Photo by Tim Shaffer

My father-in-law sent this picture he took of Blake and me on the beach. It makes me smile.

quick plug: see more of their work at their website and blog.

So I mentioned before I forgot to take pictures while they were here. Luckily, my mother in law, Dana, reads this (get back to work! haha, just kidding). So Tim sent a few; this one, one of Blake by the TH-57, one of Blake, Dana and I by the helicopter when Blake's explaining mind-numbingly complicated things.

It's been busy since they left. Blake's been out every day flying. He gets up before the sun and gets home by dinner. I don't know how he gets up so early. I have a hard time recognizing him when he comes to kiss me goodbye every morning. My eyes half open and I wonder where I am and what's going on. I listen for the front door to lock and go back to sleep. I wake up a few hours later wondering if I dreampt the whole thing.

This week and next week will be busy. I'm working full time, but it's okay because Blake wouldn't be home anyway. And at the end of the two weeks, the house will be a mess, the cat will have clinical depression from so much loneliness and everything will be okay because it will be Valentine's Day. And everyone knows that eating a box of chocolates makes everything better.

Avisiting

My in-laws are have been in town since Thursday. It's so nice when family is here. Makes the whole state seem friendlier. We didn't expect to see his parents down here until winging later this year. Blake's sister visited in '08 (holy crap has it really been that long?) and his cousin early last year.

One of the nice things about all the places we'll move is that our family can come. It's like visiting and vacation all in one. Not that there's a lot to see in Milton... but Pensacola is a little more lively.

My family isn't much on traveling. The farthest my aunts/uncles/cousins have gone is probably Orlando, FL and only a few have gone that far. My parents did their traveling in their younger days and are now content to stay home and play with the dogs. They didn't even visit us when we lived in Vermont, and they live in New York. Though in their defense, we weren't equipped for visitors. We lived in a crummy apartment and only had a bed. Even our only roommate had to sleep on his couch.

Our house now, is more conducive to visitors. Extra bedrooms, extra bathroom, big kitchen. It's a huge difference, having four people living here as opposed to two. Lots more house-noises, you know? Doors and running water and talking. The cat is happier two. Twice as many fingers to pet her fuzziness.

I'm now realizing, however, that I have taken zero pictures of the visit. I guess I just forgot. Maybe I can beg a few off my in-laws for the ole scrapbook. I frequently forget to take pictures of things. Oh well.

Now I'm off to make dinner. Chicken stir-fry. I gotta tell you, it's kind of nerve-wracking, cooking for your in-laws. Especially when your in-laws make good food. And my in-laws are nice. They're not even critical, mean-spirited people. Can you imagine if they were? I'd probably have an anxiety attack.

Okay, that's all.

Aha! Christmas

Our first Christmas morning solo, but together.

You can't tell, but Lilly has the much-loathed Santa hat on in that picture. This was taken right after we got up, presents still carefully wrapped under the tree. We dug in after the picture.

Here's a slightly better one of me and Blake. We weren't going to get dressed up for Christmas, but Blake bought me a dress and jewelry so we figured what the heck.



Fancy.

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The remnants of Christmas. In front you can see the box for the awesome pizza stone Blake got me which I used later that day to make delicious, crispy on the outside soft on the inside rolls. You can also see on the left, the box for Scrabble that my in-laws got for us. It's a really cool edition with slots in the board so the letters don't go flying and drawers under the board so you don't lose pieces, and wheels. Blake and I have played several times. We trade off winning. I'm a better speller, but he's so strategic he's hard to beat. Strike that. He's so strategic it's frustrating to play with him..... there, yeah, that sounds more accurate.

The other board game we played was one of Blake's presents from me: Guess Who? Yes, the board game with the cartoon faces that everyone played when they were eight. Well Guess What? Guess Who? Is still super cool so don't hate on me.

All in all it was a nice Christmas. Our first Christmas away from home. We didn't eat turkey. Didn't wait to open presents. And there wasn't any snow.

Although apparently, there might be later this week.

Not that sad

Christmas makes me smile.

I had a great Christmas. I'll post pictures sometime this century.

But for now, let's talk about yesterday. Last night. When *sigh* we dismantled Christmas. I went to Wal-mart to get a box for our tree and another for ornaments and I got them home and Blake looked at me (half afraid to even utter the words) and said, "you want to just.....?" And I said, "Yes."

I was sad at first and then I realized I was just being sad for being sad's sake. Have I used the word sad enough yet? Probably not. sad sad sad sad sad.

We took the ornaments off the tree and wrapped them up, took the lights down from around the windows and took our tree apart. Blake had to sit on the plastic box to close it, and then tie rope around it. Tonight, we may hear a huge POP! and open the storage room to see nothing but plastic green needles and metal shards sticking to the walls.

Then I spent twenty minutes vaccuuming the needles up. Talk about your unforseen inconvenience.

FAKE Tree = FAKE Needles = Might as well have gotten a real tree if i was going to have to vaccuum all the time and my cat chomped on the branches anyway.

So now the living/dining/kitchen area looks empty. Like we just moved in last week and haven't gotten our knick knacks and pictures out of the boxes yet. The corner where the tree stood proud and shiny is now bare and rather lonely looking. Maybe I'll get a mirror to hang, or a sconce, or I'll hang a big plastic cupid-in-a-diaper for Valentine's Day.