Oh, Hello there.

Remember me? That person who used to blog pretty regularly about somethings? Yes, me!

So, there's been lots of hiatuses in my updates. But without a job (yep!) I'm hoping to get back in to the groove. So here's the fast update:

DECEMBER/JANUARY

Christmas was spent in Knoxville, visiting Mary and Kyle in their new house - i can't believe they're homeowners! We drank too much moonshine, at lots of yummy food, and played music, laughed, and sang a lot. 

Then I spent some time in Arlington. Mommy and I went to see the Degas exhibit here. 

Arriving home, i received the christmas present Dave had ordered for me - a print of Mr. Darcy's profession of love. AWESOME!

And I picked up Slider from the kennel. He'd had an accident - jumped and caught his neck on the fence and pulled a huuuuuge chunk out. YUCK. So here he is, looking extra pitiful with his band-aide. 

January was also my last month of work. The school finally hired someone to replace me, right before I left, so I didn't leave my teachers in a lurch, which was my biggest fear. My teachers were very sad to see me go. I think that if I'd felt this appreciated while I was working there I probably wouldn't have left. But I did. And I do not regret it.

FEBRUARY

Since I wasn't working, I was able to help out a lot with homecoming preparations. Amy and I made these AWESOME signs. Amy and her granddad did the cutting, I did some of the painting, had a painting party to get more done, and then glittered the edges.

Then we had to stake them. We installed them over by the Ops Side gate. Which took for-eve-rrrr.

Two days after homecoming was the Change of Command, so we also decorated the anchor in front of the O'Club. 

And I ordered this sign. To be reused every time. "Welcome home Dave, the cat missed you." HAHA!

In case you don't know, our cat is a terror. No really. We had to get him declawed because he kept attacking people. He only loves Dave. So you can imagine how difficult 7.5 months were without the love of his life, and having to settle for me.

Here's Dave! Bottom, far left. 

And there I go! First one out of the gate to rush Dave's plane. Which is almost the last one in the line. 

Reunited and It Feels So Good!

MARCH

So now Dave is home. He had three weeks off before he checked into his new squadron. We hung out, looked at fifteen houses, went skiing for my birthday, tried to Space-A to Hawaii, failed, twice, saw Beauty and the Beast on stage in San Jose, attended the Cinequest film festival where we saw a series of comedic shorts, and eventually made it to hawaii. 

Finally on our way to the tropical island paradise. 

On the beach where the first season of LOST was filmed. 

March 30 was Maya's birthday. We went and got mani-pedis, starbucks, and apparently learned to night-walk. I tried to buy Maya a lip gloss, you know something fun to apply and apply and apply... well, this actually was a lip stain. So now she really is 6 going on 16. But, in her defense, she applied that herself, didn't even color outside the line! 

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you & yours! We look forward to celebrating the new year with you soon!

1/2 Marathon!

Some friends and I are signing up to run the Rock&Roll 1/2 Marathon in Las Vegas. This will be especially cool because it is at night on The Strip. This will be especially daunting since I haven't run more than two miles since high school. As a result, here is my training schedule:

The race is December 4th, so we've allowed plenty of time for training. Our plan is to drive up Friday afternoon, go out on Friday night, recover by the pool on Saturday, run the Half on Sunday, drive back on Monday. 

Anyone is welcome to come and cheer us on! 

Books Galore!

With Dave gone, I've had a lot more extra time this past week. So I've read two books - There isn't anything more satisfying and heartbreaking than finishing a good book. I love the can't-put-it-down-stay-up-till-1am-reading feeling, though I do feel sad when I finish a book.

So here's what I've been reading recently, and what's next on my shelf.

Recently Finished

Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck

A Young Adult aka Teen novel, this was a fun book - adventure, fantasy, some romance. Barnes and Noble advertised it as an "Epic Series," so I bought it, read it in two days, and then moved to ....

Tiger's Quest by Colleen Houck

... Book 2 in the series, read that in two days, and now have to wait until November for the next book in the series to be pulished. WhompWhomp. 

There's just something timeless about YA fiction. First, it's easy to read. Second, the themes transcend age. A 90 year old reader and a 20 year old reader can relate to teen anxiety, heartbreaks, rebellion. 

I will admit that these two Tiger books were more along the lines of the Twilight series - predictable, over the top emotions, but still a good adventure/escapism book

The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig

This one was more "my age." I love historical dramas. This book on www.paperbackswap.com was billed as Historical Fiction. Well there's some romance in it. Like Steamy romance. I hadn't expected that and it surprised me. But I've got the next book in the series on order, as well. 

Next Up

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

I think the two different covers of this book tell two different stories, so we shall see. I chose this book based on NPR's recommendation. Their book critics made a list of books to read for the Hogwart's Grad, books to read for (post)college students that grew up with Harry Potter. The list includes Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card, which I've already read - coincidentally in my YA Fiction class in college, and The Magicians by Lev Grossman.