On my days off...

It is such a different life now that I'm working. There have been a few times, when at work, that I worry that I have made the right choice. Sometimes I worry about being away from home but usually that doesn't bother me to much (since I am at work while the kids are in school and when they get home I am only gone for 2 hours and Daddy is home). What usually bothers me is how hard it is for me to catch on to things anymore. I forget so much now. And I constantly want to be busy. If there is any slower moments at work I get a little nervous about not having anything to do. The last thing I ever want to be known as is lazy or not doing my share. For the most part, though, I love my job. I love delivering flowers. I love the excitement it brings to the people who didn't expect to get flowers. And I work for a wonderful lady who is patient with me. But David pointed something out to me the other day that I am most grateful for. He said something like, "It's nice having a wife who isn't always depressed anymore." He said it in the most loving way. He wasn't judging me. He was just stating something obvious. And it was obvious...I just didn't realize it until then. I am happier. I really am. I need a schedule. I need routine.

But as much as I need my schedule....I sure do like my days off! I don't work Saturday or Sunday so I spend those days as I always have. But I also get a Wednesday or a Friday of each week off. It switches each week. My first day off was used in back to school activities which I already wrote about. My second day off was last Friday and there just happened to be a scrapbooking convention in Tulsa that my Mom and sister, Amanda, invited me to. We even stayed the night up there in Tulsa! On Friday I walked around all the booths while Mom and Amanda took a class. Afterwards, we went to eat at the Cheesecake Factory. This will explain the following nasty picture. The first time I ever went to the Cheesecake Factory was in Utah with some of my college friends a few years ago. I'm not a cheesecake fan but I have to admit that they put enough chocolate and junk on their cheesecakes to make it worth it! Anyways, the first time I went there I ordered their pulled pork BBQ sandwich. It came out with the hugest piece of fat on it. We had an interesting waiter that pretty much hated us by the time that we left but we had a fun time as we continued to laugh throughout the evening. I have only went there a few times after that but I am notorious for always ordering the same thing at restaurants. I guess I can't stand the thought of wasting money on food that I don't just love...or I'm just a freak about doing the same things over and over... But it is such a contradiction for me to keep buying this pulled pork sandwich because 1) I am not a huge meat eater at all and 2) I HATE fat on meat! Seriously, fat on meat makes me want to puke! So it makes no sense at all for me to keep ordering this. So anyways, we are at the Cheesecake Factory on Friday night and as I'm looking at the menu I tell Mom and Amanda about my pulled pork experience. They of course think I'm crazy for ordering it again, knowing how weird I am about fat and meat. It comes out and no joke that huge whitish thing you see in the left/center of the sandwich....yeah, that is a huge piece of fat! Right on top even! I about died of laughter as I hurried to take the picture of this and send it to one of the girls who was with me the original time I ordered this who likes to tease me about my fatty pulled pork sandwich and me just ordering it so I can get free meals! And just like the first time, our server really didn't like us!

The next day I went to one class and just finished up some other projects that I wanted to get done. I was so glad that they invited me to do this with them. My next day off was today. But it really started yesterday at noon. I got off of work early because I needed to get a cortisone shot in my left heel do to a Planter Fasciitis. Our branch president is a foot doctor and I am so very grateful for him right now! Since I got off work early for this, David and I used the opportunity to go to the Oklahoma City temple. When we go, we always get a hotel room because it is so far away and that way we can get 2 days in worth of time in the temple. You would not believe the problems we had from the moment I got home from work up until after midnight when we finally got home that night. Here are just some of our problems:

-We couldn't get a hotel because of problems we were having with our checking account.

-Tension in the car from miscommunication between David and I and what should have been done before we left on our trip.

-Our card being shot down continuously through the trip and us calling on our cell phones to the card company....which we never got an answer until today, actually!

-David forgot his church clothes to be able to get into the temple.

-We went the wrong way a few times.

-David festering over the real possibility that we just might not have enough money to make it home, which I'm sure only got worse as we passed through each toll booth!

-On ramps being closed and 50 mile an hour road constructions to get through as our time is inching away to be able to get into the temple before it closes.

We finally got to the temple and I'm sure you can imagine the relief it was to feel the spirit there. From then on, the blessings were overflowing. David was just going to stay out in the waiting area while I went in the temple but someone was kind enough to lend David clothes to get in. We did initiatories and at one point one of the temple workers and myself were in tears as we felt the spirit of the sister I was doing the work for. I knew she was there. I don't know how many times I have done initiatories and never have I felt the spirit so strongly as I did for this sister. We may have not had enough money for food on the way home but amazingly, we weren't hungry. We really weren't. We didn't get home until after midnight but our drive home was so peaceful. There was a full moon out and it was so beautiful.
And as good as all my days off has been, I'm pretty sure I'm going to make it a point to just veg this next time!!! I really like to contradict myself, don't I?!