a week's schedule

Just because.


Monday:

Wake up sometime between 8 and 9. I'd be happier with myself if I could be up earlier, but why I get up this late will make sense later.

Monday is "Math Day" for me. I like to knock out most of my assignments one after the other, because trust me, if I spread it out over the entire week, I will lose my train of thought after the second day and forget how to do it. Sometimes I get all of it done before work, sometimes I have a lesson waiting for me after I get home.

I eat lunch somewhere in there. And also get a cup of tea brewing for when I get home, because after work it's really nice to know I have a cool, refreshing drink already made and waiting for me upstairs.

1:30 rolls around and I head to work at Chickfila. 2-9.

It's always slow to start, since the morning crew usually does a good job getting everything stocked before they go. Sometimes there's a tray for me to do. Or the prep ingredients need to be restocked. So I get that out of the way. I have done dishes or washed lettuce after that if things haven't picked up. Or I'll make extras of everything under the counter in an attempt to lighten the rush of dinner.

It starts to pick up a little around 4-4:30, so I have a tray or two to fill, or a few special items to make. Once 5 hits, I usually start mentally not quite screaming but pretty close.

Generally, they try to get me through my break and back to work by or before 6:30. Sometimes They'll even put me on break before 4:30.

The system usually implodes while I'm on the 30 minute break though, so I come back to a lot of trays to fill and resume mentally screaming. If I didn't take any break, I would be able to stay on top of everything, but I do need a break to sit down somewhere in those seven hours.

I work super hard and fast to get everything filled and move towards breaking down the prep area.

Ordinarily, they like the prep area broken down, put away, and everything stocked by about 8. Sometimes if it's especially busy, I don't even get to start breaking down until 8.

After that's done, I get to start on dishes. All the prep dishes get done first so they can dry a little before I set them back up at the prep station. The idea is to have them done before 9 so I can do most of the dishes from up front too, but sometimes that just doesn't happen so I get to stay roughly an extra 30 minutes to get it all done.

I make it home before 10. I'll let Mom and Dad know that I'm home, drop my stuff, and then make a second dinner for myself out of whatever everyone else had that night. I also crack my back really good.

If I have any math left, I finish it by about midnight.

Most of the time I'm still keyed up, even at midnight, so I spend time catching up on social media and/or reading until I'm relaxed enough to turn the light out and go to sleep. That can either be by 12:30 or 2 in the morning, it depends on how whacked out my body clock is from the last week.

Tuesday:

Is a class day, and it's in the morning, so I have to be up by 7-7:30 so I can get everything done and be out the door by 8:30 and make the 38 mile drive up to the college for my 9:30 class. Usually I remember to drink coffee, but it's a hard decision to make if I'm running late, between getting there a few minutes later than normal and finishing the coffee.

I always try to get there 10-15 minutes early.

Class goes until 11:20. It's Horse Evaluation 1, and is very interesting.

Afterwards, there is an extracurricular judging team that meets to practice. I am a part of that, so I stay. It usually ends between 12-12:30.

Then I drive home, if I don't have any extra errands.

The afternoon is restful recovery from Monday/get Eval homework completed. Tuesday is also one of the two nights I am home with everyone, so it is usually a quiet evening, and maybe Christian and I will watch a 'big kid' movie.

And of course, my body clock is still whacked out, but I can usually fall asleep around 1.

Wednesday:

Sleep in without meaning to.

Finish any leftover Eval homework. Figure out where Farm and Shop class is meeting (at the farm or in a classroom). Study up on anything the Horsemanship Professor has said to take a gander at.

Eat lunch and pack a dinner before heading out at 12 for another long drive to class.

1- Farm and Shop. Learning and observing how different tools work in a practical setting; and repair work. When in doubt, heat it up with the cutting torch and/or hit it with a hammer. Supposed to end at about 6, but since a few of the students have classes that start at 6, he's good about letting us out early enough to make it back to the campus with a little extra time.

5:30- back on campus, at the barn getting ready for Horsemanship 1. It starts at 6, so that means be in the arena and ready to go no later than 6, not get to the barn at 6. Definitely the class I look forward to the most each week. Ends about 9.

Get home a little before 10, drop my stuff, decide if I'm hungry enough to want a second dinner and if I want to make some tea. Eventually get to sleep.

Thursday:

Is a repeat of Tuesday, except I also add making dinner. I'll stop by Walmart on the way home from class to pick up ingredients. If the traffic has been bad, I'll also run through the Chickfila I work at for a little snack; because despite having had half a semester to figure out that I'm almost always hungry after class, I have yet to actually pack myself something to eat. Plus, I mean, come on if I stop at Chickfila, I usually get to say 'hi' to the people I'll be working with on Friday, and I get an employee discount.

And I am finally tired enough to fall asleep before midnight. Usually.

Friday:

Eval homework, maybe a math lesson. Laundry day. Get a cup of tea ready for after work.

Work, 3-11.

When I get there, I always check what needs to be stocked, whether it be the trays or parts of the prep station.

Fridays are usually pretty steady, not too busy or too slow, but there was one time where it was all-out mayhem (like a Monday on steroids), and thank goodness the kitchen manager was helping me for most of it. It was ridiculously busy that morning fresh prep-wise, and so the morning crew wasn't able to do very much of the bulk prep for the afternoon. That also happened to be the day that the shredder decided to be a pill. Fun times.

Whenever I get the dishes done I ask one of the shift leads what to do next, or just jump in with helping clean the kitchen floors or something. Sometimes I'll spray off chicken dishes (basically treating myself to a chicken-scented sauna in the process).

Slowly, people start being told to clock out by the time it gets close to 11 and things are being wrapped up.

Sometimes we wait for everyone before walking out to the parking lot. Sometimes we don't. They do have the rule that you are not allowed to walk out to the parking lot by yourself after closing, you're always supposed to at least go in pairs, so that's nice.

I'll get home around 11:30. Let Mom and Dad know I've got back safely, drop my stuff, and quietly make a second dinner.

And here's why my body clock gets out of whack: 1) Up and active on my feet in a high-energy environment until 11 at night. 2) Driving for 20-25 minutes and needing to be alert. 3) Eating again around midnight.

There's no way I'm falling asleep before 1:30 or 2. One time I was awake until almost 3.

Saturday:

Sleep in to a borderline absurd time and laze around because of tiredness. Seriously. I'm pretty beat the morning after a closing shift.

Saturday's shift is a repeat of Friday, sometimes a little slower, but clean up is a little more thorough so we might be a little later getting out.

Sunday:

Sunday mornings are usually better than Saturday mornings, and this time we have our family brunch per tradition.

We all gather after brunch to discuss the next week's schedule.

Depending on the time after the family meeting, everyone goes their separate ways for some quiet rest time, or to get ready for church.

If I need to wash my work uniform before Monday's shift, I'll do a load.

We'll leave around 3-3:15 for 4 o'clock Church, which will go until about 5:15-30. Afterwards, there's food and visiting before everyone heads home.

If people are still hungry when we get home, someone will get food out for second dinner. We might watch something if it's still reasonably early.

Everyone winds down for the evening after all that, so I head upstairs to read or something to fill the time since I'm wide awake from two late nights in a row.

It definitely isn't as time sensitive as how it used to be way back when, but that's ok. I'm in a different season of life and this is the kind of territory that comes with it.

*cough* 

So yeah. That's that.