WOW, Have I Been Missing For Awhile!

And for good reason!

Between work, and this new relationship, I have been a very, very busy girl.

In between those two time consumers (one is great, the other pays great!), I am also spending time with my personal trainer, spending time at the gym and volunteering 4 hours a week for the library. Oh yeah, and I've been busting my hump with some professional side projects (chat host, article writer, book reviewer) and was just offered another position as an article writer for a national news website....haven't decided if there is room in my life for that yet! Unfortunately the solo hiking has been cut WAY back :(

When he and I hang out, it has ranged from throwing darts at the local bar to hiking with friends, to checking out some new restaurants, to the recently very domesticated night at Home Depot and Target :) Not only did we make dinner TOGETHER last night (and it was mighty delish!), he made breakfast this morning AND packed my lunch for me today....NEVER in my wildest dreams......:D He also recently dumped my computer and set me up with all new software....very awesome!

Meanwhile, we are preparing for a friends wedding in a month in a half in Vegas, a hiking trip to Utah in June (in addition to or in place of Yosemite) and another wedding in November. I'd also still like to fly home at some point (and perhaps introduce him to the fam?!) as well as fly to Portland to see my sisters new hometown. My parents are also coming to visit in May/June and I will hopefully be getting new digs of my own in a month or so. Plus there are conferences I'd still like to get to for work, and small weekend trips and things we'd like to do and see....I'm not sure when we'll get it all done, but we will sure try!

Whew....just writing all the things I need to do (or attempt to do) has exhausted me...perhaps there is room in here for sleep somewhere!?

Ahhh..rainy days!!

So this week, it is supposed to rain every day, and worsening as the week goes by. It rained early this morning, but stopped early afternoon, and now it just smells wonderful outside. The only problem this is causing so far is the traffic...all these transplants forgot how to drive when it rains, so instead of TRYING to drive, they more or less CRAWL down the street 15 miles an hour less than the speed limit. It's great.

What else this means is that my hiking is a tad halted for a bit...its gotten a tad chillier, and while the rain itself doesn't usually stop me from hiking, the threat of flash floods does...the areas I hike often have dry washes that will fill extremely quickly and without warning. Drowning is one of my biggest fears.

So I will catch up on reading and finish some knitting. I did finish my nephew's blanket and it will be sent out by next week with a box of kids books to my sister's new home in Portland, Oregon.

I also finished a pair of socks (my first completed!)
No laughing at the cankles! :P
And now I'm on a mission to get as many projects finished this week as well!

Right now, I'm going to call my momma, and see how's she's holding up since my sister and brother-in-law moved last friday to Portland....the grandbabies aren't an hour away anymore :(

LOVE this weather!

Things to be thankful for mixed up with things I hate!

So this is the time of year I love. Mom sends the Christmas gifts, Grandma adds in her cookies and candied nuts, mom throws in too much of her fudge for anyone to eat. All this is fantastic (though working it all off, not so much.) There is so much food, that I get to share it with friends and coworkers, who all wait anxiously every year for the next box.

However.

This box usually includes one of two things that I cannot stand most in this world. No matter how many times I beg and plead, this crap comes anyway. What am I talking about?

Styrefoam peanuts. Or their less static-ky cousin, shredded paper.

Now, I understand. Things like chocolate chip cookies are fragile things, and must be protected. BUT, sending a 6 sq ft box with two shoe boxes full of cookies is unneccessary when it warrants putting 4 cubic tons of styrefoam peanuts in it! They get everywhere from the moment you open the box. The cats love them...until they can't shake them from their paws. They stick to everything, they fly everywhere, they hide in every unimaginable spot. I have found peanuts that needed carbon dating to determine how long they had been hiding.

So mom listened (once) and started sending things packed in shredded paper instead. Ok, maybe a better choice, more environmentally sound. But I'm not talking about the paper you get from your home shredder. This is microscopic shredded paper that is 1/2 a millimeter by one inch in size. And it gets everywhere just as the peanuts do. And its even harder to pick up unless you use tweezers. (sigh)

So I offered a suggestion, as good complainers do (my motto: don't complain about an issue unless you've also got a solution). I suggested whole newspapers. You know, maybe twist 'em, wad 'em up, stuff 'em in...that way, its still protected, and yet, I can still read it. As a big reading nerd, I thought this was a great idea. So mom took my advice and started sending the newspapers. Whole. In the box with all the goodies. Surrounded by shredded paper or peanuts. (sigh again)

So I've given up the fight. I curse under my breath, pick up the strays, attempt to throw them away while they cling for life to my fingertips and pant legs. But the food inside makes it easy to forget the trouble I went throught to GET to the goodies. So this year, when my box came, imagine my HORROR when I opened the box and it had BOTH peanuts AND shredded paper....!

The humanity....

Merry Christmas! :D

p.s. The picture is only one third of the goodies I get sent. Note: The peanut butter cookies are almost gone, and are usually the first to go. No one makes them like grandma does! <3