Ode to a fish

So I am not really going to write an ode to the fish, but we did bury Flower the 3 year old fish in the flower bed tonight. There were a few tears but we made it through pretty well.

In more exciting news...I have a new nephew! Jeremiah and Mesha had a baby boy on Tuesday and they named him Oliver. I am trying to figure out a way to see him when I am in Boise next week, but I may just have to wait. At least I already have some pictures. Since this time last year, 3 grandkids have been added to the family - pretty fun stuff!

A new tooth!

Grant has a tooth! Actually he has one broken through and another on its way. And he is 10 months old today - I can't believe how fast the time has flown.

Grant is still a pretty laid-back baby. He doesn't cry or fuss much and he is pretty content to just hang out which I believe is probably the reason he is still not crawling or pulling up. He seems to be physically capable but just not all that interested. Fine with me as it means the house doesn't have to be baby-gated right away.

On a less fun note, I think we are about to have a fish funeral here. Our 3 year old beta looks like he is about at the end of his road and Bryn is pretty broken up about it. He is still hanging in there for now so I guess we'll see how it goes.

I am headed to the gym today and have finally secured a copy of Wii fit. So no more excuses for me.

Notice the new button on the right...

I have added a button so if you feel compelled to donate to help me get to the 3 day walk for breast cancer in August you can do so. I did get my first donation (thanks Nicole!)so I only have $2250 left to raise!

Not much new around here - I feel pretty good today as I actually got into bed before midnight last night. Strange how getting more than 4 or 5 hours of sleep makes me feel better!

And my latest favorite questions from a student...

"Do I need to buy the book for this class? And do I have to buy the current edition?"

Sigh...I think it's going to be a long semester.

Where's the beef?

So my excitement for yesterday was making beef jerky. I had never attempted that before and finally decided to use the jerky seasoning I bought a while ago that is MSG-free (I have sworn off store bought jerky because the MSG seems to sometimes aggravate my crazy heart beats). It took longer than it was supposed to to dry out in the oven and then got a little soggy again when I put it in ziploc baggies and left it overnight, but all in all, not too bad.

Had another church meeting last night (poor Aaron has had night-time kid duty almost every weeknight this month so far) and am actually pretty excited about being chair of the missions committee this year. I think we have come up with some good ideas for projects...we will see how it all pans out.

And the last of my exciting news for the day...wait for it....wait for it...
I am FINALLY joining the gym. I decided to try to the one here in town for 3 months even though they don't have childcare. I did line up babysitters for two afternoons a week and since they are open 24 hours I figure I can find a time to go another couple of times a week when Aaron is home. And if I don't get started on this training for the 60 mile walk I will spend more time being peeled off of the walk route than walking anyway.

Back to normal

Things are pretty much back to normal around here - it was quite a long recovery after the holidays! We had a nice long weekend filled with playing Mario Kart, a visit from the in-laws, church meetings and shopping for some new trapping and hunting gear for Aaron.

In an attempt not to drive myself into a political ranting frenzy, I have left the TV off today and plan to watch DVR'd shows tonight. I know Obama's inauguration is a historical event that our kids and grandkids will be reading about someday, but seriously, 3 days of coverage? And the cost of the whole thing just makes me sick to my stomach...what a way to really put those tax dollars to work for the American people - especially during this really prosperous economic time when we the taxpayers are expected to bailout every loser CEO and their dog...

O.K. Enough of that.

I have been reading like a crazy woman for Annie's What's in a Name 2 reading challenge. I need to post some reviews but first have to decide if "hunger", "addict" or "virgin" can be considered medical conditions. I need a book with a medical condition in the title, but am not sure if any of those qualify.

I'm back!

So here are some pictures from the last couple of months...








And now for a quick recap...

I have been BUSY! I didn't get Christmas cards out this year and I have yet to write Christmas thank you notes.

We had a wonderful Christmas with Aaron's Mom, Dad and brother, a great Christmas with my mom, John and my grandparents and then a great post-Christmas visit to Idaho to see Dad, Cheryl, Mesha and Jeremiah. Needless to say, the kids got PLENTY of Christmas presents (so did Aaron and I for that matter!), many of which are still piled in the dining room because I can't find a home for them.

Aaron's dad, my dad and Mema have all had surgery recently and I am glad to report they are all doing well. I suspect there are plenty of painkillers floating around medicine cabinets in our family!

The latest form of entertainment around here is the Wii we got for Christmas - specifically Mario Kart. Bryn will be a great driver by the time she gets her license at the rate she is practicing.

We are all healthy and happy around here and just looking forward to a fabulous 2009!

HAPPY 2009!

I am still trying to catch up from the holidays but just wanted to say hi and that I will get some Christmas pics posted soon! Happy 2009 to everyone!

And I figured I should get the Christmas background off of my blog sometime before next winter...