Spring

This is one of my favorite things about living in the south: seasons. I love that winter doesn't last until the end of May when it suddenly switches to a hot, dry summer that lasts until the end of August when it starts snowing out of nowhere. Here, we get blue skied days where the sun heats up what the breeze is cooling off. We get daffodils and lilies pushing their way through dirt toward sunshine. 

We went camping last night. Well, Sam slept outside. Between the cold, hard ground and my back still recovering from the latest "episode", I have up and slept at the in-laws'. But, we pitched our tent, cooked outside, and stayed up talking after the sun went down. 

We woke up to a beautiful day. Now we are sitting inside a quiet house, listening to the birds chirping and the breeze blowing. *Insert sigh of contentment here*

Inhale. Exhale.

I made it. I survived my week. I worked a total of 41 hours this week, which wouldn't have been too awful except that we had a snow day on Monday.  One of my department's had their application deadline this week, and they also had a huge reaccreditation project due as well. 

It was chaos. It was exhausting. I made it. 

Stress Relief

I should have done something to relax. I should have done some preventative stretching. I didn't. Friday is the application deadline for one of the programs I work for. A week from Friday is the deadline for another program. So, work has been pretty crazy. I have been running all day long at work. I have worked through lunch two days in the last week. I could tell it was getting to be too much. My lower back was starting to feel weak. I took the dogs for a walk and my lower back got tired from holding huckleberry back when he saw cats or dogs. I still didn't do anything to help it. 

Yesterday we went to our niece's birthday party. We beat the family back to Sam's parents house. Sam was doing something outside and had asked me to put a snack in the fridge. So, I put it in the fridge and grabbed a Pepsi. I stood up and started walking and my back started hurting. I'm not sure what happened. 

So, I have spent the last 30 hours hearing and icing by back, laying on the floor, couch, or bed, letting Sam get me drinks or food. It is so much easier to have a bad back when you have a sweet husband who takes care of you when your hurt. He even helps me up off the floor or couch. 

Anyway, I'm relaxing now. I'm doing stretches now. I should have done them last week, but it is better late than never, right?

Oh, also, it is insanely cold outside today.  We had some freezing rain last night, then sleet, and now it is snowing. There isn't much on the ground, but it is reeeeally cold. I'm wearing two shirts, two pairs of pants, wool socks, a thick blanket, a heating pad is relaxing my back, the heaters are on high, and somehow my feet and hands are still freezing. Ugh. I'd still take this over summer. Call me crazy.