I am winding down the last couple of days of my "vacation". It really hasn't been much of a vacation since I have been going into the office a couple of times a week just so that I can stay on top of my paperwork. Although I should be relaxed from the change of pace, it has been quite a hectic week on a personal level. The week has consisted of:

1. 1 of my closest friends having food poisoning and ending up in the hospital
2. that same friend's wife being re-admitted to the hospital
3. my mother being in the hospital all week with a very serious kidney infection
4. being in escrow officially, after a couple of false starts, and now, knowing we will be closing escrow within 30-40 days
5. taking the house-hunting seriously and realizing we MUST find a place very soon
6. helping out my best friend with the mandatory class he is taking in order to keep his job
7. applying for 4 principal positions (I MUST BE CRAZY!)

So, I decided to take another approach this morning. Since I have only today and tomorrow before my summer vacation comes to an end, I decided to spend those days my way. This morning, Mike and I went to breakfast. My favorite place to have breakfast is at a little cafe-style restaurant called Julienne's, in San Marino. We got there @ 9:30, and most of the time, that means we avoid the crowds! Not today. Not to fret, we only waited about 15 minutes. And since both of us had some caffeine and something to read in our hands, the wait was fast. After breakfast, I received a text from Sergio, my best friend. This is what it said: "Thank you so much. Be sure to check your back door as soon as you get home." This is what I found when we got home:

Sergio left a big, beautiful bouquet of mixed sunflowers on the back porch. I usually leave an empty pail on the back porch. He had put these beauties in water and left the pail right by the back door. Looking at the sunny disposition of these lovelies, how could anything NOW be stressing me out?