80 hours to go

In 3.33 days, 2007 will be GONE! The worst year of my whole entire life, history. Mom's cancer scare, my miscarriages, and all the rest of the sad drama that unfolded will have happened "last year". And 2008, I'm convinced, will be a good one for us. Historically, election years have been fortunate ones. In 2000, I met J. Love at first sight. Not in the husband/wife way, in the best friends forever, coolest dorm neighbor of all time way. Only over that next year would we come to see there was more there than friendship. In 2004, we married. We moved to the northwoods, bought our first home, got our first puppy, started life together. And in 2008, we'll have our baby. Or at least, create it. But let's shoot for having it. We've got a low key New Years Eve planned with friends. No big parties, no drunken revelry, no hats or horns. Just my dear sweet husband beside me as we watch the clock tick away and usher in a new era. I can already feel the sigh of relief coming on.



Christmas, despite the heavy heart reminding me of what coulda shoulda woulda been, was wonderful. I dare to say, one of the better ones I've had. My family was funny and warm and generous as always. Board games, (ugly) football games, delicious food, amazingly thoughtful gifts. I'm partial to my gorgeous sparkling Tiffany diamond earrings, my cozy fleece coat, some wonderful wardrobe updates, and the yearlong Us Weekly subscription from baby brother. Truly, the gift that keeps on giving. Much like, say, the Jelly of the Month Club. And the weather, it was Christmasy. Snow is much more enjoyable when one knows they'll soon be back in the south, under the sun, not needing mittens again until the next trip north.



Traveling home was less than fantastic. I dare say, the worst travel experience of all time. There was lost luggage, both trips. Jonathan's didn't even arrive in Wisconsin until the day before our departure. Curiously, it arrived wearing a luggage strap and tag written in Asian, so it appears Northwest Airlines confused "Wisconsin" with "China". Easy mistake. Then lost luggage again on the trip home, our overstuffed bags ditched in Minneapolis amid the Christmas travel chaos made more chaotic by a snowstorm. The night also featured screaming babies for seatmates, bitchy flight crew, major delays, misprinted boarding passes, a can of Pringles for dinner, and the longest sprint of all time across the Minneapolis airport. I cried tears of relief when we descended through the clouds and the lights of Austin welcomed us home. As rocky as life here has started off, it truly is home.



Well, this was rather pointless. The suitcases (they finally arrived) are calling to be unpacked, the dogs itching for attention, my Christmas cookied ass is needing a walk. Or lipo.