Ok, so you're probably not wondering (what I've been up to that is) but I hadn't posted a blog in so long that I thought I'd better let my handful of readers know that I'm still alive and all.
Most of the reason that I haven't posted in so long is that nothing has struck me as significant enough to write about in awhile. Yes, I realize that many blogs are dedicated entirely to making little things seem more important than they are. Nevertheless, I am just going to write a general update and hope that it's at least somewhat interesting.
I never could get into the Christmas spirit this year, but the holidays were still enjoyable. We spent Christmas with my family in New Haven, Mo. We got to spend a lot of time with my niece, Valerie. She's just over a year old and getting to be a lot of fun. We really enjoyed that since we don't get to see her or my brother very often. We rang in the New Year with Dave's family here in Arkansas. It was anticlimactic as I suspected it would be, but New Year's always is (my opinion). There were games and lots of tasty snacks, however. Those were definite highlights. All in all I am glad to be back to my old routine. It's cheaper and less hectic, if not always as exciting.
Dave and I have been spending a lot of time anticipating things to come. We are just over two months away from our trip to Europe and it is finally starting to feel real. We will be staying six nights in Paris and seven nights in London. We are trying to nail down a rough itinerary and figure out where we should go on our day trip/trips from London. There are so many places to choose from and no way to tell for sure which ones we would enjoy the most. We are open to suggestions. I have been acquiring lots of travel gear (waterproof jacket, rain boots, etc.) that may or may not be necessary. Meanwhile, Will and Dave have been scoffing at my preparations. We'll see who's scoffing when I'm warm and dry and they're cold and wet. As much as I am looking forward to the trip, I am also somewhat dreading it. Crazy, right? I am mainly just dreading the grueling travel (seven hour layover in Chicago followed by an overnight flight), flying (it freaks me right out, especially landing) and being away from Pip for two weeks. I know, I know...but I love that little guy, and two weeks is a long time. I know I'll worry about him even though I have no reason too. We have a good friend who I know will take extra special care of him.
We are also both very anxious to find out if and where Dave has been accepted to school to pursue his doctoral work. He has applied to the University of Kansas, Brown University, University of Texas at Austin, Ohio State University and the University of Alabama - meaning that we could be moving to any one of those places (Kansas, Rhode Island, Texas, Ohio, Alabama) within the next few months depending on where he gets accepted. He will probably start getting acceptance/rejection letters in early to mid March. We're equally scared and excited about the prospect of moving to a new place. Anyone who has moved understands that I'm sure. So, yeah, March is a big month for us - a trip to Europe and mail that will determine our next step in life. We are trusting the Lord and we know that he has a plan, but waiting to find out what that plan entails is tough.
Those are the more significant things on our plate right now. Other than that, we've just been working (Dave is teaching part-time for the University of Phoenix), hanging out with friends, family, and our dog, reading, cooking, going to church, conducting some delicious experiments with our newly acquired bread machine, playing BF2 (Dave) and watching reality TV (me). You know, business as usual at the Parrish residence.
I think I have covered everything worth mentioning. Adios for now. Or I suppose "au revoir" is more appropriate.
