back home

Got back about 7 tonight. We had a good time exploring parts of the Caribbean, but a week was long enough and I'm glad to be home. As the saying goes, there's no place like home - and nothing like familiar surroundings to ease the mind and return the digestive system to rights. I'll share some details and pics this week.

Arrr, Matey

We are gearing up for our 6 am (bleah!) flight to Miami tomorrow. Here's our itinerary:

Saturday - sail out of Fort Lauderdale at 5 pm
Sunday - at sea
Monday - Ocho Rios, Jamaica, where we'll probably see Dunn's Falls & some dolphins
Tuesday - Grand Cayman, Reef & Wreck snorkeling
Wednesday - Cozumel, and a ferry to the mainland where we'll tour the Tulum Mayan ruins
Thursday - at sea
Friday - Princess Cays, Bahamas
Saturday - back at Fort Lauderdale & fly home

This is all assuming Nate doesn't come down with the stomach flu that Zach, Adrienne and I had earlier this week. Yeah, great timing. So, keep your fingers crossed for us and I'll bore you with the details when we return. I gotta go pack!

Of Martyrs and Cupids

Happy Valentine's Day! In reading up on some of the history, it's odd how the commemoration of certain Christian martyrs ended up being a lovey-dubby holiday.

more than you wanted to know about this

Speaking of Feb. 14, I'm reminded of Some Like It Hot, a good movie about a couple guys who end up cross-dressing in hiding after witnessing the 1929 St. Valentine's Day massacre in Chicago. I suppose it's thought of as a Marilyn Monroe flick (or her image is used to sell it, anyway), but I enjoyed Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis's performances more.

And, you may have noticed that I've been utilizing information like this more lately.

dreams dashed

Here's the cartoon I made & emailed after I broke myself. Well, Nate helped with formatting the text into the thinking bubble and such (he gets his tutu in a knot if I don't give proper credit - and now I'll be in hot water for outing the tutu). Had to run it top-to-bottom so it'd fit.

In other, more pleasant news - we're counting down the days to our 1st Caribbean cruise. We skip town a week from tomorrow, on the 21st. The grandparents are taking turns baby-sitting. No kids' homework or dirty diapers for a week! Yeah!

Feb. 12 - another anniversary

It's been 3 years since I permanently messed up my left ankle in a sledding accident. I found an x-ray that looks similar to mine, and this cool diagram of bimalleolar left ankle fracture with internal fixation, complete with skin staples.

link to enlargeable diagram

getting older

I had a birthday recently. Just when I had gotten used to the idea and the sound of "30," I turned 31. It's less bizarro and surreal than last year, but still a bit jarring. Remedy: presents and cake. Plus, it should still be several years before that funky old person smell sets in.

basketball cards

These babies should really be worth something in a few years, when Michael is a rich and famous...uh...alphabet belcher?

A decade of marriage

In 1997 I was lucky enough to meet the one guy who was willing to be shackled to me for the rest of his life. Nate and I got married ten years ago today. In this installment, you will have to permit me to veer into a sentimental realm, an area in which I am not particularly comfortable. I am thankful for my better half, and I hope we will be blessed with several more decades to journey through together. I am thankful for our parents' example of faithful Christian marriage. I am thankful for having married into a wonderful family. I am thankful that my husband loves me despite knowing me so well. I am thankful for his intelligence, how he has provided for our family, and for our shared sense of humor. I am thankful for our four naughty, delicious children. Happy Anniversary Nate - I love you!

p.s. Wikipedia says the 10th is the Tin/Aluminum anniversary. How underwhelming is that?

out with the old

I inaugurated a new winter coat this week, which I was forced to buy when the zipper on my coat of 11.5 years finally failed me. Pictured is my well-worn and faithful (until last Saturday) protection from the wintry elements:

Now, I know what you're thinking. "An old coat? Who gives a flip? What a dopey, inconsequential blog post. I'm never coming here again." And you're mostly right. But I got to thinking of all the things that have happened to me while this coat was in my possession. I struck out on my own, met Nate, got married, had 4 kids. Also, some really important things happened to me, like when I ate my first Big Mac and endured my first ingrown toenail. All under the watch of this old corduroy coat.

Xmas presents to myself

This snapshot of some of my junk on the end table reveals what I've been up to lately. I bought myself Buffy the Vampire Slayer seasons 1&2 with some Christmas money. Nate and I are slowly making our way through season 1 after the kids go to bed. The special effects are lame-o but the humor that pervaded all 7 seasons is there. My brother Andrew bought me Little House on the Prairie season 1, which I already own, so I exchanged it for The Office, season 4 (Yes, I like LHOTP. If you don't, you're a Nazi and I can't help you). Season 4 of The Office is the truncated one, due to the writer's strike that year. It's enjoyable, though not as good as previous seasons. And when I lock myself in the bathroom to hide from the kids, I read Charlotte Bronte's Villette. I'm not quite halfway through, and it's not as entertaining as Jane Eyre. Not pictured are Friends seasons 5&8, from Nate, which I haven't gotten to yet.