Update! (finally)

It's been forever since I have posted (sorry). Things got kind of crazy at work, and I wouldn't be doing anything other than complaining about that, so no one missed anything. :) Jay and I have also had some things going on that we can't exactly broadcast over the Internet...not yet at least. Hopefully that story will have an ending that I can share soon! It is so awkward writing/talking about your life and leaving out huge chunks of what you are thinking about, praying about, and stressing about.

Anyways, tax season went really well this year. The whole 45 hour a week thing worked out really really well...until the last week and a half, that is. Of course, it's no one's fault that NE Jackson got hit with a tornado and our electricity was off for two and half days at the office. We (I) worked 65-70 hours that last full week before deadline. I know people work crazy hours like that year-round, but there is NO way that I could ever do that. I mean, it requires so much concentration, at least for me it does! One thing I noticed this year is that I feel so much more confident about my work and things that once seemed so difficult are now almost second nature. I know it's dorky, but I do love my job! My boss(es) don't read this blog, I swear; I really do mean that :)

Updates on the homefront:
1. Last week when I was off,I totally reorganized our closet and picked up the HUGE pile of clothes on the floor. It was driving Jay crazy. (Thanks Leigh, for making fun of me!)

2. We got a patio set for the backyard. It looks great! I'm very excited. We grilled out last night (Sunday night tradition at our house) and ate outside! I'm sure that this won't last too much longer, but we can at least enjoy it while the weather is so gorgeous.

3. Abby started digging holes. She is quite the little digger! Not cool!

I am reading Rhett Butler's People right now. My mom loaned it to me, along with the new John Grisham novel, which I read in about 2 days (It is a must read!!) I'm not sure about how feel about this "companion" to Gone With the Wind. So far, it has been pretty believable, unlike that awful disaster years ago Scarlett (insert shudder here). What self respecting GWTW fan would believe that garbage about Scarlett going to Ireland and marrying some abusive Brit?!?! I don't think so. I have read GWTW four times (I think) and this summer, I will make it five. Anyways, Rhett Butler's People is like GWTW, but it focuses on Rhett - his background and why he is who he is. Belle Watling's character is developed more as well. Has anyone else been curious about her? I have always wondered about her. The book (GWTW) hints at the fact that Rhett fathered her child, but the child is only mentioned in passing in the movie. It will be interesting to see what the author has dreamed up regarding her illegitmate child.

Jay and I went to see 88 Seconds Saturday night. It was actually an okay movie. We both love thrillers, and this one wasn't bad. It is a bit graphic in the first few minutes of the movie, but it didn't last, fortunately. LeeLee Sobieski is in the movie. Remember her, the Mathlete dork from Never Been Kissed who gets Alpo dumped on her at the prom? It is interesting to see her in a movie with Al Pacino. Definitely not his greatest movie, but certainly undeserving of the awful reviews it received. Nothing good is out in the movies right now :(

Early morning

Jay is still lying in the bed. I just don't understand how he does it! My body won't let me sleep late anymore, now that I get up for work at 6:30 (that's what time I'm SUPPOSED to get up; it's usually closer to 7). So I have been up, hanging out on the couch with Abby watching reruns on television. She is much better. She was droopy all day yesterday but she finally ate a little after we got back from dinner. Now she is back to her old self! :) I guess she just ate something that she wasn't supposed to. Abby is into everything; it's hard to keep track of her constantly. I have a tendency to be overly concerned about her. She started limping one day, and I panicked and took her to the vet. I found out, $200 later, that she was perfectly fine. Oh well, she is our child for the time being.

Jay's dad gave me the most charming little book for Christmas (in addition to the gift card to Outback-yum!). I didn't have the chance to read for pleasure much in the past year and a half, (Becker study guides don't count) so that is yet another thing I am looking forward to this year. It is From Manhattan to Mississippi: A New Yorker Falls in Love with the South. Daisy Karam-Read, the author, moved to the coast when she married a southern boy. She discusses southerners' mannerisms, our food, and our hospitality. Her assessments are so true, they made me laugh at loud. One observation in particular, about fencing in the backyard, really hit home. Her husband said it would make them appear to be "unfriendly." How true this is. When we were looking at homes to purchase back in August, I noticed how many homes now have fences. When I was growing up (before my parents moved to the middle of nowhere), no one had fences in their backyards, except people who had pools. I remember the names of all of the neighbors who lived around us.

Now, we live in a neighborhood where fences are the norm, not the exception. While I'm thankful for the fenced-in yard because it means Abby can go out and play safely when she's been particularly annoying, I do feel that it shuts other people out. I have been living here for three months now (Jay - one month), and I haven't even SEEN the people who live to the right of us. The husband in the neighboring family to the left made a point to introduce himself while I was moving in. I have yet to meet the neighbors across the street. But I still object to the fence on principle!

If you get some time to check out the book, I highly recommend it. I even learned a few new things about the south that I didn't know before: the difference in Cajun and Creole cooking. Never knew there was one!

I will have lots of time to read with Jay going back to school (2 nights a week) and then going to a LSAT review course (2 nights a week + Saturday mornings + Sunday afternoons). I don't know what I am going to do without him! The library is less than 5 minutes from our house, so I guess I'll have to go check out a stack of books. I don't think I've been since I started studying for the exam, but that may have more to do with the fines I still owe on the last stack of books I checked out.