MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Merry Christmas to all of my loved ones around the globe today! My sister in Guatemala, my brother in Michigan, Chip in Afghanistan, and all of you in the states. Many wonderful wishes, lots of love and hugs, and I hope all of your holiday wishes come true!

The Waiting Game Begins...

It's currently about 20 minutes to 4 o'clock. My parents should be boarding a plane in Detroit in about 1 1/2 hours and landing in Philly in roughly 3 hours. Now, the waiting game begins.

See, my house is clean, the bedroom is ready for guests, and all the other preparations are done. Now, I find myself pacing around looking for something else to do to pass the time (hence, the blogging).

I'm very excited for them to arrive. It's always such a great time when they're here. We'll have a few days of just Sarah and the 'Rents time while Chuck finishes up his week at school. We might try to get over to the Museum to see the Renoir show, or maybe just sit around and bake cookies and get some last minute shopping done. Whatever we decide to do, it will be lots of fun to have them here.

I'll be posting some top secret photos soon. They're top secret because I can't give away Chuck and my big surprise until my parents get here. You'll just have to wait! :)

Thanks to Luly and George for an excellent ride yesterday. It was really nice to get outside on the bike for a change. Riding that trainer is NO fun! :)

My Thoughts Exactly!

Isn't it hilarious when a cartoon reflects exactly how you feel or the life that you live?! This one did it for me. In the new milennium of Stuff (with a capital S), I often find myself feeling very old and old fashioned. Longing for the days when people wrote letters instead of blogs (yes, I know...the IRONY), when they had private conversations with their friends in their bedrooms rather than the bedroom linen section at Bed, Bath and Beyond, when you could ask someone directions on the street without waving your hand in front of their face first to make them turn off their iPod! Granted, I am as equally guilty of these things as the next guy - well, maybe not the private convo at BB&B, but that's hardly the point!

BUT...one thing I am NOT guilty of, is the TV, Video Gaming console, got to have the best High Definition, BlueRay disc capable, mambo jambo stuff! We have a 31 inch, analog console TV that takes up 6 cubic feet of space in the corner of our living room. And, GASP, it's not even a flat screen! Oh, the HUMANITY! This, I think, is why I found this Betty cartoon so hilariously funny! I hope that you all out there enjoy it, too!!!


Happy Shopping to all of you still out there ransacking the shelves for your loved ones! Best of luck and may you find all that you're looking for!

A New Year on the Rise

The New Year is on the horizon.

It's creeping more quickly than I might like toward the back door. Soon, it will be 2008. This has an interesting extra meaning for me this year, as I was born waaaay back in 1978. Yep...you got it...the big 3-0 is just around the bend. And I mean that quite literally...just over a month from now, I will be celebrating a move into a new decade. I joke about what this means for me..."oh, I'm getting old" or "break out the walker," but the fact is, I feel better now than I did when I was turning 20! I'm in better shape, I'm at a better place in my life, and I'm far happier than I have been in a while. For me...life is good...very good. Let's examine...

I have been married to an incredible man for nearly 4 years who drives me crazy in all the right ways, even when they're the wrong ways!

I have an amazing family that I consider friends rather than obligatory family members. Not everyone can say that they LIKE their siblings and parents. I can say that and a lot more. I admire them, I appreciate them, I love them.

I have completed my last graduate course EVER. Which means, I am steps away from the completion of a doctoral degree. Granted, they are REALLY BIG steps...but steps nonetheless.

Because of that degree, I now count several new folks among some of the best friends I have ever had...Whitney and Christa. I love you gals tremendously. Anyone who will drive over the bridge at the drop of a hat because I am sitting in front of my computer having an anxiety attack over a paper (Christa!) is a friend that you can hardly live without. Add these two to people like Karyn (My god, we've known each other for nearly 14 years!), Heather and Jamie and I realize that life really is better with good friends.

I took a leap in joining the Sturdy Girl Cycling team. It was a leap that paid off, BIG TIME! I not only achieved my goals for the season and more, but I came away from the experience a more mature person (yep...even at 30, we can still mature!) and with a set of cycling sisters that have an amazing knack for making me feel welcome, needed, appreciated, and loved. Thank you to my pals in pink.

When I look back at this year, I realize how lucky I am. I may not make loads of money and drive a fancy car, but I believe that I am happier than many people who do. I see my life as complete. So, to all of you who have made my life better this year and all years...THANK YOU! As it says on one of my mom's old coffee mugs, "Friends are the marshmallows in the hot chocolate of life." Thanks for being sweet and fluffy! Have a safe, warm, wonderful holiday!

grrrr

I think that Ellen Degeneres should invite me on her show. Who knows...maybe she will pay me to be her double...since I look so much like her that someone has to mention it once every month or so (Yep....it's happened again!). Boy, I can't wait for my hair to grow out! :P

It's snowing out! We're supposed to get up to 2 inches during the day today. I just hope that we get home over the bridge ok! :) Good thing we got the last of our outdoor lights up over the weekend....the house will look so pretty tonight with white fluffiness on the ground and purty multi-colors hanging from the house and tree! :) I'll try to take a picture or two tonight to post. Safe travels!

brrrrrrr

Woke up this morning to a dusting of snow on the ground and the clickety-clack of falling freezing rain. Brrrrr....it's cold outside. Good thing we put up the Christmas lights on the outside of the house yesterday! We're planning on working a bit more on the outside illuminated festivities, so once we get them all up, I'll try to post a pic or two.

We rode yesterday morning. It was chilly, but actually a really nice ride. I finally bought myself some major cold weather gear (lobster gloves and booties), so I'm not too afraid of the cold anymore. I have not-so-great circulation, so my fingers and toes are particularly suceptible to low temps. Not anymore! We started out yesterday and my hands were sweating! :) Better that then so numb I can't feel them! :)