Reflections from a Hotel Room

That's right, we're on the road again. Today we enjoyed a beautiful drive up the coast to Santa Barbara for a great get together with Terry's family. We carpooled with Terry's younger brother and his girlfriend, which made more a fun ride, and the view was gorgeous on such a clear day.

 And yep, Terry is home! He was gone for 10 days, is back for the weekend, and has to go back for five more days on Monday. Crazy schedule. To add to the insanity, my mom is coming into town tomorrow afternoon to spend a few days with me. We have big plans for working out, cooking, and shopping. Girl time for the win. 

 While this first week back to work was fairly routine, it was nice to be back with my students and to kick off basketball season with my cheerleaders. But a week without Terry simply can't be a great week; I miss him terribly. Weeks like this one make me so respectful of military spouses who deal with months of separation on a regular basis. With Terry home this weekend I keep holding his hand and hugging him. Just being in the same room makes the day a good one.

Even running to the store with Terry made for good quality time

 So this short trip up the coast has been a lovely way to spend some quality time with my hubby and his family. We enjoyed some time at a local community center right near the beach with a peaceful lake and fountain. The area attracts several birds, and a neighbor explained that she has a theory that the local mallards mated with a white duck to create the species we saw today. They took a little bath in the pool instead of the lake, which, I tried to tell the ducks, seemed less than effective because of the chlorine. They didn't listen.

Lunch

The lovely lake near the rec center

Ducks in a pool

For lunch, we snacked on deli sandwiches, cheese, fruit, and veggies, plus several chocolate cookies, because you know me and my chocolate. For dinner, a smaller group of us ate at Enterprise Fish Company on State Street. I had a caprese salad with grilled scallops, which was pretty good. I've had it before, though, and it was much better the first time.

Caprese salad with grilled scallops

Terry had ciopino and required a bib.

I'm particularly excited for tomorrow morning because I'm going to attempt a workout. My cough is still going strong, but otherwise I feel fine, so I'm aiming for a walk and some strength training. Two weeks into the new year and I have worked out exactly once. I know I'm sick, but my body is getting restless. I need some physical activity to get me feeling good again! I remember when I was younger my mom would always say that if you act sick you'll feel sick for longer. So if you go about your normal day you'll get better faster. I don't know if her theory is exactly what a doctor would recommend, but I've found it to be generally true, as long as I listen to my body and know when it really is time to rest. For the last two weeks, I needed rest. Now, I'm ready to kick it back into gear. Get excited for a hotel room workout tomorrow!

 Hope you are having a fantastic weekend! And for my Bay Area readers, GO NINERS!