hers are. My children are her children, and her children are my children.
I love that sweet girl and am praying God gives her strength to get thru this, her darkest hour.

But back to my point.....August has been triply stressful this year and the situations(yes there was more involving my daughters family but we will save that story for another day.) just amplified and brought back the freshness of the pain of losing my son.

So this holiday was just what the doctor ordered. Paul and I didn't travel anywhere. It was a stay at home or local, quiet time to rejuvenate kind of holiday. We haven't stuck as strictly to our diets as we have been(we didn't go crazy either, however).he refuses to weigh this week, but I still managed to lose a half pound on holiday which I am THRILLED about! We slept in every single day. We stayed up as late as we wanted- or we went to bed as early as we wanted. We cooked if we wanted, or we ordered delivery. We did go out to the pub Friday night for one of hubby's co-workers leaving do. But even then, we went early, we left early, we didn't over-do it- and we got lots of exercise in walking most of the way back home from the pub. My back started seizing up and we ended up having to call a cab the last quarter half mile. I know- I should have been able to make it- but it's a three mile walk and I walked until I was literally crying before I gave in to a taxi.

I kept the dishes done.....and I hoovered once. but that was the extent of housework done. Hubby took the bin bags out to the dumpsters  and cleaned the g-piggie cage for his part in housework. It was holiday- neither of us wanted to make housework a priority, so we didn't.

We went out shopping twice, and out to eat lunch both times. We managed to get a refund on an electronic we had bought less than three months ago that had  failed, so we took the money from that and went to the sports shop and  bought me anew set of walking/jogging/running pants & shirt, and Paul a pair of running pants and a new pair of trainers(running shoes). Then when we went to his parents, his dad gave him another practically brand new pair he had and hadn't worn but a couple of times in the couple of years he had them. Dad Glenn spends his free time golfing or fishing, or going on holiday with Mama Joan.

We watched movies, we played our games. I worked on my memoirs and got quite a bit done. I got two books read. CELL by Stephen King, and Did You Miss Me by Karen Rose. Meh on both. Since his accident years ago- Stephen King seems to have lost his special brand of sparkle in his writing style. His storys have become a bit ho-hum. Bless his heart. Lord knows I have a whole shelf of his pre-accident books to fall back on and reread. And bad mojo to the driver that hit him.

I listened to my classical music. I got a bit more into the yoga I have started doing.
Sadly, I didn't get a Photo walk in as the weather hasn't really permitted. Sad, but Autumn is coming and I plan on going out or carrying my gear with me everywhere I go to be able to capture the beautiful colors.

So- today I am doing a couple of loads of laundry and cleaning the kitchen floor and that's about it. I think I'll order Pizza tonight for supper and then tomorrow morning- it's back to the rat race until Thanksgiving.

It's been just the break I've needed with my husband by my side.