Oh yeah, I have a blog (and happy belated Valentine's Day)

See, I'm trying to concentrate more on getting my work done during the week so I can relax on weekends, so I don't blog a lot during the week. Then I relax on the weekends, and I forget to blog.

However, this week I'm on break, so in between studying for my upcoming certification exam and getting a super fun, 24-hour stomach bug yesterday that had me eating nothing but white rice and feeling wretched on the couch, I thought I'd get some blogging done. I am feeling much better, thank you.

This past weekend we celebrated Valentine's Day by going away for the night to the same B&B that T took me to when we got engaged. We haven't been there since, so considering that was almost four years ago, I took it upon myself to book the room again. Such a nice little place, and it was only 40 minutes away in Lewiston (about as close as you can get to Canada without crossing the border), an historic little town with lots of charm and wineries nearby. Perfect. Plus this time T wasn't incredibly nervous--remember, he was about to propose--and I wasn't incredibly sick. Yes, in case you didn't know, about two days before we went away for my birthday weekend/engagement weekend, I became sicker than I had been in YEARS. This greatly helped T because I wasn't alert enough to notice he was acting odd. Anyway, it was a lovely weekend--plus sneaky T had a dozen roses waiting for me in our room. He does like the flowers. AND he wrote me a little poem. For all of those people out there who say, "Well, wait ten years/twenty years. You won't get that stuff any more," please, please shut up. Let me enjoy my flowers and poem. I'll find out if you're right or not on my ownty-own.

We just had a nice dinner out and then a glorious breakfast, cooked by the owner of the B&B, who's also a friend of ours. It was a perfect little getaway, and Penny was extra glad to see us when we returned. Then the next night we went to women's roller derby, which is a ton of fun. The place is packed when they have their bouts (that's what they call the matches) and I have to say, as I posted on Facebook, there's just something about watching women on roller skates knock each other over that captivates me. Plus we got to cheer for our friend M, as it was her first bout. They all have derby names, like Ivanna Killem and Claire Violence, and they wear fishnets along with their uniforms. It's awesome. If you come to visit me, we'll go.

You know, I've had nice Valentine's Days and crummy ones and non-celebratory ones, and what it all comes down to is that you're with someone you love, no matter whether it's romantic or not. T and I did it up for this one, but we're pretty low-key and would have been happy with just a fire and the couch. For me, it's more the acknowledgment that I'm so fortunate to have those who love me that I can't even believe it, sometimes. I got a card from Mr. Ouiser thanking me for being such a good friend--I almost burst into tears, it was so sweet. My mom sends multiple cards. My dad always sends something from a "secret admirer". So I'm pretty lucky and I want to extend that love to YOU, folks. LOVE!

p.s. I also love the Olympics. And baking cheese bread. Recipe to follow--it is SO EASY.

Now that we're shoveled out....

Whew! Finished the papers, for now. Now I think I have about a week break before the next slew come in. Next year I will be a lot better about scheduling these things….

So I said I’d give the update! Well, I can’t believe I haven’t before now, considering we’ve had so much time off due to weather and holidays. We were out AGAIN on Wednesday due to snow! Truly, the driving was awful—it took me ten minutes to get off our little street, which they never plow. Thursday morning the only reason I got out at all was because our neighbor across the street saw I was having trouble, backed up his car, and he and his two young boys pushed me out. What a good-Samaritan act! I have to get them some cookies or something; they really didn’t need to help me. It renews my faith in humanity in a world filled with contested Anna Nicole Smith wills and shaved rehab-bound pop star heads.

Well the wedding dress fit fine—so well that they don’t even have to shorten it; just bustle it. Guys, that just means that during the reception it’s pulled up a little in the back so it doesn’t drag the ground, subjecting me to dirt and ill-placed high heels of guests. Other minor millinery adjustments in the back must be made, but nothing major. So that’s out of the way, and my wonderful mom stuffed all the envelopes! And peeps, you don’t mind if there’s a bar code across the bottom, do you? The post offices don’t have time, they say, to hand cancel all of them (they really do have to do each invitation by hand to not have that code), so forgive me for being gauche.

The wine shower, oh, the wine shower. If anyone you know is getting married or having a birthday, I highly suggest one. Guests were asked to bring wine or “wine accoutrements” and boy, did they. We have a fully stocked wine rack, a gorgeous bottle of Möet, good tequila, good bourbon, one of those rabbit things (vacuum sealer), wine glasses, and a joke bottle of Wild Irish Rose. The last sits on our mantel with its fellow bottle of Courvoisier and a package of Kools, which I received those last year when working in the public schools. They’re the shiz-nit, yo. But anyway, the shower was such fun—this whole getting presents thing is a great gig, I have to say, and we have wonderfully generous friends. My one friend H. and her husband M. (the ones who had the surprise wedding) gave us a bottle of wine for each day of the week with an appropriate, Weight Watcher friendly recipe attached. Who could ask for more? We also had a fairly disparate group who came together and found topics of conversation, which I always find pleasing. Yay new friends!

My next objective is to find fun sites to share with you all like Ouiser does. How do you find these fun places? You must share your secret.

P.S. My Valentine’s Day (last one with my maiden name!) was spent in front of a fire with Norah Jones on the stereo and take-out sushi. Can you top that? I felt it was perfect. I think we might have to make that the tradition—until we have kids and feel a desperate need to get out of the house.