i did everything you see in the prior post up to and including Christmas and took care of Gregg and then...
I GOT SICK!
Surprise surpise. So while i've been nursing myself and my sick boyfriend back to health, i've totally neglected my blogging duty. here's to getting back on the blog-wagon this 2009 and reviving my writing...err...typing fingers.
If i don't say so myself, my fingers are looking especially divine because while i was sick, i did manage to hunker down, watch some movies, and give myself a good nail-filing manicure, complete with the color of the above cough syrup polish. yay!
so i haven't posted in about a week, and even then, i was only copying/pasting my goodreads The Book Thief review...so i feel kinda guilty because i know all of my many followers are waiting anxiously to hear what i've been up to.
i have a whole slew (sp?) of photos i want to post, too, but i left my camera at a friend's house and am trying to pick it up from another friend's house sometime soon...but you'll understand why i haven't after i explain the following...
so last sunday i finished reading The Book Thief and before that i was posting about Christmas decorating. since then, in a somewhat chronological order, i've been:
Tuesday, 12.09.08: Wake Up @ 5:30 and Run, Riverside Runners Woke up early and ran with Kelly at the YMCA. Treadmills suck, but we ran 5 miles in 45 minutes. Decent.
Wednesday, 12.10.08: Gold's Gym Health Fair for Riverside Runners This included set up and tear down of a table that held a bazillion shoes that i brought from the store, some other products (sox, SuperFeet, goggles, free keychains) as well as conversing with gym members about their feet, and measuring and checking lower leg mechanics. It was fun to be there, but traffic for the Health Fair wasn't particularly high (possible location problem--in a room where none of the gym-goers really go regularly?). i informed several folks about footwear and what we do at Riverside Runners, so that was good for us. Hopefully some of them show up at the store and we get some business.
Thursday, 12.11.08: Wake Up @ 5:30 and Run, Riverside Runners Woke up early and ran with Kel again. Good run, sprinted at the finish...5 miles, 45 minutes. Worked at the store after Jeff called to tell me that he was locked out. Turned out to be a busy day. Had plans after work to go to Sarah's and hang out for one last time with Emily still in town. Gregg had a work party at Perky's in Altavista. Went to Sarah's and then to La Caretta for dinner, came back and watched The Holiday and fell asleep on the floor. Loved spending time with my 2nd family here in L-burg. Sarah even gave me a lovely nutcracker ornament complete with a turquoise glitter suit!
Friday, 12.12.08: Day Off, Run with Joel, Bunko Christmas Party Spent the day lazing in bed and baking, then Joel came over around 3:30 and we ran from my house to Huntingwood Apartments and back (7.5 miles). Cleaned up and rocked the Bunko Christmas party with Gregg...had lots of fun and WORE OUT the karaoke machine.
Saturday, 12.13.08: Riverside Runners, AREVA Christmas Party Worked from 12-6:15 (learned how to close the store for the 1st time) and then went home and cleaned up for the Areva Christmas Party at Cattle Annie's. Met up with Todd and Tracey, Jimmy and Ashley, and some others. Had a good time...photos to come.
Sunday, 12.14.08: Church & Food Donation, Lasagna, Run, Eat Woke up and went to Holy Cross with our Jessie Tree food donation. Saw Sarah and Ryan after the service (we had to sit in the front row!) then went home, ate lunch, and made 2 lasagnas for dinner. Went out to Timberlake for a run with Stacey and Gregg. Came home, sat by the fire, watched football, and ate lasagna with Stacey and Gregg.
Monday, 12.15.08: Riverside Runners and Baking Worked from 11-4, came home, relaxed, baked, and worked on newsletter for Christmas cards.
Tuesday, 12.16.08: Riverside Runners and Sick Man Worked from 11-4, came home and found Gregg home with the sickness. Tried to take care of him and finish newsletter and do some baking. Worked on Gregg's mom and David's Christmas present: a Snapfish photo album.
Wednesday, 12.17.08: Babysit, Riverside Runners, Sick Man, Book Club Christmas Babysat Ella in the morning...she cried for a steady 3o minutes and told me she didn't love me and wanted her mommy. Ed woke up and had to help with the rescue efforts, but she finally calmed down. Got her dressed and was on my way to meet Meghan at Kindermusik when she called...met her at the BP instead and then worked from 11-4, got new Asics socks at the store (LOVE THEM!), met Patterson for the first time, and came home to still Sick Man. He was running a 102 fever still. Feel sad because he's sick. Made Buffalo Chicken Dip and got ready for the Book Club Party. Got gas cause I was on empty. Went to Jody's for the party, spilled dip en route to the party, cussed before I went in her house with 1/8 of dip left on my car seat. Party was excellent, dip was a hit, rest of the food was delish. We enjoyed a Grinch's Christmas Martini and shared Christmas memories. Very worthwhile.
Thursday, 12.18.08: Library, Riverside Runners, Sick Man Ran to the library because my books on hold were about to be returned to their libraries, made it just in time to see Ella and my sister (by chance!) pulling in as well. Picked up my books, got to work in the nick of time, then worked from 11-4. Came home and worked on Christmas cards and baking and took care of still 102 fever man. He won't go to the doctor.
Friday, 12.19.08: Day Off, Worked for VMFA, Baked, Christmas Cards, Store, Etc. Didn't work at RR, but worked online for VMFA (it's nice to be in bed and do that). Baked cookies, made a bazillion Christmas cards (of which I'm pretty proud) and took care of STILL Sick Man. Went to Walgreens and Food Lion for important baking needs. Looked for paraffin wax but couldn't find it. Called Kroger when I got home and they said they had it. Good news.
Saturday, 12.20.08: Jingle Bell Fun Run, Riverside Runners, Post Office, Kroger, Bank, Baking, Sick Man, Dinner, Etc. Woke up early and helped set up a little for Fun Run. Met Stacey there and ran with her for a 4.75 mile run. Worked the rest of the day til 4, then rushed off to the post office to mail the 80 cards I made yesterday. Postage on 59 of them was $0.63 and 28 of them was $0.83. Remind me not to use things with lumps on next year's cards. $55 is too much for sending Christmas cards. Stopped at Kroger to pick up paraffin and Andes mints, then deposited checks in the bank. Came home to sick man (getting better man) and made dinner, finished my buckeye cookies (that's what the paraffin was for) and finished up baking other stuff. Finally sat down to blog...and we're back to being caught up...
Understand why I haven't posted? I'm also:
Reading The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
Interested in the Chicago Stockyards at the turn of the century
Wondering about other uses for paraffin wax
Hoping that the cards make it through the mail before Christmas Eve
which may be more blog-concentrated in my last 3 months, but who cares!?
I love hot coffee in bed.
I never drank coffee until I met Gregg.
Gregg brought me a vanilla latte from Starbux last year on December 1st, 2007 before the Peaks of Otter Christmas Classic 5K.
That's how I started drinking coffee. But before that, it was definitely skinny chai tea lattes for me.
Chai tea reminds me of my friend, Laura, who inspires me to be a better blogger and to copy her 100 Things list from her blog-a-versary.
The reason chai reminds me of Laura is because she used to live in the basement of this old lady's? house and I went there once and she made me chai and gave me a hand-crocheted scarf, which I still wear.
Her crocheting skills inspired me to learn how to knit...which I did...in 2005 on a snow day from one of my student's parents, Kay Collie.
Now I love to knit but I rarely get out my knitting bag. I have it next to the bed right now because I need to get started on some knitting Christmas presents. I have one scarf started. UGH.
I love Christmas! I'm so glad it's Christmas time right now! My favorite thing is a glass full of glass ornaments:
I love getting a real live tree and dragging needles through the house.
I love when you put the lights on the tree and it dazzles at night.
I can't wait to have the tree in the same room as the fireplace. That's pretty cozy.
I love to bake. My stack of recipes just for Christmas cookies is getting pretty high.
I love reading good books,
making delightful home-made Christmas cards,
and finishing a pile of ironing.
I'm a big fan of souvenirs from other countries, like this teapot from London and this globe from the Dominican Republic:
I love mental math. If you can do the math in your head, I'm all for it!
My favorite number is 49 because 7 x 7 = 49.
When I taught math to 2nd graders, I loved using things like buttons, keys, and bread tags (AKA: Junk Boxes) to count, sort, group, add, and subtract.
I want to own my own book store someday. It might be kind of like the book store in the movie You've Got Mail. Meg Ryan was the book shop owner. She dressed up like characters and read stories to children. That's what I want to do.
I would love to have a section of the book store devoted to book clubs where groups could meet, read, and chat about their books.
I would like this because I am a member of 2 book clubs and we like to find good places to meet: such as The Good Cherry in Forest, VA.
I would also have an area in the book store where there was a small stage and curtain and a big throne-like chair where I would have Story Hour and little performances (maybe poetry readings from a poetry workshop for kids, etc...).
If you've never seen the movie You've Got Mail, you should. Meg Ryan's character, Kathleen Kelly, has the shop I want: "Shop Around the Corner."
After I finish this, my next readings are to finish The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger,
and to read The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch,
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls,
reread Great Expectations by Charles Dickens,
and Before I Wake by Robert J. Wiersema.
I'd like to finish all of those before February.
I would also like to do a lot of other things before February, such as: make Christmas cards and send them, visit a lot of schools for my job, and bake a lot of Christmas cookies.
I think goodreads.com is a great site for cataloging the books you read and reminding yourself why you liked them.
I'm also a huge fan of runnersworld.com's Training Log feature and I find it pretty convenient to map out each run I complete and log it in my training log.
Which brings me to the point that I REALLY love running. I wouldn't have met Gregg if it weren't for running.
I have personally best-ed myself in almost every race I ran this year. My current fastest 5K time is 25:09. I ran that at the Flemington, NJ Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving last week. You can see the results here! (PS: Look for Gregg Cavaliere and you'll see his amazing time, too!)
My boyfriend, Gregg, was a 5-time All-American for Lynchburg College in cross country, indoor and oudoor track. That makes me very proud. He was/is really fast! He's also in the Lynchburg College Hall of Fame.
He also has a lot of all-time track records at Lynchburg College. Can you tell I'm proud of him?
I want to do a marathon (26.2 miles) and maybe an Ironman (2.4 mile swim, bike 112 miles, run 26.2 miles) someday.
If I do either or both, I will feel very proud of myself. (Not that I don't feel proud of what I've done already.)
Pride, humility, joy, and love: feelings I like to have.
Too much pride, sadness, guilt, and pain: feelings I don't like to have.
Google, filibuster, sprinkles, and l'ananas: words I love.
I speak some French. Je parle le francais, un peu.
Je voudrais aller a France...peut-etre a Paris et le sud de la France a la plage de la mer Mediterranee. Peut-etre.
I would also like to visit: Egypt, the Czech Republic, Yugoslavia, Slovenia, Poland, England, Sweden, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, China, Japan, Australia, Brazil, Turks & Caicos, Alaska, and Mexico.
I lose my 2nd toenail on my right foot when I run long races.
It hasn't grown back the same since I first lost it.
I love ice water and white wine. Not together.
My favorite white wine ever is any kind of Gewurtztraminer.
I love reading about the Holocaust and Nazi Germany. It's SOO interesting. Books like Number the Stars, All But My Life, and The Diary of Anne Frank are some of my favorites.
I used to count calories on everything and throw up sometimes. I don't do that anymore.
I'm usually pretty happy in my body these days. That's a big step from my college years.
Gregg always points out that I, too, am a huge proponent of efficient movement around the house. If I'm moving through the house, I probably have something to move with me. Laundry, dishes, etc.
I have a shoe problem. It's very convincing when you look in my closet or if you refer to another blog of mine, Shoes: My Stomping Grounds.
I once sewed my own patchwork quilt. I want to learn how to quilt for real, and I want to make a t-shirt quilt for Gregg.
I like the following names: Kyria, Persephone, Carrington, Easton, Tellulah, Tucker, Alden, Aiden, Asia, Madison, Zoe, Noah, Jakob, Eva, Thomas, Eden, Harry, and Marisol.
I don't think Gregg likes any of them.
I love coupons...online kind or paper kind...whatever you've got, I want it. Especially coupon CODES!
I am convinced that learning the dance from the video below would make me feel happy everyday. When I needed it, I'd just start doing this dance. Beyonce must be a happy gal.
I met a guy at the running store today who is a senior at E.C. Glass. He runs track, but his first obsession is dance. He can do the whole Beyonce Single Ladies dance. Wow.
I don't have cable. We get like 3 major channels. You won't get those channels with an antenna anymore unless you order the converter box before February.
You can apply for a coupon for the converter box here.
She and I share a birthday and she's got her own dollar coin. How cool is that?! Plus, she helped pave the way for my suffrage. Sweet, huh? Don't know what I'm talking about? Read about her here.
I am a huge fan of Wikipedia. I know everything isn't accurate, but I still love it.
I'd love to write several books. One will be My 492 Prince Charmings about the dating story of my life.
Another book will be a biography of a man named Tommy Harris. He is a very famous guy in Lynchburg.
I would also like to write several children's books. One of them would be about Belize, a country I visited twice in college.
Another children's book I'd write would be about Christmas and traditions.
Which reminds me, I really want Elf on the Shelf (the book and the toy) for my Christmas traditions collection.
I also have a list of other things I want someday: a decanter, a candle snuffer, a really nice nativity, my own nutcracker tree like Sarah's, and a vintage ornament tree.
I also want to marry Gregg. So I kinda want a ring. Like this, or this, or this. I also like this, this, and this.
I feel very happy about wearing Smartwool socks. They are warm and snuggly.
I also really like socks made by the sock guy and gizmo. I really want the "flying pig" and "pinky" pairs from the sock guy.
I have a recent sock obsession. It might be from working at Riverside Runners.
I also have a shoe obsession. Oh wait, I already told you about that. My new aspect of obsession de la shoes is with running shoes. I just got a pair of Nike Vomeros...and I love them. But I also want a pair of Nike Lunar Racers, and a new pair of Asics Nimbus, another Mizuno Wave Creation 9, and a pair of track spikes. I never really liked these shoes that much before. WOAH!
I would love to have a dog someday. If I did, I'd own a pug, a mastiff, or a boxer.
I've never had a pet in my life.
My little sister had 2 goldfish, but she fed them Oreo crumbs, and they died.
She also had a hermit crab named Sandy, but like all hermit crabs, she died too.
My parents have a kitten named Joy now. It is anything but joyful. I call her Lucy (short for Lucifer) because she spits at people and hisses.
I am ultra-emotional.
That explains why I sometimes cry with just a change in the tone of one's voice.
Though I do try to hold back, it never works.
I'm also a big fan of jewelry.
I like loud, silly rings in bright colors that my mom rolls her eyes at.
My mom rolls her eyes/sighs at me a lot.
But that doesn't mean we aren't close and that she isn't really important to me.
Because she is.
She's very inspirational.
I hope that I can be a mom like her someday.
Then I'll know I've given something to this world.
If only I could work on getting that ring I wanted.
So that then Gregg and I can get married.
And then we can have our own little miracles to teach, love, and enjoy.
if you can't identify with the need for a lazy long Sunday, then i invite you to hear about my sunday...for which I'm not exactly proud to say that i didn't do anything i needed to, but everything i wanted to...
woke up at 10am
laid in bed until noon
went to Cracker Barrel (Gregg's ONLY FAVORITE breakfast restau)
stopped at the Royal Chevrolet car lot to look for a white VW Jetta Wolfberg edition...didn't find it until we visited the lot on 221 (formerly Jim Martin Pontiac)
stopped at CVS to pick up the Sunday paper and snacks (typically, Strawberry Twizzlers for Gregg and Nacho Cheese Doritos for me)
went home and watched NFL all afternoon, including the nearly-upset Steelers' victory! (DID YOU SEE THAT polamalu TOUCHDOWN at 0:00?)
put American Gangster on the big screen and was lost for the next 3 hours
except for when we paused the movie and made (ie: opened up cans and heated in the microwave) soup for dinner
put a load of laundry in the washer
read some of Moloka'i
went to bed
Yup, that's really what my Sunday was like. I didn't go to church, I barely cleaned up laundry or made meals...but it felt so good! And now I'm rested and ready to go to Richmond tonight and learn all about my new job as a VMFA Art on the Spot Educator!
it's not that i try to be in a crummy mood when a few days of serious rain and clouds come along...but sometimes even when i try my hardest, rainy days always get me down.
it doesn't help that i'm low on money, still feeling the effects of taking a few months off from teaching and only starting a new part-time job 4 weeks ago and about to start another job next week...but finances can really get ya down, too.
it probably has to do with having a really fabulous weekend last weekend and knowing that i have a not-so-fabulous weekend coming up...
it might have to do with the fact that the front right wheel on my car was bent in 3 places when they looked at it at the garage...that i had to rotate my newer front tires to the back and then get rid of the rear tires (they were REALLY bad) and get new ones...which thankfully, only ended up meaning i had to buy one tire because my full-size, never-been-used Michelin spare was more than adequate and meant that i only had to buy one more Michelin to put on the front (to the tune of $129.00)...
it might have to do with the fact that i've wanted to get 2 people gifts in the past 3 months and i can't afford it.
it might have to do with the fact that it's embarrassing to even talk about...
whatever the reason for my glum mood, karen carpenter says it all when she sings Rainy Days and Mondays in the video above.
so you begin the healing process by writing, curling up with a good book, or grabbing a Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar and eating the entire thing yourself.
last year at this time, gregg and i had only met a few times:
mid-September 2007: ended up at the E.C. Glass parking lot at the same time after running on the 10-miler course on a Thursday night...in preparation for the 10-miler...he introduced himself and asked if i wanted to meet him and some others at the Corner Cafe for a drink (me: "what's the corner cafe, and who is this old guy i'm talking to?")
October 2007: went to the Corner Cafe for the first time because the hash ended there, and saw him with a friend, Jeff, who owns the running store. talked to jeff, acknowledged gregg, but didn't think anything of it.
November 13, 2007: went to the Lynchburg Road Runners meeting to accept my award for 3rd place in my age group for the Lynchburg Summer Race Series. gregg was there for the free pizza and asked me after if i wanted to get a drink. once again, i rejected him...("who is this guy??")
November 18, 2007: ended another hash at the Corner Cafe and gregg happened to be there (i didn't know this at the time, but he was an owner of the CC, so it made sense that he was there all the time). when everyone was getting rides back to Food Lion where we started our run, most of the cars were full. i had started talking to gregg at the counter, and he offered a ride back to Food Lion. I accepted, and on the way, in his new BMW convertible, we started chatting and he asked for my number. my phone was broken at the time, so i gave him my number, but told him i wouldn't have my new phone until Thanksgiving (this was true) because I had it shipped to my parents' house. nonetheless, i told him to call me sometime after the holiday...(again, i wasn't that interested, but i did like his car).
November 29, 2007: gregg got in touch with me the week after Thanksgiving, asked me to meet up with him and some friends at mudpuppy's on a Thursday night. i was baking Christmas cookies, so i told him i'd come if i finished in time without it being too late. something inside me prodded me to go once i pulled out the last batch from the oven, and since it was close, i decided to go with my gut. i met gregg (his friends had already left) and we started talking...and it was like instant connection. gregg says now that even if we hadn't had a romantic connection, he still would've wanted to at least be friends cause he thought i was so cool. we talked for a long time, but i had school the next day, so i had to go home.
December 1, 2007: the night before (Nov. 30th), i was having people over from school for Game Night, so i didn't get to hang out with gregg...(ironically, i think he had a date with some chick, or dinner or something, so it's funny how it all worked out), but on Saturday, December 1st, there was the annual Peaks of Otter Christmas Classic. gregg and i talked about riding together, if i could be up early enough to catch a ride with him. it turns out, i woke up, and gregg picked me up...and he brought me a vanilla latte from Starbux...i was instantly wooed. we ran the race (gregg was 4th overall!) and then waited in the Bedford Middle School gym for a LOOOOONG time for the results. if the results hadn't been so screwed up, gregg and i wouldn't have had all that time to talk and hang out...it was destiny. we stopped at subway on the way home (he bought me lunch) and then vowed to hang out later if we could...he stopped by later that afternoon and i was baking banana bread, then asked if i wanted to hang out that evening. no longer even wanting to go, i told him that i had dinner plans (here's another ironic part of the story: anisa, a teacher from my school, had been wanting to set me up on a date with this guy from the hammersley dealer because she was dating one of his co-workers. i had agreed to go to dinner with her to meet this guy that night...so i just told gregg i was having dinner with a single friend...partly true). the blind date dinner was awful, i had NO interest in the guy she set me up with, and i wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible...i ended up calling gregg when i got home at 10 and asked him if he wanted to watch a movie. i ended up telling him about the blind date because i felt guilty and because i wanted him to know how much i was thinking about hanging out with him instead of dinner with the blind date guy.
December 2007-present: gregg and i hit it off (obviously) and we've been together ever since. two nights ago, we had that same Lynchburg Summer Race Series Awards meeting, and this time, instead of 3rd in my age group, i won 1st. it made me very nostalgic to receive this award because now i have this amazing boyfriend who has helped me become a better runner and who supports me in so many ways...and who was there when i received the award last year but wasn't a part of my life then as he is now. so this blog is dedicated not only to my 1st place award, but to the amazing past year of my life...
A year + a week ago, this picture was taken with friends at a Halloween (obviously) party. If you would've told me that I'd be where I am now on that day, I wouldn't have believed you.
There are several reasons why I feel like so much has happened this past year. I'll make a list...because I know several bloggers who have made lists before, and I always love to read lists.
My List of Changes for 2008 (or Things You Didn't Know About Me)
I have a tres serieux boyfriend, Gregg. I NEVER thought I'd fall in love like this, and now I know how amazing it can be to have someone love you so much!
I am no longer a teacher, at least not in the institutional sense.
I have run nine 5K races, a 1-miler, a 5-miler, and a 10K this year.
I have also run two Deep Hollow Half Marathon trail races, a Lynchburg Half Marathon, and my first Outer Banks Half Marathon this year.
I am the aunt of a 2 year old named Ella, whom I babysit almost every week.
I live in Lynchburg, Virginia...a formerly very conservative area in Virginia.
I travelled to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic in March.
I went to Bethany Beach, Delaware with my whole family in July.
I helped welcome several friends' babies into the world: Alexis' twins, Bailey and Cooper; Carrie's Evey, Kylie's Beckett, Nell's Ashley, and Amy's Callie.
I celebrated Ella's 2nd birthday and made her a caterpillar cake!
I finished the Angel's Race Sprint Triathlon for the 2nd year and bettered my time by 13 minutes, with a personal record of 1:46:07.
I saw one of my very best friends, Rachel, marry her love, Brad, in September.
These are just a few things that have changed my life or have changed about me in the past year. Change has been the most positive thing in my life in a year.
If you haven't already gone out and committed to your civic duty to vote, you've got 4 minutes left here in Virginia...and if you already did, then hopefully you're proudly wearing your "I VOTED!" sticker like me! And if you're a coffee drinker, you shouldn't forget your Starbucks opportunity for a free "I voted!" coffee!
if you've never been tagged to play a blog game...here's your chance. :) i was hit by my friend june to post the 4th photo from my 4th folder of photos. here it is. it's Ella...from February. she was a lot smaller then...my how children grow! and to those who i'm supposed to say "TAG!" to...i don't know anyone! :)
rating: 5 of 5 stars Three Cups of Tea isn't a work of literary genius...something you'd pick apart for AP Literature classes in high school or writing classes in college...it's not Poe, Steinbeck, Orwell, or Shakespeare...but the words that are weaved together in this book that retells the ten years of Greg Mortenson's life when he went on his biggest adventure, reaching a summit far higher than that of K2, are maybe more valuable than any of the best classic literature or informative non-fiction in the world. The strides that Mortenson took after chance brought him to the village of Korphe in Northern Pakistan are amazing.
Three Cups of Tea chronicles both the eccentricities that become Greg Mortenson in his life in the U.S. as well as the footsteps he took, lessons he learned, and lives he changed while in Pakistan and parts of Afgahanistan.
Three Cups is filled with suspense at times when he's captured by unknowns, sitting to drink tea with Taliban leaders, or just barely escaping death in a tunnel in Afghanistan.
Three Cups is filled with emotion at times when Mortenson is building this one-of-a-kind father-son relationship with Haji Ali, the leader of the village of Korphe, sharing the best friend relationship that was built in just six days with his future wife Tara, and recounting the power that Jahan, granddaughter of Haji Ali, has received through her education and how her empowerment has given her high hopes for the rest of her life.
Three Cups is a book so full that everyone should read it. It's not a literary work of art, it's a humanitarian work of art.
Recently, while talking to a friend about landmark times in our lives, anniversarial years such as Baby's First Christmas, the 21st Birthday, and the 50th Wedding Anniversary came to mind. My niece, Ella, was born last September, and from the very first minutes of her life, I saw how quickly love can form and grow.
Now, as I sit writing my First Anniversary Blog, I wonder:
"What's poignant enough for a First Blog?"
And then I realize, quickly, that the mere attempt at blogging is poignant enough. So--with a quick ending to my beginning of blogging minutes, I leave you with this, one of my most favoritest quotes:
"You are so much sunshine to the square inch." -Walt Whitman
Can I ever be considered that titillating such that someone will say the minutes in my life deserve Walt Whitman's quote?
last year at this time, gregg and i had only met a few times:
