Post Vacation Realities


The oh so charming brownstones of Brooklyn
We got home from vacation on Saturday night.  As usual, the first thing we do is unpack.  In the house and up the stairs where we park our luggage in front of the laundry room and start unloading.  It's almost like a competition to see who can get done the fastest.  MJ usually wins but I wasn't far behind this time.  The second stop is the shower to wash away all the travel grime.  I feel so dirty after spending my day in subways, airports and planes.  The last stop is where we collapse somewhere and don't move for the rest of the night.  Him with his playstation and me usually right next to him on my i Pad because I'm too exhausted to do anything else.  Vacation is great but I need at least a day to recover.  I don't know how people rush back to work the day after they get home.  I actually used to be one of those people but I don't know how.  There are too many transitioning back to real life things to do and a time zone adjustment.  I need time and as much sleep as my body wants to get back to reality.

Laundry.  It has to be done.  The longer you wait the worse it gets so I like to jump right into it and knock it out.  I did laundry right before we left so I was able to get our vacation laundry done in two loads.  I did not however have any cleaning to do because I can't go on vacation with a messy dirty house.  I just can't come home to that.

DVR catch up.  I usually feel overwhelmed when my DVR gets too full.  There are shows waiting for me and I have to watch them!  It can feel like some sort of To Do list or an assignment that needs to be tackled ASAP if you let it and I didn't want to do that this time.  TV should not be a source of stress.  That's just ridiculous.  I did not let myself be overcome by a silly sense of urgency to watch all the things but seeing as how it was recovery day I did burn through a lot of shows.  

Grocery Shopping.  The pickings are always slim when we get back from vacation.  I don't like to leave the house on my recovery day so although I knew there was nothing to pack for lunch and we needed things for dinner I still wasn't planning on going.  I guess I'd rather starve.  MJ took stock of our dire situation and stepped up to the plate.  He'd go to the store and I could give him a list or go along.  As much as I wanted to stay in pajamas and continue my DVR catch up I decided to go.  I felt bad sending him out on his own.  You know, teamwork and all.  We were there and back in an hour, it took us less then five minutes to put the groceries away and it's one less thing to deal with during the week.

Mail.  I pretty much hate the mail on a normal day let alone the day after we haven't checked it in over a week.  It's pretty much all junk mail and yet I have to sit there and sift through the credit card offers, refinance offers, magazine solicitations, adds and coupons I probably won't use anyway in case there is something important.   

The Scale.  Dun, dun, dun.  I usually feel a lot of food and weight related anxiety before a vacation and I'm one of those people that has to know what the damage is immediately after.  I'm excited to go but so so afraid of being out of my normal diet and exercise routine and dread the thought of how much I'm going to gain while I'm away.  I'm really proud of myself not only for skipping that whole anxiety bit but also for not giving a damn about what I ate or when I ate it on this vacation.  Our last vacation was all-inclusive.  In my mind I felt I had no choice but to go all out and I did but this one was different.  We hadn't already pre paid a fortune for food and drink so it was truly my choice of what to eat or not eat.  I listened to my body and didn't feel bad about it at all while I was doing it.  I literally covered my eyes the second before I looked down but two days later not a single pound was gained during the course of 9 days of intuitive unplanned and often over eating with walking miles across NYC as my primary form of exercise.  It wasn't like an all out I'm going to devour all the food fest but I definitely indulged as tends to happen when you have to eat out for every meal; which as it turns out is not necessarily three meals a day when it's not all-inclusive.  Yes, I tracked the calories (because that's what I do) but I honestly didn't pay attention to the totals.  This is a major accomplishment for me.  There are reasons why I would have gained at least 5 lbs on vacation before and essentially gained none this time but that's another post.

The Bill.  I checked my credit card balance just once while we were there and didn't check it again until after we got back.  I have gotten a million times better about sweating over every single dime while I'm on vacation but I can't help but think about it.  We spent money on food and we did a lot of really fun things in NYC.  Things that cost money.  My attitude before was that it's a miracle I'm on vacation in the first place so that even if I denied myself almost everything I wanted to do while I was there it's how it had to be.  Now, I'm okay (mostly) with spending money on outings and attractions and see it as money well spent to enjoy myself while I was there.  Many times I tried to say, let's not eat there or let's not do that because it costs too much.  MJ ignored me most of the time, we did it anyway and I'm glad we did.  You can't take it with you.  We did not exceed what is reasonable for our budget.  We'll pay the bill at the end of the month and life goes on.  We had a great time and it was worth it. 

So that was pretty much my day yesterday and last but not least on the back to life back to reality list is Work.  The necessary evil that allowed me to go on vacation in the first place and which will allow me to do it again.  Things were really busy when I left and they are going to continue to be busy but I decided not to worry about it like I usually do.  I HAD a job a long time ago that dictated extreme anxiety and it's taken me a ridiculously long time to truly realize that I don't have that kind of job anymore.  I left that nightmare for a reason.  I'll dig through everything as I can get to it.  Stuff is gonna get done but there is no reason to try to do it all at breakneck heart palpitating speed.

Coming back from vacation is bitter sweet.  Mostly bitter if I'm being honest, but traveling can wear you out and it's always nice to be at home in my own bed and my own house.  Once I get back into the swing of things routine that is life I'm fine....until I'm not fine anymore and then it's time to go on vacation again.
 

I Want Out

I'm having a really good week.

The other day I grabbed raw eggs instead of hard boiled eggs by accident to eat at work for breakfast. Luckily, all it took was one small tap and no mess for me to realize it but it was a bummer that I lost half my breakfast.  I also forgot my usual water bottle which I know is really minor but having that water bottle is part of my routine and on a bad day it annoys me to no end when my routine is off even a little bit.  The ATM machine in 7-11 that I normally use was broke down so I knew I'd have to make an extra stop after work and then there were two accidents on the freeway so I sat in traffic and was 10 minutes late for work.  Last night I found out that El Pollo Loco discontinued my food.  The under 500 calorie black bean bowl is no longer available.  Don't you hate it when that happens?  They make you fall in love with it and then take it away.  I've never ordered anything else from there so I didn't know what to get.  This morning I put on my shirt and got deodorant all over it then I flicked yogurt all over my sweater when I was putting my lunch together.

When the traffic hit I turned up the music in my car and started singing along.  At least I got my coffee.  At least there is money in the ATM machine for me to get.  When I couldn't get my black bean bowl I tweeted El Pollo Loco.  I have no hope that they will bring back the bowl but at least I enjoyed it while it lasted.  Nothing really seems to phase me this week.  Even tripping over MJ's shoes yet again this morning didn't bother me in the slightest.  I want to bottle up this positive vibe and stash it away somewhere so that I can take it out on one of those days where I'm in the dumps or just in a rotten mood and every little thing pisses me off.  You know those days where you are so grumpy in general that you are annoyed with yourself for being annoyed by everything and yet you still can't stop being annoyed?  I've been struggling lately.  There were no less then two meltdowns last month so it feels great to be in a good mood and feel like nothing can get me down.
Does anyone else pack like this? 
What's even more amazing is that I haven't felt stressed not even once about our trip.  Normally I'm a complete and total hot mess the week of a vacation.  I freak out about forgetting things I probably don't need and stress myself out running around picking up last minute things 'just in case.'  I ridiculously over pack and over think everything little thing to the point where I wish someone would knock me out until I get on the plane because one I'm on the plan there is nothing I can do about anything that's not already in my suitcase and I can finally stop stressing.  You'd think I was traveling to a different planet and not just to some other city where they have stores that sell toiletries and all kinds of other things.  It's not the end of the world if I forget my favorite hair clip.  It is however the end of the world if I forget my contacts and glasses.  I can't exactly buy them when I get there so as long as I have those I'm fine.  It's only taken me about a million trips to finally calm down and hopefully I won't relapse on our next trip because it's really nice going into a trip and not feel like I'm losing my mind.  I asked MJ if he was going to start packing yesterday.  He gave me an are you kidding me, don't you know who I am? look and said nope.  He's doing it today sometime between after work and our red eye flight.  He's crazy and truly a professional packer if ever there was one.  I'll never be as good as him.  I just wish he didn't have to loose something before he travels.  Last time it was his license and this time it's not one but two credit cards one of them being his debit card.  I was the last (and only) person to actually see them on Saturday at home and now they are gone.  Just poof.  Disappeared. 

I'm sure most of my good mood is because of vacation.  I was just kind of whatever about it a few weeks ago but last night I was so excited I could barely sleep and focusing at work today is going to be hard.  I just want out!  It's been a long time since I went to NYC and I can't wait for the sheer magnitude of those giant buildings to have me standing on the sidewalk staring up at them with my mouth hanging open.  We've got some really fun things planned and I just can't wait!!  I won't be blogging but I will be on Instagram.  The significance of our travel date didn't dawn on me until a few weeks ago.  Flying to New York on 9/11 makes me just a little uncomfortable but I'm sure it's nothing to worry about.

I'll leave you with this little gem from Sunday.  You might want to turn down your volume.  MJ thought it would be really fun to try to give me a heart attack while I was packing, film it and then put it on Facebook.  I was mad but even I have to admit that it's hilarious.  And just in case you are wondering our bed always looks that way.  We stopped making it everyday years ago and the decorative pillows never come out of the closet.

If you want to enter the Cocotique beauty box giveaway do so here.  I'll pick a winner when I get back.

I'm Giving Something Away

You guys! I finally got one of those boxes.  You know those boxes that everyone keep getting in the mail and blogging about?  Those surprise boxes delivered to your doorstep filled with all kinds of cool things.  I kept seeing boxes on different blogs and wondering what is up with all of these boxes and now I finally got my own pretty little box full of all kinds of fun beauty products.  The September Cocotique box has two full size and five deluxe sample size products and I'm giving one away to one lucky winner.  In case you are wondering what Cocotique is it's a monthly beauty box subscription service for women of color and diverse ethnicities. They find the best beauty and lifestyle products and ship them to your door each month.
I'm not going to say what's in it because that's part of the fun and I'm one of those annoying people that wants you to be surprised even if you don't want to.  Okay, just one hint.  One of the full size products has something to do with eyes.  I was pleasantly surprised by all the really good stuff inside.  I opened it and pulled out one cool thing after another.  I'm a hoarder of pretty much all things so I've already promised my husband that I will not "save" these things for who knows what day that never comes.  These are all things I can actually use and I will actually use them!!

Enter below and Good luck.  
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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You Never Forget How

I vaguely recall my first big girl bike.  It was was blue with giant handle bars and a black banana seat with a little handle on the back.  The handle that your dad holds onto as he's sending you off on your first ride without training wheels while yelling at you to go straight.  I remember really liking that bike.  I did not however like my 2nd bike.   After outgrowing the first one and they got me this purple and black bike that I thought was ugly.  I remember being embarrassed to ride it because it wasn't girly at all and didn't have the curled handles like the ones the other girls were getting.  I wanted a ten speed.  This was not a ten speed.  My parents got me what they could afford and I eventually came to love that bike just like I loved my witch costume after it got stolen.  This is a bit of a tangent but since we're going all nostalgic here I'm throwing it in.  In elementary school my mom insisted on hand making my witch costume for Halloween and I was so embarrassed.  I wanted a store bought one like the other kids were going to have but it was cheaper to buy material.  Turns out I loved my witch costume even more then all the other ones and I guess someone else loved it too.  At the end of the day when we went to grab our paper grocery bags where our costumes were stashed mine was gone and I went home with some other kid's generic store bought one and cried because in the end I liked the one my mom made so much better.

It's just one example of how kids are so often swayed and brainwashed by whatever the masses are doing.  So afraid of standing out or being different because kids are mean and nobody likes being teased.  I'm so glad that we didn't have social media back then.  I was never a popular kid or a cute teen and I can only imagine what a beating social media would have given my already fragile self esteem.  Getting older sucks sometimes but you couldn't pay me enough to go back to being an adolescent and if I could go back and tell my 12 year old self anything it would be to get over it because half the crap you are so worried about is truly meaningless.  And mom, sorry for being such an ungrateful child.

I'm rambling.  Back to bikes.  My parents bought me my 3rd bike while I was in college and I rarely rode it.  I'm not really sure why.  I guess I just wasn't interested at the time.  When we finally got a garage of our own I picked it up and brought it home but we probably should have taken the bike straight to the dumpster.  I feel really bad for having never rode it but now that I want to again the thing is totally broke down.  It weighs a ton.  It's super old.  The gears are messed up, there are cobwebs hanging off of it and the tires are flat.  I think it's beyond saving.
Um.  I'm not so sure about this.
MJ has a fancy road bike and mountain bike with clip in pedals which sounds positively terrifying to me.  I still have the jalopy and it had been at least 10 years since I last rode a bike.  Probably longer, so when he suggested bike riding over the weekend I was nervous because I wasn't sure if I'd remember how.  I was worried I'd crash or run over an innocent pedestrian and I totally forget how to brake.  "How do I stop?" I asked MJ frantically as we started to take off.  My last bike had handbrakes and this blue beach cruiser had nothing but handle bars.  I'm sure I did, but I don't actually remember having to back petal to break.  
I was really scared when we first took off but after 30 minutes or so I was able to release my death grip on the handle bars and had a really great time.  Meanwhile MJ can take his phone out of his pocket, take a picture and put it back in all without crashing.  The wind in my hair felt amazing and the view wasn't half bad.  It took us about 1 hour to go 9 miles and by the end of the day we'd gone almost 13 miles.  It's amazing how fast and far you can get on a bike just poking along at 6 mph. 

We took the ferry to Coronado Island and rode to Burger Lounge for food.  This part was pretty nerve racking because I've never rode in actual traffic before.  We made a left hand turn in the street with the green traffic arrow.  I was scared to follow MJ but even  more scared not to.  He is no stranger to 40 mph speeds in the street, but not me.  As a driver I HATE being near bike riders and as a wife it freaks me out that my husband rides so fast in the streets.  I think we maxed out at 10 mph the whole time and being so close to cars with so little room to navigate between them started stressing me out so I yelled ahead to go on the sidewalk.  The sidewalk is safe.  With our food in MJ's basket we rode back to the water and sat in the grass to eat before taking the ferry ride back to the harbor.  It takes 15 minutes each way.  We turned in our bikes and got ice cream.  Then for some reason I really wanted a beer and drinking it while looking out at the bay was the most refreshing thing ever.
Bike riding is so much fun and I love doing touristy type things in my own city.  I really want my own bike now so I'm trying to decide between a Beach Cruiser (with hand brakes) or a Townie.  The backpedal breaking was okay but I think I prefer hand brakes.  It seems easier.  Either way, it's going to be Pink with a cute wicker basket in the front and a bell.  MJ wants one too because apparently he really enjoyed not having to shift gears and riding without his feet attached to the pedals.  I still don't know how anybody does that.  It would basically be timber for me in about 2 seconds.   

Well, I guess it's true when they say it's like riding a bike.  You never forget how.