Holiday Headlines

From December 14 until January 12 we were without internet at our house. We were switching providers and there was miscommunication on when to discontinue with our previous provider. Then our current provider notified us that it would be a few weeks until they put a tower up in our area. Hence, no internet for a month.

We learned to cope however, and it actually ended up being quite nice, though at times incredibly inconvenient. David wasn't terribly affected because he could get online at his office at the church. I, however, had to rely on the connection from the parking lot outside the local dentist's office. After three weeks of missing my Friday Skype call with my parents, my desperation finally overpowered my nerves and, yes, I skyped from my car, in the parking lot, in front of the reliable dentist's office. My brother called this ghetto. What's a girl to do?

There have been some highlights during this past month that I've missed blogging about. So here is my effort to update.

CHRISTMAS EXTRAVAGANZA
David and I spent a week in Virginia with his family over the Christmas holiday. On Christmas day, a fire erupted in the kitchen. We're talking huge flames from the stove, reaching up to the cupboards above. Thick black smoke billowing along the ceiling. David saved the day, when, coming out of the bathroom in a hurry due to all the commotion, ran for the extinguisher, discharging it three times before the fire finally died. The culprit? A hot pad that was stuck unnoticed to the underside of a pot. Needless to say, we went out for Christmas dinner. To the only place open, Chinese.

COLLEGE DAYS
It all started with Groupon. I had five Hi-8 tapes sitting around my house containing footage from college that I had been meaning to convert at some point in my life. It's expensive! But not with Groupon. Last year I got a hold of a really great deal to convert old tapes to data files through a company based in Chattanooga. I snatched it up, sent in my tapes, and got the converted forms back by November. With no internet in the house, I suddenly had all this time for projects such as this. And I had so. much. fun. remembering, and laughing, and showing David who his crazy wife was back in those college years. Now that we have internet again, my editing of the files has been interrupted. =) But when I finish, I just might have to share. (P.S. Seeing myself with long hair inspired me to grow it out again. Ha.)

ONE-YEAR RECOGNITION
On January 12, I completed my first year at Hospice Advantage. I feel so blessed working for such a wonderful company with such tremendous colleagues. I feel like an official social worker. One year behind me already. Hard to believe. Always more to learn, but no longer a novice. Hospice Advantage gave me a congratulatory framed certificate and a pin. A fellow colleague who started when I did brought in donuts to celebrate.

CRAFTY CONFIDENCE
During the internet fast I also caught up on some sewing projects. I haven't done much more than mending, hemming, and altering. However, I am really enjoying learning more about my machine (that my husband bought me . . . two years ago(!)). My confidence has also increased as I try those bigger projects. During one, I went from total discouragement, convinced I had ruined it, to a breakthrough and saving the day! Well, the skirt, at least.

DOWNHILL DAREDEVILS
In less than one week, David and I will be leaving Michigan for Austria. Sounds like a good trade to me! David is speaking for a young adult ski/snowboard camp. We'll fly to Zurich, Switzerland, spend a couple days there, then drive to the Austrian Alps. In preparation for the slopes, and because neither of us could remember the last time we skied, we decided we should attempt some bunny hills in Michigan before braving the mountains. And again -- had. so. much. fun. We went to a small place a couple hours away. Started with the literal bunny hills, then moved on up to the greens. It didn't take us too long to get bored there, so we moved up to the blues in no time. We were really getting the groove down on those. I took a detour through a narrow path in the woods and hit a tree branch. (I could see that coming, but seriously, the last born child in me couldn't help but try it.) After taking a break for lunch I asked David if he was ready to try the black diamond. He responded very matter-of factly that he would not be going on the black diamond. He didn't want to get hurt right before Austria after all. Granted, we were trying to play it safe, for the most part. I didn't say anything. "Are you going to?" he asked after a pause. "Yep!" More silence. "Well, I'll come with you then." Yes! I thought.

So after a couple more trips down the blues, we braved the blacks. Upon getting off the ski lift and turning the corner to face the hill, we both looked down, then looked at each other, then looked down again. My eyes were wide, I'll admit. I wasn't sure about this after all. We waited a little bit to let the crowd go first. We watched them go down without much problem. "Okay, here goes nothing", my hero clad in grey gortex exclaimed as he pushed himself forward. I followed behind and giggled the whole way down. It was that fun. We spent the rest of the day here, only going back to the blue when we had to make our way back to the lodge. And wow, were those blue slopes short and small or what. We were amazed with our recurring knowledge that it is all so relative. These Michigan black diamonds will turn out to be pretty relative as well I'm sure. At least I hope. Here we come, Austria!

P.S. David did suffer a fall, no injury, when I "clotheslined" him (his words) coming off the ski lift. All I knew was, I stood up and skied down the off-ramp like you are supposed to (while hearing a muffled yelp behind me). I started laughing before I even turned around. Yep, he was on the ground. I was doubled-over. "Well, thanks!" he said with a glare. I just kept laughing and eventually he joined in.