It’s week two of my vacation! Does anyone else get that feeling like they need to be doing something and not just relaxing? I almost cancelled my second week of vacation because I was feeling guilty for not working. I had to take a minute to remember that people deserve a break and deserve to take vacations to unwind and not have to feel the pressures of working.
In any case! I fully plan on utilizing my last week of vacation to the fullest I can. I have a spa day in mind at some point. I’ve never been to a spa before. I plan on finishing this sweater for David and starting the many other hand knit projects I have been assigned for my family for Christmas. In a way this relieves my guilt of feeling like I’m not working.
My Time In Utah
I had such a good time in Utah, even if I didn’t do much. I got to play my video games, watch new shows on Netflix, hang out with the dogs all day, do some cooking, and drive around the Hill Air Force Base (where I got some pictures of the mountains!). My brother and his wife treated me to Olive Garden takeout where we (read “my brother”) ordered 12 extra breadsticks that were impossible to finish, hibachi, my first time to In n’ Out, and a taste of Crumbl Cookies. Mine was the caramel apple cookie 🙂
We spent the first day lounging mostly. My sister-in-law gave me the rest of her Moscato dessert wine which I happily finished with our Olive Garden dinner. I played Fortnite with my brother and his friends where we closed out the day with a squad victory. I promised them French toast for breakfast which they scoffed at since my brother had to leave for work at 5:30 AM and my sister-in-law would be leaving right after that at 6:00 AM. Well guess who was in the kitchen at 5:00 AM on a Monday morning serving hot French toast by 5:25 AM!!
The dogs are like little space heaters and they each spent the days curled up on either side of me on the couch while I did whatever it was that I was doing that day. George slept with me on my little air mattress one night which surely kept me warm, but one night was enough for me! I spent some days playing Ark: Survival Evolved for the Fear Evolved 4 event, some days I spent watching a show and knitting all day, some days I flipped back and forth. I watched The Queens Gambit in one day which was a fun one to pass the time. I moved on to the final season of The 100 after that which I enjoyed much more.
I was able to cook twice for them while I was there. On Monday I made a maple mustard chicken and potatoes which is super easy and delicious. I doubled the sauce though since we like to have more of it. We had some simple garlic green beans for the side. The night before I left I made a creamy parmesan herb chicken and mushrooms which has become something of a specialty of mine. We threw in some broccoli florets which was a nice touch and I think I will continue to do when I make it again in the future. We kept the side simple again with some mashed potatoes.
Before I left, my sister-in-law took me for a drive around the Hill Air Force Base. We took the tour and drove around Perimeter Road which got me some pictures of the mountains (see gallery below, they aren’t awesome since they were taken in the car but I like them nonetheless :)).
And of course, I couldn’t leave without…pumpkin carving!!!
Coming Home
I made a friend on the flight back to Chicago! We sat in our seats and before we even backed out of the terminal she had taken out her crochet which made me way too excited to meet someone close to my age that also loves fiber arts. I looked over and squealed “I brought my knitting!” We both took out our headphones and chatted the whole flight to Chicago. When we landed I asked if she’d like to keep in touch, and now I have a new friend Anna 🙂 I love meeting people from around the country, you never know when you’ll happen across someone it seems like you just click with right away.
I was lucky on my flight home from Chicago, I had a middle seat in a full row but all of the seats in the row in front of me were empty so I was able to be moved for distancing. As I landed back in Boston I was greeted with the beautiful sight of the first snowfall and the city lights highlighting it.
COVID-19 Update
I expect that in the coming days or weeks (hopefully not months) that the state and maybe the country will lock down again due to the rising number of cases. I’m glad I could get my trip in before this happened and I was fortunate enough to have not seen anyone exhibiting any symptoms throughout the little of Utah I saw as well as in the airports. However when I returned home I received a public safety alert to my phone saying the virus is a serious risk where I am. I plan on staying in much more often unless necessary. Yarn will have to be ordered online as I continue with my Christmas list!
Stay safe to everyone out there!
Creatober
Did anyone participate in creatober this year? I missed the entire month of October in terms of drawings. I’m considering taking one of these days and just doing all 31 prompts. Or perhaps I’ll find a November challenge to take part in. Share in the comments which prompt list you followed for October!
