Ramble On

Wow, so where the heck have we been? Well, obviously not blogging but nowhere else to be exact. Our computer went on the fritz around Thanksgiving and I got tired of wrestling the Internet connection just to check my email so that's probably the main reason I haven't written. And between preparing for and recovering from the holidays, there was sickness and rivers of snot for Jon and Ava and general emotional instability on my part. But voila, now here we are, all better.

So life is good and I’m looking forward to another adventurous and challenging year ahead. Notwithstanding the more substantive realities of our life and the lives of those we care about (which no one ever blogs about anyway), here’s a rundown of the trivialities bouncing around in my own personal bubble.

Enjoying: a brand new HP computer (hence my renewed presence here) and accompanying new desk. This desk is gargantuan, especially in our tiny bedroom, but it’s especially terrific for card making. Now I don’t have to mess up the dining table with all my scraps of paper. Segue to the new dining set… we found a dining table at a garage sale back in the fall in pretty good condition and finally finished staining the gorgeous chairs I found last spring, completing our dining room just in time for Christmas. According to Jon, we now actually have some of our own adult furniture.

Craving: some imaginative free time to create more cards. I have sadly left my etsy shop in the dust the past six weeks and my right brain is getting itchy.

Savoring: the sweet, extreme soreness stemming from striving for the unattainable in Ashtanga class. Lap up the nectar of a difficult workout and feel its life-force trickle into your veins.

Cracking up: listening to Ava read the book “Go, Dog. Go!” to herself. I get little giggle bubbles in my belly hearing her talk lately and marvel at her sudden ability to label any letter or color she sees. She’s a pro at talking on the phone (as long as there’s no one on the other end) and I dare you to ask her what a rooster says while keeping a straight face.

Making: delectable dolmas for this weekend’s Return of the Sun party at the Stewart’s. Ooh, my mouth waters at the thought of all that Mediterranean food and good company.

Reading: “Four Quarters of Light” by Brian Keenan. I’ll write more on this later when I finish the book but it’s about an Alaskan journey and so far captivating and refreshingly candid, rather than deceptively romantic as so many Alaskan tales are.

Plotting: a resourceful approach to continue my training for a sprint triathlon this fall. There, I guess now that I’ve stated my goal publicly I must be committed. Given Jon’s busy (and sometimes unpredictable) work schedule and Ava’s particular temperament, it’s hard to find time to properly train. Ava is increasingly intolerant of hanging out at the gym’s daycare and I discovered the hard way that it’s just too frigid outside for her to ride in the backpack for long. Luckily, our super-duper jogging stroller has a plastic bubble to help keep her comfortable on runs, I have a really supportive Mom who sits in for some of my evening workouts, and my husband is ever indulgent of all my wishes.

Watching: Oh yeah, and Jon and I got out of the house over the weekend to see Juno at the movies. Definitely worth the 8 bucks. If you liked Little Miss Sunshine, you'll love this.

Well, there’s 597 words to fill you up if you’ve been suffering TerraRambler drought.