FIVE THINGS FRIDAY

Despite the debbie-downer tone of my last blog post, I haven't meant to take such an extended break from blogging. It has been a very refreshing and productive break, though, and if you're reading this I'm grateful you've stuck with me. What have I been up to? Well...

1. This month I've been helping to edit my brother's doctoral dissertation during my free time, which has been both enlightening and challenging. I like to edit perhaps more than I like to write, so am I allowed to say the process has even been a little bit fun? It's almost done, and I am relieved--but not as much as my bro is, considering how long he's been working toward this goal. He's been a college student for 18 straight years, nine of which he's also been a professor/instructor. It's time to wrap this up already, and I'm glad to be of help.

2. As of September 1, I've taken on an entirely new role at work, on top of my old one. Unfortunately it did not come with additional prestige or pay yet, but it did come with a new budget to manage, two domestic trips so far (along with an upcoming trip to London), and what feels like endless proverbial cat herding. I am basically winging it, but the older I get the more I realize I'm not alone in that. It's actually going slightly better than I expected, so WOOHOO!

3. This month we also got new gutters and downspouts on the house. It's taken a good two years for the gutter man to finally make good on his promise to come "next week," but if such things can be called beautiful, these really are. (Our gutter man is the same guy who did the custom steel roof on the kitchen bump-out.) This spring I hope we can finally get that last row of chinking done...

4. I'm also working on growing the newest member of our family, due next spring! I'm not completely through the first trimester just yet, but since I've already told both immediate family and work, I figured I'd let all of you know too. It hasn't been the most relaxing time to be nauseated 23 hours a day, but there's never a good time for that I guess. And if I've felt stretched and busy, our superhero Ez has been on overdrive -- working his normal long hours, commuting an eternity each way and coming home to take care of his tired, queasy wife hunched over a laptop and a trash can simultaneously, and a bored and hungry three-year-old. Johnnie is completely thrilled about the "baby in mommy's tummy" though, and so are we.

5. This weekend I turn 31, and I have barely thought about it. In fact, I keep thinking about weekend plans/To Dos and forgetting about it altogether. I'm thankful for another year of life of course, but I don't have any profound sadness or excitement about this particularly birthday. There are so many other important things on my mind!

So that's the update. It's been such a big month!

Is anyone still reading? How are you guys?