A Break

I took a break today. And I'm not going to feel guilty about it. I went to get a hair cut, apologizing  profusely as soon as I walked it because I looked like Cousin It. I took a nap and then I went to dinner with a friend from college who I absolutely love. Three hours after we sat down for dinner, we both decided it was probably time to go home. I have been so secluded from the world that it was weird to see make up on my face and interesting to see whether or not I could still walk in heels. My go-to outfit for the past month or so has been jeans, a t-shirt and flips flops. Sometimes if I am feeling crazy, I will put on some mascara. Mike is a lucky man!

In 20 days this test will be over and done with and we can hopefully get back to whatever "normal" Mike and I know. I cannot wait. So....while there is nothing very exciting to report, I decided to give y'all a quick update on what is happening in our lives. I have been trying so hard to keep exercising while I am studying because of all those proven health reasons, relieving stress, sleeping better, blah blah blah. The problem is, it is so freaking hot here. It hits at least 100 degrees every single day. So, running is out unless I wake up at 3 am. I took a couple Zumba classes from this studio I found down the street. Have y'all done this? I loved it, but then I got annoyed that this one girl was better than me and I stopped going. I also realized this is part of the reason why I run...no none to compete with except myself :-)

The point of that paragraph was to explain why I went for a walk the other day. I figured it would do the trick, and I headed out the door with specific instructions to Mike. "Do not lock the door when you leave." You cannot even know how many times I have uttered those words with no problems. However, the one day that I sluggishly dragged myself home, dripping sweat and about to collapse, the door was locked. At first I thought this was a joke. I kept looking around for Mike's car thinking he was trying to trick me (sometimes he likes to do things like this.) The more I looked, the more I realized. This is not a joke. I looked at our cat, staring out at me, and started wondering if perhaps she is smarter than we give her credit for and would be able to get the Hide a Key that is sitting on our KITCHEN COUNTER. (Yes Pops, you were right.) No, I didn't have my phone.

Five houses later (can you believe that??) someone finally answered the door. I explained my predicament and watched her check my ring finger when I mentioned my husband had locked me out. She told me I could use her phone, and I started to follow her inside into the vixen air conditioning that was calling my name. She shut the door in my face and came back with her cell phone. And she never offered me any water!! (Am I being too sensitive here? I was really surprised!) I called Mike, who thankfully picked up a number he didn't know, and then handed her back a completely sweat soaked phone. The door shut and I went and sat on our little walk way up to our house until Mike pulled up. He managed to take a big swig of Mountain Dew before he got out of his car. I would never survive in the desert.

So that was fun. My middle sister leaves tomorrow for Israel and Slovakia. You might be wondering, as I did, why she chose these random places to visit and who in the world she was going with. This is how our phone conversation went this afternoon.

Me: Now, who are you meeting in Israel again?

Julia: Oh! My friend "S" lives there. Remember her?

Me: Not even a little bit. Is she from college? Or Iceland?

Julia: No! She's from when I was studying in Australia.

Me: Of course she is. Ok, then y'all are going to fly to Slovakia?

Julia: No! Jenny, remember, "B" lives in Slovakia.

Me: "B" from Iceland? The kid that came and stayed in Alabama?

Julia: Yes.

Me: Ok. Did you figure our something to get his parents for letting you stay with them?

Julia: Nah, I figured I would just pick up something at the airport.

Nothing about that conversation is normal. Julia is so funny. She was very shy growing up, and now she is off meeting friends in random countries that I am pretty sure I will never visit in my lifetime. It is pretty amazing. I hope I get something from the airport.

That's about it. Back to the grind tomorrow. I will try to check back in before the 26th - if you don't hear from me, send out some positive thoughts, a prayer, whatever you like. (I will not be accepting negative thoughts for the next 20 days.) Hope all is well!