Oh what a day I had today! I worked my 12 hours last night and decided that I wanted to go to church this morning.
Mile Hi Church is the most amazingly inspirational place of worship I've ever been. I've attended services at many different churches throughout my life, but this is, by far, my favorite and I really look forward to going when I am able. Today would have been my dad's 63rd birthday, and I'm not sure if that compounded my desire to travel to Lakewood or if I just felt the need to be inspired. It's actually a bit of both, along with being able to see my Earth Angel and BFF Cindy and sharing in the magic of the day's message. The sermon was titled, "Simple Acts, Ample Blessings." In a nutshell, it was just a reminder that if you give selflessly to others, whether in the form of your time, money or whatever you can offer, you will receive blessings in ways you couldn't imagine. There were some amazing examples of everyday people doing what they could do to enrich the life of another and I was moved to tears.
Afterwards, I purchased a CD of the day's service and we went outside to chat for a bit. Cindy was talking about the retreat she wants to open, as well as maybe sending me to Hawaii for training with Doreen Virtue. I really like the way she thinks!!! Her dream is to open a holistic retreat that offers wellness services of all kinds: massage, counseling, spa services, readings, etc. She's already proclaimed that I'll play a part in this wonderment. I'm very excited to be contributing to people's well-being, especially in this day and age when everyone seems to pack so much into their lives that they forget to take care of themselves and end up falling into dis-ease.
Speaking of packing alot into one day... we then went to Olive Garden for lunch. We were seated at a small table and it
was peaceful...until Gramps and a couple of Hens were seated next to us. None of them could hear, so essentially, they were shouting at each other throughout their conversations of who has recently died and 'kids' these days. What I'd hoped would be a relaxing meal turned into an opportunity for me to showcase my sarcasm.
Bad Stephanie! Fast-forward to the eats--> My brother chose chicken alfredo pizza and I ordered parmesan crusted tilapia with Italian vegetables and angel hair pasta in a lemon butter sauce. I dove into the salad and indulged in only
one bread stick. I then picked around my entree and ate until I was satisfied, not stuffed. I actually think my fish was a little underdone, so that helped keep my appetite in check. Next stop: grocery shopping. After a pretty uneventful trip around Wallyworld, my wallet was $27 lighter (not well thought out on my part) and I was feeling a bit zombie-like. I still wanted to get my hair cut (using my $5 off coupon) before I went home and got horizontal on my knock-off Tempur-pedic.
Have I mentioned yet that it was hotter than the hubs of Hell outside? Good gravy, I was sweltering wherever we went! And getting back into a hot car after each stop was really draining what little energy I had left.
To that end, we rounded out the day with an impromptu stop at Dairy Queen for a frozen treat. I ordered a small Oreo blizzard and enjoyed each red plastic spoonful. That is, while trying not to breathe through my nose because some kid shit their pants and their mom was too busy talking to change the damn diaper!!! I was able to keep my blizzard in check and we came home. I changed out of jeans and into shorts before assuming my position on the couch. I clicked on the football game and turned on the crackbox. It wasn't long before I shut both off and drug my worn-out self into my bedroom and collapsed into bed. I had been awake for more than 24 hours and I had had enough; it was time to get sideways! I was awakened 1.5 hours later by my phone ringing: it was Grandma. She has been a bit late getting home and wanted to call us. I called her back (so she wouldn't have to pay for the call) and we chatted for a bit. She said Fishing Tournament went well and they decided to hold the festival again next year. All in all, everything was fine on at both homesteads, so we cut our call short. I told her I love her and I'll talk to her again next week. I proceeded to fall back into slumber for a couple more hours. And here I am!
