The little updates strung together into a semi coherhent tale.

Here i am ! I wasn't MIA so much as TMIA (too much in action) corny, cheesy, true. I am so over the holidays. They are done. Fini. Ka-poot. After spending several months getting ready for the holidays, knitting, crocheting, making jewelry, making sauces, this party, that party, the craft fair and then finally the annual parental visits, I am DONE!

I got incredibly fat in the past several months from a combination of too much food, no exercise and poor time manangement. I'm back to regular exercise and I have a sincere wish that it won't take twice as much time to take it back off as it took to put it on but I think that's a rather vain wish. When I'm overweight the arthritis is worse. Pain free hands are essential when you spend your day at the keyboard.

Speaking of keyboards -- as you know I've been trying to break out of my current position into a another department for the better part of a year -- and failed. I am a failure no more -- yay! I am still in my current department, however I have been promoted and earned a rather nice, and timely, raise. My promotion is effective Dec 1 . . . the same day Rob's position was eliminated at his company. Argh! Of course, we did know it was coming. The housing industry has collapsed and eventually those companies that supply the suppliers were going to be paring down to the minimum. Rob's company is doing that now.

We turn 40 this year. That's a significant sort of number. I think it is a good time to stop, take stock in what we've achieved, and get ready for the next big step in our lives. We have two kiddos that are very smart, working steadily on their own goals and building strong and happy futures. Knowing we'll have our last chick in university in 4 yrs is a very solid and gratifying future event. We know that we are likely to leave Bend shortly after Boo graduates -- this town -- I could go off on a tear about how my home town is no longer something I'm proud of or want to be part of but it's rather pointless to bitch. I would rather be in a smaller town closer to a city than be in a small city that everyone tries too hard to make into a big city with a 'small town feel'. Wtf is that??

My company has offices in many cities in many states and as long as I am within commuting distance on those rare days they need me in the physical office I can move almost anywhere. As my best friend looks around at opportunities to remake the second half of his working life, it adds freedom and new initiative to moving out of the area and making a home and a new career choice in a different area.

He is giving careful consideration to a couple of options. I know which one I'm rooting for, but I won't tip the scales by being too public about it until he's made his choice.

I'm still creating jewelry and crochet and knit items and being moderately successful at selling them in my Etsy shop. I have plans to create a sunroom/greenhouse out of / off of my patio in the next couple of months -- with all the new neighbors, privacy fences and two story monstronsities my sunlight has been seriously curtailed and I need to capitalize on what I have left. I'll post pics of that endeavor as soon as we get started. I'm thinking late March.

The kiddo goes back to school tomorrow and I am taking the day off to be with my best guy. To have a cuppa coffee and sit and visit, sans kids, about us. To be Rob and Noni, not Mom and Dad. There is a storm coming in, I have to get out to Costco, stock the cupboards with some healthier options than holiday fair, do some laundry and walk walk walk walk walk.

I'm back for Sunday blogging m'dears! Talk to you next week (or sooner )