Ignorant Historian

Another Snowy Saturday and I’ll Scream

Oh my, this weekend was exactly what I needed after a crazy 3 months of travel, emotional highs and lows, sickness, and more work than I felt like I could handle at the time.

Start of the weekend: Friday was a good-busy day at work with an encouraging visit from a big boss and full of “snow day” excitement. That really doesn’t go away when you grow up, does it? Oh yeah, and did I mention, I got a raise? After work the day got better as I got to go HOME. As much as I love the people in my small group, I was craving time away from people.

Saturday we woke up to a blanket of snow, and the cold stuff still falling (actually, a lot of sleet later in the day). I do love snow…as long as it stays outside and I stay in. Still haven’t touched the stuff (though I’m going to have to make a run out to my car to get another can of Diet Dr Pepper this morning). Spent the day doing a little laundry and a lot of reading. Started The Help…so good!

Sunday church was cancelled and the city was just starting to wake up from the snow.  Five inches of snow may seem like nothing to others, but that’s a lot here in the South when we don’t have the capabilities to do much with it.  Another day of reading The Help, with a short break to watch Hairspray with the roommate.

And then today, the party continues.  Of course, I can’t quite neglect work like I have the last two days, but I really just need to make a few calls to cancel our appointments and handle any new emails/voice mails that come in.  All which can be handled here without leaving my comfy reading chair.

I will be going back to work tomorrow, possibly.  Though honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if they cancel school again (I don’t work in a school, but that’s how we determine if we’re open or closed for taxes).  Even if I have to go in to work, it’ll be at noon at our yet non-busy site.  Not bad!  When this is all over, I’ll be ready to be around people again.

A Three-Day Indoor Vacation? Please!

It’s weird having gone three weekdays without a word on the blog.  I just don’t have the energy to say anything and not much to say.  I’m looking forward to a slow weekend to rest from people.

I’ve slept about 9 hours every night this week, and I’m still exhausted.  I don’t think it’s from lack of sleep at this point, just an over-stimulus from people.  Weddings, traveling, and tax season are all full of people…a lot for this introvert.

We’re expected to get 5-7 inches of snow tonight and tomorrow.  I really hope it happens, because I want an excuse to never leave home.  Nobody is scheduling tax appointments for later this afternoon, just in case.

Tax season is going well.  As in the past, I’m loving it, even though it leaves me exhausted.

I hope you all have an excellent weekend…I hope to be back to myself come Monday!

Yesterday went smoothly, though it was pleasantly exhausting.  I love my job…have I mentioned that before?  Seeing the joy in someone’s face as they know they won’t have to pay as much as $500 to get their money back is priceless.  I also have had several returning clients get so excited to find out that I’m still here as they want me to do their taxes again!  Makes your day to be wanted like that.

This’ll be a short week as tomorrow night I’ll be flying out of here (barring snow!…though it’s not in the forecast).  The last two times I’ve tried to leave the state, the weather has changed my plans.  On top of that, it thundered here on Sunday, and people here in North Carolina say that means that it’ll snow in 7 days.  Have you heard that saying?  I haven’t, and neither had my friend who’s from Pennsylvania.  Is it just a North Carolina thing or have you heard of it, too?

I’m looking forward to this trip as almost all my extended family will be there.  While obviously my brother Riley and Amanda will be in focus as the groom and bride (I know that we don’t say it that way usually, but if I say it the other way, it’ll look like I’m calling my brother the bride!), we’ll also get some good family time in, too.  I took good notes on how to be a good Maid of Honor at my last wedding, so I hope I’m up to snuff!

* Because of the potential wrinkle of snow/ice, we left for Georgia at 7 AM on Friday.  It was 37 degrees when we left Raleigh.  When we arrived in Newnan, Georgia at 3 PM, it was 26 degrees.  We went from North to South, from the coldest part of the day to the warmest, and we lost 11 degrees.

* Even with the cold and the snow on the ground in Newnan (just a dusting, but it was too cold to melt) I still wore flip flops the morning of the wedding.

* I know this’ll sound vain, but my hair looked GOOD.  All it took from my usual hairstyle was a couple of crystal-studded bobby pins.  I’m going to have to put my hair back like that with bobby pins more often, because it keeps the long curls around my face from looking droopy!

* Though I’m very thankful I didn’t trip, I did lose feeling in the entire bottom half of my feet during the ceremony.  Since the Lutheran service next week will be much longer than the Baptist one, I’m going to have to get creative on how I won’t lose feeling in my toes.  I think the key is not to wear the heels one minute longer than I have to before the wedding, which was a strategy I took up only after the wedding this time.

* It was nice to walk back down the aisle at the end of the wedding and actually recognize a couple of people.  This next wedding, I’ll recognize more than a couple…

* Not quite weekend-related, but I went to the doctor yesterday for a physical and was told that I’m significantly short on Vitamin D.  I cut out tanning last year for health reasons, but it seems like it’s had the opposite affect!  The good thing is that while I haven’t had any noticeable symptoms, it was caught so I can be treated.  I think my body’s been telling me all along that I need the sun.  Low Vitamin D levels have been linked with fatigue and joint pain, so I’m hoping getting back to adequate levels will give me more energy and help the pain in my knees.

* Also, my glucose is high, so I now have doctor’s orders to exercise and cut out some carbs…something I knew I should have been doing anyway.  Having the doctor tell me, though, is what I needed to actually do it!

Okay, had  a chance to get back on a compy.  Today’s been a good day as well, and not as emotional which is thankful after the last two days.  I’m still enjoying it and getting a better vision as to how I can continue to love on my friends while I’m not here.

Yesterday we did get to do a scavenger hunt.  In my group we had two small children, so we were a bit limited as to how we could  complete the tasks.  We decided some creative interpretation was in order.  For example, for “have your shoes shined” one of my teammates shined another’s shoes and for “buy a pack of tissues” one teammate bought some from another.  We were very liberal in our interpretations, but most importantly it kept us from having to drink the fermented beet juice given to the loser.

The weather has been interesting: very stormy.  Last night we had an awful storm with lightning that lasted a very long time.  When we were out walking today, we looked up and noticed a nasty dark gray cloud almost over us, so we hurried and ducked into a shop to get some dessert.  It rained and hailed so hard that the street was a river for a good 30 minutes.  Since that storm it’s been cold, though until now it’s been unseasonably warm.

Well, I have plenty more to share (including pictures I’ll try to steal from my teammates) but thank you for thinking about us!

1.  The snow is melting nicely, though it’s C-O-L-D.  Twenty degrees might have been a normal low when I lived in Kansas, but I’m certainly not used to it here!  I’m looking forward to the spring weather we’re expecting this weekend…and Daylight Saving Time!

2.  Over on the Book Nook, I’m giving away one book of the winner’s choice off a list of the Book Nook’s favorites.  Stop by and enter in!

3.  Has anyone else noticed Dunkin’ Donuts new slogan?  It’s “You kin’ do it.”  Kin’?  Really?  What is the apostrophe there for?  What letter is missing at the end of the word “kin,” considering they changed the spelling of “can” to be…cutesy?  I don’t care how you say it, the word is “can.”

4.  This past weekend I did nothing productive in any sense of the word, except laundry.  I don’t necessarily have to be as productive on my weekends as when I was a student, but I didn’t even do any reading or writing to speak of.  Ugh.  It’s definitely motivating me to have a plan for this coming weekend.  There are books to read, people!  I can’t just sit around and watch TV!

Ugh.  I totally had pictures to go along with this post, but they’re not uploading.

It snowed again last night.  What is up with this place?  It’s not supposed to snow this much!  I think a move to Miami might be in order.

Seriously though, I’ll enjoy it while I can…from inside.  I’ll have to venture out to go to work this afternoon, but until then I’ll enjoy a mini-snow day.

I was reading an article in Newsweek last night called “The Curse of Cursive.”  The author was arguing that there is no need for kids to learn cursive and that it’s good that penmanship is essentially dead.

Now, I love email and other electronic communication.  It has made my cross-country move reasonable.  There’s nothing like an email from someone you love…except a handwritten letter.

I don’t have a problem with the argument against cursive.  Writing changes through the years, and that’s fine.   However, I don’t think the written letter should die with it.  I love to receive letters, and try to write a letter or note at least once a week. 

There’s just something special about it, probably because you know the person took extra time to think of you.

I should have known better than to believe the weather reports that we were actually going to get accumulated snow here in Raleigh.  I guess our last snow, the only substantial snow in all of my 4 winters here, threw me off. 

We did get a dusting of snow last night, but nothing this morning like we were expected to.  Though the roads are perfectly clear, the schools are on on a 2-hour delay, which made the commute easier.  I’m glad that we didn’t get snow so that today can go off as planned, with all my appointments!