LONG TIME NO POST

OK, so it's been a long time since I posted so here is a quick update...

I finally kicked that yucky cold that lingered 8 weeks. Then I started having car trouble that lasted most of December...it started with a bad thermostat, then a flat tire, then it wouldn't start and that was a 2 week ordeal, having it towed 3 times to the dealership, and in the end it was me that figured out the problem and fix after doing some research. Gotta love the internet. Finally got the car running right before Christmas.

Twice in the month of December I had he opportunity to judge debate tournaments at Maize High School. I was very impressed by the kids and saw some very interesting debates on the topic of alternative energy. Judging at the regional tournament took me back to my own high school debate days a long long time ago.

In the middle of all of this, I planned a surprise 30th birthday party for Derek. It was great, and he finally got to catch up with some old friends over a bottle of wine, some pizza and cake. He told me once that he had never had a surprise party and always wanted one, so I resolved to throw him one. And guess what? He never figured it out and none of his friends slipped. But there were a few times I thought he was going to find out. It was hard to get it all planned without my own car. Independence is highly UNderrated.

So the week after Derek's birthday, we began the Christmas season...we had several family Christmases and of course the girls enjoyed every minute of it...the gifts, the food, the cousins to play with, the food.

Calling Santa and talking to both him and Mrs. Claus really excited the girls. We also saw Santa several times...at Reindeer Romp, at the Learjet Christmas party, at the mall, etc... Then on Christmas Eve, when they caught Santa putting presents under the tree, the excitement peaked. They both must have had great dreams that night because they actually let us sleep in until 9 AM on Christmas day!

Derek and I went on a pre-New Year's date (thanks to Robert for offering to babysit!!) and we went to see "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." It's an interesting movie with an interesting story, but I prefer F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story to the movie. The story itself is what intrigued me to see the movie. Unfortunately the only thing in common with the story is that the movie is about a man aging backwards, and that's about it. If you want to read it, here's a link (it's about 30 pages, so a quick read)..

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/Fitzgerald/jazz/benjamin/benjamin1.htm

Derek has been off with the girls the past two weeks, and I have worked a few days during the holiday break, so it will be a shock for all of us to get back on schedule next week!

Today we went to Jamie's birthday party at the Acrobatic Academy. The girls had a great time and it reminded me that I should probably enroll them in gymnastic classes this month before soccer starts in February!

So that is a brief synopsis of what has been going on with us. Now, I will work on getting some photos on here!