Day 56 of 70.

Today was a much better day.

Did everything go according to plan?

Nope.

But after yesterday, I think I’ve learned that sometimes you just have to roll with it. And when it rains, you make the best of it.

Or apparently, you go get pizza.

A Surprise Hiking Buddy

I woke up early this morning planning to head to the state park by myself.

My husband was going out on the motorcycle with his friend, so my plan was pretty simple: get in a nice hike, find a spot by the lake, pull out my book, and spend a little quiet time reading.

Then something unexpected happened.

My 14-year-old son wanted to come with me.

I was honestly surprised.

As the kids get older, getting those random days when they actually want to hang out with Mom doesn’t happen nearly as often.

So the book could wait.

I was going to enjoy every minute of this.

3.3 Miles Together

We made it to the park and had an amazing hike through the woods and along the lake.

We finished 3.3 miles.

Nothing crazy. No personal records. No ridiculous hills trying to kill me.

Just a really enjoyable hike with my son.

And honestly, those 3.3 miles meant more to me than a much longer hike would have today.

Sometimes the miles aren’t really the important part.

It’s who you’re walking them with.

And Then… The Rain

After our hike, we headed down to the lake.

We got our chairs set up.

I pulled out my book.

Everything was perfect.

For approximately…

30 minutes.

Then the sky opened up and it started POURING.

Because apparently making plans outdoors is just asking Mother Nature for her opinion.

We scrambled to get everything packed back into the car.

Now what?

There’s really only one reasonable response when you’re sitting in a car after your relaxing afternoon by the lake gets rained out.

Pizza. 🍕

So that’s exactly what we did.

Seriously… A Chicken Book?

After lunch, we headed to Barnes & Noble and spent some time looking through books.

We found some that looked interesting.

We may have also made fun of a few.

And then there was…

The chicken book.

A book about chickens.

Why does it have such good reviews?

Why am I now curious about it?

Why do I have a feeling I’m eventually going to read this stupid chicken book just to find out what everyone loves about it?

This is how they get you.

Finishing the Day Strong

Eventually we headed home, and I decided to finish off the evening with a Gravl strength workout.

A hike through the woods, some unexpected rain, pizza, books, time with my son, and a little strength training.

I’ll take it.

Yesterday taught me how frustrating it can be when nothing goes according to plan.

Today reminded me that a change in plans doesn’t have to ruin the day.

Sometimes it can turn into something even better.

Now it’s time to wind down, get some rest, and prepare myself for the least exciting adventure of the weekend:

Going back to work tomorrow. 😂

But I’m heading into the new week feeling pretty damn good.

Day 56 complete. 14 days to go. 💪🩷

Real miles. Real mom. No filter.

– Shannon