I don’t have a title for this post, because this post isn’t going to say much and if it does, it will be incoherent. Fair warning.

It’s been a pretty messed-up week, with my cousin’s death, my son being bullied, the craziness of the election, and realizing that my patience and tolerance-levels have come to an abrupt halt.

One good thing is that I’ve found the need to kick and hit things, so I’ve ended up at the gym four times this week. Unfortunately I found myself in the cabinet tearing into bags of chips with more frequency, too.

I can tell you that I’ve seen a lot of changes in myself recently; some good, some bad, but all growth and possibilities and dealing with pain just makes the possibilities even better.

Through the craziness, one thing is clear; I have great friends and a wonderful family. I have fabulous readers, many of whom I’ve never met, who reached out to me to say they are here. It makes my heart hurt in so many lovely ways.

And, knowing that people are (mostly) kind? That is what gets me through to Day 9.

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For the third time in three months, a woman I know has sliced her hand and/or fingers while working in the kitchen. I think this is a sign. You’re welcome, ladies.

First it was my sister with an avocado and a dull knife, then it was a friend with another avocado and another dull knife. She got her tendons involved and ended up with surgery and nice little hospital stay. She’s actually an over-achiever, so this wasn’t a big surprise. Hi, Karen!

Today, my friend Melisa was cutting an apple with a very sharp, very big knife, when she cut off the tip of her finger. After talking to her I decided to revisit this post about when my son did the very same thing. Ironically, Melisa left the first comment on that post, so the finger chopping has come full-circle. Mustafa is pleased.

Even though it was five years ago, my son still remembers his finger-splint, named Tapper, quite well. But I think Melisa may have him beat in the memorable-finger-splint department. Just a hunch.

Bird courtesy of Melisa at Suburban Scrawl

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The other day was not a good one.

It started with the upstairs shower leaking into our kitchen; a deep pool of water on the counter kicked off the day. After that I found a container of watermelon that had been left out all night *shudder*; then we received a giant bill from my son’s cardiologist and rounded out the day with sewage coming up the drain of our basement utility sink.

Oh, joy.

After all of that, let me tell you what I didn’t want to do: MAKE DINNER.

What I wanted to do was run away from my house of horrors and go get a drink! And that’s exactly what I did.

Lucky for me, there is an Applebee’s within walking distance of my house. I called a few people, told them to meet me there, and by the time the three of them arrived appetizers had already been delivered to the table!

Lots of appetizers. And, we ate every bit of them.

To compensate for the indulgence of tortilla chips, I ordered the Skinny Bee Margarita (YUM).

Though there weren’t a lot of vegan options on the menu, the waitress was more than accommodating and the manager brought me a list of foods that were meat and dairy free. There were also handy lists for food allergies.

I ended up with this spicy and delicious Sizzling Asian Shrimp and Broccoli (minus the shrimp).

You may also notice there is a beer there. It was spicy. I had to! Plus, the margarita was part of the appetizer.

Some people don’t have to worry about eating meat though. Color me jealous. I’m not going to lie. I stole some of those fries.

Then everyone else ordered this for dessert. This is a picture from Applebee‘s website, because I didn’t have time to take a picture before they started tearing into it.

By the time I got my phone out to snap a picture, it looked like this. Notice how they left one bite of cookie on the plate:

All in all, we had a few drinks, a lot of food and a ton of fun. I love living in a neighborhood where there is a restaurant that I can take my family to or meet a few girlfriends for happy hour. It was the perfect way to end my day on a high note.

Applebee’s knows the value of meeting friends at the end of a stressful day. After all, they like to say: “Life is Better Shared.” They also know sometimes friends can’t meet face-to-face, and they want you to be a part of their online circle of friends. Find them on Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube or Tumblr!

Applebee‘s and BlogHer want you to end your day on a high note too, because they’re giving one lucky reader a $150 Applebee‘s gift card! To be entered for a chance to win, just leave a comment on this post and answer the question, “When’s the last time you had a girl’s night out?

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After four days without electricity, we are back in business! Well, except for the massive piles of laundry waiting to be done, the dog-hair-covered rugs which are in dire need of vacuuming, the sink full of dishes, and tree branches everywhere. Oh, okay, TREES everywhere. I am still without wifi, so I’m spending a fortune buying French fries at a restaurant where I can use their free internet. My random realizations:

1. The power always goes out right after you get home from the grocery store.
2. It’s kind of cool when you think of how it will bring everyone closer together…for about five minutes.
3. You might have seven flashlights, but you can’t find one when you need it.
4. You will finally find a use for your mason jars!

5. People DO NOT know how to use a four-way stop.
6. Bathing by candlelight is romantic, unless it’s 95 degrees, in which case it’s just sweat-inducing no matter how cold the water is.
7. When 500,000 people are without electricity all hell breaks loose at the gas stations.
8. And at generator stores.
9. Ice, ironically, is a hot commodity.
10. You will leave the sprinkler running for hours so that everyone can cool off, but you will forget to water your flowers.
11. Friends are great to have when you feel like you have nothing except the permanent splotch of sweat on the back of your neck.
12. There is never enough beer.

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