Back to the Grind

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't sad about going back to work tomorrow. These past two weeks have FLOWN by, and every bit of the time off has been glorious.

They say all good things must come to an end, but I'm looking forward to the little sweet spots that come with the grind. Working isn't always my favorite thing, but obviously I have no choice, and I believe there's a lot of wisdom and growth to be found in doing the things you HAVE to do, rather than only the things you WANT to do.

Maybe someday my have to's and want to's will align. :)

To send off my vacation, I went to the dog park, the movies and the grocery store. Two of those things I really enjoyed. I worked out, I ate some delicious ice cream, I even meditated and now I'm winding down with some journaling and reading.

Five a.m. is gonna come way. too. fast.

Absences

Hello, friends and family!

Has everyone enjoyed the holidays? I've spent mine doing all my favorite things - hanging out with friends, reading, watching movies, cooking, journaling, napping, running, spending time with Jillian, prepping for 2012 and being with family.

In the spirit of soaking it all in, I haven't taken too many pictures, but I'd like to share with you some of the things I've been up to over the break...

First.

Okay, where to start? I haven't read the books. I don't plan to. I haven't seen the swedish versions. I don't plan to. And I probably won't see any of the sequels, especially not if they're 3 hours long too.

But good heavens, what an intense movie! There were a handful of scenes that I honestly couldn't handle, but in spite of myself I guess I really liked this movie. The hardest part of this franchise for me is knowing that really gruesome, grotesque stuff actually happens to people in real life. It's hard enough to watch in a fictional setting, but it's even harder knowing that that stuff really goes on. It's a little different watching Mission Impossible 4 or The Descendants (at least for me); I guess sexual crimes are just so appalling and on-another-level that I had a really hard time passively watching this film.

Um, and it was 3 hours.

Also, I really liked Rooney Mara's hair. I think I'm just getting way overly antsy for this Locks of Love do-goodery to come to an end. Chop, chop!

I also finished our book club book:

Loving Frank by Nancy Horan

A note about book club: I love it. It's been one of my favorite parts of 2011. But we do not read books I enjoy. If they're not about Nazi's, they're about medical minutia; if they're not about military history, they're about adultery (insert Loving Frank). That being said, I read this book like a champ because Ninja reminded me that book club serves as a horizon-expander, a culture-provider, a...reason for us girls to get together and drink wine. So I read through the adultery, through the abandonment of children, through to the ending of the book which astonishingly blew. my. mind. I hate to recommend a book based on the very, very end alone, but the conclusion of Frank Lloyd Wright's affair with Mamah was unusual to say the least. And the fact that it's historical makes it even more compelling. Good stuff, book club. You pull through again.

I've spent a good deal of time running, at the gym, and with this woman:

I love it when you're angry, Jill! Grrrr!

I spent Christmas eve at the San Marcos outlets in New Braunfels, Christmas day in San Antonio, and then we high-tailed it back to Houston. I'm just soaking up these next five days of freedom. I hope you've enjoyed the holidays as well!

On the Run

2011 has been a strange year. Hell, most of 2010 was a strange year.

2011 has also been exceptional, and I'm so excited to get back into blogging, getting y'all up to speed.

Tonight, I'm going to scaryoke. That's Scary (as in, Halloween) + Karoake (embarrasing, way-too-loud singing), and I've got quite the costume waiting for me.

It's hard for me to believe that Roger became my firstborn furbaby almost two years ago on Halloween. Time has truly flown...well, probably not for him because he spends the majority of his days sleeping, humping his brother, and picking out the round bits of kibble from his food bowl (which we call the nuggets), leaving Benny to eat the other, non-round bits (which we refer to as the vegetables).

I love my life. I really, really do. Praise God!