The festivities are just begining

After a super relaxing Christmas, we are gearing up for super big festivities and new starts this next week. My brother and his family are coming over for dinner and a belated Christmas celebration tonight. Tomorrow my mom and step-dad are driving in from Seattle to spend the next four of five days with us. I am outrageously excited about this. And.......next wednesday is the first day of my new job. Yes that's right, no more coffeehouse job for me. I am moving on, and darned happy about it, for so many reasons.

This whole job thing - making the decision to find a new one and then actually doing it, has mainly been to blame for the turmoil of my last few posts. And rather than go on and on about what and why, let me just say that I am so glad I made the decision to change jobs. What I am going into is definatly more along the "career" path than my coffee shop job, and right now, Brant and I really need that.

Enough with the boring stuff, lets talk about what is fabulous today:

• Eggnog in coffee. I have singlhandedly drunk at least a gallon of the stuff, and I still want more. Ooohhh, make a eggnog au lait (1/2 nog and 1/2 coffee) and tell me you aren't in love!
• People who put so many Christmas lights up, they have to get the power company to install an additional box.
• My dogs playing in the snow.

Hope everyone is having a great holiday!!

The snow is falling here. The ground is just warm enough that it wont stick so instead it is coating all non-ground things (tree branches, rocks, flower pot rims) with a thick dusting of white snowy frosting. Kinda makes a winter hatin gal like me soften up a little, it's so pretty.

Our Christmas tree is up too- a funky little red, white and black number. This is going to be the first Christmas since B and I were married that we haven't had family around for the holiday. Every other year we've had some rip roarin plans with either his family or mine, but this year....his parents are in Maui (snif snif), my parents are in Seattle, and our brothers and sisters and nephews are in Eastern Idaho and California. So here we are....in our snowy little Idaho town with our red, white and black Christmas tree, trying to figure out what to do for the holiday. I think I have successfully talked B into running the YMCA Christmas fun run with me. We can do either 2.5 miles or 6.1. I'm thinking the 2.5 since B is fairly new to the running thing and I am fairly out of shape since the marathon. But a run! For Christmas! Makes me pretty happy, especially that B would do it with me.

Anyway, more later. It's too pretty outside to type anymore.

It was a noble attempt, this whole nablopomo thing. Would have been nobler if I'd had a stable internet connection, but whatever. I'm kinda done making excuses for this blog. My life is in such transition right now that making it here at all feels like enough.

I am exhausted and fighting and feeling like I am growing up all of a sudden here at thirty years old. Things it seems like b and I should have learned years ago are all of a sudden becoming very, very clear. I am a big fan of choices, and lately I have been making some big ones. I want to talk about them on here, but it's probably not right yet, and honestly I just don't have the energy. When I say "fighting" I mean it in the sense that I feel I am on one side of a big, transparent glass wall and everything that I want is on the other side - protected and in this whole other world. So I am banging and kicking and shouting like mad to break that glass and get in. Feels like a slow fire coming up and out and an inner drive like I've never quite had. And I'm scared, really, because its scary to start thinking in a new way sometimes, to start wanting new things and to actually do something to get them. I am afraid that this new path is taking me away from things I hold dear. On the other, less dreadfully pessemistic hand, change is always rough in some way - beginings are hard - and this new way of life, new recognized wants, new attitude may be able to coincide nicely with the inner core of me. I just have to get used to it, reconcile the skirmishes. I know, I know you are probably like what the heck could be so big and occupying? But really I can't even voice it, it would sound so stupid and I'm not even to full terms with it yet. Lets just say its all about the limits I had placed on myself up until now, what I thought I could do and could not do in this life - and what I want to do. Or more simply, we could just call it an extended post graduation freak out.

Anyway, all is not so shadowy and obtuse in my life. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and I am thankful for great wonderful family and a husband who rocks my world every single day. I had a root canal the other day and even though it sounds painful, it actually made me feel so so much better. It is amazing how much pain our bodies can eventually stop recognizing.

It has been snowing lightly here, for the past couple of days and I guess that makes it officially winter. I am thankful for the soft crunch under my feet as I go start my car so early every morning. If it has to be there, at least the snow is beautiful.

A whole bunch of random

It's hilarious how NaBloPoMo is happening at the time my life is lamest. I mean, my life is fine right now, really, just kind of boring. Nothing to write about every single day. But our Internet is back, and that means so am I, boring blog posts and all.

Mainly I am working right now. B and I decided to suck it up and work as much as we can in the next few months in order pay off some debt and save up for some...um.....something really exciting that will happen in the next 2 years that I can't really talk anymore about yet. There I go again, with the Lame. Yesterday I spent all my free time writing my profile on etsy, and then it all got erased instead of saved. I will make another valiant attempt today.

Oh! The other night I ran for the first time since my marathon! Let it be known from here on out, that I am a person who hates winter. And the really cold part of fall. I just hate the cold. And in my part of the world, it is getting dark now at about 5pm. So no more lovely warm evening runs with JenniferMarathon for me. Because of this, I have been forced back into the dreaded gym. Now, B and I have had a gym membership for the past 5 years. I hadn't been there since way before my marathon training began this last May. Why would I run in a stinky, stuffy gym on a treadmill, when I could run outside in the sunshine? We have really great trails here in my town - even the neighborhoods are great to run in. If I could circle how much I love to run outside, to show you, I would circle it three times, and then underline it a whole bunch, and then put six or seven stars next to it too. I love it that much.

But, like I said, the weather is crappy now and I had to go to the gym. So I went, and I ran on the treadmill. It was really hard not to fall off. But I ran a 10 minute mile, which is pretty fast for me. And then I ran a little slower. All in all, I only did 2.5 miles, but I guess my body was still a little sore over the marathon beating it took, because 2.5 left my legs all quivery. And now I am sore! I am just so glad to be out there again, though. It felt great and I want to keep it up so I can maintain my marathon shape. So I guess that means I'll be spending at least some of my nights at the gym, wiping my sweat off the equipment for the next person to use it. Dreaming of spring.

So....Thanksgiving is next week. That fact hit me yesterday as I was starring listlessly at the calender at work. Thanksgiving is next week and we are hosting it at our house - for the first time ever. All of B's family will be there, I think - which I am so excited for! However, now I have to get my crap together!!! Get organized!! Where are they going to sleep, what are we going to eat? Am I actually going to make a thanksgiving feast? Sigh.

However, I can't wait for the mashed potatoes.

In a rush

Our internet connection was out last night so I missed yesterdays post. Lack of internet is so frustrating!!!!!! It means I am behind on all sorts of things. Those things will have to wait - I must run off to work.

Rite of Passage?

So I guess I am now officially a blogger. With blogging responsibilities. I've been tagged by mr president!! For this meme, I must share seven random and/or weird facts about myself and then tag seven other bloggers to do the same. I don't think I know seven other bloggers, who haven't already been tagged - but I guess that's what this is all about right? Getting to know new people? So here goes....

1. Although I spend my days in comfy jeans, sweatshirts and my beat-up red keens, I have a secret longing to buy and wear a beautiful, elegant dress from either Banana Republic or Anthropologie. And maybe even some of their dress pants with a pair of sexy boots and a classy wool coat. It's my secret fashion life.
2. My absolute favorite thing to do at the end of the day is to take a super hot shower, curl up in bed with my husband and a big plate of fabulous food, and watch episode after episode of House. That's right, we eat in bed. It's probably one of the most unhealthy habits, but husband+food+House= pure love for me.
3. On the food note, I love cake. Some people -people who know me well, would probably go so far as to say I am obsessed with cake. And they would be right.
4. Apparently, I grind my teeth in my sleep.
5. I used to be an avid reader. In 2nd grade I won a contest at the Chicago Public library for reading the most books in a given period. I won 2 tickets to a Cubs game.
6. I love the smell of my dogs paws. Sometimes, when Maddie is lying down all unassuming like, I will grab her paw and spread the toes apart and smell all up in there. It smells so good, like Frito's.
7. I gag every single time I brush my teeth. But don't worry, I still brush.

So there you have it. Seven reasons to think I am a freak. And now I must go meet some people to tag.

As promised

So busy uploading, scrutinizing and labeling photos. Here is a sneek peek at one of my pendants. The etsy store is in progress!

In other news, we had a little visit from animal control tonight. It seems that one of our neighbors called to complain about our dogs barking during the day. When we are not home. Hmmm.....while I absolutely agree that incessant dog barking is madingly annoying, AND, while I also admit to having witnessed our dogs barking away more than once, I have to say I am a little put off by the complaint. Simply for the fact that we are surrounded by dogs. Neighbors on the left have 2 dogs. Neighbors on the right have 1. Neighbors in back have 1, possibly 2. Neighbors kitty corner have......you get picture. Our three mutts love to run up and down the fence and play bark with the 2 dogs living on our left. They ALL bark. So I am wondering if we (our dogs) were singled out. And if so, why? We obviously have to remedy the situation. Fortunately we have a decent sized dog run in the middle of our back yard, and we will have to leave them all in there while we are at work. While logically I know that it is big enough for all three dogs, I am a big sissie when it comes to my baby dogs and I get all sad, knowing that they won't be having the run of the backyard all day, being able to bark away with wild abandon. Sniff. But we don't want to be annoying to our neighbors, and mostly we don't want another complaint.