I didn't lie, I just changed my mind.

So I was trying to remember what I promised in an earlier post, but upon review, those items now seem so much in the distant past that to write about them now would be silly. Either that or I don't have all the photos I wanted, since I'm at work at the moment and not where my pictures are. Never-the-less, I will endeavor to be witty and interesting in this current post, a somewhat daunting proposition considering the late hour and the early start I got today.

What's happening with Lizzie these days? Let's see if I can come up with a random list...

Work is picking up, although with less construction this year than previous ones, it's not "quite" as crazy. I'm struggling with work a little bit, with the changes that I've seen since I started almost 2.5 years ago. There has been lots of turnover, so the mood and feel of the office is different. It catches me off guard sometimes, and I'm not yet sure how I feel about it.

I'm feeling a bit of cabin fever, but on a larger scale. I haven't gone on an airplane in 2.5 months!!! That's insane! AND I don't have any plans to go on an airplane for another 3 months! I feel the need to travel and see my people. But my bank account is loving having my feet glued in Minnesota.

I finished my taxes on Monday evening. I'm glad to have that all done.

Chris is still around. Nothing terribly new on that front. Although one of the topics I was going to write about earlier was our trip to see his brother and family in Michigan. That was good fun. They are such brothers.

I'm trying to stick to a regular sleep schedule that allows me more sleep than I'd been getting. That's going alright, although it can always use improvements. At least I'm sticking to the "no TV after 9pm" rule and starting to wind down then, even if I don't turn out the light until 10:30pm...

So many people are having babies! I find that amazing and exciting, in an "I'm so glad it's them and not me" kind of way. Last count was 6 due in the next 3-4 months.

At the moment I'm hanging out at work doing both work and non-work things (case in point) until I go to hang out with my knitting friends from church. I know that sounds like a wild and crazy time, but it's good stuff. :)

I'm in the process of knitting two pairs of socks that I gave as Christmas presents to Dad and Uncle Tom. Shout out to you two, but no, sorry, the socks aren't done yet.

Wendy and William

When my brother and I were younger, Uncle Tom used to call us "Wendy and William Whiner" when we got upset and complain-y. Well, everyone in the state of Minneosta should have the same name! They are as hearty as anyone until the end of February, at which point someone flips a switch and everyone starts thinking about spring and warm weather and how cold it is. Being in my third winter here, I've really noticed it this year. February and March are SUPPOSED to be cold, it's still winter for goodness sake!

That being said, I am really digging the 50 degree weather we had today. :)

a Valentine's trip to Wisconsin

Last weekend, Chris and I took a trip to Journey Inn in Maiden Rock Wisconsin. I'd discovered the place somewhere along my travels and when I found a coupon for a stay, well, you know Elizabeth and coupons. So I booked the trip for myself, adjacent to President's Day (a holiday for us government stooges) only to realize that it was also Valentine's Day weekend. I couldn't very well leave my valentine at home, so I made him drive. :)

Once I realized that it was less of a retreat and more of a B&B, it was a wonderful stay. The food was EXCELLENT, all home made and organic, complete with a snack every day at 4pm. Elizabeth and snacks just go so nicely together.


On Sunday afternoon, we decided to imitate some of our fellow guests and climb the big hill that's right across the street from the Inn. It was a big hill. Above is the view from about half-way up. You can see the Inn grounds and although it's difficult to see, there is a walking labyrinth behind the red building. It wasn't in very good shape because of the winter and some flooding, but it's neat and I hope to be able to walk it some other time.
Below is the convenient resting place that some previous explorer had left. It wasn't very comfortable, mostly just amusing. And although it does look like Chris has a tire around his waist, it's just his scarf that he tucked in his front pocket in case he got chilly. Honest.

Our walk lasted the better part of 3 hours, which left us exhausted. But then we had snacks and all was fine again. Snacks make everything better.
We had a very nice dinner in Red Wing and enjoyed more extremely tasty food, including Cuban pulled pork with rice, black beans, and carrots. White chocolate bread pudding with dried cherries wrapped up the meal deliciously. I'm just realizing that much of this post is about food. In fact, much of my life is about food. Hmmm, food (!) for thought...

Oh, and back to our giant hike, Chris was simply fascinated by this big snowball. It doesn't look as big in the photo, but it's all a perspective thing. It was really huge.

We had a leisurely drive back to the Cities on Monday, poking around and enjoying the sunny, albeit cold, weather. It was simply enjoyable and relaxing. It was a great vacation.

So, Happy belated Valentine's Day to all!

curious or hi chris

In my recent lagging blog habit, I'm wondering how many out there check for updates. Apparently this is a pretty futile exercise lately, so I will try to reward the faithful with some more posts soon.

Teasers:
My trip to the American Girl store at the Mall of America.
Last weekend's visit to Michigan.
A Facebook phenomenon.
And other random stuff that has yet to be concocted.

Stay tuned! :)

temps

-21 degrees F, air temperature.
feels like -37 degrees F with the wind chill.

It's not gotten above 0 since I returned to MN on Monday evening... from southern California where it was sunny and 85!!

Ahh, home sweet home. :)

HLGDFS!

I've got a new life motto, courtesy of Abby and the awesome birthday present that she got.

"Hey, let's go do fun stuff!"

I love it! I also love doing fun stuff. I love the possibility of doing fun stuff, and of stuff being fun. Sometimes stuff isn't all that much fun, but that's ok. At least it helps me realize that next time I can try something else and possibly have more fun.

I think I've always had this motto, but only just now realized how to put it into words. Such fitting words. It was this motto that's taken me to so many cool places in this country, in this world, and even just around town. My co-workers seem to marvel at all of the trips I take during the year, the places that are far enough away that I have to fly. They wonder how I can afford this "jet-set" habit. Those questions have made me realize that the reason I can take so many trips (at least 6 in the past year, including one to Kenya) is that I have made it a priority in my life. Also, I don't have a family to support. That helps. :) But most of my family and closest friends live in other places. So in order to maintain my sanity and those friendships, I've got to travel. Of course, I can't travel everywhere and surely there is a longer list of places I WANT to go than places I've actually been, but I do what I can.
And it's so worth it. It's definitely fun stuff.

Just call me Doctor...

After much toil and aggravation, my beloved Sunitha has successfully defended her dissertation. That means that she's a Ph.D. now!!! Way to go Sunitha! You rock! :)