Well, I did manage to get a lot of Christmas shopping done last weekend.  Now one of these days I'm going to have to do some wrapping and get my out-of-town packages ready to ship.  This week I also tackled writing the annual Christmas letter.  I'm having real trouble keeping it down to a single page, but I'm not quite ready to make the leap into a multi-page one.  (And hey, if people really want to read more, they can come visit my blog, right?)

I'm also gearing up to try a new exercise strategy.  Lately I've been hearing a lot about T-Tapp, so I visited the website, and was promptly intrigued.  I printed out the "freebie" exercises from the site, and figured I'll try doing those.  If 1) I can succeed in doing it consistently and 2) I like it and 3) it works,  then maybe I'll think about cruising E-bay for a used DVD.  (You didn't think I'd pay retail, did you? )  But I definitely need to do something.  It hasn't been that long since I stopped my morning walks and already I feel about 10 years older.

The good news on our house (aka "the albatross") is that since radically dropping the price yet again we are at least getting showings now, and seem to be generating some interest.  It also appears that the bank will be willing to work with us on the "short sale" aspect of it.  So I am feeling like perhaps there is a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. 

We are really looking forward to Thanksgiving (which also happens to be our 10th wedding anniversary).  We haven't spent the holiday in Oregon for, well, 10 years, (since stopping in Medford for a few days on the way back from our honeymoon).  Back then, if you had asked us what our lives would be like in 10 years, I don't think our answers would have had much in common with the reality now.  How does the old saying go?  "Man makes plans, and God laughs"?  Something like that...  I would have said things like:

 "We'll never leave Pasadena." - (God giggles). 

"We'll definitely wait a few years (at least!) before starting a family. - (God is LOL). 

"When we do finally have kids, I do NOT want to homeschool them."  (By now He is ROTFLOL). 

So at this point I will refrain from making any predictions about the NEXT 10 years.    (Here's a frightening thought: in 10 years our kids will be 18, 17, 15, and 11.  Egads!!!)  Here's to the adventure ahead, wherever it takes us...