Weekend Recharge

     I don't know about all of you, but life has been so busy lately that I have had almost NO down time.  Normally, I like to be busy, but lately I've been so busy that I am feeling very overwhelmed!  Hence the problem with suddenly having a fork in the road and not knowing what to do!  This past weekend, was my last weekend without something going on from now until the end of August!  And let me tell you... Man did I take advantage of it!
   
     I apologize if it sounds like a boring weekend, but it was much needed!  Friday night, one of my co-workers and good friend had an Art Show in Downtown Palatine.  She is unbelievably creative and talented and has started her own small company on the side called Empty Canvas Art and Design, check out her work!  So a co-worker and I went to support her and then went a drink with her afterwards, it was so nice to relax and just hang out with my friends!

    Saturday, I had a very productive work-out day! After being at the gym for 3 hours or so, I figured it was time to go home and chill out.  So I showered and then got ready for Mass, after mass I headed to the redbox to pick-up a movie and then to the grocery store to pick up something for dinner.  I pulled into the grocery store parking lot and as I was walking into the store, I looked over my shoulder at my car, for whatever reason and realized that I had a flat tire!! CRAP!!!! Well... let me re-phrase that, not completely flat but certainly low...WAY lower than it should have been...It's always something isn't it?!  So I walked into the store and pulled out my phone to call my brother (He's a BMW technician and handles ALL of my car problems!), plus he works less than 5 minutes from my apartment. Naturally he didn't answer.  So I called my other brother Peter, who works as a Porter at the same place Tom the technician does.  He actually picked up! YES! But he was on his way to his friend's lake house and wasn't anywhere near me.  Since I said it wasn't that flat that I couldn't drive on it, he told me to drive home to my parent's house and switch cars.  Which probably would have meant our lovely 12 passenger van... HAHA... right... I don't think so!  So I told him I was just going to go home to my place, and that I thought I could drive home to my parent's the next morning and would probably be fine... hopefully!  Now you are probably asking why I didn't just put on my spare tire, which since I drive a Jeep Liberty is a Full spare tire anyway!  And yes, before you jump to any conclusions or stereotype me, I do know how to change a tire... In fact, the girls in my family were never allowed to even ask to get our license until we knew how to change a flat! Thank you Dad! But I was already driving on my spare, because the seal was bad on another tire and I had to switch them... so I had NO tire to switch too... awesome!  So I went home and made myself a fabulous pasta salad and brats for dinner and popped in the movie The Tourist.  Tom ended up calling me while I was making dinner and said that he'd try to stop by.  He called me a few hours later to say that he and my Dad would definitely be coming over.  I began to panic that maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought and they'd just laugh at me and say, "Em, you just need to fill your tires.." But sure enough they came over and they were shocked at how bad my tire actually was!  I managed to split the tire wall (I think that's what they called it...). My Dad was suddenly very concerned about me driving on it at all, convinced that it was going to blow out... great, even better!  So my relaxing night at home turned in to me going home and spending the night at my parent's with my Dad driving slowly behind me to make sure my tire didn't blow!  But don't you worry... I made sure I had a BIG BOWL of ice cream once I got there! Shh... Don't tell Jose!

   Sunday morning, I woke up and had breakfast with my family and then my Dad and I went over to NTB.  They said I needed two new tires! Thank goodness!  I was fully expecting to have to get 5 brand new tires! So my Dad and I walked home and then got ready to go for a bike ride.  I needed to get a longer training ride in and so I went for a ride with my mom first, 20 miles or so, then I came home dropped her off and picked up my Dad and went for another 20 miles!  Let me tell you... I am certainly rocking some sweet tan lines from my watch, tri-shorts and my bike gloves... thankfully they don't look as bad today... Then I got home and my car was ready!  I picked it up and then went to the pool to cool down and swim a few laps!  It was a great way to end the day!

  Life never seems to go like I have it planned in my head, so I am getting really good at rolling with the punches!  Not the relaxing weekend I envisioned but I am so grateful it happened this weekend, rather than a weekend where I have a bunch of things going on!

Special Shout out to my Little Brother and Baby of the family who turns 9 today!!! Happy Birthday Nick!!! I LOVE YOU!