Sunday, December 30, 2007

After the Holiday... & then the rains came

Ok, i'm not really complaining about the rain, just curious why it wasn't until the VERY end of the year it decided to arrive. The rain has been coming down since this morning & it's definitely one of those days to stay in bed & read.

ok, you're right... who am i kidding? That's just about every day for me!

But i digress. Christmas has come & gone. I had 3 days of gift-opening & it was NICE!!! (wait, am i too old to admit that?) To be honest, (& I hope my dad is reading this) I think i am FINALLY at the age where I like to see what other people get and their reactions to the gifts they receive. Don't get me wrong - gifts don't sit around all week waiting to be unwrapped, but it's nice to not be in a big rush i was as a child (no, that wasn't last year).

I made out pretty well... got a ping pong table that will require some tools, but also some rearranging of the garage. I feel a visit from Dan, the Tool Man, (aka aaron's dad) is in order. He can definitely help with arranging things.

I got some sweaters, jewelry (one very special piece of jewelry that i will keep a mystery if you don't already know), giftcards, odds & ends, leather luggage (just in time for my cruise in Jan). The list goes on, but i won't bore you with the details. I assume that's only important to me =)

I have been off since Christmas Eve & i have to admit, i can get used to this! It's nice to have time off & not have to use vacation time. (or take time without pay as i will in Jan since i won't have vacation time earned then).

Now that the holidays are just about over (we don't have NY Eve plans other than cracking open the bottle of bubbly we usually get) , i can put my focus where it needs to be ---- THE CRUISE!!!! That's right, if you happened to miss me talking about it, we leave for Miami on Jan 10th. I can't wait! it's a 9-day cruise out of Miami to the Southern Caribbean. We have 5 ports of call (Barbados, St Lucia, Tortola, Dominican Republic, Antigua) & 3 sea days. We'll also be staying another day in Miami on the way back home after the cruise. I lucked out & that's a holiday i have off from work. I didn't see anything wrong with stretching out the vacation just a little longer... who can blame me?

We are taking my mom & dad with us on this trip. It will be their first on NCL & their first experience with "freestyle", so let's hope they like it. Mom's broken ankle is doing better & she starts PT this week. I think she'll be up for a few runs by the time we leave. Ok, not really all that, but she should definitely feel better than she did a few weeks ago. If you talk to her, make sure you ask if she's got her foot propped up (& report to me if she doesn't!)!

With less than 2 weeks until the cruise, I have some packing to get to!
Happy New Year!!!

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

It's Like Coming Home

Well, I admit it. I have been neglectful. I've wasted your precious time as you sit out there wondering what's going on with me.


Where is she? Why doesn't she post something?


It's been MONTHS!


See what happens when you get a job??? Not good. Not good at all. Free time is a thing of the past.


THE JOB...

It's going well, actually. I'm learning the ropes, getting to know my responsibilities. None too taxing, thank heavens. I just wish there were more people in the office!


THE HOLIDAYS...

Christmas is right around the corner. To get into the Christmas spirit Cop'er & I went to see our nephew, Rylan in his Pageant. Cute. I teased him & told him he did a good job as Superman. (He was wearing a gold cape after all!). He informed me he wasn't Superman - he was a WISE MAN. Cute. He did a great job & was happy to see family there. Nothing like having your acting debut go unnoticed by those who matter.


I am about 3/4 finished with my shopping. Thanks heavens for the internet. This is the first year I have done most of my shopping online. I think it's great! For those who think it's more expensive to order off the internet, if you do your research, order from the right companies & wait till the Christmas shopping time, you can get good deals & even some without shipping charges. (HINT: check out the internet for online coupons. Some sites post these & they work!)

Not only am i doing well with the gift-buying progress, I have made & written ALL of my Christmas cards for this year. That should be considered an accomplishment in itself! I'm waiting on the postal service to send my stamps now!


I have other seasonal projects up my sleeve, so i won't be spilling the beans on those just yet.

The one thing we haven't done - decorate. It's such a chore sometimes. I think it's b/c Aaron doesn't get into the whole decorating thing like i do, so makes for a long, not-so-much-fun time. I like to talk & reminisce about where ornaments came from, what they were, what i did as a kid... BUT NO.

I'm looking forward to all the old family traditions this year. Since we still don't have kids, we are free to travel around & visit people. The visits this year will be to Stafford to see Cop'er's parents & Glen Allen (what a drive!) for dinner with our family friends, the Woods.

Happy Holidays until we meet again!