Post-Tryptophan Return

I feel like I'm in the middle of a tryptophan coma. I finally woke up today from a week's vacation and had to face reality.

And yes, like the meme above indicates, I'm already looking forward to the next vacation... In 17 days, 21 hours... Not that I'm counting.

Most of us know the sad reality of taking a week off is that you work like crazy BEFORE your time off to get things done. Then face a steaming pile on your RETURN – as a punishment of some sort for using your much-earned vacation days. It's corporate reality.

I literally had hundreds of project-related emails in my inbox this morning. And got to those after ticking off other urgent items on my to-do list. Thank goodness I had a chiropractic appointment today to adjust my back – if not my attitude, too. 

But I do admit to missing my amazing team. I will not, however, understand or appreciate the need to set an alarm while it's still dark out. 

Lord, help all of us get through December until our Christmas vacations! 

P.S. I will lay off the leftover turkey this week!

Sunday Stress

While I was happy my Vikings were televised early since the Packers played mid-afternoon, I didn't welcome the stress.

I forgot how close our Central Division games can be. And was so grateful we finally have a field-goal kicker on our team who can make the shot. So we won! Beating my father-in-law's Bears in overtime. Sorry, not sorry, Johnny.

Other the stress of singing in choir and then that game, Sunday was pretty easy. 

Put a few things away for the winter – like golf clubs and cart – from the garage to the basement. And put a few boxes of leftover garage sale stuff I never did sell – so it went from garage to my trunk, destined for GoodWill.

It just wasn't warm enough to tackle much else out there. Maybe this week yet when I'm off. If not, the stuff will just stay by the wall and out of the way until spring when we either have the time to deal with it or be empowered to just get rid of it!

Hope you addressed and released all your Sunday stressors today! And if you're lucky like me, you can do it gradually during some time off this week. 

Chillin' Out on Monday

When the "wake up and crawl out from under the covers" temperature is technically below freezing, it's time to make a power move.

I walked down the hall and turned on that heat again with no one the wiser. Well, until you could hear the air vents anyway. My promise to the man in the office on the other side of the wall was that I'd shut it off as soon as the house warmed up.

Fast forward to 4 p.m. when I remembered that. At least I was cozy to in my office today – assisted by hot Pumpkin Spice coffee, naturally. 

I also warmed up because we got special visitors after work that washed away all Monday stress-itude. (Not a real word, I know.)

Casey and Emily were visiting from Minnesota and we were excited to see them. But we also were super-duper excited to see our grandpup Rey, who we hadn't seen since their wedding a year ago!!

She was my little helper in the kitchen. I was trying to teach her how to make a trifle, but she was so cute and distracting, I actually forgot a layer and it's not symmetrically pretty. I'll share the images and recipes for my Trifle Tuesday blog tomorrow – if it gets positive reviews. 

I mean it's Pumpkin Spice Trifle so I know at least the birthday girl and I will enjoy it! 

The four of us humans went out to grab a quick bite to eat. It had been awhile since we ate at Tamarack's Pub (formerly Cheers, formerly 19th Hole, and who knows what else), but since it was close to home, we went there so Rey wouldn't be alone too long. We weren't sure if she'd invite the guys in the neighborhood over for a party. But Charlie and Buddy stayed home. As far as we know.

Had a delicious meal and it was great to catch up – much easier to talk across a table then down a row at Target Field. We love having them close by again. And Rey, too, of course! 

She's a big sweetie. And no, I didn't give in to her begging brown eyes. Though Grandma Robyn may have let her lick the Cool Whip-covered spatula! 

Spoil while you can!

Back to School and Whatnot

My fault for a lack of memory, but I wasn't prepared that my first day back after a long holiday weekend was the first day back at school for a bunch of high schoolers who used the same roundabout as me to get to work.

So when I got off the interstate, I was immediately at a standstill while we all navigated that traffic circle together. Meanwhile, my big concrete office was in the "near" distance the whole time. Good thing I don't have a super strict work schedule. I do also remember from last year that it was pretty just the first day of school that was hectic. Crossing my fingers that is still the case.

Good thing I was rewarded for my slow work day start up with a relaxing golf league ending to it. We had our whole OG foursome so that was fun. Plus, since I woke up with crazy back pain, it forced me to swing slower and, therefore, more successfully. Not a bad evening at all!

Naturally, we hated seeing the sun sink so low during our round. I mean we all flipped the calendar to September, but we'd love some grace to embrace it and still get in our league rounds during daylight. Two more weeks. That's all we ask.

Side note: I'm playing my best rounds (finally), so don't blow it, Mother Nature.

Hope you had a nice return to reality – and whatnot!

An Above Par Tuesday

When a person plays golf on that 6-inch course between their ears, it can be stressful sometimes. Well, a lot of times. But when you are trying to escape stress (aka work situations), sometimes it works to ignore the "golf pro" on that course.

In other words, even a not-up-to-par round of golf is better than a day a work sometimes. Like today. Feel so fortunate that my escape course is the beautiful SentryWorld.

It was pretty warm, but our golf league foursome still managed to put work (or other) stress behind us and have a good time. How can you not with our surroundings?

Per usual, I have up days and down days. Today was a return to my typical double-bogey golf. And you know what? Who cares? It wasn't stressful compared to some things! 

Our man P-Daily couldn't make it so we had 3 women representing marketing tonight instead of just 2.

We're smiling here because we're done and can go home and take showers! Just your typical 80+ degrees with 123% humidity!

Frankly, we can't really tell. We're just grateful to golf there, where it's beautiful at every turn. Yup, even ugly golf looks pretty!

Hope it puts us all in a positive frame of mind to push through the second half of the week with some joy. We got this!

How to Get Out of a Broody Mood

Our new neighbors are a bunch of turkeys! I mean, literally. I think there are a few broods that have taken residence down the road. Because this is not the same group I saw yesterday. They had smaller young 'uns. (If you pay me during turkey hunting season, I'll show you where!)

But there are easier ways to get rid of a brood, er broody mood.

This morning after a I finished a slightly stressful work project, I thought, "What a nice day to take an afternoon off!" So I did.

Yes, the rest of my steaming pile of work will still be there Monday, but it was just such a nice, upper 70s temperature kind of day that will be fleeting before we know it. So I logged off, took a nice lunchtime walk with my friend Jenny, then did some weeding (very tall weeds) in front of the house, rested in the sun a minute, then decided to go golfing. 

Now that my golf partner is retired, I thought there was a chance she was free! That worked out great!

So I evaporated my broody mood by splitting my time between Mr. Deck Chair and Mr. Fox. Sorry, no time for Mr. Austin today! Plus he's taking stats at the Royals' first football game of the season down in Markesan. (Don't worry, I had to Google it, too.)

Of course, coming off my best round last night, I was expecting greatness on the course. Guess that's an every-other-day kind of thing. Ugh. The good news there is that I'll be "on" for our golf scramble tomorrow! 

After our round, Marigene and I grabbed dinner at the clubhouse. This week's hot honey spiced chicken sandwich is mucho yummo! Loved it so much, I brought half of it home so I could enjoy it for another meal. 😋

Now I'm relaxing at home, taking care of a bit of laundry, and might catch up on a little Emily in Paris season 4 while crocheting a raffle basket blanket. 

And that's how to uplift your mood. Any day. Follow me here for more stress-relief hacks. 😆

Taylor Trifle Tuesday

Sometimes, when you have a major Swiftie birthday girlfriend in your life and it's a milestone at that, you have to pull out all the stops.

So while I was out of the office for my mom's memorial service, my fellow birthday fairies at work did some major work for the big 3-0.

As a result, our friend MS (can't say her real name now that I revealed she's 30) was totally surprised! And yes, that flag says Save America Again!

For my part, I printed out a few of my "birthday era" signs to hang around the office. Yes, I do know a few TS songs, but have no idea what this "era" thing is all about. So I did what I do best in these situations.

I made a trifle! Actually it's been quite some time since I brought one to work so it was well-received. In fact, when Jim asked me mid-afternoon how much was left, my response was this...

Sorry, Jim. Desperate times (without trifles) mean desperate measures. But now that some stressful components in my life are gone, maybe I can do a little more on the make others happy front.

Hold me to it! And stay tuned.

Some Bunny Loves You

Hubby texted me this backyard photo today and my first thought was, "Awww, some bunny loves us!" We can think that way because we don't have a garden and concerns he will nibble through it.

Instead, when Jim sent me the second picture, I thought, "Is there anyway you can order it to eat through those weeds he's trying to see over?"

No such luck. But I appreciated the cute photos.

Especially this week. Good grief, is it only Tuesday night? This has been a very stressful few days for reasons I can't blog about – for fear of offending the people who are contributing to my stress. But, I'm learning life lessons in patience. And learning that there's always some bunny out there who loves me.

Just need to focus on loving myself and trying to be the best version of Robyn that I can. And try to be that some bunny who makes someone's day brighter. Just like our little visitor.

May you all find positives in negative situations this week. Some bunny's got your back. And some bunny (this bunny) cares!

We Got This, Right?

I attended a funeral visitation tonight for a friend who lost her dad just 4 days after my mom died. We both declared that 2025 was definitely going to be OUR year! Unless the powers that be could grant us a great second half of 2024. We'll take it!

For now: We got this!

We think. And we hope. 

By sheer coincidence, we had a motivational speaker at work today who basically gave us a pep talk on resiliency and agility that we can apply at work and our personal lives.

He was quite the entertaining and engaging speaker. So glad my company invests in resources like this to help us with our work-life balance. If you ever get the chance to hear Paul Wesselmann, do it. You won't regret it!

He considers himself The Ripples Guy – sharing inspirational messages that turn ripples of possibility into waves of opportunity.

I needed to hear this today. I won't regurgitate his whole presentation, but I will share what I learned about the graphic above. The premise is that to get through any major change or challenge, we go through 3 stages: Survive, revive, and thrive. But they don't necessarily occur in that order – and we may be going through all 3 at once. Depends.

CURIOUS MINDS

Part of our resilience is pausing to see how our brain is adjusting to things. Ask yourself: "What am I thinking?" and "What am I feeling?"

If you put a label to a positive feeling, it can last longer. If you apply a label to a negative feeling, it means you're actually acknowledging it and it could shrink. But in the meantime, we must acknowledge that even though we can't control our immediate reaction to something, we can control our response. That requires a second to step back and ask those questions above and figure out what response would be helpful to the situation.

OPEN HEARTS

The lesson here is that we send generosity, kindness, and compassions to ourselves. Then extend that to others: First, your friends or family who need it, then people you know but might not be as close to, and then finally, everyone. 

Not gonna lie, it's not an easy step.

CALM SPIRITS

When he talked about calming yourself, he suggested taking deep breaths – thinking HERE when you inhale and thinking NOW when you exhale. This calms you and helps you stay centered in the here and now. 

Pretty much anyone who deals with the whirlwind of daily stress – whether in the workplace or home – can identify with the need to center. Find it and figure out how to return to it and stay there in order to thrive.

NUTURE HEALTH

This can involve physical, mental, and spiritual health. The survival part is basically triage. We assess the situation. We all know life is tumultuous. What's working? What isn't working?

The revival step prompts us to figure out what we need to do. What needs to change? What doesn't?

The thrive part means we finally remember that being HEALTHY is not just about "not being sick." It's saying no. It's positive choices. It's letting go. 

It's not easy if you're wired like me!

Anyway, just wanted to share because I needed this message today. Needed to know that even when life deals you a crappy hand, there's still a way you can find to make it work without folding. 

We need to accept that every version of ourselves deserves to be loved. Deserves grace. We got this!

OK Friday

The thing about Good Friday is that we don't have a lot of good thoughts and feels associated with it. 

I worked today but was able to take a long lunch in order to sing with our choir at our 1 p.m. service. I had to rush home for a 2:30 p.m. work meeting so I didn't have a lot of time to reflect on the service. But of course, per usual, it was enough time to make me feel like a terrible and judgmental human being.

Seriously, any time I'm judging someone – based on appearance, education, anything – I might as well be in that crowd yelling "Crucify him!" 

And even though my mantra is to just BE KIND to everyone, I know I fall short. Good Friday just reminds us that we're forgiven for that. But hopefully prompts us all to do better.

My sunset photo was taken somewhere along Highway 13 tonight because I was trying to be kind – but not enabling. Obviously, parent point of view here. Ha. Carter and I went down to Baraboo, which we determined was about halfway between Blue Jay Drive and Platteville-ish area, so we could meet up with his girlfriend and she could take custody of him for the weekend.

I made him drive us down (my tough-love stance) so I only had to drive back. I survived the setting sun and deer "frolicking on the highway" hour just fine, thankfully.

Got home just in time to see Marquette lose to North Carolina State – located in Carter's most recent address, Raleigh, N.C.! Since the Wolfpack was a surprise, I didn't even have them playing in my bracket. But did have Marquette losing to Kentucky (who didn't make it past the first round) so my bracket should be good, right? Er, no?

Definitely, no.

Obviously, today is not the day to think that college basketball holds any significance in the scheme of things in our lives. 

I have friends and loved ones who today are grieving – not just Christ's death – but deaths of family members and pets, challenges of debilitating illnesses and long-road-ahead injuries, and un-necessary stress levels due to job, family, or unforeseen circumstances.

Sometimes it's OK just to have an OK Friday. We want Good Fridays and good days every day of the week.

Thanks, God, for keeping our stress levels and expectations at an even keel. Or, if not, at a level we can handle with Your help!

Getting By With a Little Help From My Furry Friends

Although I firmly believe you can never trust a puppet (thanks, comedian Heywood Banks), I don't mind that once in awhile on a super stressful work day that you have a furry friend nearby to cheer you up.

Our team joked a few weeks ago that we should have puppets on hand (pun not intended) to deliver good news and bad news. Today I just got a "you look like you could use this" visitor to my desk.

Yay, stress. That's why they call it work, my late mother-in-law often said.

Anyway, I got through it and came home to a naked yard. All that snow... gone! There's still some stubborn flakes flying about, trying to stake their claim. But I don't think they'll stay.

The good news is that despite a bit of a day, Cookie Monster prompted me to buy some Thin Mint-wannabes at the store and whip up a Tuesday Trifle for work tomorrow. Celebrating a couple of birthdays and I'm so lazy I combined it into one...

Delicious-looking (and hopefully tasting) Thin Mint Madness trifle! And now that my "work" is done for the day, I can watch The Voice – and maybe Sesame Street if I have time.

Have a stress-free week and be careful out there!

Earning a Bad Rap

After unintentionally throwing some shade on Monday earlier today, I thought I better take ownership of the day and not blame Monday for being "a Monday" just because of a little stress.

It just happens that Monday falls on a, well, a Monday. First day back at work for the majority of us. And we forget why we were so anxious to "clock out" on the previous. Until we log in a see the steaming pile. Ha.

They just get a bad rap!

But busy days go fast, thankfully. And at the end of the day, you're rewarded with special time with people you love – more than your job – and tolerate you – more than their job. Everybody wins. Or something like that. 

Let's have a good week, shall we? Knowing I have Book Club tomorrow and the Chiro/Choir Combo Wednesday gives me plenty to look forward to. Let's keep that optimistic attitude. 

It'll be alright!

Fin-ished

To take short stress breaks at work, my team works on jigsaw puzzles. You might walk by and find one piece and mosey back to your desk. Or get excited when you find one right away and stay 'til you've put another in place. Either way, you are NOT thinking about work at all.

Today we put this fin-tastic, uniquely shaped dolphin puzzle to rest. It took a few days, that's for sure! And what did we learn besides patience?

Dolphins have wicked sharp teeth! In my mind, I just picture them as these cute mammals we can wave to and they'll fin-wave back. Now I'm a bit concerned how close I might get to them when we go on a dolphin tour next week! Hmmm... 80 degrees and sunny on the Gulf... I'll be brave!

The other thing that was fin-ished today... the boys regular basketball season. They had a tough loss to Stratford to finish up the season. Playoffs start this coming Tuesday at home! They'd have to win so I could potentially see them next Friday night. Otherwise, that's that for shooting this fun team.

Since I need to fin-ish packing – 95% there – I'm not sure I'll get to editing all the photos until my return. I gotta be bright-eyed and bushy tailed (or finned) in the morning so I can hit the road at 8 a.m.

I'll try to keep you posted on what I fin-ish each day!

Happy New Year (Auld Lang Syne, Vacation)

Happy 2024! Unfortunately, New Year's Day signals the end of my Christmas vacation. The good news is that I can put an end to my 10-day grazing streak. Uff da. The bad news is my clothes are going to be seasonally snug.

The other bad news is that I have to set an alarm tonight! WHAT?! That time went too fast.

I didn't even finish all my recorded Christmas movies so I technically shouldn't be allowed to leave the house yet. Should I?

Ugh. It won't be pretty but I'll make it through. Just grateful I had time to really break in my recliner and (no offense to my awesome co-workers) didn't think about work. At. All. 

Hoping you all had time to relax during the holidays. And we can all be energized for a new year of possibilities, making memories, and perhaps watching new Hallmark movies.

Hump Day Holiday Humor

After a lot of hours of taking pictures and editing them in the past 24 hours or so – plus making some holiday treats – I'm thinking I'm not the only one could use some stress-relieving hump day holiday humor.

First, I love that area news stations are sharing this funny map. I mean it's funny to me since I am not dreaming of a white Christmas – not with the kids driving halfway across the country for a cool Jul. Let's just keep all the severe and wacky weather patterns on hold for the rest of the year, please.

And this made me giggle inappropriately (sorry, not sorry) on this hump day. I'm not mocking the real Christmas story in any way. Just struck me as funny. And I needed a good morning laugh!

This took me a minute and then I also laughed out loud. I think the stress of the holidays may have turned me into immature 13-year-old boy who snorts like Beavus and Butthead. Lord, help me! 

Thankfully I only have to work one more day for the rest of the year! Then I'll let humor – and Hallmark, of course – de-stress me.

Finish strong, everyone!

 

Unusual Delays

This is the season where lots of things are delayed – from Christmas packages and flights to middle school basketball games. Yup, there's a story...

It wasn't long after I stepped into the gymnasium for the 7th-grade boys game that I smelled burnt popcorn coming from the lobby concession stand. Not overpowering, but you know the scent, it's just annoying. I didn't give it much thought because once the game started, it got interesting.

And not just the score.

Before we even reached halftime, we had our first delay – a fan was ejected from the game. How does this happen at a 7th-grade game? I guess people are passionate. Just haven't witnessed it at a pre-teenage competition. Hmmm.

In the second half, we had another unusual delay...

Yup, the fire alarms went off in the middle of the 3rd period. After half the gym was evacuated, they started turning around and coming back in. The culprit? You guessed it – burnt popcorn!

And even though there was no danger, it took a few minutes of suffering through the annoying alarm noise before it was safe and quiet to resume play. Crazy, crazy. At least our boys won that one.

The other delay today is probably not that unusual but it ticks me off.

Last Monday I sent a small package to the kiddos in Raleigh. Part of it was a St. Lucia Day gift so I paid extra for two-day shipping. Guess when it arrived? Yup, you read that right – tonight! A full week later! I don't want to be that nagging customer who complains when it's clear they're overstressed and understaffed. Still... why the heck would they go to the East Coast by way of a mail center in Houston, Texas? Not kidding. I've been tracking this daily!

Sigh.

Just a reminder to focus on what we can control – and pray for patience on all the stuff we can't. It is the most wonderful time of the year after all. Right?!

Be careful out there!

Hello, Summer

It's definitely Summer Official when it's 89 degrees at 5:19 p.m. AND the sunset isn't until 8:46 p.m. Whoo-hoo! Welcome, Summer. So glad you're here!

To celebrate Midsommar – as we Scandi-hoovians say – I kidnapped my dream team for a brief Solstice Time Out after work. Pretty sure we all needed it.

In fact, I noticed when I resumed work at home tonight that even my stress ball (er, head) looked stressed. 

May summer ease our stress, our worries, our tension, with gentle heat, cool treats, and warm hugs when we need them! 

Light at the End (or Middle) of the Clouds

I miss Tennessee. Yes, we had a few long days of work, but we managed to balance that with fun. And none of it was in the office. Now it's back at the office this week and the reality of "much to do with little time" hits. 

A bit stressful today to be sure. But I promised myself that on this last day of May, with no plans for the evening, I'd plop myself down on Mr. Deck Chair and relax a bit while hubby was gone at golf league. 

Allegedly it was mostly sunny and 91 degrees today. Maybe even close to a record. But I sat down and not 5 minutes later it was raining on me and Mr. DC. Granted, just a few giant drops...

But rain, nonetheless. I actually just sat there in it and let it cool me off (from hot stress moments at work today) and let it pass. When I looked up at the hole in the clouds (pictured up top), I figured the Lord would grant me at least a little piece (read: PEACE) of sunshine after all.

But the real light at the end of the tunnel, er day, was this post on Facebook from a friend...

Talk about making me cry! Awwww. But at the same time, realizing that I love what I do in my FREE time and love that it brings happiness to a few others. 

So there is a light at the end of the tunnel, er partly cloudy sky, after all. Hey, it's already Hump Day. We got this, people! 

Today Brought to you by the Words Serenity and Now

Today's words – well the words of the past month – are Serenity and Now. Or ... Serenity Now!

Work has been a bit hectic and stressful. But as my boss and I discussed this morning, it's just work. It's a small piece of the giant picture of life. And we're not losing or saving lives as writers in a marketing department. 

So I'm trying to call upon my shortened version of the Serenity Prayer and just keep moving forward. I did have to work a bit tonight after I got home. Had to skip choir practice. But should be caught up when we finally see the birthday boy tomorrow. 

Maybe that's adding to my stress. Missing my boy! C'mon, moms. You can confirm this is a reality!

At least with hubby golfing tonight I was able to catch another episode of The Diplomat. Pretty sure I'll wrap that season up this weekend.

And another positive... a "projected" high of 73 degrees tomorrow! Since I woke up to 31 degrees today, I am looking forward to this little ray of sunshine.

If you're having a stressful week, may you find serenity. Now!

Almost Missed That One

This 100% sums up today's Vikings game. And the jaded fans in this house almost missed the historic moment.

Oh yes, it was on TV.  But when we trailed by an embarrassing 33-0 at halftime, hubby changed the channel to golf and I finished editing posting my JV basketball pictures from last night. Even my sister in Arizona texted me asking what was up and I said between the interceptions, fumble, penalties, and more, it was a Christmas stocking full of purple missteps. I might have thought a stronger word, believe me.

When I was done editing pictures, I checked the score on my phone and not only had we missed the 3rd quarter, but we missed some Viking scoring.

I went out to the living room and said, "Honey, we're trying to make a game of it." No response. So I said, "What channel is this on so I can watch in the basement?" He told me the channel and then added, "Sucker!"

I know, right? We are lifelong Vikings fans so we do have a long jaded history behind us. So many "so close" moments that weren't close enough.

But still, I didn't want to miss out in case, as I texted to Carter, "We pull off a miracle here."

We kept scoring and closing the gap and I kept pacing – you can check my FitBit – and yelling the score up the stairs in case Jim cared. It was unreal. They kept saying that if we won, it would be the largest comeback victory in NFL history. No pressure, guys.

And then it was OT and we found ourselves with little time on the clock and in a situation no Viking fan wants to see...

Needing to kick a field goal to win. It has actually happened in our favor this season a few times, but we can't forget moments when we really needed it – like NFC championship games, Gary Anderson and Blair Walsh! Uff da. Instant tears, headache, and teeth grinding. Today wasn't going to be season-ending if we lost or tied, but we had the opportunity on the line to clinch the North, which doesn't happen often and definitely not when there's a few weeks of the season let to play.

So we held our collective breaths across Purple People Land...

And it was good! A historic comeback! A division clinched! And there was much SKOL-ing and rejoicing! I think my heart rate will come down by Christmas. We couldn't have scripted this any better.

That was a way happier ending than the two Hallmark movies I watched to day. No offense, Hallmark. Believe me when I say that unlike my favorite NFL team, you've never let me down yet. 

Find your happy this holiday season. Keep believing!