High Five for Friday!

Okay, so what day is it exactly? I completely lost track when I was in Puerto Rico a week ago for the National Turkey Federation Convention. (Don’t hate me because I just wrote that. Admit it – you would be the same way.) I got back late Sunday night and then hit the ground running on Monday, whether I was ready or not.

In other words, I wasn’t really ready. Even though I did spend time in San Juan going through my onslaught of emails on a daily basis, I still came back to overload. In fact, I had a teeny tiny little meltdown in my kitchen after I checked my email first thing and everything just came right at me without any regard for the fact that I was still tired and not on Minnesota time yet and cold. 😉

I would’ve preferred one more day of warm, tropical sun with a mango colada in my hand. But I digress …

Life goes on – and more specifically, the countdown to my own organization’s annual convention has begun in earnest. Four weeks to get a whole big pile of work done. And with 2,500 people counting on me to get my act together, this is no laughing matter. Well, it is, actually. We laugh a lot in my office, which helps ease the pre-convention stress.

Where’s my mango colada? Oh that’s right, I’m back in Minnesota. I guess my whole yard is like one big huge mango colada – without the mango. And the rum. Sigh.

So on to the fact that it is, in fact, Friday and we can celebrate the end of this week while simultaneously reviewing a few highlights:

I had a little time to explore on my last day on the island – hence the San Juan #selfie. I can still hear the ocean – I love that sound.

My first full day in San Juan was easily the sunniest of the trip. I don’t normally build in extra time on a work trip to just relax and enjoy my surroundings, but it was a no brainer this time. I lathered on the 30 SPF sunscreen and proceeded to lounge away the afternoon – plus enjoyed both a dip in the ocean and the pool. Heavenly.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch … I pre-ordered these M & M’s for the boys for Valentine’s Day since I would actually be gone over the weekend. Joe’s favorite? The “epik” M & M, of course – that’s his “thing”, apparently – he’s epik with a “k.”

And when I returned, I bet you can guess who was most excited to see his mama back!

Oh, there’s that mango colada again!

One more bonus photo:

I read this book on the plane ride to and from Puerto Rico and I can’t stop thinking about it! It’s the story of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia – the sister of the Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna, who was married to Tsar Nicholas the II – the last Tsar in Russia. While the Tsar and his wife play a small role in the book, the story is all Elizabeth’s, who was a strong, intelligent and kind-hearted woman. I find Russian history incredibly fascinating, perhaps in part because of my own Russian heritage – and the story of the Romanovs (and what the country went through as a whole at that time) is particularly heart-breaking.

As I head into the weekend, it looks relatively unscheduled, which is a nice change from the previous month. I’m looking forward to that – even if it means catching up on laundry and groceries. Sometimes it’s the little things.

I’m linking up with The Diary of a Real Housewife, September FARM and The Farmer’s Wife. Enjoy!

– Lara –