Withdrawal

So, our neighborhood Starbucks shut down (since Starbucks didn't renew the licensing agreement with SaveMart (which is our store) and Lucky grocery chains). It's been quite an adjustment. They still served iced tea until they ran out of the tea bags. And I haven't been back there since - they are putting in some 'coffee shop' there but it is the 'store brand'. Still, all those people know me on a first name basis and had my drinks done many mornings before I even got to the register. So I'll try it again soon. In the mean time, I've been trying to grab a couple bottles of water and/or Propel or G-2 to take with me - and those keep me hydrated. But I MISS MY ICED TEA - miss it with a huge passion. I bought 2 cases of Te Java at Trader Joe's yesterday and those work, but I have to bring ice and haul around one or two glass bottles. So that's not really that feasible. And then I have to haul the empties home.

The past few days have had me starting my days at our County Office of Education in Stockton - and thankfully, there's a Starbucks just around the corner so I've been back to my two glasses a day routine. And I'm toying with the concept of adding in another 15 minutes to give me time to drive to the next closest Starbucks (which is sadly not a drive through). But that precious time is lost sleep. And that Starbucks is right next to a Jack in the Box, which also has really good iced tea at half the price. So there's a bit of a 'guilt' factor involved: a) using gas to drive across town to get iced tea and then b) getting the iced tea at a place that will charge me more than double what JitB would charge me. Can I justify that? Will I? Maybe. Maybe sometimes. Mondays? For sure. And the other days - it'll depend on how my morning goes and what's on my desk awaiting my attention.

I got my hair cut a couple days ago - just barely shoulder length. And I've been 'foofing' it more in the mornings - blowing it dry and curling it a bit. I'm kind of out of practice and the curling iron I have has that 'felt like' covering on it, which makes it really hard to use - getting the curls to release is a pain. But it looks nice and doesn't really take too much longer then doing nothing. I think I'll go a little bit shorter next month - and then may just surprise the heck out of everyone and go back to ultra-short in the summer. I plan to spend a lot of time in the pool this summer and short hair is just so much easier.

The nose is a tad bit better the past couple days. Thank goodness. Still not 'great' but much improved. Hard to tell what's 'working' since I'm doing so many things. I hope it's the antibiotic and the new antihistamine, which also has an added side effect of helping me sleep a little better. That's a great thing.

Work is work. As always, there's much I would love to share, but I won't. Same stuff, different day. It's been a particularly challenging week or two on the work front and my head is all 'twisted up' around the things that have happened lately. I will figure it out. The job itself is great - and I know I'm doing a really good job and am very, very good at what I do. I know that. But there's a lot to be said for being happy. And happy is not an adjective I'd use to describe how I feel about my job. Now true, many people aren't 'happy' about working. I would rather not work at all. Who wouldn't? That's why we play the lottery every week - for the chance to kiss it all goodbye. But I used to be happy - and now I'm not. And that's got to change. Something has to change. Whether those changes happen where I'm at and ease the situation there a bit; or whether I decide this isn't where I want to be, I don't know yet. But I'm getting there.

The only thing I know for sure is that God knows the plan. He's known it long before I ever even thought of being where I am. There's a reason for everything. It will all play out. I just have to be patient and trust Him. And I do. I most definitely do.