'Tis the Season to forget blogging...

Or something like that. Yes, basically, I forgot to blog. But things have been more and more busy, as the holidays often are. I have only one Christmas gift left to buy, and a plane to jump on tomorrow morning to beautiful, sunny, 80 degree weather! I never thought I would look forward to a sunny, warm Christmas, but after these few days of frigid temperatures and an all-together gloomy season so far, I would be happy simply to see the sun! In fact, the sun is such a novelty right now that my dog will lie in the little, teeny patch of sun that comes in the window onto the carpet in the living room. (My house is angled poorly for winter sun, but boy does it rock in the summer.)
When I talked to my mom yesterday, she said Emma had just finished her half-marathon (yay, Em!) and she did awesome, and now they were down at the hot tub, reading and relaxing. That sounded absolutely wonderful to me, so I can't wait to get down there and take it easy. Granted, there are so many of us in the little condo that I sleep on the floor on a mattress in Emma's room, but I can't complain because it's Christmas and I'll be home with everyone!
I also got cute and beautiful gifts yesterday from friends at church: thank you Tyler, Tori, Jenna, Emily, Maxine, and Debbie! I love them all. And last night, a fun present from Jim & Suzannah: a chance to play with little Dylan for a few hours! It was fun to watch her get startled by the noisy wind we were (are) having...she kept looking around and saying, "bah? Guh?". I commiserate with her - it was so loud! Only a Steelers win could have made the day better.
Have a very Merry Christmas everyone!

We made it!

Emma and I made it to Florida. Granted, it's pretty dead right now and gloomy, but the sun has just broken through and the intercoastal waterway is sparkling outside the window. We're planning to hit up the tapas place today, and then hang out this evening.
Yesterday's trip was great, surprisingly. Definitely ordained by God. We arrived at Pittsburgh in plenty of time to enjoy a quick chips and queso at Qdoba, and then jump on the plane to Atlanta. In Atlanta, our flight was listed as being an hour delayed, so we headed down the hall to grap an appetizer and a drink during the three-hour layover. Well, turns out the TV monitors were wrong, and the flight was leaving on time, so we loaded on the plane and headed out to Jax only about 10 minutes behind. Turns out we were one of three flights that hadn't been cancelled to Jacksonville all day - we barely made it. The flights all around us and behind us were cancelled for the evening. It's so good to be here!
Even if the sun doesn't shine on the beach all week, it doesn't matter, because I'm relaxing! It's the best.

A Nice Trip

I'm getting ready to go to Florida! My parents and I ate at this wonderful tapas restaurant last time we were in St. Augustine called "The Tasting Room". It had delightful dishes, from a Smoked Chorizo Platter to Balsamic Manchengo Cheese with Mascerated Cherries to Tres Leches Cake. It was amazing. And so this week, when I go to Florida, and Emma comes along, we will be begging to head back town to St. Augustine and the Tasting room for some delicious tapas.
Also, while I'm in Florida, I will be eating seafood with the Crisps, most likely, and enjoying a nice trip down the Itchetuknee River!