Hot Air Balloon

Do you feel rested and rejuvenated after your weekend or exhausted and sleep deprived? I've got to admit, some weekends are so jam packed with fun activities that I find myself overtired and drained instead of feeling refueled and energized to start the new week.

Most weekends, our calendar is so full that there is very little time for rest and relaxation.  I get so excited about the weekend that I schedule so many activities and projects into a couple of days that I end up completely worn out by Sunday night.   

So what does it take to make me feel rejuvenated and energized on Monday morning? Time at home to refuel, time to reconnect with Ben and the kids, time outside, spending time at church, time to exercise and time to relax over the weekend. (Is that too much to ask in a 48 hour period?)

Long weekends are particularly great for finding balance and new perspective in my life. Last weekend we took full advantage of the Labor Day break.  We started our weekend at a soccer tournament bright and early on Saturday morning. Due to a few games with not so favorable outcomes, the team ended their tournament play earlier than expected on Sunday morning. We took the remainder of the day and headed to the Hot Air Balloon festival at Calloway Gardens. If I were to describe it in one word it would be - amazing.

I had never been to a Hot Air Balloon festival or even close to a Hot Air Balloon before.  It was fascinating.  Just before dusk, they started to inflate the balloons on the beach of Calloway Gardens.

It's a little hard to see from this picture but this is a balloon laying on it's side, just before it was inflated.  I took the picture from the bottom (where the basket would be) looking up towards the top.  (the rainbow colors)

These balloons produced a lot of heat too.  We could feel the intensity as we walked past the balloons on the beach.

At dusk, they started the "balloon glow."  They are even more beautiful at night!

It was an incredible sight to see.

Our Labor Day weekend was energizing and refreshing and last weekend was no less rejuvenating.  I did some cleaning, some baking, some organizing and still managed to sneak in lots of family time.  As for the exercising part of my weekend, Ryan and I took a bike ride on Saturday and the 5 of us (Mia included) took a nice long Sunday afternoon hike through the mountains.  (There's just something about being in the woods that makes me feel calmer and more peaceful.)

So here I am, starting my Monday morning with a fresh perspective and new energy.

Onto our menu for the week:
Monday:  Grilled Chicken with Honey Mustard Glaze
                 (Cooking extra chicken for lunches and for Thursday's dinner.)

Tuesday:  Chicken Parmesan Meatballs and Spaghetti
                 (Reserve half of the ground chicken for Friday's dinner.)

Wednesday:  Turkey Tacos

Thursday:  Rio Grande Quesadillas

Friday:  Skillet Cheeseburger Macaroni

Saturday:  Salmon Burgers

I hope that you have a great week and if you had a busy weekend, I hope that you find time for a nap.  (Preferably not while you're at work.)

Ciao!