After my successful 20 mile run on Christmas Eve (woot woot!), we all just kind of relaxed the rest of the day. We attended a Christmas Eve service, and came back and took a few pictures in front of the tree. This one is my personal favorite:

I’ve been calling it “Family Portrait 2011”.

Despite my protests that I really WAS good this year and my many promises to be nice next year, Santa denied my Christmas present request by sending Aunt Flo to greet me first thing Christmas morning. Thanks for that one. Unfortunately, Bryan also apparently caught the bug I had the previous Thursday with the added twist of nausea and vomiting, so spent most of the day sleeping. If it weren’t for at least having my family around, some fun gifts and a yummy dinner, I would have declared Christmas Day itself a total fail.

Although I declared not long ago that we would be waiting until my 30th birthday to proceed with IVF, this latest disappointment has me re- thinking that decision. I’m still not entirely sure what the plan is, but  I have put a call into the RE’s office asking for some info on the procedure and if there is anything we can do to help lower the cost, payment plans etc. I’m just over the roller coaster ride.

The  day after Christmas we squished 5 adults and 2 small dogs into 1 car and made our way to Pennsylvania to visit my grandfather (Pap) and aunt for the day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Aside from the cute lady who squealed with excitement every time we walked by with one of the dogs and the nursing home resident who threatened to cold cock Bryan at dinner (when I was the one who was talking), it was your pretty typical visit- gift exchange, food, lots of cookies, and then more time in the car. The really cool thing was when my aunt called a couple days later to tell us that he was really excited and talked about the visit after we left.

Tuesday I had plans to meet with my old college roommate, who I realized I actually hadn’t seen in five years. This is scary not only because it had been a really long time since I’d seen her, but also because this meant I graduated college more than 5 years ago. Yikes.

My car was not smiling at me this morning, and apparently decided to make my trip again more difficult. Even though the tire pressure had been checked and the tires had been filled since Saturday, the light was STILL ON. And I was late. Luckily, my sister was nice enough to lend me her car, which I appropriately nicknamed “The Roudolph Mobile”

I have a shiny nose

I picked her up, apologizing for the fact that we were two 30 year olds (actually, I’m 29) riding in the Roudolph Mobile, but hey at least we had a way to get somewhere. We caught up on about as much as you can after 5 years (the abridged version), walked around a couple stores, grabbed a coffee and headed back to her house.

Little did I know it, but soon it would be my time to shine.

Pulling out of the parking lot, I initially pulled into the left hand lane. She informed me that I would need to change lanes, but that I could wait until I passed the ridiculously slow moving car. Annoyed and glancing over at the old woman in the car next to me, I began to say “Good, because grandma almost got run over… (recalling the car I was in) by a reindeer”.

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

I laughed at my own joke all the way back to her house.

Watch out, Grandma

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 Very pretty to admire, but honestly I’m was glad to drive away from it.

For anyone unfamiliar with the Iphone app Foursquare, you can “check in” to places to earn badges, and some stores you check into have specials. You can check into highways also, and without much else to do on a 12 hour ride, that is exactly what I did. My final check in before arriving back home was on Interstate 26…..what should be a fairly simple, innocent highway.

Uhh…..strip club? (Someone at the bottom had commented “Where are the boobies?”)

Well hey, at least the long drive ended with a bang.

😉