We’ve had a fun visit to Orlando. Too bad it’s drawing to a close as we head back up to Atlanta tomorrow. :-( Go figure I’ve been having too much fun to blog much!

I’ve really enjoyed being with my family. My brother and his wife live in Orlando now, so our “gatherings” include more people than I’ve been used to in the past. :-) Today I pulled out the photo albums and made Paul look at them while I reminisced about my childhood. That was a lot of fun, though the photo album pages are horribly out of order. Paul and I talked about how we need to scan these pictures in before they get further discolored with age. (That’s a BIG job though!) On the other hand, though, it’s sad that we don’t have any albums to flip through of our pictures in recent years. It’s something kinda cool that I would miss doing if I had nothing to physically handle.

The kitties have been having the time of their lives out on the porch. Lewis especially thinks he’s in kitty heaven. He likes to sit on the padded chairs on the porch and just watch the world go by. My parents backyard borders a lake, and there is lots of wildlife to see – bugs, squirrels, geckos, birds, ducks, cranes, etc. It’s been so pleasant to sit on the porch and enjoy the warm air. It’s perfect this time of year – not too hold, and definitely not cold. (It can get too hot and muggy in the summer to sit out there.)

Yesterday Joanna and I got together for dinner and coffee afterward which was so nice! I haven’t seen her in a long time – over a year! I miss Taylor peeps. I go through periods of missing college friends a great deal. I wish more lived nearby! This past weekend Bethany, a Gerig friend, moved from Atlanta to Cincinnati. While I’m so excited for her and the new life she’s looking forward to, I am also sad that she’s no longer in Atlanta.

But, I’m moving on and making friends at our church. It will be good to get back to Atlanta and get back into our routine. I start my part-time schedule, three days a week at work, one morning a week at the animal shelter, and my weird weekend that matches Paul’s weekend (Sunday/Monday off work). We’ll put the Christmas decorations away and once again weed through our stuff and get rid of more and more. We really need to pare down a lot more, as I feel like our apartment is so cluttered! I just need to get on that.

Right now, I’m just tired. It’s been a wonderful week, but also being out-of-routine makes it feel busy! It’s okay though. I hope y’all had a wonderful Christmas. :-) Oh, and thanks for all the lovely birthday wishes! Paul ended up taking me to see Marley & Me at a really cool theater, which was a great thing to do. Our whole family went and then had dinner afterward (we went to a matinee). I enjoyed the movie a lot, cried through the end, and now I want to read the book. It was a fun birthday. :-)