Randomness......

It's been a couple weeks since I last posted, but I don't have anything exciting/interesting to share, so I thought I'd update everyone on what Mike and I have been up to lately.

- My new job as a clinical dietitian is going well. I am really enjoying it much more than I actually thought I would. Clinical rotations were not my favorite during the internship, so I was unsure, but it's different now that I am on my own and can work at my own pace and sign my own notes. It's good to see patients and feel like I am helping them. I love it when the doctors take my recommendations! Most of the time they do, but there are always a few who think that because they have MD behind their name they know everything (never mind that I've had 5 years of nutrition study vs. their one semester!! GRRR!)

-Mike is busy working on getting everything ready for our Oakdale store. It's fun to watch the building progress- the fireplace is in and framed, I really think this store is going to have a great atmosphere! I think that every time I mention Mike I talk about how busy he is, which is true, but it's also true that he makes every effort to make sure that we get to spend some quality time together. Last week he set aside a night where he didn't do any work just for me!! It was great! It's been interesting and fun to see how we can work together in this new season of our lives- sure some things are stressful, but overall we love what we do. I wouldn't change things if I could. I think the thing that really is key is that we both feel that we have a vision of what God wants to do with this store and through us. Having that common vision keeps us looking in the same direction.

- Christmastime is here!!! We put up our new pre-lit Christmas tree a week before thanksgiving, but then waited to put up the rest of our Christmas decor. Overall, I would say our decorating style is pretty simple, but we really have lots of stuff at Christmas time- the winter village set, my nutcracker collection, the nativity scene, etc. Mike and I have both been big Christmas fans for awhile, so it's hard to get rid of anything --we love it all! I love sitting in our living room with the lights off, just looking at our Christmas tree and lit up village. It makes me feel so cozy. I love that about winter. I'm more of a homebody type person, and it just feels so wonderful to be warm and cozy inside, thinking how cold and dark it is outside.

-I'm looking forward to a trip to Boston in January. It's been three years since I last visited. The last time I was there I came home with a ring on my left finger. It's strange that even though I only lived there for two school years, Boston will always feel a little like home to me. I'll be taking the trip by myself. Mike will need stay home since Oakdale will be opening, but we have lots of flight miles to use, so he encouraged me to go anyways so I can see my old friends again. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures to document my trip!

-Both of my siblings have recently purchased houses. I've been to Nicole's, but Christopher and Dorothy don't get possession yet for a couple weeks, so I will go down to St. Louis and visit them sometime in January or February maybe. It's weird to be at a point where we are doing adult things like getting married, buying houses, etc. I remember distinctly thinking about what it would be like to be older when I was a kid and I couldn't believe that I would ever be as old as 25 (which I will be in 10 days!). It's sort of surreal to be at this stage. I wonder if I'll feel that way for the rest of my life - I can't believe I'm old enough to have a house, kids, retire, have grand kids...... It seems like age is just a number and I don't feel like I've gotten older at all. (Not saying that I'm old now, so no offense to any of my older blog readers ;)

-We're still waiting for our niece, Elizabeth Claire, to show her face to the world. We thought she'd be coming on Thanksgiving, but turned out she just wanted to tease everyone and give her mom some false labor! We joked about her "drama queen" personality when she didn't show, so it will be interesting to meet her and see if she fits that description! I'm sure her mom, dad, and brother are beyond ready to meet her!

Ok that's it for now. I'll try to post some pictures of our Christmas decorating, and of course I will post pictures of Elizabeth when she comes (unless her mom and dad have some objection!)