No Hot Water :(

Once again, several weeks have passed without a blog post from me.  I apologize, but work has been intense and we've had some busy weekends!  Oh...and add in a trip to Aruba! 

Mark and I were looking forward to the weekend since we had dinner plans with friends, a charity event, and an Orioles game.

I started the weekend off with motivation - to hit the gym.  After a long and arduous workout, I came home hoping for a hot bath.  It was rainy and freezing out - perfect weather for a hot bath! 

At this point, I'll point out that we lost power earlier that morning (5 AM) and it was out for a few hours.  Hmmm where is this going?  Mark used almost all of the hot water for his shower and the dishes.  When I started my bath, there was hot water, but as I let it run, it changed over to cold.  This resulted in a lukewarm bath - not good.  What did I resort to?  Boiling pots of water.  Desperate?  Perhaps, but I had to get clean somehow after my workout and I had to get ready for our night out.

Six pots of hot water and an hour later, I was set.  Sometimes one takes for granted the basic necessities...things like electricity and functioning hot water heaters.  Apparently, when the power goes out, it takes forever for the hot water heater to re-heat all of the water in the tank.  Lesson learned.

Tucker and Oreo Photos

Sorry Tully, you didn't make the cut this time around!

 

"Well it is Teen Jeopardy."

Mark got home early last night (before 7 - wahoo!).  He sat down and watched Jeopardy while I got ready to head to the gym...I never watch Jeopardy because I'm rarely home when it's on.  I watched it last night for a few minutes and got several answers right.  I was so proud of myself and exclaimed, "wow, this is easy!" 

Mark struggled to keep a straight face before he finally said, "well it is Teen Jeopardy."  ummm ohhh, now it all makes sense!

From Makayla...to Tucker

Our darling niece, Makayla, found out it was Tucker's birthday and drew him a beautiful cake!  When my in-laws were in Chicago during the holidays, she gave it to them to give to Tucker.  Such a sweet gesture.

Merry Christmas, Happy Birthday and Happy New Year...a little late!

The past few weeks at work have been rather busy - requiring me to stay later than normal.  By the time I get home, I have little to no energy to go online, let alone blog.  I'm still loving my new job and I'm happy to report I have been there for more than three months - a record compared to my last two jobs :) Hey now, those jobs were after I was with another company for five+ years.  It's all about finding the right fit and I feel very fortunate.  I have been doing a rotation on the trading desk which means I don't get to leave my desk for many, if any breaks.  Thankfully everyone is very nice and has a great sense of humor.  Don't worry, it's not like "Wall Street" or "Boiler Room"!  Oh, let's not forget about all the free food too!  My first lunch on the desk consisted of warm turkey, warm beef, gravy, mashed potatoes, veggies, crab cakes, mac n cheese, salad, dessert, etc...

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!  Ours was busy with last minute shopping, wrapping, and baking.  What is it about the holidays that always causes one to embark on a mad dash to the finish line?  Here is the photo we used for our holiday card this year - it was taken in October or November during a hike at Jerusalem Mill.  I played around a little with PhotoShop to make the colors pop.  We love going hiking in the fall!  Tucker loves fall too since it means the weather is cooling down - you try hiking with lots of fur. 

This is the other photo we used on our holiday card - Tucker will always be on our holiday card as long as he is a part of our family (hopefully for MANY years to come).  Tucker turned 5 on December 26th.  We spend lots of time wondering what he must have been like as a puppy.  I bet he was rambunctious and loved giving kisses. 

Lastly, Happy New Year and here's hoping 2011 is a wonderful year for everyone.  I started the year out with a dreadful cold, but am looking forward to a new year.