It’s funny how some events in your life you will never forget for big reasons (wedding day, birth of a child, anniversaries, graduations etc..) One day for me was one year ago yesterday when we had a bad storm and my finished basement flooded- corner to corner. What a mess that was and being on Spring Break that was not my ideal idea of how I wanted to spend my last couple of days ( pulling up carpet, boxing up everything etc) Yesterday the rain repeated itself and I had a complete flashback and did not sleep well to say the least.

I love sleeping through a good storm in fact I always felt most relaxed and liked the sound of thunder, until last year. Trauma and stress is real and it comes in all forms. I hope there comes a day when I do not have a trigger to a large rainfall but for now it is what it is. I am grateful I am not cleaning up a basement today and over the next few days- my basement is dry !

Who doesn’t like to laugh…? Laughter is great for the soul. Tonight I am going to a comedy show, I have not been to a show for over 20 years. I am looking forward to it as long as our seats are in the back. LOL. (something I do remember as being the hot seats.) Is it strange that I do not care who the comic is? I have been asked why I haven’t looked him up or cared who I was going to see. I look at it like this- I am going to have a good time regardless. I am sure he is good as he is well known and has bee on Jimmy Fallen. Looking at the time I better get going and get myself ready.

I have a blank mind today as I get ready to set off to run errands today and get some things done. When I sit to write these entries I feel like I have to have a complete thought to write about and today I do not. I have a lot on my mind and I feel like my thoughts are going in many directions. I guess that means I better get going get things done so I can feel more settled in my thoughts and enjoy the day like when I get back home and I can sit, relax and read a good book.

Most grocery stores today have an incentive that when you sign up with your phone number you save on in store sales, some even attach credit towards gas savings. This practice has been around for a very long time. What aggravates me is the “in store digital coupons” UGH. Why I ask do you need to do an extra step when they already have you signed in and know your personal information like your phone number and address … now you have to create a separate account using their APP in order to save on other things that also has you enter your phone, address and sometimes even your DOB. I feel bad for older people or even those who just don’t get all caught up in the digital world today. I am not one that does to tell you the truth but I will do what I gotta do to save money when it comes to that. What drives me bonkers is that I have to pay attention to other things when I shop ( like the adding items to my digital cart for coupons) when I would rather focus on browsing the store and looking at items that catch my eye instead of holding my phone and adding items to the store APP. Maybe it’s just me but what is the point to having a phone number to a store for savings and then also having to be connected to their APP for more savings- Aggravation I tell ya !

Took a trip into the city today, the sun was shinning and there was just enough clouds to make it a beautiful sky. I have not been downtown in a very long time ( 3 years I believe) The traffic was nice and smooth both there and back and that makes the trip a A+ just with that. We walked around a museum and then walked the pier. It was a little chilly outside but the sunshine was a smidge warm on our faces as the wind reminded us we are not quite into summertime just yet. It was my daughters first time to the Pier… there was not much there today but I tried to explain to her what the summer is like with all the events, people and music. She would like to go back just to see if Mom knows what she is talking about. On the way home we ended our day with a delicious meal at one of my favorite places. All in all it was a great day. Looking forward to more days like today……

Gotta love when you get into a mood where you want to deep clean your house- at least I do! The unfortunate thing about that is that it ends up costing me more aggravation and money. The more I clean and pitch out things, I want to throw everything out and start over with my entire décor of my home. I go through this process at least once a year. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could change things that easily like when I was a kid I had a toy called colorforms. They were a peel and stick kind of dollhouse I guess you could say and you designed your home one way and peeled it off and designed it a different way the next time you played. It does not help that I also love to shop for home décor and furniture when I have the time and the one thing about being on Spring Break is I have some extra time to do just that.

It feels amazing to be on a short break from my job. My daughter and I both have the same week off which is very nice and so I have a list of things I hope to accomplish.

1. Clean out closets
2. Relax
3. Get oil changed on car
4. Relax
5. Construction on basement remodel
6. Order new front door
7. Spend fun time with Mom and Faith
8. Day in the City
9. Relax
10. Order patio furniture
11. Watch a good movie
12. Read for fun
13. Enjoy deep thinking and ponder things that need time to ponder in some sunshine I hope 🙂

Having time to ourselves is very necessary in life. I don’t take enough time in silence where I can reset my thoughts and gain more positive perspectives. This time I hope will be a great time to do just that.

Today is my amazing Mom’s birthday ! I had shared in a previous slice that I had stress about buying her the perfect birthday gift- Well now that the day is here that feeling has passed and I know my mom is going to love just getting a phone call from me that tells her how special she is and how much we love, appreciate her AND Happy Birthday !

I am not as easy going as my mom, I get more worked up about things being in a certain form and fashion and I need to let that go in some ways. This week has been a bit stressful overall and now that it is Friday, the end of the work week and the sun is shining, and it is a day that I get to celebrate one of the most important people in my life, IT IS AN AMAZING day and my gift to my mom is not a big deal to stress over- she is going to love it even though it is not a trip to a tropical island. I love you mom to the moon and beyond !

I wish I knew how to attach photos to my entries but I just have not taken the time to figure it out. I will try and paint the best picture in your mind as I can….As I left for work today there they were peeking out as my first sign that Spring is on it’s way- my TULIPS !!! The deep green stems were all over my front landscaping in my flower beds. Today was the first time I noticed them, I know they were not saying hello yesterday. I love when that happens- one day there is nothing coming out of the garden and the next day you see vegetation starting to grow, flower buds on trees and bushes.

Hope is on the horizon of warmer days, vacations, long walks with dog, bike rides with my daughter, day trips with family and friends. Summer can’t come quick enough. Spring Break starts tomorrow and I am looking forward to having that time to spend with my daughter and enjoy some me time, relax, get some chores done and recharge.

My mon’s birthday is coming up in a few days and I have been trying to come up with a gift that I have not given her before in the past. I have to laugh because why am I feeling like this….my mom is so easy going and in fact she always says ” Oh Kim, don’t be getting me anything” I can get her anything and she will love it ! I wish I was retired so she and I could jet set off somewhere for the week and take in some warm sunshine for her birthday- Now that sounds like a great gift! Ugh the stress is real, I don’t like it.