Christmas time is here!!!

Sorry, it has been a few weeks. Since I last blogged, several things have happened. Well, really just two.

1. Jeremy, being only 4 months into this marriage, and not yet realizing that eventually he will have to say no to one of my requests, let me get a kitten! The kitten's name is Midnight (Jeremy named it). It is ALL black (fur, paws, even whiskers) with big, bright orange eyes. Our current cat, Sam, is still getting used to Midnight. He and she have a fight about 3 times a day, but they are no comfortable sharing a bed with each other (and Jeremy and me). Midnight comes from the same farm land I used to work at when I worked in a home for adults with disabilities. That brings me to my second point.

2. I got a new job. Starting next month I will be a director at a day care center. The decision to change my place of employment was a difficult one to make and it took me nearly two months to make the decision.

Tomorrow Jeremy and I are making the trek to my brother's house 5 hours away. We will be driving through snow the whole time. Please pray for safe travels for us. I am SOOO excited to see my family. We have not all been together for Christmas for several years now and we all recognize that this kind of gathering will be a happenstance from now on. This is also my first opportunity to see my nephew, Josiah, and my niece, Alexis. I am the last of the siblings to arrive for the festivities and I already feel like I am missing out on so many fun events (happy yesterbirthday David!).

Did you know that blogger reconizes yesterbirthday as a word? Just to be sure of its nonexistance, I checked Microsoft Word... yup, red squiggly line. Dictionary.com doesn't reconize it either but they do suggest yester birthday or yester-birthday. Also, did you know that today used to be spelled to-day. Yup, it was.

Ok, time to do laundry, pack, and do some work.

Happy Birthday!

Welcome to the world Alexis Josephine!

stockings

Our first Christmas is coming up!

I was looking forward to getting to make the stockings we will hang for years to come. I was planning on using the sewing machine that we have from Jeremy's mom, but Jeremy requested that I knit the stockings instead. He always had knitted stockings at Christmas. I decided this would be a good opportunity to increase my knitting skills. I got a pattern from my sister that I decided not to use because I found this one. Sorry, L, I know you went through a lot of trouble to get me that one.

Here they are!

I talk in my sleep

Jeremy informed me that last night I rolled over to face him and said, "Fish! Fish! Fish! Its you're theme! Fish! It's your theme! It's your theme!"

I'm a little frightened by this newly found talent.

FISHY!

Last spring a good friend of ours gave us his old aquarium and everything that went with it (stand, filter, heater, etc.). This past week, Jeremy and I (but mostly Jeremy) set it up. Today we got fish. They are little fish but they are pretty.

Jeremy

I think Sam wants to be their friend.

Here is a video of them... It is kind of soothing to watch

Knitting

Jeremy requested knitted Christmas stockings. Because my skills in knitting are limited I decided to start with a small project using straight needles. Today I made a hat. It is not the best hat, but you can tell it is a hat.

That creepy guy at Wal*Mart

There is a creepy guy at Wal*Mart. He takes a different shape with each visit, sometimes he takes the shape of a woman, sometimes he changes shapes within one trip. Most would argue that this is not one man, but several different characters: I know better. It is not possible that Wal*Mart would be the ONLY store to attract so many creepy characters. No, it must be only one shape-shifting man.

Today the man took the shape of a Northern Wisconsin man with a Texan accent. He wore a thick, blue plaid winter coat. In his arms he carried two DVDs freshly snatched off the $4 rack. He met Jeremy and me at a kiosk filled with poorly crafted candles. Jeremy and I were enjoying the foul smells coming from each candle. The "birthday cake" candle was almost as bad as the "mixed berry". Creepy Guy joined in, stating that some of them are quite pleasing. Jeremy and I gently disagreed. This must have posed as a challenge to Creepy Guy because he then spent the rest of our time at the kiosk handing me candles to smell. At first, I accepted the candles and made small talk about each one. Eventually, I started wondering where he was finding all these different scents. Our time at the Kiosk ended when I shot Jeremy a glance that said, "You are not protecting me. Do your job." Jeremy and I started walking away when Creepy Guy offered another candle to me at which Jeremy remarked, "Well, we'll see you around."

Sad thing is, I know we WILL see Creepy Guy around. At Wal*Mart, Creepy Guy is unavoidable. If you don't find Creepy Guy at Wal*Mart, it is likely that Creepy Guy took the shape of you.