Starting the weekend with a bang

So, it’s not actually the weekend yet, but I’m sure most of us wish it was.

 A little premature, I know.  But the city I live in put on its annual fireworks show this past Sunday.  I haven’t been to this particular show in about seven years, and had forgotten just how good a job they do.

My sister-in-law bought a house just a block from the field where they shoot them off, and she had her first annual fireworks party that night.  It was a perfect spot.

I’d never photographed fireworks before, so when I decided to try, I was a little taken back by how good they turned out. 

It did take quite a bit of tweaking during the whole show, but it was fun!

Hope everyone has a wonderful fourth of July weekend!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!  My best friend from NYC is in town and I had one chance to spend some time with him before we left. 

We went to Como’s for dinner and had pizza.  I had cosmo’s, Kevin had Jameson on the rocks and Jackie had apple martini’s.  The restaurant was open ’til 2am, but they only served liquor ’til 9 pm – we knew when to leave! 

10 pm: Back at my house, carrying on the rest of the evening.  Ignoring the fact that I had to wake up at 6 am!

Goodbye snow, ice and wind: (And yes, I totally ripped this picture off from my mom, because her’s was better than any of mine)

Hello sun, sand and warmth:

We’re off.   Merry Christmas everyone!  Have a great holiday, and I’ll “see” you in the new year! 

Joy

So, we are leaving for Florida on Christmas.  It seems I’ve been waiting all year for this vacation, and now it still doesn’t seem like it’s only a few days away.

Once again, we are being a couple of crazies, driving all over the state to visit with everyone we know down there.  It may be oddly annoying at the time, but in the end it’s all worth it.  They’re family, and that’s it.

My mom and dad had everyone over their house over the weekend to celebrate Christmas, and we all had a great time.  Of course, the newest addition to our family was the center of attention.

And don’t you dare say he isn’t the cutest little button, because he is.  Our other niece and nephew (from Derek’s side) live in Florida, and we are only able to see them a few times a year, and it positively sucks.  Anyway, this little guy melts my heart every time I see him. 

But then again, so does this one.

Oh yeah, it’s a new year

Well, it’s back to reality for this girl.  Did ya’ll miss me?  While the vacation was refreshing and lots of fun, I got really homesick.  Or should I say vacation-sick.  I never really understood that whole thing.  Normally I get sick of normalcy, doing the same things day in and day out.  I really missed it this holiday.  Actually, I just think it was my dogs I missed the most.  When they are around, everything just feels normal.  I am never taking another vacation without them.  Unless I go to Ireland, or Australia, or Alaska.  Okay, I probably will take more vacations without them, but it doesn’t mean I enjoy doing it.  I honestly don’t know if they would have enjoyed Florida anyway.  Being Huskies, and being the time of the year they have their thickest coats, it doesn’t seem like it would be very comfortable for them. 

Oh wait, maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad the last couple of days.  Considering it was 45 degrees down there and back home it was almost 60 degrees. What is with this weather!! Record lows down there and record highs up here.  It kinda baffles me. 

Moving on, we had fun spending time with our nephew, going fishing, wandering around taking pictures, and just relaxing.  I will tell you all about it later.  For me, the new year started when we left Florida.  I am not counting the time we spent in Florida, mainly because I entirely lost track of time.  We didn’t even do anything on New Year’s eve.  Didn’t even stay up until midnight.  How lame are we?  Wait, you don’t have to answer that.

So anyway, we left Florida on Saturday and were greeted with this sight when we got on the freeway.

 

I got a little snap happy, but who could blame me.  It honestly was the best rainbow I’d ever seen.  We could actually see the entire thing, I just couldn’t get it all on camera.  One end of it was in the dark sky and the other in the bright sky. I think it’s a good way to bring in the new year.

Winding down

It has been quite a year.  I am actually looking forward to it ending.  Starting fresh.  I hate to be a downer, but it’s true.  There has been plenty of good things, but it didn’t seem to trump the bad this year.

Everyone just needs a fresh palette.  No more sickness or surgeries.  No more grief.  It’s done.  We are expecting some more nieces or nephews next year, and there are already two weddings planned.  It’s going to be a good year.  I am counting on it.

I am taking the rest of this year off.  I just wanted to tell you that.  I am sure you will all miss me horribly.  Actually, I am taking the first part of January off as well.  So, I will be back sometime in January.

I wish everyone a very happy and safe holiday.  See you in the new year!

I am a chatterbox, I really am

So, we had our holiday party at work this afternoon.  Now, I work with a bunch of men. There are two other women in the office, and I talk to them all the time, but I’ve never really gotten to know the men.  Until today.  And I’ve worked there five years.

I am not a real talkative person, and it takes a while for people to get to know me.  Well, put me with some glasses of wine starting at 2 in the afternoon, with no husband to save me from actually talking to anyone else, and you’ve got yourself a chatterbox. Who would’ve thought.  I know the wine was the primary instigator in this case, but IT WASN’T SO BAD.  Talking to people, I mean.  The wine was excellent.

I survived.  And I had a good time.  With some wine.  I ate lots of food, and I think some of my coworkers think I may have been abducted and replaced on this planet.  But, many of them asked me where this girl has been all these years. 

I blame it on horses.  Okay, animals in general.  Because I love animals.  Therefore, I enjoy talking about them.  Well, word got out around the office that I had a horse, and everyone started asking me about it.  So, I started talking, and kept on talking, and then talked some more.  Eventually, it wasn’t just about horses anymore, it was about many different things.  I talked about pheasant hunting!  I think everyone in the office now knows about my plans to go into Nursing, and truthfully, I wasn’t sure everyone was supposed to know about it.

I’ve never really associated friends with coworkers.  I think that is most of the reason I don’t talk to anyone that often.  Another being, that they are a bunch of older men.  They are all really nice, but they always talk about sports, and I don’t.  Well, unless we’re talking the Kentucky Derby here.  They have kids, I don’t.  I am the youngest girl in the office, therefore, I AM a young girl, not a grown up like them.  Oh, and there is the thing where my stomach gets all crampy and I get all sweaty, and turn red when I talk to groups of people.  Yes, that still happens to me.  I’ve just got an aversion to being the center of attention.  If it’s one person, I am okay.  But, when there is more than one, I clam up.   Since I am making stupid excuses for myself, I might as well add that since I’ve gone on so long being the quiet girl that works up front, maybe I should just keep that persona going.

That’s no longer possible.  Today, I turned the tables.  Hopefully I can keep those tables turned.  I think some of that wine is still making me babble, does any of this post make sense?  Maybe things will get easier from now on.  One thing is for sure, I am definitely a better writer than a socialist.  Thanks for listening to me, if you’re still here, that is.

Looking forward to a little bit of normal

This week marks the last week of class for this semester.  I’ve got one lecture and one exam to get through, and I am free.  I am very much looking forward to getting ONE WHOLE MONTH off, before returning to the second half of this class and starting off exactly where we left off, which won’t be easy.  Next semester won’t be like any other courses I’ve ever took.  There will be no easing into a new subject, there will only be diving into subjects even more complex than what I’ve had to deal with this semester.

Though it may seem so, I am not complaining.  I have thoroughly enjoyed this semester.  I often get teased by my classmates, because I enjoy the class so much.  Who in their right mind would actually ENJOY looking at and dissecting a cadaver, sheep brains and some eyeballs.  Yeah, that would be me. Don’t worry, I won’t go into any more detail than that (for those of you who can’t stomach that sort of thing).  Which, brings me to another point.  Most of the people in my class are going into Nursing, and most of them couldn’t handle the dissections.  I just really don’t understand WHY they would choose a medical profession.  But, that’s their decision.

Anyway, I’ve got one free week before we leave for our vacation, and I’ve got some big plans.  Plans which include all the housework I can fit into my free evenings, taking my dogs for some well deserved walks, cooking some meals, and basking in my temporary laziness by catching up on some movies I’ve been meaning to watch for some time now.  Doesn’t that sound like a blast?!  Okay, not really, but I am sure looking forward to it.

I suppose I just want to feel normal, even if it’s just for a week.  I don’t want to always have somewhere to be, and studying in between everything I do.  I don’t want to have to run errands on my lunch break, simply because I don’t have any other time to get it done.  And I most definititely don’t want to eat sandwiches for dinner anymore, just because it’s easy to pack and can be eaten while driving between work and school. 

Then, I am going to rejuvenate myself by spending two weeks in sunny Florida.  I really am excited to go, despite my reservations from before. It will be a good rest, and if you ask me, definitely well deserved.