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When I get most stressed out, what I always want to do is come to a blank page and just let my fingers go. Just get it all out. Type type type, so fast I don't even care about the grammar. (Except that I do, I always edit as I go, instead of truly doing a free-form, let my fingers go, stream of consciousness exercise).

It's a shame, I've been telling everyone, that the economy today means that companies are all short-staffed, and in positions like mine that aren't the real "drone" positions -- not data entry or widget-producing jobs -- you are basically penalized for taking a vacation. There's no team, anymore, just you, doing your particular function. And if you aren't there to do it, no one else is going to do it for you. So you return from your vacation and, even though you prepared for the time off and finished what needed to be finished beforehand, you're "welcomed" back with a load, a pile, a ton of work that's been waiting for you.

At least that's how it is in my job.

I was off from Good Friday to Easter Wednesday (hee), and came back to two yucky, heart-pounding days. Tasks that HAD to get done. No time to ease back into it. I mean, it's not terrible, it's not life or death, it's just hard to go from extreme to extreme like that. I prefer the days off.

The home repairs got done. We are now overly bathed in new light, from the 6 can-lights in the cooking area of the kitchen, to the new chandelier that doesn't work with our old dimmer switch. It's either ON, and I do mean ON, or off. There ain't no in-between. (As they say.) My kids had become accustomed to my gently switching on our old dimmer while they ate their weekday breakfasts in the 6:00 hour, but no more. Now it's MORNING!! GOOD MORNING! YOU ARE HAVING PANCAKES!

On Monday, the kids and I hiked up the mountain. Fitness goal for March, accomplished. One day after March, but still. They were troopers, and so was I, come to think of it. I didn't even get very sore the next day. Go me!

Yesterday we -- all four of us -- spent the day in Chattanooga, doing every touristy thing they offer. Well, almost every. We dragged the kids up there Tuesday night so they could have the fun of sleeping in a hotel, and I think they DID think it was fun. Maybe it was excessive and unnecessary -- the drive up there is less than 2 hours from our house -- but I got a kick out of them thinking everything in the hotel was SO COOL. "Mommy! There's a RESTAURANT!" "OH, cool, which bed am I sleeping in??" "Look at this KLEENEX on the side of the counter!?" Kids, man. They're the best for perspective. The trip was perfect as far as I was concerned. See Rock City. (Really, do see it. It's awesome.) I know it sounds cheesy but I just love the idea of AJ and KT remembering that trip when they're older, and when they have kids of their own.

They were also very well-behaved and made it fun for us. At one point, DH was saying something and I replied, "Daddy is being silly." AJ leaned over and in perfect theater-whisper, said to me, "Get used to it." It was spot-on. It had nothing to do with the trip, just with the fact that they're getting old enough to start turning into fun people. That sorta makes my heart want to burst.

This weekend we are joining in our neighborhood's yard sale. We didn't know about it until just recently but we've been about to hop-to, since we've been, ah, preparing for (read: procrastinating) our own yard sale for more than a year. Actually we're grateful for the kick in the pants. And for our co-workers who've lent us some card tables to put everything on. No one buys it if it's on the ground, people. I'm going to make as Pinterest-y a mailbox sign as I can make in the next 12 hours, that will say "SHOP HERE!" and have a few swirlies and flowers, and hope it attracts people more than boring ol' "yard sale." Perhaps KT can help me add some glitter.

And then, to come full circle, I'm glad it's the weekend again. I hope I'll feel more refreshed and able to conduct my weekday stuff the way I like, instead of "hurry-hurry-hurry-you've been away too long," next week.