The holidays…

Have come and gone, with no posts from me! Last time I wrote, we got a bit of snow. On December 1st, we got the most snow I have seen since childhood (except on a mountain of course!). We got 8″! It ended up being a snow day because there was no way our car was getting down our hill. Mike walked to work – I stayed home with Olivia.

Let’s back up to Thanksgiving. It was very nice. Abby was here, as was her friend Marsha & Marsha’s son Max. Max is a little over a year younger than Olivia, but they really had a good time together – Olivia was glad to have a playmate! They watched movies together on Marsha’s iPad (which, at 2.5 yrs old, Max can operate!) and played together very well. The food was perfect, of course, and we played lots of games, per the usual. Mom also booked us a tour at Flying Pie Pizzeria – a Boise institution. We got to wear funny hats, make pizzas, tour the kitchen, then eat that amazingly awesome pizza. It was seriously yummy! Then we went to a place called Bounce! – which is a warehouse type building filled with bounce houses, slides, and mazes – what a workout! Max & Olivia loved it while we all sweated our pizza off! It was super fun though! We also went to our parade downtown – it was really snowing, but beautiful and we all really enjoyed it.  We went sledding, too!

The 2nd week of December, I had jury duty. To make a week long story short, I was chosen for the jury – it was a criminal case. It was the most interesting and challenging thing I have done in a long time. I couldn’t stop thinking all week long that I was a part of changing a person’s life, because we found him guilty on 2 counts and not guilty on 2 counts. The people on the jury were so smart, thoughtful, & intelligent; it was truly amazing. We pondered and deliberated every word of the counts. It was very different than I had imagined it, and I missed a lot of life that week, but it feels like a once in a lifetime experience.

I then had to get back into the swing of things at work and at home. I wasn’t sequestered, but really, it felt like I was just out of the loop that whole week, so it definitely took me some time to get back into the groove. But, I did of course – Christmas was coming! I bought all of my presents online. Free shipping so I didn’t have to go to the post office once – how can I pass that up? On the 23rd, my eardrum burst. Talk about pain – wow. It’s all in your head, too, so it really feels like you are going to die any second. At 3:30 am, I couldn’t take it anymore & drove myself to the emergency room. I then drove myself to the 24 hour pharmacy (thank you Rite aid) to get some meds. My ear started draining & drained for over 2 days. Seriously nasty. So, I wasn’t quite myself over the holiday, but had fun anyway. Then it was Christmas time – we all got what we wanted for Christmas of course, and Olivia had a blast. She loved everything she got – from Bugsby books to a pink camera to a dollhouse to art supplies – you name it, she got it! It was really fun. Mom & Dad taught us a new card game that we ended up playing all weekend long – Oh Hell. Wow was it addicting and fun!

Olivia got a betta fish (which she named Flower), a dwarf frog (which she named Frosty) and the tank/equipment from Aunt Abby. We then wanted to get an algae eater so I wouldn’t have to clean the tank as often, so we went and bought one (the 1st Walmart didn’t have fish tanks, the 2nd Walmart I couldn’t find anyone to help us, so we finally gave in & went to Petco which she loved because they had hamsters, ferrets, and birds to look at – plus they were friendly and knowledgeable of course). Anyway, she named the Corey (algae eater) Kangaroo Lightbulb! She came up with it in the car on the way home from the pet store & it stuck. So, we feed them every morning and every evening, and they are all getting along great. Frosty is hilarious!

Olivia was off of school the last 2 weeks of the year, so she got to go to Dainey’s the 1st week, then I stayed home with her the 2nd week. It was nice to have time off to be lazy, take baths, read a book, get caught up on watching TV shows, & spend time with her! New Year’s was uneventful, as the last couple of weeks have been as well. I can’t seem to get motivated to get things done around the house. I get on a little roll and get a few things organized, but then lose the zeal & just get bored again. I got bored with both of my blogs & redid them both. Still not 100% happy so they may change soon, but for right now, they are done… School called on Thursday to tell us that Olivia had a fever of 103, so I only worked a half day at work. We ended up going to the doctor & getting ‘the pink stuff’ because she has a virus & an ear infection. She was feeling better by Friday afternoon & is back to her old self. I have been watching Damages. I watched the entire 1st season last week – part of the reason I got nothing else done – but it was so good I couldn’t stop watching it. It’s on Roku, which is seriously one of the best things we’ve ever gotten. We love it! I watched Eat Pray Love today – very good. I never read the book but will someday. So, I think that’s about it. I’m sure I have forgotten lots, but for now, there is your update.