Puzzling Times...

 The Hubs and I dabble in puzzle making. 

Alaska never really messed with eating the pieces, but the Keekers is an entirely different story. So our puzzling took a back seat about two years ago when she joined the family. That was until the Hubs found a competitive puzzle night once a month and we became the other half of a foursome on the last Friday of every month. I have no idea what you get when you win, because we haven't, but it is fun. 

It should be said, I hate puzzles. 

They make me feel stupid.

And yet, I can not leave one undone.

So, I bought Hubs a puzzleboard for Christmas.

I made a cover for it so Keeks couldn't get at the pieces. 

It fits nicely under the couch when we don't have one going, which is not often. 

It still does not deter the cat.

 "1000 pieces? Not on my watch!"

This was our first attempt....

Georgia O'Keefe's "Petunias". Easily the hardest puzzle we've ever done, made even more aggravating that Keekers managed to steal a piece, making it unframeworthy.

 Keekers, 1 Hoomans, 0.

Next up were two borrowed puzzles, the Boston landmarks and a scene of Venice. It poured the weekend we did these. Boston was pretty easy to do despite the small details. Venice was a bit harder as the pieces often needed to fit four or five together before they'd fall into place. Since we actively worked these over two days, Keeks was not successful in her swiping. 

Then there was a Beers Of New England that Hubs did on his own while I was at work.

 

Not a challenge.

Keeks stepped up her game for seashells, flipping the entire board about half way through. Needless to say, she successfully absconded with exactly one piece.

Then there was this one....

It should have been easy, being only 500 pieces. It. Was. Not.

The current puzzle is "Melons on the Vine", another hand me down, I'm not really a fan of the design so it's a slower go. 

But regardless of the subject matter, or how aggravating it is, it's better than watching the news.

The First Fifty Years Are The Hardest....

 Him: "You're not going to work next week?"

Me: "No. I took so time off."

Him: "Nice. How much?"

Me: "Seventeen days."

Him: *shocked* "You're gonna lose your mind."

I did not in fact lose my mind. 

I made long over due doctors appointments happen. 

I saw the dentist for the first time in 10 years. No cavities, thank you very much.

I expanded Youngest's bedroom to over twice its size. I built walls, painted, drywalled, and ran carpet without having to put it all away every night. He's got a proper closet, another window, a place for his art. He loves it. He loves being home now. And it only cost around $400. Honestly, that's the best money I had spent in a long time. 

Truth is I took that much time off to guarentee getting one specific day off. My birthday fell on a Saturday in October, and since I spent my 30th, and 40th birthdays in the hospital, there was no way I'd be spending my 50th at work. 

What I discovered, is that I'd been vacationing all wrong.

In the past I'd crammed as much into time off that I never relaxed. And while I was quite busy over those 17 days, I felt accomplished. I had some down time, lazy days, and time to think. And while the first week was spent doing much needed projects, the second was spent having adventures. 

Hubs and I took in the O'Keefe and Moore exhibit at the MFA and finally made it to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. 

The OG 3 (Myself, Oldest and Youngest) went to the Azores for 4 days. 

We walked, talked, ate amazing food, saw tons of happy cows, ate traditional stews cooked in volcanic springs, swam in geothermal pools and hot springs, and repelled, ziplined, and jumped off waterfalls. It was a much needed reset for the three of us, somehow repairing the emotional damage that happened over the last few years. The trip made us whole somehow, fixing damage that had been unspoken for far too long. The distance was good for Hubs and I as well, the whole absence making the heart grow fonder thing and all.

At the end of the vacation, there was cake. Really good cake. And a tirara. 

Every year I've learned something new about myself. And this year I learned that slowing down, taking time for myself, appreciating the small and big things, is now more important than ever. Work will survive without me. The husband can hold it all together without me being here. The boys are going to be okay. 

I just needed to close my eyes, and blindly jump off a 30 foot cliff, and get ready to take in the next 50 years.