there are gazillion calories hidden in a lot of foods in the universe.

in the past two days, i ate over three million of them. and i am not even exagerrating.

burgers, pizza, chips, ice cream. and the complimentary breakfast of donuts, cinammon, waffles. who knew the human body can actually take all that in two days? a minute in your lips, forever in your hips.

this is what i hate about being obsessed with food and weight. you see this spectacular canyon. you gasp at its breathtaking, majestic, beauty. you get amazed and ponder upon the simple yet complicated idea that not all things are material. you are humbled by the grandeur that only nature can quietly boast. i get to see all these, and all i could think of at the end of the trip was the fact that i stuffed my mouth with a bucket of french fries at lunch and in between filling up gas along the 7 hour one way drive.

seriously. that’s all i can think of. how i am so ashamed of myself for eating too much, in front of my kids, and actually giving them the same kinds of food, till my three year old puked his guts out on the way home. it doesn’t count that he usually throws up if we drive anywhere for over an hour. i still take the blame because i am a glutton.

and you think i remember the little detail of bringing a vomit bag? i had to be creative and save the empty doritos bag, which he filled up on his second episode, thanks very much. how do i know i am a bad parent? i was holding a doritos bag full of vomit. that’s how.

enough of the nauseating, pessimistic thoughts.

on a positive note, the little break was good. i feel like i am ready to do “it” all over again. “it” meaning 12 hours of nonstop walking spiced up with a lot of pressures and demands, enough to make me question if i can still do this bedside nursing thing till i get  my senior citizen card. i’m working friday night and at least i have stories to tell my reasonable patients. they always love to hear some mama bloopers. it takes their mind off their pain, and i do get a high entertaining them. that is a good thing.

for those who have added the grand canyon as a place you want to see, i highly recommend it. photographs, even those taken by professionals do not do it justice. i am not eloquent enough to describe its grandeur, and even the professional writers do not have the exact words. you have to write your own memories. go and marvel at its grandness, and wonder aloud how some people can say everything just came out from a tiny dot or a big bang or something like that.

if you have kids, and they are under 20, that is not an excuse. even if they are sure to scare the living daylights out of you, everytime they go near the edge, because yeah, they might fall, you still have to go.

take pictures, for the sake of the stories that you will retell over the years. and if you are like me, and whoever it is that you take with you is like my husband, do yourself a huge favor and bring a tripod, so you can have a picture with everybody in it. instead of just standing at every view point, wishing like certified idiots that a psychic will approach you and ask you to pose and and say cheese, go ahead and set the camera self timer. what if the psychics are all working, just like they were two days ago?

that you have only an hour of planning and preparation is not an acceptable excuse. be organized, pay attention to details, bring the tripod, put the vomit bags in your backpack. then, go over the edge with your scrapbook, and put martha stewart to shame.

and if you were wondering why i needed a break all of a sudden, you will totally understand when i tell you what i went through at work last week…