A Whirlwind Blew In

...And took the last year with it.  So much has happened in the last 18 months, I almost can't believe it myself. 

A parting of lives occurred, quite unexpectedly civilly.  I was very sad for it to end, but we both needed it.  I feel that both of our lives were suffering and we could be so much happier apart.  After it was discussed and agreed, a huge tension was lifted.


A reconnection happened, also quite unexpectedly.  Turns out, this was what I've always wanted, and needed.  I realized that just because you have plans, that doesn't mean that is how things should be.  Sometimes when your plans fail, you get exactly what you've always wanted. 

I started school again in January, getting two more classes out of the way, and another two in the fall.  In between terms, I moved to a new home.  While settling in, we found out there will soon be three of us in our new little family. 

I have also been folded in to one of the most loving and welcoming families I have ever known.  Even more than a year in, I am still overwhelmed by the joy in this family. 

The next year brings another whirlwind with more exciting changes, but I see it coming this time.  Hopefully, I won't get so caught up I can't stay caught up. 

Happy Birthday, Hubby!

Last week, we started our trip to Glacier National Park, Montana. Hubby's birthday was last week and I had a wonderful surprise adventure planned. We left work Thursday afternoon for the airport and got to Atlanta. And stayed there. Our connecting flight boarded early (how does that even happen?) and we were bumped along with about a dozen other people. Having booked the flight through Travelocity, I immediately got on the phone. I was connected to a man named "Abraham" who sounded like he was probably somewhere between Kuwait and China. After explaining our predicament and being put on hold several times, he said that Travelocity could not help us and we would have to deal with an agent. So much for that trip guarantee.

The Delta agent found a few flights for us, but none of them were leaving Atlanta until late the next day. From as early as noon to as late as 7pm. One of them was to LAX then Salt Lake. One was our original plan straight to Salt Lake, but didn't leave until 6:30 the next night. After declaring that I would never use Travelocity or Delta again, she magically found a flight leaving at 7 am to put us in Salt Lake by 9 am. Done. I still probably won't ever fly Delta again. The flight attendants didn't seem very friendly and their intercom skills were a little lacking. They all sounded somewhat inebriated.

We finally made it Salt Lake City and proceeded directly to the parking lot where Jenny and Dan had very generously left one of their cars for us. We drove from Salt Lake to Columbia Falls, Montana where Jenny found an awesome cabin from Wild River Adventures . The drive was a lot longer than yahoo maps let on, but it was beautiful. Dan and Chrishan met up with us in Columbia Falls to lead us to the cabin. Thanks guys!

I managed to acquire a killer migraine on the trip from Salt Lake and that combined with a really long day sent us both straight to bed. Saturday morning Dan cooked an awesome breakfast for everyone. Shan (you're a lifesaver!) worked some kind of magic on my head and neck that relieved the worst of my headache so I was able to enjoy the hike to Avalanche Lake. After lunch, we headed back to the cars and drove to the Hidden Lake Visitor Center. We all decided that we would hike Hidden Lake the next day and headed back to the Chalet.

Dan cooked an amazing dinner for all of us: grilled steak and chicken, baked potatoes, and squash and zucchini. We surprised Hubby (again) with a rich chocolate cake. In the absence of candles, Dan improvised with matches and nearly lost a finger.

Sunday we headed back to Hidden Lake. The change in weather was really weird. Saturday was beautiful and sunny, not too hot. Sunday was overcast, windy and cold. We still enjoyed a beautiful hike to the overlook, though. Had the weather been better, we would have hiked all the way down to the lake. After returning to the parking lot, we all decided (at Dan's suggestion) to do lunch in St. Mary's, and found The Curly Bear. We drove back to the Chalet for some rest. Dan cooked another stellar meal of quesadillas.

Sadly, Hubs and I had to get to bed early so we could leave by 5 the next morning. We left out a little early and took a different route suggested by Dan and Chrishan. It was a much more scenic route and seemed a bit faster. We arrived at the Salt Lake Airport in plenty of time to catch our plane. Once we got to Denver and checked in, we saw Martina Navritilova and her family, as well as her little pet dog.

We had such a great time with everyone and meeting the kids. We're already looking forward to another big vacation next year.

There's a bunch a pictures. We got some really good ones, and I just couldn't pick any favorites.


(blogger won't let me embed picasa album right now :(. check back later)

Anniversary Surprise!

Maybe not exciting for you, but a little for me

A week or so ago, I mentioned adding something to the blog. I re-arranged some of the sidebar, and added a link. What I've added to the link is nowhere near complete, but now that I've started, I feel more compelled to finish.

This one is just for my own satisfaction, and hopefully someone else may find something there, too.

Surprises

So, I think I'm going to try something new on the blog. Or sort of attached to the blog. I'm working on it now, but not sure when it will be ready.

Stay tuned!