Our Week - The One with Girls Dinner, Opening Day, and Couples Club

Last week was a little rough.  I was hit hard with congestion and a nasty cough that wouldn’t quit and every muscle in my body is still recovering from #allthecoughing.  SO SORE.  I get a respiratory illness every single year at the end of February/beginning of March, so I know it’s just allergies.  The day the gunk started building in my throat was the very same day that my pollen app sent out a high pollen alert so I’m sure that’s all it is.  Don’t worry, no coronavirus over here!  Haha.

We also had tons more rain and storms last week and I’m convinced that this just might be the rainiest couple of months we’ve ever had in my lifetime.  Olivia brought home Noah’s Ark for her AR book a couple of weeks ago (fitting) and I was reminded of God’s promise to never flood the earth like that again… and questioning it a bit.  Haha.

In addition to all of that, the car troubles are still going strong – my engine light is back on again, the engine has been shuddering a whole bunch when I’m stopped or in park, and last week it started shuddering occasionally when I’m driving, too.  I need to get it back to the service department at the dealership but they told me they’ll need to keep it for several days the next time they have it, and that’s just so hard!  I don’t know how we’ll function with only one vehicle since we’re in the thick of busy baseball season, but I’m sure we’ll figure it out.

When putting things in perspective I know the week wasn’t horrible, but between all of those little things piling up and the impending coronavirus + the knowledge that we’re supposed to be traveling to Disney World in a few weeks, I have definitely felt a little stressed.  I chose to focus on positivity and worrying less during Lent because I thought that would be the most beneficial thing for me personally, but just like last year when I did the same thing, I’m being tested.  I joked with B the other night that I’m not doing the whole positivity/no worry thing again next year because I feel like it brings on all of the bad things every time I do it.  Haha. 

We finally had some sunshine at the end of the week and we ended up having a fabulous weekend, so that was enough to redeem the whole week for me!  Let’s get to the recap!

Monday, March 2

Monday morning my cough hadn’t yet settled in, so I felt good and headed to the gym as planned.  I did the stair stepper, hip adductor, and hip abductor machines again and then I swung by Walmart Market on the way home to grab some avocadoes and bread since we were out. 

After getting home, I started stalking my Disney app to look at the wait times for all the attractions.  B and I have started loosely planning an itinerary for our trip, and we’re currently stalking wait times to see which rides have the longest waits… that way we know which ones we need to run to first after rope drop.  We, of course, have fast passes for each of the parks but there are just so many things to do that we’ll definitely need to run to some of them early before the lines get too long.

The rest of the day was spent working and then getting the kids from school.  Jacob had baseball practice in the batting cages, so practice was still on despite the rain.  Once B arrived to relieve me, Olivia and I headed home to get dinner ready.  As the day went, my cough grew more and more persistent, and by the end of the day I was spent.

Tuesday, March 3

Tuesday morning I woke up feeling exhausted which is never a good sign.  Normally when I’m tired I push through and go to the gym anyway, but that day I could tell my body needed to rest so I decided to skip it.  After dropping the kids, I ran to Walmart to load up on immune system boosters.  I’d listened to a podcast Monday about keeping your immune system strong since the coronavirus is near, and I wanted to go grab a few things to keep on hand.  The guy I listened to said foods that are off white/light yellow in color are the best for keeping your immune system strong – bone broth, ginger, cauliflower, pears, garlic, and onions – and he also mentioned that elderberry and turmeric are also great immune system boosters so I loaded up on those, too. 

I went back home to work, and by 11 AM I was so exhausted I could barely keep my eyes open, and I definitely couldn’t focus.  I grabbed a quick lunch of avocado toast and bone broth (which is pretty gross by the way) and then I did something I never ever do – I took a nap.  I was so exhausted that I literally walked downstairs in the dark (because it was storming and pitch black outside) and I passed right out on the couch.  I slept for almost two hours and before I knew it, it was time to get the kids from school.  Thank goodness I have a daily alarm set to remind me to pick them up every day.  Otherwise, I might have slept right through car line pick-up.

Fortunately, baseball was canceled that evening due to the weather, so I was able to stay home all evening and rest.  We had leftover white chicken chili in the fridge from my mom (thanks, Momma!!) so I didn’t even have to cook.  I got in my PJs and rested all evening which was a good thing because I ended up being up all. night. long. coughing.  Even Nyquil didn’t help me sleep.  That’s when you know it’s bad.

We did have a bright spot in the day, though, because these babies came in the mail!!!!

Wednesday, March 4

Wednesday morning my exhaustion was gone, despite the fact that I hadn’t slept the night before, so I took that as a good sign.  It was another rainy day so I stayed home all day working, and I felt good enough that I didn’t have to take a nap that day… I probably wouldn’t have been able to sleep anyway from all of the coughing. 

Thursday, March 5

I didn’t sleep at all again Wednesday night despite my best efforts to control the cough.  I tried hot tea with ginger, lemon, and honey, I took Delsym an hour before bed, I tried cough drops and throat spray and essential oils.  Some of those things did seem to help, but they didn’t help enough to allow me to sleep.  Sigh. 

I knew I had a girls dinner later that evening so I needed to be in tip top shape, so instead of getting ahead on my blogging, I took another two hour nap after lunch to catch up on sleep.  Isn’t it so crazy how coughing slows down during the day and then the second your head hits the pillow at night you can’t stop?

Thursday evening baseball was cancelled again due to the rain, but I was kind of glad since the girls and I had a dinner planned at a new upscale Mexican restaurant that just opened.  Since baseball was canceled, I was able to get to the restaurant early to get our names on the list, and by the time everyone else arrived, our table was ready. 

We started with a round of skinny strawberry basil margaritas (SO good) and then we had dinner.  I had two chicken and cheese quesadillas that were fried all around + rice and beans, guac, and sour cream.  Their food was so fresh and so good, the guac was amazing, and we will most definitely be going back!  The place was packed and loud, but it had a great, upbeat atmosphere and it was nice to catch up with my girls.  It had been too long!

Friday, March 6

Friday, the kids had early dismissal, so I dropped them at school and then went home to work for a few hours before it was time to grab them.

Olivia’s beloved teaching assistant had her last day Friday as she’s moving back home to Columbia to be with her family.  She was in Jacob’s class for one year and Olivia’s class for two years and we’re just going to miss her so much. 

Friday it was SUNNY for the first time in literal weeks so after the kids got out of school I knew some outdoor time was in order.  Since they didn’t have lunch at school we headed to Panera by the school for some soup, salad, and sandwiches.  We all cracked up because apparently the rest of the school had the same idea… the entire restaurant was full and there were students from our school at every single table.  Haha.

After lunch we drove to the playground by the library that the kids love so much.  It was a gorgeous day, but it was insanely windy, so that made it a little chillier than I would have liked.  We stayed at the playground for a good hour and then headed over to the library to stock up on AR books for the last quarter of school.

The kids and I headed home after that, and I let them watch a couple of shows on Netflix.  While they watched, I curled up on the couch with them and I dozed off a little bit.  I didn’t sleep at all the night before again because – SO MUCH COUGHING – so I was riding the struggle bus yet again. 

B picked up Cracker Barrel veggies on the way home from work and he and I tried a new IPA that I had gotten him for his birthday.  After dinner, we all snuggled up on the couch to watch Frozen 2 for the first time at home.  We’d seen it in the theater and loved it, and I think I loved it even more the second time around!  Just so good. 

After the kids went to bed, B and I watched some more of Love is Blind and I decided to make a hot toddy before bed to see if it would help with my cough so I could finally sleep.  In addition to the hot toddy, I also pulled out our humidifier (don’t know why I didn’t think of that before) and I made a chest and neck rub from essential oils.  That combination of the hot toddy, the humidifier, and the oils worked and I slept like a baby for the first time in many nights.    

Saturday, March 7

I woke up feeling like a new woman Saturday which was a good thing because it was opening day for baseball and we had a very busy day ahead of us.  We were up and out the door by 9 and then we were at the ball field all morning.  Jacob had team pictures and then we had opening ceremonies which was a lot longer than I had expected. 

Jacob didn’t have a game Saturday which was a bummer, so we had a late lunch at Chick-Fil-A afterward and then headed back home to get a couple of things done around the house before we had to head out again.

Our church/school fam had a couples club event planned Saturday evening and my parents were watching the kids for us, so we had to start getting ready at 3:30 so we could be out the door in time to get my car (with the car seats) over to my parents before they had to leave for church. 

We met them at church to hand off the kiddos, and then B and I snuck out right after communion so we could make it to couples club by 6:30. Our couples club serves as a way for people to connect outside of church.  Most of the couples who attend also have kids at school with our kids, so it’s always a good way to spend time with them and get to know others who we don’t already know.  We’ve had lots of different events throughout the years, and the event for this one was a wine and whiskey tasting.

The event was held downtown in the lobby of one of our friend’s businesses and it was the absolute perfect venue.  It was in an old mill that’s been revamped so there were huge floor to ceiling windows around the perimeter, exposed brick, recess lighting, and lots of twinkle lights which gave the whole place a romantic glow. 

My friend, Jessica, who was in charge of organizing the event, did a fantastic job putting together tables upon tables of charcuterie boards and dessert towers.  There were assortments of meats, cheeses, fruits, nuts, jams, crackers, and finger sandwiches and it was pretty much a dream come true.  Y’all know how much I love a charcuterie board!  

Each person had their own wine glass, stems painted with chalk paint, so everyone could write their names on their glasses.  (Those were the glasses we had painted at bible study last week.)  There was a couple from a local craft beer store there to pour the wines and whiskeys and describe them to us.  There were eight wines and six whiskeys to try, and B and I made our way through most of the wines and one of the whiskeys, which was probably the best whiskey I’ve tried.  I’m not a huge whiskey fan, though.

We spent the whole night grazing on the charcuterie boards, mingling with friends (26 couples attended), and making our way over to the wine and whiskey table to try new ones in between conversations.  It was probably my favorite couples club yet and B and I got another date night knocked out for 2020!  Not to mention, I got to spend lots of time focusing on connecting with others… my word for 2020!

We picked up the kids from my parents house around 10 which was the new 11 because of the time change (eeks!) so we headed home and got them straight to bed.  Despite the fact that I’d been drinking all evening, I decided to make another hot toddy to help me sleep since I’d still been coughing all day (and probably scaring half of the people at couples club) and that just wasn’t the best idea because – too much alcohol.  Yuck.

Sunday, March 8

Sunday morning we all slept in to the new 9:15 (old 8:15 which is about when we normally wake on Saturdays anyway) and I was on the struggle bus with a mild hangover.  I would have been fine if I hadn’t had the hot toddy, but it did help me sleep, so I was ultimately glad I did.  After some syrup drenched waffles, a huge glass of water, two ibuprofen, and some hot ginger mint tea I was good to go. 

The four of us spent the morning curled up on the couch watching Lego Masters and then we all showered and got ready to have lunch at my MIL and step-FIL’s.  It was another gorgeous day (three days in a row – a new record for 2020!) so we spent the afternoon outside.  The kids all played kickball for a while and then my MIL pulled out the bubble maker for them. 

We had to leave around 3 to get home, get changed, and get to baseball practice, and it was such a gorgeous day that Olivia and I decided to tag along to spend some more time outside.  While Jacob practiced, B watched, and Olivia and I gathered pine cones, sticks, and rocks per her request.  The weather was warm and sunny, and spending time outside in it was just what we all needed after three months of rain. 

My parents didn’t cook Sunday evening, but we did have to pick up my car from their house.  Then we headed home, made a pizza, and then sent the kids to bed right on time at 8 PM.  The one good thing about having them up so late the night before was that they were actually tired for bed Sunday evening.  Normally when we spring forward nobody can fall asleep, but all of us were exhausted from our busy, late weekend.  My cough finally subsided enough on Sunday to where I didn’t need a hot toddy before bed and I slept well on my own for the first time in almost a week!  Woo hoo!

Happy Wednesday, y’all!

Don't forget to link up with us below!  

Time for a link party! Blogging friends, share your post below and meet your hosts! 

Jaclyn https://coffeepancakesanddreams.com/

Brittany https://www.dreamsandcoffee.com/

Tiffany https://www.lakelifestateofmind.com/

Mary Leigh https://www.livewellplaytogether.com/

Lindsay http://www.lindsayssweetworld.com/

Keri https://kerilynnsnyder.com

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter