i have ignored you long enough my trusty blog! the holidays and traveling and fussy internet connections have kept me away for too long! oh, where to start.....

mjk and i spent some quality time in detroit visiting, eating and drinking with both friends and family. we left on wednesday afternoon for what we thought would be a 4-5 hour journey...but with snow and holiday traffic, it turned into 7! we were both grouchy and stiff upon our arrival. but mom and bill had some snacks and a stiff drink waiting for us! thanksgiving was held at mjk's aunts house and we had a wonderful time. i truly enjoy being around lots of family at the holidays. it was really fun to have small children, small dogs and small cramped tables to sit at. all the food and the noise from conversations, kids and the lions game was very festive! afterwards we all sat around and watched the movie polar express. on friday we visited with dad, ate left overs, took naps and then headed out to visit with more friends at a local pool hall. it was fun to see mjk interact with his close friends...he is much more animated. i got to show off my ring and talk about our wedding plans and how we got engaged....and the wives planned a bachelorette weekend in chicago which i am looking forward to.


today we are heading over to my parents house for a mini thanksgiving. i am so looking forward to having some pork pie. i have decided that i need to learn how to make it so that i can bring it to thanksgiving in detroit...these people do not know what they are missing! so i will have to get the recipe and practice with my mom at christmas!

mjk and i put out all of our christmas decorations last night...there are not very many, but our living room looks very festive. we hit up the dollar store and bought lots of christmas chotchkie. now all we need is the tree!

t.t.f.n

i havent really had anything exciting to say on my blog lately...its probably because i havent been journaling very much lately. all the thoughts get stuck in my head and they need a little prodding to shake loose...anyway...

• cool book that i just finished reading: Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by amy krouse rosenthal ( a local chicago author) very hilarious, very personal, very good!
• cool book that i have just started: Extremely Close and Incredibly Loud by Jonathan Safran Foer...its about an intense 9 year old boy who has lost his father in 9/11 and has found a key in his fathers closet that he is determined to find the lock to.

we had the meeting of the in-laws this weekend and i must say that everything went really well! our cocktail party was a success...lots of eating, drinking and laughing!

I am a bit miffed this morning as there was no hot water when i got in the shower...and it is very chilly this morning...i am not even sure if i got my hair clean enough! i almost started crying i really really really dislike cold showers.

this week i need to buy a winter coat, our plane tix for xmas and do the laundry

i have great ideas in the shower...maybe not great but a lot of ideas at least. bws and i have arranged thursday playdates and today is my day to pick. i originally thought we could go see one of those new movies that our significant others would not be interested in but it is beautiful outside...71 degrees is the high today and it is november! you really cant let that go to waste! we may just end up on some sidewalk cafe...not a bad date! i have had the last three mornings off! and have been very busy doing household things...laundry, piling things up...but also a few crafty things for the wedding. i worked on luminaria to put out on the sidewalk at the entrance of the reception, a remembrance candle, the food menu and other decorating ideas. i feel like i have gotten a lot accomplished!

in other news i am reading the book "encyclopedia of an ordinary life" by amy krouse rosenthal and it is wonderful. she is an author from chicago and has written this book just like an encyclopedia with short entries like catch, coffeehouses, bozo circus. it makes me giggle a lot and the references to chicago specific things makes it even more fun! i highly recommend it!

mjk and i spent saturday hiking at starved rock state park...this is a photo from the bottom of french canyon. i love the sun rays:)