vacation day 7, the end… or maybe just the beginning.

oh so it is, the end of a wonderful 7 day adventure. after a mini flight delay, i found my way to the airport with any confrontation.  a good,bright and EARLY morning would land me in st. louis at 830- time for a sesame bagel(dunkin donuts) and the usual coffee (starbucks)… not going to lie, i am pretty sure my momma googled a directory of the terminal i landed in, terminal e… and directed me to find my way to dunkin solely for a bagel and proceed straight to starbucks for coffee. this “direction” came via text message promptly… as soon as i turned my phone from airplane mode to normal cell mode: a message from momma bear appeared with those prompt instructions.   as if she knew what i was going to need, hah, oh wait.. she does… she knows exactly what i need to fill my belly and usually to fill my head.  she always takes care of me, thanks momma (if you’re out there).  thanks to my oklahoma-ites for taking care of me- i feel like i can conquer the world! or maybe at least pretend to conquer the world… 

so this is the end of my vacation, day 7 is wrapping up- thanks to my best friend/sister in law who picked me up from the airport with the baby nephew (and his new Pumas). despite for 2 months of pregnancy she helped with my luggage to the front door.  love love love best friends. so here we are, end of day 7: i am currently enjoying some boxed wine, thank you pepperwood grove, AH ! not your average “boxed” wine, don’t be scared, its actually rather delicious.  it has a delicious price tag as well, $13 for a box which is equivalent to 4 bottles:) some are saying BARGAIN!

well cheers! cheers to happy, healthy, the ability to love, the freedom to travel, cheers to family, understanding, back patios for talking, baby nephews to taxi us to/from the airport, cheers to great food, yummy wine, chocolate dallops, and the ability to share our thoughts with others. 

vacation day 6! oh man oh man.

day 6, my farewell to Oklahoma… unless of course their is a winter storm warning for philadelphia- let’s start from there.

tearful goodbyes & a short visit through desolate security lines and then.. my phone is buzzing, my brother is warning me about the possibility of snow. snow!? really? I mean come on it is 60 degrees where I am, how could there be snow?? well in fact, because of those little white flakes of life, I panicked, called my momma and pops and was advised to find if my flight to philly would be guaranteed to land- if not, then i was to change my flight for the next day! well it worked our for all of us- a new flight for me and my entourage was back to pick me up, inclusive of my luggage that Southwest was able to receive before it boarded my flight. thank goodness for my alert brother or i could have been stranded, STRANDED in st. Louis.

a toast to a one-day extension of my vacation was definitely in order, a local brewhouse, bjs, catered to us and for me a frosty amber ale… yum! the extra night with my family was awesome- I believe it was a great ending to a much needed vacation. time away, time to catch my breath, time to enjoy the day, time was on my side(corny… but true). back to the work routine tomorrow; hopefully it is a rather smooth transition, or else i will be toasting a drink to myself…

vacation day 5: today was a relazing day, no plans just relax and enjoy each other’s company. I stole a photo with dad, he was totally was fine with it- no hesitation/ objective… i love my dadd, he has such great insight- which keeps me going.

what a day it was today… a roadtrip, well let’s all be on the same page, roadtrip in Oklahoma is a 30-40 minute drive down the main highway. let’s take a close look:

roadtrip: noun : used to describe an extensive period of time spent usually spent in a car with friends and family, one may find themselves going crazy per the family in such close proximity for such extensive periods of time. see image 1.1 for behaviors associated with and pertaining to such activity.

image 1.1

once we arrived to our destination, Big Truck Tacos, everything seemed to be a little bit better.  i sincerely believe my family lives to eat food, now you may think…”oh i do too!” but let me tell you something,mr… my family will literally plan the day around a meal, we plan breakfast around a meal planned for 1:00 requiring a roadtrip, we plan to stop cleaning the house at noon so we can make it there on time.  we are serious, we are serious as the heart attack coming our way from the massive amounts of delicious food we consume daily.  i know for a fact it is in our blood, no matter if we live on the east coast or out here in the midwest, we all eat the same amount: COPIOUS.

 ahhhh, but who is really counting the calories, you know it really is about the company and memories made around, near, smelling, eating, planning menus for delicious food… so let’s set the record straight, I LOVE FOOD errrr WE LOVE FOOD. Food is amazing, in my family there has always been a spot for us to sit and visit while food is being prepared, creating the heart of our home.  so here we go, whether we are traveling(roadtrip) to a “local” to-die-for joint(see fried avocado taco picture)or just sitting in the kitchen, food is always a favorite past time… even though we all may be going crazy in the backseat… food creates the best memories with the best people, our families. 

(fried avocado tacos)

vacation dia tres. (my Spanglish for vacation day 3)

well today was absolutely fabulous. spent the day with my parents- since dad works out of the house now, his trip to work starts from one end of house & ends in his office. having him work out of the house makes leaving the house so much easier knowing he will be there when we get home from our mandatory shopping duties. after a couple errands with momma, we met allie for a mani pedi session- which was inclusive of hot stone massages, paraffin wax and back rubs. paradise? well it was pretty close. we did arrive home a short 2 hours later and proceeded to do a little exercising and i shouldn’t had gone for a run  though, my socks are imprinted into my freshly painted toes, an OPI hot cherry red.. (worse things have happened)

meanwhile back to vacation: a fiesta was in store for such a great day, flank steak fajitas. home made salsa with mango & tomatillos and guacamole. ole! rice and beans accompanied with a delicious 7 layer dip… all of it: home made(of course). in love with food? yes, yes I have a love affair with food and a strong love for eating every bite with my family! let’s talk about savor… or at least that can wait until tomorrow.

it’s official: vacation day 2.

yummy chocolate chip cookie with a chocolate dollop. a dollop of life, it was so delicious.

vacation? day 1.

brother and nephew taxi me to PHL for an extended weekend relaxation of sort. I am off to see my family in Oklahoma, I think to catch my breath and get a great big overdose of momma. she has an elixir for everything. i will find peace of mind with daddylumpkins and my heart will have a huge smile after I spend time with the best little sister in the world. so here’s to a great get away… and a beautiful departure from my little nephew.

my kind of joe.

so my morning was a bit rough; feeling hangover but I never even touched a drop. I would personally like to owe the feeling to long hours at work, restaurant management isn’t for the faint of heart, fourteen hours on a Friday, well it doesn’t surprise me. So as I open my weary eyes and pull my pounding head away from my cold pillow, I make an executive decision to skip the coffee grinder & proceed right to Starbucks( in my favorite yoga pants, of course). I order my triple grande soy latte, head out to my car and what do you know, my sister is parking her car! we live about 20 miles from one another, she was on her way to an art class and was stopping by on her way to the class. needless to say, we chatted for a good 20 minutes and honestly, it made my day. thanks to my long hours of work leading to a lazy morning, I find my sister. love really does make the world go ‘round, especially with a triple grande soy latte.

finally! my craving for French toast was cured- and beyond amazing. thanks to a local diner, luckys, I thoroughly enjoyed an overwhelming serving of french toast, crispy bacon & well done home fries. what more can a hungry girl ask for?

i have been sick with a virus(walrus, as my momma would say) and i honestly don’t know where it stemmed from, however it knocked me out for 2 days and I had to call out sick for 1 of them. calling out sick, well it was one of the hardest things I have ever done. anyway, after resting all day and arriving at my sisters house: chicken dinner mashed potatoes and a couch with movies all day- I honestly started to feel better. She rescued me today. And my mother, she saved me from going crazy every night for the past two nights, pre throw-up/ post throw-up (sorry for the gross details) but Mom was really there, 2 rings and all the way from Oklahoma she would make this meek mind feel safe enough and calm enough to fall back into a slumber, solid 7 hours usually. Mom saved my heart from growing weary and anxious. she prayed for me last night, before I went to sleep and I slept almost ten hours. meanwhile today, after heartwarming sister time - she sends me to my old bedroom, with fresh sheets and a fan(she knows i need one to fall asleep). It’s amazing that she knew I didn’t want to drive home, this bedroom has saved me as well. after hanging up with my momma, five minutes passes and I know, I will need prayer to put me back to sleep tonight. so I ask for my dad and her to pray with me- so they did. prayer is amazing. they asked for a peace that I could be understood to only come from the Holy Spirit. within seconds I had a smile and knew instantly that everything was really going to be alright. as dad was talking after the prayer he asked me why I wanted to pray- and after explaining that I was worried and anxious to be confronted as I go back to work tomorrow, he told me this,

“ask for graciousness for today and don’t worry about tomorrow. you can’t anticipate the need for grace, God doesn’t play that game. He didn’t ask for grace the day before He was nailed to the cross, so as should you not anticipate hardship tomorrow. think about and pray for today. God’s grace will and always live through you today.”

wow.

my parents are true blessings from God. powerful, right?

to lighten the mood, he reminded me that if work creates an uncomfortable atmosphere to call my mother for comfort and him to quote the law(regarding eoe) anyway, he loves me. mom loves me. Amanda loves me. my Jesus loves me. and also, Lady apparently loves to kiss me when I sleep on the couch, so she loves me too.

goodnight.