Day "Two"

So, yeah... didn't get to sleep until after 2 a.m. last night... BUT I forgot to mention that I'm still trying to meet "step challenges" set by my non-Fitbit thingy, so after Daddy went to bed, I tried walking around his block for the ~2000 steps I still lacked for my challenge for the day!

His "block" is at least 4000 steps, and in the dark, that's a really fun challenge. And with Daddy's "baseline" still somewhere in the neighborhood of 1000 steps, I knew that he's not likely to attempt a "round-the-block" trek anytime soon! But the good news is, if we decide to do HIS walking after the sun's gone down, we're not counting shade trees, and the temperature is much cooler, and more conducive to getting any steps in (for him, at least)! Score!

So yeah, last night I more than met my step challenge, but didn't fall asleep right away at all, and had to do sleep math to decide what time was "okay" to get up this morning (no earlier than 9-ish).

Guess what time I was wide awake this morning? That's right, kids. EIGHT o'clock. I LIED to my non-Fitbit thingy by taking it off, and leaving it on the bed, while I got up and showered and brushed my teeth... until I could "legit" be dressed, put it back on my undies waistband, and tell it to "wake up".

Why do I LIE to my electronic device about my sleep? Because I can, plain and simple. I can't fool it re: how many steps I take, but I can convince it that I've "hit" my sleep goal. Do you/would you do the same?

So, Daddy. I told him about my walk last night, and suggested that we wait until before he's supposed to take his "night-night" meds (8 p.m.-ish), and get his "steps" in after sundown, for all the reasons previously listed. He seemed pretty cool about that.

He really only wanted to maybe see Uncle Dan today. But I'd been in contact with my cousin, Uncle Dan's step-kid (and my sis' "astrological twin"), and she wanted to maybe meet up with us for lunch or something. I had texted that she should call Daddy, since he'd at least be familiar with potential places to meet, and neither of us had any "agenda". So, while I waited, I made myself some breakfast and French Press mocha.

Whilst my mocha brewed, she called, and from what I could hear from Daddy's end, we were leaving shortly. So with a general plan in place, I plugged my phone in, finished brewing my mocha, refrigerated same (without even a taste!), and out the door we went!

We arrived super-early. Like, plenty of time for Daddy to grab a table for five (five? who were we meeting?) while I waited outside in the sunshine, "acting" like a doorman for everyone who came through. It was great. No, really. Hold a door for people who aren't expecting it. You'll bring out the polite in the rudest people on the planet. #HighlyRecommended. Plus, I was wearing a pretty skin-exposing top, and soakin' up that Vitamin D, along with beautiful tanning UV rays! #NotKidding

When my cousin arrived, she had her mother (my aunt) in tow, whom I hadn't seen for several years, as well as her big sister (my other cousin), whom I hadn't seen IRL in decades. Seriously, I had not seen this particular cousin since our youngest cousin died at 18, when we were all young adults, or possibly even before that, when we were all still children. It's an odd thing, to reach a certain decade of life, and realize that, without losing touch, you just haven't been in the presence of certain family members. Daddy and I were both really glad she joined us. We covered a lot of ground in our catch-up lunch date. #GoodTimes

After lunch, on the way home, I had Daddy call Uncle Dan, to see if he wanted us to visit today (like NOW) or tomorrow. Go home, young lady. We'll head out to visit tomorrow, noonish. 'K. No worries.

Once we get home, it's pretty much Chill Time. BFF Neighbors have also just returned from an outing wherein they got to catch up with some old friends, so they came inside to catch up with us before returning to all the packing they needed to do... except they came bearing gifts. Yesterday, with female bff, we'd had a lovely chat about stones and tumbling and jewelry, so today, she gave me THESE:

Handmade necklace and bracelet from "beach glass" found on a Scottish shore!

... and not that turnabout is fair play or anything, but when she sat down, I removed my coloring book and pencils from behind her in the seat, and we ended up in an in-depth convo about adults coloring, and the fear of "messing up", which delays the "jumping in". She indicated that she'd received a coloring book as a gift from someone, but she was really admiring mine, so I left her for a moment and ran upstairs to procure the "extra copy" that Amazon had misdelivered but I had managed to acquire (because the new tenant/s at the old place had set it above the mailboxes as a return, and since it had MY NAME on it, I rescued it from Postal Hell). I had been hanging onto that spare, waiting for someone with whom to color, or at least someone who seemed to really need and appreciate the tone/message conveyed throughout, which is one of healing through laughter and coloring, particularly dealing with any mental illnesses you may struggle with. Remember, this is @TheBloggess we're talking about. Jenny Lawson is so funny, and so honest about her mental health issues... to the point that she has a following of #TheBloggessTribe on her blog, Twitter, and probably Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Tinder, Grinder, and The Gap. Seriously. She is Hella Good to follow.

Ennyhoo. Female bff neighbor was so grateful for my gift, and male bff neighbor was grateful that she'd have sufficient distraction during their long drive home to Canada! It made me happy to find the right home for it.

So after they left to continue their packing adventures, Daddy did some online researching of some stuff, including looking for ways to stream the next episodes of Doctor Who, and I started coloring another page. Daddy and I had a pretty frank discussion about the medical issues faced by the extended family, and why nobody ever really asks him for details re: anything medical. It was a really good conversation about how to explain things on the level of the questioner, rather than to the nth degree of your knowledge, and in the midst of it, I had opportunities to continue coloring (the lunch visits had taken their toll on his energy level, so this convo lasted a nice, long while).

When we had reached a good understanding, I had also finished coloring my doodle, but had been inspired to add WORDS to it. So I took a pic with my phone and posted it to my Twitter tribe, and then I was overwhelmed by the response!

... and began... I don't know where each one will take me until it takes me There... and I won't ever know, unless I allow it to Take Me There, by Letting Go and Jumping In and Beginning.
Thank you, Jenny, for this place to Let Go.

... and I am NOT a fan of "Frozen"! But just this simple doodle, that I didn't even color IN, per se, so much as darkening the lines within it, elicited those words from my brain. I dunno. It felt good.

So after awhile, Daddy decided he needed to say one last "good-bye" to his bff neighbors, knowing that they wouldn't likely be stopping in before their (relatively) early-morning departure. I carried my book over to show to female bff, and she showed sufficient admiration, but more than that, I think she may have the courage to jump in... starting tomorrow... on one page from one of her two new books. I look forward to her text messages or emails, with photos of her WIPs or completed pages.

Meanwhile, Daddy said goodbye to male bff neighbor, and he had a bit of a sad when we left there. As his night-night alarm was approaching, he put his sneakers on for his (begrudging) evening walk. I told him I wanted to aim for the fourth shade(less) tree, and he seemed okay with that. But I don't think we made it that far. He got winded pretty easily, pretty quickly. But we'd had a grand adventure out in the world, and he'd earlier ascended and descended the Entire Staircase to his second floor (18 steps, unassisted!), and his bffs were leaving. So I get it. #IHazATiredAndASad

Tomorrow, we're on the books, as it were, to visit Uncle Dan. An Adventure.

On Monday, we're probably going to arrange/DO the early drop-off of the Enterprise rental and exchange it for a Rent-A-Wreck. I mean, seriously. This thing is a beast, compared to my tiny-on-the-outside, TARDIS-on-the-inside Honda Fit. And it ain't cheap. So who needs it? Let's get a run-around!

Who knows what we'll decide to do on Tuesday?

In the meantime, walking. Standing. Sitting up straight. Focusing on posture, and breathing, and diet, and reasons to get UP.

At this point, I have sufficiently worn myself down. Think I'll brush the teeth and hit the hay! I have already missed the bedtime my non-Fitbit thingy set for me, so in the morning, it'll be giving me a good talking-to! At least I managed to give it a new battery today (it was screaming for one, most of the morning)... :/