The Pulse: Powdered Sugar, Ponchos, and Coming Home

We came home with Bayuo seasoning, hot sauce, souvenirs, and plenty of stories. We also came home with a reminder: the memories do not always happen in the part of the trip you planned most carefully - at least that is my hope.

Our fall break took us from Knoxville through Alabama’s Gulf Coast and Mobile, then into New Orleans before an overnight stop in Birmingham on the way home. There were ponchos, powdered sugar, a first concert for the boys, and two $10 candy apples that prompted a very real, cheap momma moment.

What made the week

M&N's first concert was Weird Al at The Wharf, with Puddles Pity Party as the opening act. True to his namesake, we walked through puddles and thankfully had our ponchos as it rained throughout the day and for much of the concert. Having forgotten about the time zone shift, we stayed out much later than usual - the boys didn't want to miss out on hearing Weird Al's White and Nerdy and Amish Paradise, so the next morning reflected our late evening. Sleeping in became part of the trip moving forward. If you know me, that's really living on the edge!

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Rain changed our Gulf Shores days. We still got about a mile and a half of walking at Gulf State Park, reused our ponchos, and L&N burned off energy at the park playground as it poured while M and I mapped out the rest of the day. Wildlife bingo did not turn into a wildlife extravaganza; we saw one creature - whomp! Sometimes that's just how it goes.

Our food adventures worked just a bit better and were the crux of our exploration as we navigated Alabama and made our way through New Orleans. We tried hush puppies, fried green tomatoes, alligator bites, oysters, coconut shrimp, muffuletta, gumbo, po’boys, beignets, and of course, chicken fingers for N. Not everyone loved the same things, but we thankfully tried a majority of them.

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New Orleans also gave us two experiences that stood out: The National WWII Museum and the New Orleans School of Cooking demonstration. The museum made history feel more immediate through its settings, audio, and videos. The cooking demonstration brought food, culture, and history together—and all three boys loved it. I'll be preparing at least one of those meals this week, likely the gumbo since it was such a hit.

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What helped behind the scenes

Before leaving, I used up pizza dough, cheese, and ham to make homemade hot pockets for the drive down to the Gulf. Dessert came from the boys’ tradition treat containers. We had something ready to eat, used food we already had, and did not need to make dinner another stop on the road. Keeping the stops minimal and as short as possible helped me stretch my legs, stay awake, and still make good time on the road to our destinations.

We mixed paid experiences with free stops and even with my scheduled itinerary, kept some room for doing very little (i.e. screen time for the boys). We had some nights with screens, a travel Connect Four game that accompanied us at most restaurants, and hotel meals while watching my fav - Dude Perfect.... All these moments mattered, and helped balance out the trip.

And not every advertised benefit was the best deal. An $84 family breakfast buffet with a $20 credit would have left a sizeable bill for what I knew would have been consumed (cereal). So using the credit for eligible grab-and-go food made more sense for us, as did grabbing some extra oatmeal cups from a previous hotel ;). And don't get me started on the highway robbery that was the valet parking in New Orleans! I’ll share the travel systems and the Go City details separately, because those deserve more than a sentence in this weekly post.

And now back to the regularly scheduled chaos

Now it is time to turn back toward clients, spin, meals, and the week ahead. My goal is to carry the useful parts of vacation home: a little preparation, enough flexibility, and permission for downtime.

I took that to heart once I dropped the boys off with dad - after picking up groceries, it was time for an everything shower, painting my nails, and mapping out the living room art. Then I settled into bed and fell asleep to "Good Spirits" by B.K. Borison, just the type of book my head, heart, and body needed.

Saturday morning was a relaxed start with coffee and continued audiobook listening before I tackled some website work, polished off the post-trip unpacking and laundry, and planned out the week's activities and meals.

Sunday was spent trying on outfits for fall photos with the boys and a bit of a professional shoot for me. Then the norm of meal prepping, organizing the house for the week, and making sure I was ready to hit the ground running with clients, group training, and spin class.

Again, a trip away with the boys while overstimulated from always being on demonstrated how differently my body handles vacations vs. normal work weeks - my stress was surprisingly less, my sleep was longer and more restorative despite a little one always rolling into me, and my Oura readiness was continuously high. We were always doing something, running around and moving, and my mind was always on, yet my body responded entirely differently. I know sleep was a significant difference, and one I have been aiming to improve over the past months. Outside of my daily workouts and spin, there are obviously other areas that are pulling down my energy levels and affecting my sleep. I will have to reflect on how my mind and body react now that I'm home.

For this week, I’m focusing on:

• Move: Hone in on how my workouts help and maybe hinder my rest and stress levels.

• Eat: Prep cozy, cooler weather food like higher protein Buffalo Chicken Dip and Chicken Sausage Gumbo.

• Life: Enjoy being back at the fields as the end of the season approaches and engage with N as he gets back to Cub Scouts.

• Make cents: Sort the trip receipts and finish one travel post, rather than trying to publish the whole vacation at once.

The higher energy, millennial club vibes will treat your ears at Monday night's spin class: