Our Week - The One with Summer, Week 4 (Taylor Swift Camp, Sickness, a Movie, a Breakfast Date, Poker Night, and The Georgia Aquarium)

I thought last week was going to be the week that I finally caught up on life stuff and got back on track, but then I got sick, and that derailed all of my plans.  One of these weeks I’ll be able to report that I’m finally back on top of things, but this week is not that week yet again.  I feel like I’ve been behind and scrambling since our Disney trip the first week of April, but it is what it is…

Monday, June 17

Monday morning, Olivia had her first day of Taylor Swift camp at her music school, so we were up bright and early and out the door by 8:30.  Two of her friends from school attended camp with her so she was excited to be reunited with them after a couple of weeks away. 

My little girlfriend was all kinds of prepared with her TS tee, a cute skirt, a million friendship bracelets, and her signature red lip.  ;o)

After I dropped her off, I headed back home to work on laundry and blog stuff all morning, and Jacob worked on one of his intricate origami projects he’d recently started.

At noon, I headed to pick up Olivia, and our friends from school were having trouble getting their car started, and we ended up driving them home so they didn’t have to be stuck there.

When we got home, we had lunch, and then I did some more blog work and laundry until it was time to take Olivia to a makeup voice lesson since she’d missed one while we were at the beach.

While she was in her lesson, I chatted with Steve, one of the other teachers, about guitars and guitar lessons, and I found out that he grew up visiting the same guitar-maker here in town that my Daddy was friends with.  I grew up going to his shop with my dad, and I have fond memories of hanging out there tinkering in his shop. 

Steve also updated us on Jacob’s old piano teacher who’d had to have surgery on his shoulder, and the kids said they wanted to put together a little care package for him.

When we got home, I got my Bible study done for the day, and then I got the laundry put away.

We had chicken tacos for dinner as they’d been simmering in the slow cooker all day, and then after dinner, I got out for a run.  Oh, my word, my run ended up being awwwwful.  I felt like I was going to die, and I had the slowest pace I’ve ever had, I think.  Haha.  It was miserable.  But I got it done.

When I got home, I got showered and ready for bed, and then we watched an episode of Is It Cake? with the kids.  While we watched, I started feeling a tickle in my throat that I couldn’t shake, and I worried that maybe I was coming down with something.  I ended up brushing it off, though, as that happens fairly often with my allergies.

After the kids went to bed, B and I watched an episode of Shark Tank, and then we headed to bed early-ish.

 

Tuesday, June 18

Tuesday morning, I woke up with immense chest and back pain and a seal bark cough (classic croup sounding cough).  It hurt to breathe, it hurt to cough, it hurt to sneeze.  So, I knew some funk had settled in my chest overnight and that I probably needed to get to acute care.  I have asthma, so any time I get upper respiratory illnesses, it’s pertinent that I get to a doctor for a steroid.  That also explained why I struggled so badly during my run Monday evening… I was coming down with something and didn’t know it at the time!

Olivia was crushed because her friend, Aubrey, was supposed to come home with us from camp that day and sleep over, but we canceled that since I wasn’t sure whether or not I was contagious.

I dropped Olivia at camp, swung by Target and Fresh Market with Jacob to grab a couple of things that we needed (while also avoiding people at all costs so as to not spread germs).  By the time we got back home, Brian had come home from work to stay home with Jacob so I could run to acute care.  Covid is running rampant here in town again, so I wasn’t about to take him with me to acute care. 

Sure enough, acute care was packed, and the first question I was asked was if I was experiencing any respiratory issues.  Once in a room, they triaged and swabbed me, but my test came back negative for Covid and both flu viruses.  I told the doc about my chest and back pain, but thankfully, she said my lungs sounded great, and she chalked it up to an upper respiratory infection AKA a cold or a sinus infection.

She sent me home with a prescription for a steroid pack, some Zyrtec D, and two cough medicines.  I swung by CVS to drop off the prescriptions, and then I headed home. 

By that time, Brian had already picked Olivia up from camp, and they were already eating lunch.  I grabbed a quick lunch, too, and then spent the rest of the day working.  I didn’t feel bad at all other than the chest and back pain, and I just had that cough, although, it had subsided mostly by then.

Late in the afternoon, Brian headed to CVS to pick up my prescriptions, and I made dinner – chicken alfredo with broccoli.  I skipped my workout Tuesday so as to not push myself, and instead, I did some blog work while the kids got showered and ready for bed. 

After everyone was ready for bed, we had nothing to watch, so Brian and I ended up showing the kids some of the old Saturday Night Live skits that we used to love from the 90’s – the ones that were acceptable for them to watch, of course – and it was so much fun watching with them and seeing their reactions.  Apparently, most of them stand the test of time, because both of them were cracking up, especially Jacob. 

Both kids loved the “we need more cowbell” skit with Will Ferrell and Christopher Walken, and they’ve both been randomly saying that ever since then.  Haha. 

After they went to bed, B and I watched some more Shark Tank, and then we called it a night.  I was worried I wasn’t going to sleep well, but thanks to all of my meds, I slept like a dead person.  Haha.

 

Wednesday, June 19

Wednesday morning, the chest and back pain were gone, and I just had a little bit of a lingering cough.  I didn’t feel bad otherwise, although, I felt a little tired. 

Brian was off for Juneteenth, so he and Jacob dropped Olivia off at camp, and then they went to play golf, leaving me to have the house to myself.  I wish I could say that I had something fun planned, but I had a date with my duster, my cleaning rags, and my toilet scrubber.  Our house hadn’t been cleaned in ages, and it was long overdue. 

I got all of the toilets, countertops, and dusting done, but I was spent after that, so Brian was kind enough to do all of the vacuuming for me later in the day, and then I mopped behind him.

Brian picked up Olivia from camp while I showered and got ready, and then they picked up Zaxby’s for a quick lunch before we headed to the movies.  The four of us went to see Inside Out 2, and it was just fantastic.  They introduced new emotions for this movie, the biggest being anxiety, and I don’t think I’ve ever felt so seen.  I had tears running down my face for the last 20 minutes of the movie because it was just so dang accurate.  It was so good. 

We got home late in the afternoon, finished up the chores, and then I made stir fry for dinner.  I attempted to get in a stair stepper and an arms workout, but they were halfhearted as I had a horrible headache and horrible jaw pain all afternoon and evening. 

We watched more old SNL clips with the kids and more Shark Tank before bed, and then I was out like a light yet again.

 

Thursday, June 20

Thursday morning, Brian headed off to work, and I got showered and ready to take Olivia to camp.  I still felt the same – just a cough with some mild congestion – so I decided to take another Covid test just to make sure 100% that I didn’t have it since it’s running rampant here in our city right now (according to the acute care nurse and doctor). 

The test was negative yet again, so I went about my usual business, getting Olivia to camp, and then spending the morning with Jacob.  He’d been wanting to clean out his closet and reorganize it, so we did just that.  We also changed out all of his baby hangers for adult hangers since that was long overdue.  We ended up getting rid of a ton of stuff, and we rearranged some things to make his closet more functional, so it was a success.

Before

After

We still had some time left before we had to pick up Olivia, so he pulled out his school laptop, and I spent some time with him helping him organize his school email account.  Until now, he’d just been leaving all of his emails (five years’ worth – OMG) in his inbox, so I helped him get it organized.  I told him which ones were okay to delete (all emails from schoolyears prior), and I showed him how to make folders for anything he wanted to keep (random emails from friends, etc.).

We didn’t get through all 1,500 of them, but he knows what to do now, so I’m letting him take the reins and get the rest cleaned up.  Then I’ll show him how to set up new ones for the new school year in the fall.  Up until now, email hasn’t been super important at school as all of their assignments go into their Google Classroom, too, but next year, he’ll be taking some high school courses and he’ll need to stay on top of his emails as that’s the primary way that the teachers communicate in high school.

At noon, Jacob and I picked Olivia up from camp, and then we all went home for lunch.  Olivia also checked on her sunflowers, and there were some sprouts!!

The kids spent the afternoon making things to put in Jacob’s old piano teacher’s care package – Jacob made an origami dragon and Olivia made bracelets galore.  I think everyone we know now has bracelets made by Olivia.  Haha.  We put all of that together with an adult coloring book of guitars along with some markers and colored pencils, and we got it wrapped to drop off with Mr. Steve at music lessons.

While Olivia was making bracelets, she wanted to teach me, so I finally took the time to learn how to make bracelets on her loom.  They’re pretty complicated at first, but once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty quick!  I can’t do any of the fancy ones like she does, but I can do the basic ones now.

After I spent some time with the kids, I got some blog work done while they played video games, and then we headed to music lessons.  While the kids did their lessons, I sat in the lobby and read my book because I didn’t want to risk giving germs to anyone in that small piano room that Jacob practices in.

When we got home, I worked on blog stuff for a bit longer, and then I made eggs, sausage, and homemade waffles for dinner for the kids and me.  Brian had gone out to dinner with some friends, so it was just the three of us.

After dinner, I got in a mixed cardio workout – halfhearted once again from lack of energy from my dumb cold – and then I finished my blog post for Friday while the kids showered and got ready for bed.  I also squeezed in my Bible study.  I just can’t seem to get ahead on anything right now, so everything has been last-minute and it’s driving me crazy.

When Brian got home, we watched a few random Pixar shorts with the kids, and then B and I started the new season of Trying on Apple TV.

 

Friday, June 21

Friday morning, I was up at 7:15, I got ready, and then Jacob and I took Olivia to camp.  We met my friend, Khristina, and her son, Noah, downtown at a new donut shop afterward.  The donut shop is in an indoor market, so we ended up hanging out there for a long time, eventually moving to Khristina’s house to hang out until we had to pick up Olivia from camp.

Friday was Olivia’s grand finale at camp, and all of the girls had prepared a dance to Look What You Made Me Do.  You can tell that Olivia is one of the dancers in the group because she nailed the whole routine.  All of her dance classes require her to learn routines quickly, so she picked it up fast!

After they were done dancing, they sang 22 and it was the cutest thing!  She enjoyed this camp so much… she didn’t want it to be over!

After their performances, we headed home and had lunch, and then I worked, chatted on the phone with a friend, and got in a Bible study while the kids played.  Khristina had given me a sewing kit for Olivia, and she ended up sewing the entire thing that afternoon.  No experience with sewing, but she picked it right up!

In the evening, we headed out to my friend, Jeannine’s, house for poker night.  We had dinner and played cards all night, and as always, it was a super fun evening.  We’ve been doing these monthly poker nights with them since December 2022, and we enjoy them so very much!

By the time we got home, it was late, so we got the kids in bed, and then B and I started the new season of The Morning Show.  We’re behind on that since we don’t normally have Apple TV.  We always wait until several of the shows we watch have released new seasons and then we buy it for a month or two until we’re caught up, and then we cancel again.  Haha.

 

Saturday, June 22

Saturday morning, I made waffles for breakfast, and then we spent the entire day and night at home.  I wanted to go to church as we normally do, but Saturday was the worst day for my coughing and I literally coughed all.day.long.  There was no way I could sit in church coughing like that, so we decided to skip.  Such a bummer.

Instead, I did some blog work and laundry in the morning, and then I did a half-hearted cardio workout.  The coughing has been sapping all of my energy, so it’s been hard to work out.  And y’all know I love my workouts, so I’ve been so sad to not be able to do them. 

After lunch, I decided to lay out in the sun and read my book, but that was short-lived because it was 97 degrees, and I thought my body was going to burst into flame.  Haha.  The weather has been AWFUL these last few weeks.  SO hot and dry. 

I headed inside to shower after that, and then I spent the afternoon working and doing my Bible study.  The kids played indoors all day.  They’ve been spending way too much time inside this summer because it’s just too hot to do anything outside when you don’t have a pool.  And my parents’ neighborhood pool still isn’t open.  Boooo.

In the early evening, Brian picked up Five Guys for dinner, and then we watched Napoleon Dynamite with the kids.  Now that they’re getting older, we’re introducing them to some of the movies from our childhood/teenage/young adult years, and it’s so much fun getting to watch those with them.  I personally never loved Napoleon Dynamite even though there are parts that make me laugh, but the kids thought it was hilarious. 

After the movie, the kids went to bed, and B and I watched another episode of Trying before heading to bed.

 

Sunday, June 23

Sunday morning, we were up bright and early to go to Atlanta to meet my parents and my brother, sister-in-law, their kiddos, and my SIL's family at The Georgia Aquarium.  Our drive was easy and quick since it was early on a Sunday morning, and we arrived at the aquarium around 9:30, just 30 minutes after they opened. 

We’ve been there several times, but we hadn’t been in several years, and there were a few new exhibits/changes made since the last time we were there.  They have a new shark exhibit that we’d never seen that is really awesome.  Although, it was a little unsettling watching all of those sharks swim around after just being at the beach… especially since those shark attacks happened while we were there. 

We also watched the dolphin show, which we’d never done before.  Olivia purposely sat in the “splash zone” with the hope that she’d get wet, and then she was disappointed when she didn’t.  Haha. 

We had lunch there, looked at a couple more exhibits, and then we hit the road.  Naturally, while we were in Atlanta, we had to make a Trader Joe’s stop, but their parking lot was a HUGE cluster on a Sunday afternoon, so I ended up driving around the parking lot while B went in (because we literally couldn’t get a parking spot). 

We finally found a spot, and the kids and I joined him inside.  He was just waiting on our two cases of wine.  We buy it by the case because they have the best tasting wine that’s only $4 per bottle.  We load up while we’re there and then it lasts us several months to a year depending on how much we get. 

I also had to get some of their vanilla scones (SO GOOD) and Olivia wanted some of their dark chocolate mints. 

Once we were done there, we hit the road for home.  There was a bit of traffic on 85 as there always is, but we made good time despite the traffic. 

When we arrived home, I intended to work for an hour or so before dinner, but my phone and computer weren’t playing well together yet again (and this one was a BAD one), so I spent the whole hour troubleshooting and trying to figure out how to get the pictures from my phone to my computer with no luck.  I’d installed a codec on my laptop the week before because it was supposed to help with the ongoing video issue I’ve been having, but instead, the codec wreaked havoc on the whole iPhone to PC connection and all of the pictures were coming off with the Apple file extensions that no other programs recognize.  Sigh.  I didn’t discover that until Monday morning, though, after hours and hours of troubleshooting, so there was lots of wasted time on the issue yet again.

Brian picked up pizza for dinner, and then while the kids showered, I worked on the phone/computer issue some more.  Then, we got them in bed early, and I read while Brian watched House of the Dragon.

And now for a few current things…

Currently Reading

I’ve been a reading machine this month thanks to our beach trip!  I finished Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren (4 stars), I read First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston (4 stars), I read The Mother-In-Law by Sally Hepworth (4 stars), I read The Arrangement by Robyn Harding (so creepy as it’s about sugar babies and sugar daddies, but totally 5 stars), and I read Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth (4 stars).  I’m now making my way through Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter and I’m loving it, too, even though it’s a bit disturbing.  It takes place in Athens on the UGA campus as well as Atlanta and Auburn University, so it’s wild to read as those are our stomping grounds!

I’m also still paused on Divine Direction: 7 Decisions That Will Change Your Life by Craig Groechel.  It’s great, but I’ve been craving fiction since it’s summertime! 

I’m also still reading New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional by Paul David Tripp as my daily devotional. 

And I’m still working my way through The Bible and The Bible Recap… I’m on Day 213 as I type this (Tuesday), and I managed to stay 36 days ahead.  I was 38 days ahead last month, but there were a couple of days this month that I couldn’t make time to do my study. 

Currently Watching

With B:  This month, we’re watching SNL and Shark Tank every now and then when we don’t have a lot of time and we just want to watch a few minutes of TV.  For streaming, we just started season two of The Chosen, and we just started the newest season of Trying and the newest season of The Morning Show.

With the Kids:  We finished season three of Is It Cake? and we also started the new season of America’s Got Talent.  They love that show!

Alone:  I rarely watch anything alone, but when I do, it’s still The Wedding Planner on repeat as it’s the DVD that’s currently in my little TV/DVD combo that sits on my desk.  Yes, I still have a DVD player and, yes, I still have all of the DVDs from when I was a teenager.  Haha.

Currently Listening To

I’d like to be able to tell you that I wasn’t still primarily listening to Taylor Swift’s Tortured Poets Department album, but if I did, I would be a liar.  Haha.  Yep, all 31 songs on that album are still on repeat while I work.  I also downloaded Gracie Abrams’s album and it’s pretty good.  And I’m still obsessing over Abe Parker.  He just released a new song called Masquerade that I’m loving.  And I’ve been listening to Brandon Lake a bit, too.

Happy Wednesday, y’all!