This weekend was one of those weekends that you just don't want to end. Every day was great.
Friday after work I did a little shopping and then met up with Jiyoung for dinner and a movie.
Saturday morning I met up with Kati to go to the Laumeier Sculpture Park for an art fair.We didn't see the whole park, but we did see a few of the statues, including this crazy eye.
Saturday evening was a family party. We were celebrating college graduations, birthdays, and Mother's Day. It was so great to catch up with everyone. I hadn't seen anyone since Christmas.
Hard to believe Jared is old enough to be a college graduate!
Sunday was Mother's Day. Mom was happy with her gifts.
We spent the first half of the day planting flowers:
Then we went to Bossanovas in Alton for dinner. It was a gorgeous day so we sat by the open window and soaked up the last bit of the day.
Our dinner was delicious! Warm goat cheese salad, mussels, pizza, and wine. Yum!
We weren't quite ready to head home after dinner so we went across the street to Chez Marilyn to sit on the patio and have some drinks. Mom and I ordered chocolate martinis and they were delicious! They had an impressive list of martinis at both Chez Marilyn and Bossanovas and I'm hoping to make it back soon to try some more.
I look like I'm about ready to spill my martini here, but I didn't spill a drop, I swear!
We had a perfect end to the day as Kshe 94.7 had their 7th day special going on where they play an entire album on Sunday evening. They were playing Led Zeppelin's third studio album, which has some fantastic, classic tunes.
I especially enjoyed, "That's the Way." Nice to listen to on a mellow Sunday night.
I'm feeling very thankful right now and so happy to be home.
Well, I've been home just about 2 weeks now. I think I'm just about settled in.
I'm feeling better about working from home. I was really scared before! Now I realize it is very easy to call someone or email. I'm still learning a lot with this new position and I have questions, but everyone has been supportive. So far I've submitted 4 reports, and will probably have 2 more submitted on Monday. I am making progress. Soon, I will be helping with protocol writing and templates.
There are pros and cons to working at home. I find myself much more relaxed during the day. As an introvert it is sometime nice to just be in my work bubble by myself with few distractions. One major con is that I rarely leave the house. I haven't been leaving during the day or hardly at all in the evening, which isn't good. Because of this, I'm not sure working from home will always be a good idea. There are other things I will miss while working from home-building social skills, physically attending meetings, etc, but for now, it's ok. I want to learn as much as I can while I am in this position and hopefully it will help me find some direction with a future career.
Since I am working at home during the day, I really need to get myself to the gym in the evenings. I bought my gym membership last week, so I really need to start going next week! It is time to get motivated! I would also like to join some kind or organization or club, so I can work on those social skills I mentioned above. I don't want to become a recluse or lose the skills I've gained.
~~~~~~~
This weekend I plan on staying in the air conditioning. 92 degrees the next two days! Yuck. I hate the hot weather, so I'm not thrilled that it is this hot at the beginning of May. I'll probably read quite a bit this weekend and sleep. Maybe watch a movie or two?
I made it back to Illinois on Sunday. So far, I don't really know how I feel. I know I'm happy to be home, but I haven't really adjusted to this whole change yet. It's still all kind of strange.
I almost feel like I never left. I was just dreaming the past 7 months. Silly isn't it? But, it's amazing what leaving for just a little while did to my psyche. I feel revitalized! I know this might not last long, so I need to push myself to keep trying new things and push myself out of my comfort zone.
I've only been home for a few days, so I'm not completely unpacked and settled yet. One thing I did do right away was set up my home office. I'm happy with the space I have. I just need to buy a new lamp to give myself a little more light. Maybe a new chair as well? Ah, we'll see about that.
Now that I'm home I can visit family! I have a lot of catching up to do. I haven't seen my Dad since Christmas so I hope to see him this week. Kati and I are planning a trip to a book fair Saturday, and hopefully I can visit my grandma on Sunday.
Today was my first day back to work and I'm pretty exhausted. Going to get to bed at a decent hour tonight and maybe start work at 9:00 tomorrow.
Premium
