the east has been good to us

Eli and I have been back east for 63 days and it's been a whirlwind. We've seen friends and family galore. And now we've seen snow. Lots of it. And like any good mother, I made sure to take the obligatory kid-who-can-barely-move-inside-his-snow-suit pictures. We couldn't get any smiles out of him, but I assure you the giggles returned once he thawed inside.

If I was still in Texas and had missed all this winter wonderland fun, I would have cried. Because I. Love. Weather. For the 29 hours that it took us to get our 24 inches, I was a constant on weather.com. I love me some satellite trackers. The whole thing brought back high school memories, bugging the neighbor next door who just happen to be the superintendent of the school system to beg him to cancel school for the week.

As the first snowflake fell, my mom and I hit up the two stores that every girl needs when stocking up for a snow-in: Safeway and JoAnns. Along with everyone else. It seems we weren't the only ones looking for milk and some crafty entertainment for the weekend.

Eli didn't seem phased by the excitement too much. Which is too bad, really. Had he been a year or two older, this would have been his winter to remember. He may never see snow like this again.

Of course, we could always get stationed in Alaska...

quilting weekend in albuquerque

Don't forget to enter here for the quilt giveaway. The deadline is tonight at midnight, so hurry!

Some of my girlfriends must have known that I wasn't too keen on being back in El Paso after our super-fun San Diego trip... So, they promptly planned a Girls' Weekend to Albuquerque, NM. Why? Because we all like to quilt and there are a ton of fabric stores in Albuquerque. So really the question is, Why not? Sarah, Christie, Lindsay and I (the Crafternoon crew) hopped in a car and off we went.

And it was super-fun. I now have 6 fabric stores worth of inspiration, and a few purchases to make that inspiration come to life. Gosh, I love to sew. Who knew? After one set of purchases, we all received a free fat quarter of our choice. But our choices were pretty much hideous, all in the "southwest" vein. So we decided to split the free loot with the assignment of having to make something to remember the weekend. Mine turned into the souvenir above - note the "gem" dangling in the middle. It will hang in my new craft nook that I'm still in the process of making. ...To always remind me of:

• laughing so hard I almost peed my pants in Hallmark
• staring very indecisively among bolts of fabric... often
  
• being the first one to sleep one night because I was sooooo tired
• learning lots about friends as we played "Loaded Questions" in the car
• seeing my first transvestite hooker
• almost dozing off during an Indian ritual dance
  
• keeping Sarah happy by keeping to her well-planned schedule
• always being early out the door in the morning (four girls and one bathroom!) and yet still managing to be late places
• GPS-ing Starbucks on more than one occasion
• going into the weekend believing Albuquerque was the "gem of the southwest", only to be a little disappointed (see bullet point #5)
• but still thinking Albuquerque is pretty darn cool.
  

So here's some pictures of the weekend that include many new inside jokes (that's when you know you've arrived as a group of friends, right?) and other bits of crazy.

Twinkies... the joke that overtook the weekend

My good luck in finding European pretzels at a farmer's market

Perhaps my next quilt? Love it!

Lindsay and I with our new purchases

san diego

Our trip to San Diego was just what the doctor ordered. It was the perfect little vacation for two people who needed to just get out of El Paso for a while. It was a long drive (11+ hours), but sometimes the best conversations happen in the car.

We'd intended to stay in a hotel on the beach which we could only afford because of Jim's military connection (thank you, Navy Lodge). But a quick call to a friend opened up the opportunity to stay at his empty condo for the weekend, free of charge. And since free is cheaper that even a military discount, we went for it. So instead of staying on Coronado Island as originally planned, we spent most of our time in the charming little town of Carlsbad, CA. His place was a few blocks from the ocean, and this was the view outside our room every morning:
I pinched myself alot. While he was away, we watched his dog, Pax, who couldn't have been easier. (So if you see a dog in any pictures, don't worry, we didn't shave Roxy and dye her black.)

Some highlights of the week were a trip to Ikea, burgers from In and Out, walks along the beach, Balboa Park, dinner on Coronado Island, a guy who played the guitar with his feet, amazing flowers everywhere that smelled oh so good, shrimp tacos at Pedros Tacos, sleeping in, and just lots of quality time together.

This is my favorite picture which I think captures the trip well. I was having a hankerin' for some In and Out (seriously, you have to go) and a frappuccino, so I ran out and brought home some yumminess to share with Jim on the porch. And this is what we did for much of the trip - we hung out together, enjoying the friendship that has evolved over the past 5 years:

More pictures from the weekend:

Balboa Park

a really cute couple at Balboa Park

a phenominal guitar player

one of our many walks

a cactus that I fell in love with

Bouganvilla, my new favorite flower
(which, thanks to Lowes, is now in our backyard)

The trip was so perfect that I cried on the way home. Some people would call it pregnancy hormones, but I just didn't want it to end.

the one where jim doesn't go for a run

So in addition to my lovely ring, Jim's decided to also buy me a calendar for our anniversary. And to hire another race-scheduler.

Because one of the reasons we chose to come to San Diego for our anniversary weekend was because there was a Rock n' Roll Marathon. And we thought it'd be cool to do that together. But then I got pregnant. So now it was just Jim running it.

And a few weeks ago as we were counting down towards this trip, Jim decided that since he hasn't been training very consistantly for this marathon, and it's hard to eek something like that out (unlike a half marathon, in say, El Paso) maybe he should downgrade to the half marathon option instead.

No problem. It wasn't his goal, but we figured the 13.1 mile tour of the beaches of San Diego would be just as nice as the 26.2 mile version. That is, until I got online and realized there was no half marathon option. It was all or nothing. I got to give Jim that fun news earlier this week.

Well, what are you going to do? It is what it is.

Until it isn't, anyways. As it turns out, we're here the wrong weekend. The Rock n' Roll Marathon isn't until the 31st. Um, oops. For months we've been planning everything exactly 7 days early.

Maybe it's a blessing in disguise. Or maybe I just feel like an idiot and won't live this down for a while.

Either way, instead of the intended pictures of Jim triumphantly crossing the 26.2 mile finish line, I've got nothing for you. Just the knowledge that next weekend tons of people will have those pictures to share and we'll be back in El Paso, probably sleeping in.

Anyone have a good calendar system? Jim would like to know.

Tomorrow: pictures from things we actually did get to do this weekend.

weekend notes: east coast blitz

From Friday to Monday, Jim and I made a super-fast trip to Maryland and Virginia for a baby shower, and to be with our moms on Mothers' Day. What a fast trip it was!

It started with a long plane ride, as many trips do. We landed in Baltimore Friday evening and were picked up by our good friends the Cranes and surprise guest Danny! We made our way to the Cheesecake Factory in Annapolis. I had some delicious pasta that hit the spot. And we all decided we couldn't leave without dessert so I filled myself to the gills with their Chocolate Tower Truffle Cake. It was SO worth the stomach ache later.

We made it to my parents house around 11 and as always, stayed up too late talking. Then up again early in the morning for some delicious breakfast at my brother's house, a.k.a. the Circus. The five in the Circus crew, Jim and myself, my parents and my grandfather chowed and then the ten of us walked my nephew to his baseball game.

He was super-cute in his outfit with his bat and his helmet. And very focused. We had a great time on a perfect Spring day cheering him on. Sadly, the game ended in tears as my nephew didn't realize we had to leave right away to get down to Virginia. But we were able to snap this family picture without duress, and it might just be one of my favorites right now.

So down to Virginia we went. Four hours in the car after a plane ride the day before seemed eternal, but we got there in time for a double baby shower with Jim's sister (she's due 3 weeks after me!). It was an open house for friends and family, so there were lots of people and catching up. And after all the clothes we opened, our boy is going to be one stylish kid!

See how bored the guys look? Don't worry, after an afternoon of baby-ness, they got their testosterone on and had their fun with cigars and beer on the porch.

We had a lovely Mothers' Day. I say "we" because everyone insisted that having a baby in your belly for 6 months entitles you to your own day. I decided I wouldn't argue and enjoyed the attention! So my first Mothers' Day consisted of Starbucks, chatting with family, and sushi! Really yummy sushi. (But not the raw fish kind, don't worry.)

Monday we enjoyed a bit more family time before heading home. Another long day on a plane, and an early night to bed. It was a whirlwind, but absolutely worth it.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that on the plane, both Jim and I saw the baby move. Yup, it was cool.

weekend notes: the Parkers & Old Mesilla

This weekend we were lucky enough to host our wonderful friends the Parkers for a night. As they traveled from one side of the country to almost the other, they made room for El Paso and we had a great time. It was low-key. A cookout in our backyard: brats, homemade speatzle, beer, cigars. The usual. With yummy strawberry shortcake for dessert. And lots of conversation. We caught up on all of our friends back at Fort Campbell and asked about the latest east coast news.

They'd just driven across TX, and Jim had a long day at work so it was a relatively early night for us. But the next morning we readied ourself for lunch at La Posta in Old Mesilla, NM. And man, were those tacos good. We made the trek and said our goodbyes outside the restaraunt (sniff, sniff) with plans to see them soon.

Then Jim and I decided to follow the music into the town square and were surprised that we had timed our Old Mesilla trip so well. It was a Fiesta Weekend! The trumpets were blaring, the street sellers were peddling, the mariachi band was singing, and the dancers were all over the place.

I was fascinated by this vendor because I've never seen such big or ugly piggy banks. The pig ones in particular. I think the were just glad to escape Mexico without the flu. They all looked so sad there, lined up with that blank stare in their eyes. Kinda creepy, really.

But we didn't leave before Jim could buy this:

It's a luchador mask, of course. Think Nacho Libre. Luckily it didn't come with matching underwear, tights and boots. But for $12 Jim can be happy for a day. And hot. Those things make you sweat!

One last picture of the day. This is our favorite cacti. They are all over the mountains as you hike. When we got here we were amazed at how dead they all looked. And it has the longest thorns I've ever seen. It's called the Crown of Christ because it was once thought to be used long ago to make, you guessed it, Christ's crown on Good Friday. It's very sobering to consider it because the thorns can be up to an inch and a half long. And thick.

But it true dessert fashion, things that look dead spring forth a life from within that is amazing. About a month ago, these cacti grew beautiful bright orange flowers at the tips. Every time we see them we're amazed.

Speaking of amazed, did you notice the growing belly?

still recovering?

That's the excuse I'm using, anyway, since I'm not posting until today. And it's not too far from the truth. The Circus visit was fun, chaotic, exhausting, delightful, and a whirlwind all at once.

As you can see from Crystal's account, the White Sands National Monument visit looked nothing like the picture below. The women and kids sought refuge from the sandstorm in the car while the men donned goggles, gator masks and hats with their sleds and made the best of it. Which was wildly entertaining to the rest of us. (Actually, I take that back. Crystal decided to take a few rides down the dunes, to my great awe and respect.)

But that's not really my favorite story from the weekend. As you might have heard, the Circus showed up a little sick. But that didn't stop us from inviting our friends the Podgurskis down from Albuquerque. They have a daughter that made an instant friend to my little nephew and nieces. So much so that while I was helping the Pods check into their hotel (they had already given up camping in our backyard due to the unforgiving El Paso winds), Scott called and suggested we try to "squeeze them in" to the house. Which wasn't as hard as it seemed once you realized that two toddlers could fit on the floor in our closet. Yup. Two kids, in our closet, all night. Well, almost all night. My niece got scared around 4:30am so I rescued her and we had a nice couple of hours snuggling on the couch until the rest of the crew woke up... Though somehow I failed to mention the killer Friday night pajama party that you can have with four kids under the age of 5. My brother cranked some song I never heard of and dance moves started flying out of these kids like I've never seen. And man, can they groove. SYTYCD had better watch out.

But then there's the "I'm never doing that again" story. Which took place Sunday morning as Scott and Crystal were trying to get the Circus on the road. As the kids started to get a little restless, I opted to take one of my nieces to the park since she seemed to be instigating some, ahem, disagreements among the kids. And why not take Roxy, too? So as I started to get the plan in action, my nephew decided he didn't want to be left out. Which, of course, meant that my youngest niece wanted to come. So before I knew it, our party went from two people and a dog, to four. Why I didn't think to ask another adult to come along, or maybe leave Roxy at home, I'm not sure. I'm really not sure.

So.

When we walked the few houses down and spotted the swings, I was immediately asked why we weren't going to the Big Park. And deciding there was enough time, our 2 minute walk turned into 15 minutes through the neighborhood to find the big park. Everyone holding hands, just like they ought.

Then we made it to the park and the kids immediately ran for the swings. Whatever. One pregnant girl lifting and swinging 3 kids quickly proved to be a bad idea. But what can you do now? Eventually one decided she was done swinging and proceded to tromp across the park. But the problem was the wood chips that some brilliant contractor thought would make great ground cover. Since we were just glad to get shoes on all the kids, we didn't even worry about socks. So now wood chips were falling into her shoes and making her cry. I got them all out, but she was too afraid to put the shoes back on. There was no other option but to hold her.

So again, to paint the picture... Pregnant me is holding one kid while pushing the other two, meanwhile hearing, "You're not as good as Daddy at this" over and over again. Geez. I'm trying, here.

With the last few minutes the older kids decided to play on the playground we'd walked so far for. And proceeded to toss wood chips up and down the slide. Sure, why not. At least they weren't getting in their shoes.

Until the walk home, of course. Pregnant Karen is still holding the youngest in one arm, and her shoes in the other. My other niece is obediently holding onto my shirt tail. And my nephew is helping me hold Roxy's leash as we walk down the sidewalk. Until woodchips showed up in my niece's shoe. To which I bent down and helplessly watched Roxy run my nephew down the street, yelling after him to "be strong!".

Needless to say, it was a long hour. We made it home and Scott and Crystal were able to make miraculous strides in getting them out the door. So I collapsed on the couch and watched the rest of the morning happen.

But I was really sad to see them go. And then go again, when after getting gas we realized I'd given them bad directions. Oops.

This was Sunday. It's now Thursday and I haven't heard from them yet. I'm hoping all is well and that sicknesses have vanished. Either way, I'm sure they're making perfect memories. I know I'd do it all over again.

weekend notes: talks and runs

Thank you for all of your encouragement last weekend! The talk at the retreat went great. That is to say, I'm my own harshest critic, but I had many women come up and tell me what they got out of it and I think that was God's way of saying, "Good job." And when God gives you the thumbs up, well, you just shouldn't argue.

So the talk was Friday night which meant I got to relax the rest of the retreat. Which also meant I stayed up until 2am playing games with the girls. And if there was ever a time to make new, good friends, a retreat is it! So fun was had by all and after a "quick" trip to a new-found quilt shot, I got home later on Saturday than expected and fell promptly to sleep.

But then I woke up early Sunday morning so Jim could run in the El Paso Half Marathon. The funny thing is that Jim signed up months ago for this race but we both forgot to write it down on our calendars. So whenever it came up, I said something about thinking it was at the end of the month. But then Jim called me on Wednesday and asked if I knew what March 1st was. I was up to my elbows in movers and boxes at the time so I didn't even guess. "The half marathon," he said. Long pause. "Oh."

I should also mention that Jim didn't really train up to this point, AND he'd been sick for most of the week.

But my husband is crazy and ran it anyway. It wasn't his best run, he said. And I could kinda tell as it looked like Death was running across the finish line. But he had a good excuse. The next morning at the doctors he found out he had Bronchitis.

So to sum-up, my husband ran 13.1 miles with bronchitis. He's amazing. He said that he didn't even bonk until mile 11. Without bronchitis I usually bonk between mile 6 and 8. He seriously is amazing.

So after his half, I slept for a few hours. Sounds fair, right? Then some friends picked me up for He's Just Not That Into You (click it! and just leave the song/soundtrack on in the background. Love it!) and the rest of the day was a flurry of unpacking and I now have all of my clothes beautifully organized in my humongous closet.

Which means I also have found all of my winter clothes. A very important detail since I'm now in Maryland where there's inches of snow on the ground and I'm experiencing true winter for the first time this season. I LOVE the east coast!

weekend notes: steelers and in-laws

** Update: I'm finally adding the photos. Enjoy! **

So I must apologize for two reasons. 1) I'm just now posting about the weekend and it's Thursday. 2) Of the kazillions of pictures from the weekend, I only have one to show you. The rest are on my MIL's camera and we don't have a way to get them off. I hope to add them later.

So anyways. Our weekend started early because Friday Jim had the day off. And, if you could tell from my last post, we spent much of it in bed eating and watching TV. I had planned to clean the house, but I'm a really great procrastinator. That night we had a game night at some friends' house and partied until late. We'd never played Partini before. It's a clever game, kinda like Cranium. And sadly, the guys won.

Saturday was a more efficient day because I HAD to clean the house. And I grumbled the entire time. Gosh, I really don't like cleaning. I even made Jim promise that we'd hire a maid service to clean the house when we turn it back over to it's owners. I think it'll be an early birthday gift. Like way early.

That afternoon Jim's parents flew in to visit for the week. We showed them around Jim's work and ate out at Rudy's, a BBQ place where you don't use plates. Or silverware really. It's quite the place for any neanderthal. I had a small bag of Doritos. I wasn't feeling meat.

Sunday was a FUN day. It started with church and some girl I don't even know telling me why she was convinced the Ravens were going to win. And then the bag boy at the commissary said the same thing. People. I wish I could talk to them now.

So, The Game. We were in a little bit of a predicament since the only tv in the house that gets reception was in the master bedroom. If you could picture this with me: Rick, Caroline, Jim, Karen and Roxy all laying on a bed together watching the game. That wasn't really going to work, on so many levels. So instead we headed to BJ's Microbrew where I knew they had a big screen and beer.

(Now I should mention that Jim and I live in a strange universe where the wife cares about football and the husband doesn't. Last year I recall watching the Superbowl by myself while Jim closed himself off in his office all night.) So, to get him to care about this game, I had to take him to a place where they sold good beer. BJ's worked out just fine. We got a great seat right in front of their big screen and cheered with our waiter who even sported his own Terrible Towel. And what a great game it was.

Except that we had to leave at half-time. We had a Bible-study to go to. Bad timing, really. But it was a good study and well worth going. It was great, too, to receive the phonecall from my bro and SIL confirming the win - straight from the Steelers' stadium! All in all, a great day.

Monday was full as well. We took Jim's parents up to Old Mesilla in NM for a jaunt around the old west town of Billy the Kid. We had an amazing lunch of the best tacos I've had since we moved out here at La Posta - the original stagecoach post office used by the Pony Express. We even got homemade sopapillas for dessert that, when drizzled with honey, are phenominal!

(ok, so this has to be the least attractive picture of me I've ever seen. But I had to show you the coveted sopapilla. So there it is.)

On the way home we stopped by Stahmanns pecan grove. Who knew the west was known for it's pecans? We got our fill of pecans in coffee, pecans in chocolate, pecans in pie, and pecans in ice cream. See, multiple desserts in one day - I told you it was a good weekend.

And since we still had more time we stopped in the mountains for a quick hike around a mountain. Nothing too strenuous, but the weather was beautiful and the view was too good to pass up.
I can't remember what we did Monday night but I think it involved a movie and going to bed early. I was tired. Heck, I'm always tired.

And if you were keeping track, you'll notice that we ate out every day. Too. Much. Food. Even if it's sandwiches, we're eating in the rest of the week!

week in review: the life of a prego

This week life has gotten wonderfully busy. I wouldn't say Jim and I have found our El Paso routine yet, but we are finding a niche. The week was full of doctor's appointments, meetings, crafting, Bible studies and luncheons. It's nice to have a calendar that fills up. I will soon regret typing that.

Observations from the week:

• Stealing free wi-fi from the coffee shop has cost me 4 bagels, one bottle of water and a iced tall decaf vanilla latte this week.
  
• The baby loves bagels. Toasted with butter, please.
  
• And Egg McMuffins. Today at 10:15 I wondered if I hurried would I be able to get to Micky D's before they switched to lunch?
• My handy GPS told me there is a McDonald's within 7 minutes of our house. Saved!
  
• Sleeping is wonderful when you're pregnant.
• Except that tossing and turning to find a comfortable position ruins wonderful sleeping.
  
• Last night that wasn't a problem as I slept 11 hours.
• I got out of bed at 10:15.
• They say that sleeping on your left side is best for the baby. However my left arm falls asleep every night and suggests otherwise.
• Jim has today off and it's been fun.
• I took up a new craft this week - framing! Pictures will follow eventually.
• We've recently discovered the sit-com Rules of Engagement via Netfix and are officially hooked.
• Jim's parents come for a visit tomorrow and I haven't cleaned the house in many weeks.
• Now that I'm pregnant, we eat out more.
• My girlfriends from college are plotting to all get together in March and I CAN'T WAIT to be back on the east coast and see them.
  
• It's been in the 60s all week in El Paso.
• When I was filling in a date this week, I wrote 2008 by mistake. Man.
• When I listen to my iPod while surfing the net I tend to bop my head.
• My pants are getting tight.

Have a great weekend, all. See you on the other side!

weekend notes: party time

I'm afraid you are all about to be very disappointed. As it turns out, "holiday casual" means jeans. It was confirmed by the host. So no little black dress for me. No patent leather sky high red heals. No patterned stockings.

But in the end it may have been worth it. For this priceless conversation happened on Friday morning between my mother and me:

phone rings

K: Hey, mom, what's up?

M: I was wondering if you got the dress?

K: Oh, yeah, about that. Sadly we'll be wearing jeans. The Brigade Commander's wife (host) said it was very casual. I know, huge disappointment. I'm going to Banana Republic this afternoon to find a good holiday sweater.

M: Maybe you should get a pair of those jeans with the apples on the bottom.

Oh. Dear. Mother. You may be cool, but you're not very hip.

If you're lost and know not what I speak of, check out Crafty P's and Rebecca's comments here. You can order your own Apple Bottom Jeans here. The one's above are the Debbie Apple Pocket Skinny Jean at a reasonable $69.00. Very festive, don't you think?

I did run to the BR outlet, my favorite one-stop shop. I grabbed a cute short sleeve number there and some heels from Dillards. I looked very put-together in my jeans and holiday-wear. Sadly Jim and I took the holiday look quite literally, he in a red button-down, and me in my green sweater. We looked like that couple. What was I thinking?
Oh, and I should mention that the party was fun, complete with a tasty chili cook-off. (Lots of standing, so I sat on the couch and watched football when my feet started hurting. Darn heels.) We rubbed proper boss-elbows, laughed with friends, and ate and ate. One of the funner office parties I've been to, actually.

Yes, funner is a word.

And frankly none of you caught it because you're still trying to figure out how you'd even get into those jeans above. Or should I say spandex? That is one confident woman.

weekend notes: post thanksgiving

I know this is late for a weekend summary as it’s already Tuesday afternoon - or evening if you're in EST time. But we don’t have the internet right now so I’m having to steal wi-fi wherever I can get it. Has the anticipation been killing you?

I’ll start with a picture of a rainbow God gave us on Thanksgiving. The weather geek in me loves rainbows. It was beautifully unexpected.

Moving on...

Friday night I cooked dinner. That may seem like an insignificant thing, but it was the first time I’ve had a kitchen to call my own (sort of) since we left Fort Campbell in May. We had terriyaki-marinated chicken, almond rice pilaf with veggies on the side. It was soooo yummy. We’ve settled into our temporarily borrowed home and even though it’s not ours, we are grateful to be out of a hotel and into a real house. Keep praying we get our on-post home, and soon. I'm happy to report we've dropped down on the housing list and are now a respectable 33.

Saturday Jim and I decided to go for a short run. Sounds simple enough, right? Nope. I almost died as my lungs felt like they were going to explode. Needless to say, it was a slow run. I was a little embarrassed but Jim reminded me that I was running 3000+ feet above sea level. El Paso is high, apparently, and it never dawned on me that it might be hard to breath. After two miles I was done. This, from the girl who ran a half-marathon 3 short months ago. Kinda pathetic.

That evening our new friends, Brandon and Liz, invited us over for homemade pizza and game night. Our other new friends, Jesse and Holly, also joined us. We taught them... wait for it... Settlers. (Bet you didn’t see that coming.) They loved it! Jim stole a win at the last minute (I was so close!) so with emotions high we switched to Pictionary. Jim and I clobbered them. Not very nice of us, I suppose, but I had to win something.

Sunday was another full day. Church in the morning and then the six of us (same group as the night before) piled into a truck and drove to Las Cruces, NM. We enjoyed Old Mesilla, a well preserved little tourist town rich in ol’ west history. We chowed on brunch at the Double Eagle which used to be the tavern/saloon Billy the Kid frequented. I’m still dreaming about those killer Belgium waffles. And mimosas.

Outside was a collection of vendors selling their wares, an old church and a really cool book shop. We perused for an hour maybe, then piled back in the car to head home.

I had time for a delightful nap (2 hours!) before we met up with Josh, the son of a family friend, who introduced us to the local microbrewery BJs. A salad for me and beer for Jim. We had a great time catching up, sharing about our holidays and watching the Bears get painfully crushed.

But soon I was ready to get home. I was still tired and we’d had a busy weekend. Besides, Monday starts Jim’s first week signed in to post.

Our month-long vacation is officially over.

the weekend in TN

(Amy, Justine, me, Mya, Julie, Becky, Holly, Kristen at Blackhorse)

Such a super-fun weekend! After two days of driving, Jim and I crashed for the weekend at our friend Mya's. Her air mattress is now lovingly nicknamed the Cloud of Glory. Roxy and Mya's dog Marley (Jim calls her Meathead) didn't really get along, but at least they gave each other a little exercise.

Me & Mya (I had just woken up, be kind.)

Friday I drove back and forth from various homes to catch up with all sorts of friends. Saturday was the planned night of girlness at Blackhorse. You know when girls get together and it just sounds like high-pitched excitement as everyone talks over everyone else? Add a few beers, a bottle of wine and that was us. Most of the girls shot out early but I decided to stay after Jim showed up with a friend. So my buddy Holly stayed by my side and we chatted the evening away. It was a late night, but everything I'd hoped it would be.

After church on Sunday we shopped for a camera and decided on this one. It's just like my old one but upgraded and not 4 years old. Merry Christmas to me.

That evening we had a great night chowing on a delish taco ring, catching up on life, and playing games with Amy & Matt Flora. She was an on-post neighbor and one of the first to encourage me to run a half-marathon. I miss having running buddies. Jim beat us handedly at Settlers twice and I was crabby because of it. Apparently I'm more competitive than I thought. Or perhaps we need to just put the game away for a while.

The whole weekend was about seeing old friends and it met every expectation. We miss our life there in a lot of ways. I pray that God has as good a friends waiting for me in El Paso. I know He does. All we have to do is get there....

Tomorrow: Memphis!

catching up: homecoming '08

(Remember weeks ago when I went to Homecoming and never posted about it?  Well it's 5:30am in Germany and I'm sitting up with jet lag and a cold.  Thought I'd catch you all up while I was at it.)

(that's me, #7, in the front middle)

My final day in PA a few weeks ago was packed.

Kerri and I had to get up crazy early to drive the two and a half hours so I could play in the alumni lacrosse game. I will preface this by saying I haven't played in 9 years. And it showed. Here are some pictures that make me look like quite an athlete, but don't be fooled. I fell twice (as in spread eagle, stick flying), missed two very easy shots on goal (I'm defense, people!) and got winded faster than expected. But I had a blast.

looking for the girl I'm supposed to be covering

picking my nosebeing happy and cold all at the same time

But that was just the beginning. Afterwards and looking rather grubby with my grass-stained knees, my friend Elizabeth and I went to the Math department alumni mixer. It was good to see old professors and just generally feel smart again. Except when asked what I did with my degree and my answer was various forms of "sort of nothing".

Then the much needed shower. As Elizabeth and I grabbed our bags we made some passing joke about communal showers. Always a bad omen.

The first locker room we found had one very large and intimidating communal shower. The second one at least had two small ones. So she took one and I took the other. With every voice I heard walk down the hall, I was terrified the entire volleyball team would decend upon my sad little body, shaking in the shower.  Despite the longest 10 minutes in my life I got clean and ready for the rest of my day.

Kerri humored me with a quick walk through the science halls of Rockwell, my home away from home for four years. Did you know I was such a geek?

We caught up with old friends for lunch on the Quad and chatted about the last 9 years. We were just getting ready to leave after halftime when we ran into a bunch of upperclassmen we'd been looking for, to include Crafty P and Vileation! I lament not having more time with them. It was a crazy day and I couldn't be more peeved at myself for rushing out like I did. Silly me.

But I did get some good quality time with friends Cindy and Emily. Seeing them made the day completely worth it.

Emily, me, Kerri, Cindy

(Little did I know it looked as though I was being strangled by a snowman all day.)

Kerri and I made the trek home, watched/listened to Penn State beat Michigan in their own homecoming game, and then crashed hard. We caught the beginning of Sarah Palin on SNL and called it a night.

It was such a great day. Hopefully I can do it again next year!