...ALMOST back to reality...

This is where Pete and I will be spending our time tomorrow night, with Caroline being watched by Grammie and Grampie as an anniversary gift to us:


What a great way to wrap up eight weeks of maternity leave. We're excited. :)

back to reality

Well, I return to work on Monday. I of course have all kinds of mixed feelings about that right now. A part of me is looking forward to getting back to "normal" a little bit, but then I'm reminded of how much I don't enjoy my job at the moment, which balances the equation I guess. Luckily, between my mom helping us out with childcare a lot and Pete having a part-time job, the whole childcare thing shouldn't be too stressful. Caroline will be watched by either her parents or her grandparents and aunt and uncle each day during the week. That'll be great for all of us, but especially Caroline.

So all I have to do is get back into a corporate mindset. Whee.

toms shoes

So I recently discovered TOMS Shoes when I saw that Goshen College was going to be hosting a TOMS Shoes design party. At first I wondered what the big deal is, but after browsing around the site a little bit more, looking at the shoes and reading the company's story and mission, I couldn't help but become a fan. Something that people consider trendy and helps kids who live in poverty? Nice work, Blake.

Anyway, I noticed that the TOMS website has a gift giving option. It's nice because you don't have to know the recipient's shoe size or favorite design... it's a gift certificate. Just thought I'd pass along the info... it would be the perfect birthday or Christmas present for those hard-to-shop-for folks, besides the fact that you're giving to two people at once. If that's not giving with the true spirit of Christmas, I don't know what is.

And for those of you reminding me that it's only October, my Mom has taught me to shop early and shop often. :)

muggle quidditch 2.0

Anyone remember Perplex City? Well, an intriguing game/puzzle/mystery called Muggle Quidditch 2.0 has surfaced on the internet. It reminds me of Perplex City with a Harry Potter theme (minus the puzzle cards, at least so far). It's great fun, with secret messages and passwords hidden in emails, and having to collaborate with other people in order to get the complete clue, etc.

I miss Perplex City a lot, so I'm really excited to stumble upon something like this.

six at once!

Pete and I purchased the 5-6 player extension for Settlers last week, and got to play it yesterday when members of Team Cookie came to visit. It was quite fun. The games were a bit longer than previous 4-person games that I remember, but not agonizingly so. The introduction of an additional desert tile was interesting, but in the third game we played, the two deserts ended up being right next to each other, which was convenient (except that the wheat port was on them, unfortunately).

Anyway, I'm glad we finally have the extension. It seemed like more often than not, one of us had to sit out during Settlers when we had friends over. Now we can pack our dining room with six people and all have a great time. Best $16 I ever spent.

i heart hulu

Thanks to Hulu, I'll never need cable.

God bless the internets.

goodbye Nan

April 3, 1918 - October 6, 2008

Goodbye, Nan.  We all miss you very much.  See you again someday.