What a Difference a Day (OFF WORK) Makes!

I had such a great day today I just had to do a post about it! I decided to take the day off work since many of us in the U.S. also get Monday off for Memorial Day. A 3 day weekend is great and all, but why not make it 4? So I did and my double weekend is off to a great start!

Right now I'm sitting in bed with the wife watching a movie and creating this post...It's always great to end the day in bed with this beautiful lady, but as I said this is the end of the day so let's start at the beginning of this magnificent day in my life.

I actually got up early this morning for an 8 a.m. doctor appointment which only lasted about 15 minutes and then it was on to get some quick breakfast before I headed out for the local junkyard (Pull-a-Part) to hunt down some things I need for my car. I think my wife thinks I'm a bit crazy for how much I like this place--but I get auto parts for next to nothing and it's like a scavenger hunt and it's actually a lot of fun for me.

When you have a car with 365,000 miles on it you end up needing to replace things that would cost a good bit of money so I do a lot of maintenance myself. I'm convinced it's going to half a million miles before it's done. It's nice not having a car payment every month!

Today's haul was just a couple of extra wheels for the car and they both had decent tires (one was almost brand new!). I only paid $40 for the pair of wheels which is a great deal as new tires run about $100 each where I live after taxes and disposal fees and what not.

I also found a windshield washer fluid bottle intact on this same model car as mine as well as a headlight assembly which I need due to a minor wreck that happened back in December when someone pulled out in front of me. But I didn't have all the proper tools to remove them because I thought I was just coming for tires / wheels today. I'll go back soon for the rest of what I need for a fraction of what it would cost buying it new..

So after an hour and a half of searching this huge lot full of older wrecked vehicles I did some more errands and headed home. Another afternoon errand took me to the city I grew up in--Oak Ridge, TN. This is one of the 3 cities in the U.S. where the atomic bombs were first built in the 1940's.

I was driving around and noticed that the old owner of a restaurant I used to go to for lunch in high school had reopened her eatery and I picked up some Cashew Chicken and Wontons.

This is one of those little hole in the wall restaurants whichdoesn't look like much but is a gem for those who know about it--it's the best Chinese food I've ever had. I also met a guy there who was taking a lunch break from collecting supplies to make moonshine and had an interesting conversation...I should have got his phone number and got some of that shine but I had things to do so...oh well.

On my way home I patronized another small business when I spotted a fresh fruit stand on the side of the highway. I scored a pint of some really juicy fresh strawberries and peaches and brought them home and had some strawberries with the rest of my lunch. Yum...I love fresh fruits and veggies straight from the farmers.

As you can see the owner was packing up and was almost out of product but I made it just in time. Score! I love small businesses. They often really struggle under the crushing regulatory burden in America and I really admire those who go it alone and don't work for the man like I do. Many of the small businesses have superior products to the big corporations that basically own this country and the government.

I also managed to pick up my race bib and T-shirt for the 10k Race I'm running tomorrow so I don't have to get there early and stand in line for my race bib. I'm gonna be going to bed early for a Friday night...

So I've got my plan in place for the morning and am excited about the race, the hikes my wife and I are gonna do tomorrow or Sunday, big dinners that I actually have time to cook because I'm off work, and time with the family and friends. Oh, and going out on the lake! It's been hot here for the month of May and getting out on the water is gonna be great.

Weekends like this are the stuff I love and live for. Some day I hope to have more days like this in my life and get out from under the crushing thumb of corporate America...all in good time.

I can't wait to share more of the fun stuff my wife and I end up doing the next 3 days just as much as I look forward to actually doing them. It's a good way to remind myself how lucky I am to have the life that I've built and express my gratitude for everything I have, even my beat up old car (I love that car.

So on that note, I'm gonna sign off, snuggle with my wife and finish this movie before bed time. Then it's race time in the morning. I hope you're all having a good start to your weekend. Everyone needs some extra time off work to live life every once in awhile.