Fun, Pizza & SLEEP

I went to a lovely little Italian restaurant tonight with the group of us that traveled together...I can't tell you what the name of the restaurant is, because I was too exhausted when I got there...but it was very good, and the company was nice, too :)

Most days, I am emotionally drained after work, then I go home and start what I call my second job--being a wife, mom, home-school teacher, housekeeper, etc., etc....Eventually, once I'm done with all of that stuff, I normally wind down by reading or watching TV, or just taking some time to talk with my husband and kids--this explains why I go to sleep so late.

At the restaurant, as we were telling stories and laughing together, I realized that I never actually wind down after work with my colleagues--ever. Tonight, it was good to eat, laugh, and enjoy the moment with the people that I work with. It was...positive...fun...not work-related (well, mostly, not work-related). I think I finally understand why people do happy hour.

I'm not a happy hour kind of gal--most days, I miss my family so much, all I can think about is getting home to them when I'm done at work. Don't get me wrong...I'm a hard worker, and I take pride in my work. But, sometimes I'd rather work from home to finish things instead of staying late at work. Tonight, though, I realized how important it is to spend time with the people I work with in a different environment.

OK, back to the restaurant. I didn't really look at the menu--the words were swimming on the page--so I let the waitress guide me. She recommended a small personal pizza with fresh spinach and mushrooms. The spinach was great, but I wish that the mushrooms would have been bigger.

I have one healthy thing that I have done for these travel days: I have slept. I haven't stayed up watching TV or movies. I didn't bring a book, so I haven't stayed up reading. I've gotten in bed, turned everything off and SLEPT.

Last night, I slept 7 hours. I haven't slept that long in forever. Tonight, I'm going for EIGHT.