Catching up

Please accept my sincere apologies for the lack of posts lately. I promise I'm still here, (occasionally) reading your blogs in between, well, life. I feel like I've not only alienated my blog readers, but also my real-life friends. The only friends I talk to anymore are the ones at work and the ones on my class discussion board! I normally get really stressed out this time of year, but this year with school it's been doubly bad. Over the past few weeks, I've been working on a huge project at work, finishing up a 15-page paper that was due last night (thank God!), planning a baby shower for my friend (smashing success), and getting ready for Christmasukkah (ugh, don't even ask where I am with that). I'm at the point where nothing sounds better to me than going to bed at 9 on a Friday night and waking up a glorious 10 hours later to do laundry. Which, after turning in the paper, is exactly what I did!

Thankfully, on Monday we're leaving for our annual trek to the U.P. Staying with my inlaws, particularly in the winter, is about the least-stressful vacation ever. They live in the middle of the woods, they don't have internet, there's nothing to do in town, and even if there was, leaving the house involves at least two snowplows, an ice pick and potentially a bulldozer. So all there is left to do is eat, sleep, showshoe, and watch TV. Sure, it gets a little boring, but boring is exactly what this gal needs right now. And, even better, Brad gave me my big gift early - a video iPod nano! I've never had an iPod before, and I'm convinced it is just about the coolest thing ever. I've been downloading TV episodes like they're going out of style so I can have plenty of stuff to keep me entertained when I'm up north. So, take heart -- not only am I alive, but I plan to soon be very well!

Since this post is bound to remain front and center for, oh, the next month, I'll leave you with a pic I took this morning of the two guys who have been keeping me relatively sane. :)