I’m taking a long weekend this coming week, then taking off Christmas Day.
Which feels extremely weird.
I’ve worked holidays more years than I can remember. Except when I worked in radio, it was automatic overtime. We have no kids at home, and G isn’t the big-on-holidays type. Neither am I. However, I keep forgetting that at this job I’m one of the most senior employees around. Now I’m officially an admin, on top of that. So if I ask for any particular day off, I get it, full stop. I’m more apt to catch grief for not taking time off. I run into this crunch at the end of every year, and when I hit the five-year mark I got bumped up to more PTO. It’s use-it-or-lose-it time and I’m not stupid enough to leave it on the table.
If everything goes as planned, next year we’re going to make another drive to the Midwest. We’re aiming for October again, because the weather is typically decent and it’s a good time from a business perspective. If all goes well, this time around we’ll have at least two full weeks to putter along, and we’ll be tourist-level looking at properties. Fingers crossed.
I’m still wearing a lot of the dresses I got before I lost weight, because I’m too cheap to replace functional clothing.
The key word has become functional. The scales say I’m not losing much more weight. My clothes tell a markedly different story. I’m now wearing dresses that were skin-tight a little over a year ago, some too tight for me to wear at all last year. Now most of them are a good six inches too big in the waistline. The necklines cinch it, though. A simple scoop neckline from a year ago is now too low to wear in public unless I were a Victoria’s Secret model. Heidi Klum’s got no competition with me, trust me. And I ain’t going out in public in a neckline to my navel.
Facing the inevitable, I bit the bullet and ordered a couple of more dresses from eShakti, which is still the only place I can get clothing in my size, in all-natural fabrics. (I ordered the style at left, glad they’re finally expanding their color options.)
…Aaannd they put the order on hold, emailing to ask politely not to bullshit my measurements, because they know I’m fat. I emailed them back and said, “Joke’s on you, MF’s. I’m still fat, but those ARE my measurements now. I’ve got to order new stuff precisely because of the changes. So get a move on, please.”
I heard back this morning and they’re going forward, so yay! Here’s hoping I calculated right. It won’t help me if either I end up with dresses as huge as what’s hanging in my closet now, OR I get skin-tight again.
Next week, weather permitting, we’re planning to go to the air museum in Tucson.
The National Weather Services predicts rain next week. And it might rain. The more likely scenario will be gorgeous cloudy skies for fantastic photography. Fingers crossed!
Almost forgot to mention – photo at the top was a yard-sale snap. While I didn’t buy any of their baskets, I thought they made a nice composition!
You go, girl! Congratulations on actually taking some time off work. And for ordering a couple of better fitting dresses. I hope it all works out for the best.
Thank you. Things WILL work out. It’s all a matter of time.