VACATION!!

HaHaHa - That's an understatement.

In early December, I fell down my basement stairs and injured the muscles in my back. (I'm fine now, months later, but it's still an interesting story that has led to MANY changes in my life.)

About 1 hour before my shift on a busy Friday night, I was talking on the phone and running down the stairs to get my work shirt out of the laundry. Who knows what I slipped on, or how I managed to fall the way that I did, but I caught one of the stairs square on my side. PAIN.

No one was home but me and the dog, and all he could do to help was to lick my face. Seriously, when you are stuck on the floor this is not a sensation you want.
I managed to drag myself to the top of the stairs and was able to get my phone. I called a friend to come pick me up and take me to the hospital, and I called the restaurant to let them know that I may be a little late - maybe even a few weeks late.

Long story short - I spent the next few weeks on my couch with a heating pad and some pain killers. What a fabulous relief to not have to work!! It has been years since I actually took a vacation. Although this one was forced, I still enjoyed it. Maybe it was the painkillers...

As much as I missed the money, and as much as my mortgage company missed the money, I did enjoy the time off. It made it that much harder to go back after my 4 weeks was up.

So what did I do during those 4 weeks? I may have sat on the couch for most of it, but I was sitting there with a laptop in front of me. I started a business. Yes, 19 years of waitressing experience has finally led to a career in customer service. I am now the proud owner of a small second hand clothing boutique that works to raise money for local schools. Since I just opened at the end of January, I'm still waitressing 2 nights a week. I was even able to pick up a bartending shift on Saturdays.

I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it's very bright....