This is the longest chunk of time I've had off since my summers off from school before I started working (not counting babysitting). It's been marvelous and I so wish I could do this for the rest of my life. I wish I could get paid my nursing pay but spend my days doing things that make me happy. Alas, reality is much different and we must work to earn our keep. I'm going to try to focus on the fact that I'm allowed to do this (funded by me and me alone) and that I have my health, my house, plenty of food and creature comforts, and people that love me. Most people aren't this lucky. Because I've had all this time off, the format of this entry is going to be much like my prior ones when on vacation. I last left off at the end of May so let's get started so I can feel like I accomplished something today before partaking in fun holiday activities.
Sat. 5.31: Mike, Mason and I drove to the Laconia area to test drive a few trucks at a dealership. We had lunchies at the golden arches and spent some time at Fun Spot which was actually pretty fun and reasonably priced. 20 bucks actually went a long way. We had dinner at common man in ctown and spent the rest of the evening/night in Cornish.
Sun: I had a lazy morning in Cornish, heading home eventually to do some laundry, grab some groceries. Mike grilled steak tips so we had a yummy dinner and some fun adult time.
Mon: Black Betty had her annual inspection (NH is now doing away with the annual inspection) and passed thanks to Mike and the work he did. I went home and did some laundry and stuffies then Mike picked me up and we went to Cornish to hike the property line of a chunk of land he may be purchasing from his neighbor Ginny adjacent to where he lives now. It was hot and buggy and I stepped in shit.
Tues: I had my one time psych eval with a nice dude at Heater Rd. in order to help my PCP fill out my short term disability paperwork (I gave up trying the following week). I came home to vacuum the house, do some laundry, clean up the kitchen and fill my water bottles.
Wed: Mike and I picked up Mason early from school to start the journey to CT for one of Mike's closest friends' wedding. We stopped for lunch in Brattleboro then made our way to eastern MA to look at a kids 4 wheeler for sale. Mike ultimately bought it so we put it in the back of a borrowed truck to then start the journey to Mike's dads house stopping for pizza on the way in East Lyme. We made it in time to test out the 4 wheeler and take a short walk to stretch our legs.
Thurs: Had a leisurely morning and eventually got ready for the wedding after Mason went to Lola's for the day/night. The wedding was at a big clubhouse on the beach and it was delightful for those who did not have to wear a suit. Thankfully there was AC and yummy pizza and mexican food trucks and I ended up dancing after having too much wine. It was fun but I was a touch hungover the following day.
Fri: We traveled back to the shire and it was pretty uneventful. Once I got back home, I took a little nap and cleaned the girls' potty room.
Sat: MY BDAY! I got up early so I could go to Rochester with Mike so he could buy his truck. We went to lunch after where there were a few other birthday buddies then we headed back home. Mike replaced my video doorbell, I drank my birthday starbies, then we popped over to Mt. A to see Buzz who had been hospitalized for a TIA-like event. We finished the day with some fun adult time, spaghetti and ice cream cupcakes from Cold Stone.
Sun: I did some laundry and cleaned up the kitchen. Mike and I went to Worthy Burger then for a walk.
Mon: I went grocery shopping, ran some errands then came home to make mac and cheese which I brought to Cornish for dinner. Jan had been bucked off her horse the day prior so she was pretty sore and unable to walk comfortably.
Tues: I kinda sorta slept in late unintentionally and felt like foggy crap for the rest of the day. I did manage to go to Newport to renew my motorcycle permit then headed to my moms to discuss the Ashley situation. She randomly stopped responding to me and I have no clue what I did to deserve being thrown out like garbage. End result: sit tight and leave the ball in her court and live my life. Mike ended up coming over after the chat for dinner.
Wed: I relaxed then got ready to head to Cornish (making a pit stop on the way at Amidons) to get Mason off the bus. I got some exercise while he was on his 4 wheeler and we pretty much spent the rest of the day outside.
Thurs: I did some stuffies at home then went back to Cornish for the night.
Fri: Mason's pre K graduation was Friday morning. Afterwards, I went home to do a big grocery haul, computer stuffies then came back for taco night with Jan and Buzz.
Sat: I came home, vacuumed the house, PCS (my memory doesn't remember what this acronym means), headed back to Cornish to watch a movie and have my very first maple creamee from Macs. It did not disappoint. We took a walk and I printed a few things on Jan's computer before calling it a night.
Sun: I went for a 6 mile run/walk in the morning on Center Rd., showering when I got back and relaxing for the afternoon and eating yummy food for a Father's Day/high school graduation party for one of Jan and Buzz's granddaughters. Afterwards, I went home to vacuum the house, do some laundry and once Mike was here, we had fun adult time.
Mon: did some laundry, watched a movie about the Titan submersible implosion with Mike, and packed up my simplisafe system to go to Best Buy's recycling program.
Tues: I had a lazy in bed kind of morning but I got up to go to the hospital to have my heart calcium score CT scan done (turns out I got the best score possible!). I hung out in the lab afterwards to visit my peeps then headed home to clean my appliance and spend the evening with Mike.
Wed: I ran some errands then headed to Cornish to pick up Mason at 3. His mom wasn't expecting me so we had a mostly positive, impromptu, but brief conversation. We played outside until Mike got home and once the boys were getting ready for bed, I headed home for the night.
Thurs: I picked up Mason at 10 at Mike's work and had him until Mike got out of work. We went to the playground at the high school for a bit then went to the one next to the skate park but that was short lived due to the oppressive heat. We went back to my house for lunch and to watch a movie until Mike got sick of work and hung out here for a bit before returning to Cornish with Mason. I went out to CVS, Kohls and Barnes and Noble to do a little shopping before calling it a day.
Fri: I did some laundry, took a walk, Mike and I went to Kotos for dinner then went to a play at the Lebanon Opera House called Dirty Rotten Scoundrels to see Brandi.
Sat: Headed to Cornish for the night; Mike and I went to the Windsor Station for dinner.
Sun: We got up and spent the morning helping Jan in the garden. We weeded, planted potatoes and set up nets and irrigation systems. We went to lunch at Frazers with Jan and Buzz afterwards. Mike and I watched a movie, hiked the property line to do some measurements and concluded the day with some fun adult time.
Mon: I vacuumed the house, did some laundry and made a grocery haul.
Tues: I cleaned up the kitchen, popped into the town clerk's office to change my political party affiliation to Independent, then met Kelly for dinner at Red Can (in the old Trail Break location). It was a touch fancy and pricey but yummy and it was nice finally catching up with Kelly.
Wed: I picked Mason up at 3 from his grandmother and hung out with my boys for the rest of the evening. I slept over so Mike could work while I hung out with Mason. We had a lazy morning watching TV, doing Where's Waldo, then we headed outside to play for a bit. We drove up to Leb to hang out with Mike as they were having another hotdog party. After that, we visited some pet stores and went to the Wal-Mart to pick out a toy. We headed back to Cornish to chill with Mike then we all gathered ourselves to spend the night at my house.
Thurs: Mason got up when I did and we chilled, played, watched TV, ate breakfast; played outside for a little bit until driving to Leb to have lunch with Mike at another one of his wien work parties. Afterwards, we went to a few pets stores to look at animals (I needed something for the ladies) then we headed to Wal-Mart to pick out a toy. We headed back to Cornish to hang out with Mike. We spent the night at my house (Mason took a bubble bath) eating takeout, dessert and watching a movie.
Fri: We took a walk on the Rail Trail (Mason and I made a wildflower bouquet) then we headed to Cornish to drop off the boys because Mike's truck was getting a new tire. Once I got back home, I got myself together to head to Higher Ground to finally see Steel Pulse and they did not disappoint. They put on a great show and they were very interactive with the crowd. I went to see my Granny a stone's throw from the venue and I left the wildflowers on her headstone.
Sat: I relaxed a bit before heading to Cornish for the night. We went to the Common Man in ctown then took a trip up Cat Hole Rd. for the scenery. Got some good pictures then we ended the day with a fire at the house with Jan.
Sun: I went for a run on Center Rd. late morning; it was miserable at first but it eventually got better. After I showered and had some food, we went to Mac's for a treat and to walk around. I headed home afterwards to vacuum the house and make a shepherd's pie. We ended the day with some fun adult time.
Mon: I did some paperwork for my first appointment at Hanover Psych., some laundry and filled my water bottles. In the afternoon, I headed to Cornish in a foul mood (lady problems) and helped with some yard work on the property. Jan made a Mexican style goulash for dinner and it was delicious.
Tues: I had my first therapy appointment (was a little late because I couldn't find parking and almost gave up) and it went well so I'm glad I didn't turn around and angrily drive home. I grabbed some groceries, showered and settled in for a quiet evening with Mike. We watched Walk the Line; he had never seen it and he's a Johnny Cash fan.
Wed: I made blueberry sheet pan pancakes, cleaned my disgusting bathroom and took a walk.
Thurs: I did some laundry, began this entry, and spent the evening with M&M seeing July 4th fireworks at Ascutney for the first time. There was a rain/thunderstorm hiccup but everything resumed after that. The display was great, the hammock chairs were great, and I even ran in to Micaela. We didn't leave until 10ish and Mason was out like a light.
Fri: We got up and went to the Plainfield July 4th parade and met the Dickersons there. The kids scored some candy and we scored some chocolate milk. Afterwards, we went to the Dickersons to hang out and play for a little bit before Mason went back to his mom. We made a little trip to Newport to buy some fireworks then we headed back to Cornish before heading back out to go hang out at Jen and Luke's house for more delicious food and another fireworks display. Mike and I had a fair amount of Truly's and ended up stopping at Langwood to hang out and watch the stars.
Sat: I had a slight hangover so I slept in a bit then headed home to take care of the girls and do their monthly cleaning. I also took a walk and did some laundry.
Sun: Mike and I got up early to hike Ascutney. We took the Weathersfield trail and it took us about 4.5 hours from start to finish. We hit up Ginny's pool afterwards then I headed home to take a luxurious bubble bath and to shave my leggies. We had fun adult time then grabbed some groceries for taco night.
Mon: The Dickersons and I went to Grafton Pond to kayak. I had to resort to using their paddleboard because I didn't bring my manual pump and we didn't know until we got there that their automatic pump wasn't compatible with my inflatable kayak. Oh well. It was still fun and we got to hang with DJ and Tim. Mike and I relaxed for the rest of the day although I did make a quick run to the fords.
Tues: I made a Mexican style salad to bring to a potluck at work for Hannah's last day. I made the return to work date decision while there (August 11th). Boo. Potluck was fun and from there I went to my second psych appointment in Hanover which went well. Once I got home, Mike and I headed out for a motorcycle lesson behind the old Penneys. It went pretty well; we practiced weaving, turns and stuff I had already been practicing. I celebrated with a big bowl of spaghetti for dinner.
Wed: I vacuumed the house, did some laundry, and finally took a road trip to Blissville Rd. I misremembered exactly where the little cemetery was so I thought the entrance was too overgrown to even attempt climbing through it. Thankfully, I decided to knock on the door of the house directly to the right of the property and he took down the road to the real entrance and turns out it's maintained and it looks a lot better than the last time I saw it. I walked around, took a video and headed back to my car. I stopped at Aldi in Rutland on the way home to poke around for a few. Once home, I chatted with the boys, filled my water bottles and called it a night.
Thurs: I was lazy and spiraling but put myself together enough to grab some pizzas and head to Cornish for the night. I missed swimming but we ate dins and hung out outside for a bit. I felt better by the time bedtime rolled around.
Fri (yesterday): I got up, made coffee, then Mike and I sat down to start the 5 hour long motorcycle ecourse. We got almost halfway through and decided to take a break; he went to help a neighbor with something and I went home to hang with the girls. I procrastinated a little bit by doing stuffies then got on my bike without Mike for the first time and practiced around my circles for 30 minutes. I got ready and headed to Leb HS to watch Logan's baseball game then we went to 110 Grill for dinner. It was nice to catch up. Once home, I chatted with Mike then had ice cream again without whipped cream when I wasn't supposed to. Next week is gonna suck.
I'm officially caught up and will be making entries weekly from now on.
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