Viva Las Vegas!

Guess what?

I'm going to Vegas for Thanksgiving!
For years we've been saying we'll go to Vegas for Bill's 50th and it's finally here. He doesn't actually turn 50 'til the day after we get back but we're celebrating early. We're wondering if it might have been better to have gone 10 or 20 years ago when we were able to pull all nighters and party like rock stars but I'm sure we'll have a blast.

I certainly need a vacation. I don't think it will be very relaxing in the city that never sleeps, oh, wait, that's New York, isn't it? Well, I don't think Vegas sleeps either but I may have to sneak in a few zzz's on the plane or by the pool. I even packed some workout gear so I can check out the gym at the hotel. That's a first for me even thinking about working out while on vacation. Oh, how times have changed.

Bright light city gonna set my soul,

Gonna set my soul on fire

Got a whole lot of money that's ready to burn,

So get those stakes up higher...

How I wish that there were more

Than twenty-four hours in the day'

Cause even if there were forty more,

I wouldn't sleep a minute away...

Oh, there's black jack and poker and the roulette wheel

A fortune won and lost on ev'ry deal

All you need's a strong heart and a nerve of steel

Viva Las Vegas, Viva Las Vegas ~Elvis

Wish me luck! If I hit a big jackpot I won't have to worry about finding a new job. Keep your fingers crossed.

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm truly thankful for all the love and support you all have given me over the years. Thank you for everything! You guys are the BEST! Enjoy your turkey and football for my fellow Americans and Happy Thursday to the rest of you.

Working Vacation (oxymoron?)

I'm back!! Oh, wait, you didn't even know I was gone, right? Sorry, I was so anxious to get out of the city I forgot to publish the post telling you all that I was heading to Vermont last week so we could work on enclosing the addition on our camp.

We got most of the standing seam metal roof on (we were 5 panels short so they're on order), got the power pole moved, put in the last two windows and enclosed the remaining walls. It was really hard, backbreaking work but it was better than being in the office. B did most of the roofing by himself because I was too chicken to get up on the back side of the roof. It was way too high for this klutz but I did lots of ground work and my muscles are aching.

It looks like this is the week we should have taken off to work up there. We woke up to about 3 inches of snow on Tuesday which would normally make us very happy but since we had an open roof it wasn't what we wanted to see. Of course, the temps are supposed to be in the 60s this week which would have been much better for working outside instead of shoveling snow off the open roof.

Our friend, Sam, came up to visit for a few days so we took a break on Wednesday (her birthday) and went to Danville to do the corn maze and get some maple peanut butter (mmmm...). The only other time off was two hours on Saturday when we took a ride on the ATVs. It was our first and only ride on the season since hunting season started and the trails will be closed once we get back up there in two weeks.

It wasn't the best vacation and I certainly didn't get to relax much but we got allot accomplished. My head started hurting yesterday afternoon just thinking about going back to work. I'm dreading going back to the office today but I don't have any other options since none of my lottery tickets were big winners.

So, what did I miss? What's going on with you? I have over 700 items in my feed reader so it will take me a while to catch up. Hope you are enjoying the change in seasons and I'll do my best to get caught up on what's going on out there.

UUGHHH ... back to work.

Vacation is Over :(

I can't believe it's Sunday night already. I don't want to go back to work tomorrow. Why do vacation days go by so much quicker than work days? I had so much fun playing in the snow. I wish I could have stayed in Vermont another week but I need those paychecks.

I haven't gotten on the scale yet but I'm hoping I didn't do too much damage. I didn't make the best choices eating on the road and grabbing snacks to have on the trail. I'm planning on a big food shopping trip tomorrow after work so I can stock up on healthy stuff and get back to the losing game.

I can't wait to check up on all of you. I hope you had a good week. If you want details of my snowmobile vacation you can check them out here.

VACATION!

We made it! We are finally on vacation. They are predicting lots of snow this week so the snowmobiling should be great. I can't wait to get out of the city and get some miles on my sled.

Let the Sun Shine In ....

I can't shake the feeling there has been an ominous black cloud hanging over my head, hunting me down through the brightest rays of sunshine like a dedicated and determined stalker. So many of my vacations over the years have been ruined by sickness, death or some sort of traumatizing experience. The percentage of ruined vacations is staggering. My boss keeps telling me I should just take a few days here and there and not plan a whole week off because something always happens. I think he may have ulterior motives in saying that but he may have a point.

My latest vacation didn't start out bad even though I did turn another year older which gets harder and harder every year. I certainly don't feel 41 although my mind's age and my body's age are vastly different. Each birthday I think of Jimmy Buffett's song Growing Older But Not Up ...

....

I'm growing older but not up
My metabolic rate is pleasantly stuck
Let those winds of time blow over my head
I'd rather die while I'm living than live while I'm dead
....
Now don't get me wrong
This is not a sad song
Just events that I have happened to witness
And time takes its toll as we head for the poll
And no one dies from physical fitness
So what the hell, we'll take it right to the end
As the days grow more complicated the nightlife still wins
....

B and I spent the week after the 4th at the camp without any fireworks except a few bottle rockets but we had bright stars, clear weather and a private party out at the bonfire every night. We had a relaxing week even though we had to come back to the city for various appointments. We made it back to VT and had another bonfire blazing by the time our friends arrived on Friday night. B is usually the life of the party telling stories and being the entertainer but he had such a vicious headache early in the day and it just got worse and worse. By Saturday, he was miserable with sinus pressure and a pounding headache.

B was really hurting when we left for the hot air balloon festival in Stowe which was about an 1 1/2 hour drive. He knows how much I love going every year to take pictures so he forced himself to come with us but it was a bad decision. We brought chairs and B didn't move from them for the few hours we were at the festival. Another group of friends were camping in Stowe so we met up with them but B could barely keep his head up. His pain only got worse and he finally went to the emergency room when we got back home on Monday.

After being on vacation for a week and having a doctor's appointment Monday morning I ended up at the hospital with B when I was supposed to be returning to the office. The ER gave him some fluids for dehydration and sent him home with antibiotics for sinusitis and a bunch of pain killers.

Things only got worse and he ended up back at the hospital late Monday night when they admitted him. He couldn't eat or even keep down the pain medication with a sip of water. He spent the week in the hospital being pumped with fluids, morphine and other heavy duty pain killers, a steroid nasal spray and who knows what else. They discharged him Thursday night with a handful of drugs and said the infection will just have to run its course.

My kitchen counter looks like a pharmacy and I'm exhausted from worrying, spending every night at the hospital and then not being able to sleep without him when I got home. Now I'm even more exhausted from playing nurse all night.

I'm praying he turns the corner soon. Aside from when he broke his back I don't think I've ever seen him in this much pain. I feel helpless because there is really nothing I can do to make him feel better except serve him and keep him medicated.

I wish this weather pattern would change because I'm sick of looking up and seeing that big black cloud shadowing me.

I hope everyone is having a better time enjoying good health, the warm weather, cookouts, picnics, pool parties, concerts and the usual summertime festivities. I like to plan my next vacation when I get back from vacation so I have something to look forward to but maybe I should consider scheduling a few long weekends and see if I can make it through them without the storm clouds.

I need a vacation from my vacation.