Happy New Year!

Well, here we are.  It's a brand new year, and I'm ready!  My job is changing for the better, the overtime is done for now, and life is relaxed.  I don't know how to go to work at 8:30...I'm used to getting there between 7 and 7:30.  Hmmm, maybe Mom can get a break from early mornings?  OK, we all know she'll still get up before the chickens, but she can relax and sip coffee a bit longer before the girls get there.

I watched the video that my brother posted of his beautiful daughter, and it made me cry.  It was easier when I hated him.  Now I miss him.  The girls said, "let's go visit!"  Yeah, no problem.  Let's just hop in the car and drive down for a few hours!  (he's 15 or so hours away.)

A wonderful friend at work gave me her iPod, since she got a newer one.  We've been playing all day, and I have 12 CD's on there so far.  I would have done more, but many CD's are in Kevin's truck.  I'll get those done later.  This is fun, and it will make my business trip flights more fun.  I've never owned an MP3 player, let alone an iPod!   Brett got a nano for Christmas, from his Dad and step-mom, so we're both using iTunes a lot.

Our last name comes from Kevin's step-dad, who adopted him when he was quite young.  He was full-blooded Mexican.  We get junk mail in Spanish all the time;  BMG music offers, credit card offers, and the like.  This year, Kevin's company's corporate office sent us a Christmas card, as usual.  This year, however, it was in Spanish.  He is TICKED!  Not because someone assumed that we are Mexican, by the last name, but that he has MET the owner of the company, on more than one occasion, and as had conversations with her.  He's not sure how he's going to stir the pot with this one, but stir he will.  He's like that.  It's fun for him.

Everyone got what they wanted, and then some, for Christmas.  (I got my external hard drive!)  Brett used the money we gave him (his biggest portion of gift) and bought a double bass pedal for his drum set.  Monica loves her microscope (we're currently parents to thousands of shrimp...I think) and Natalie loves her telescope.

New Year's Eve was fun.  We had a VERY few people over, ate too much, and threw conf with the kids at midnight.  Yesterday was lazy, with more eating.  Today, I took the girls and mom with me for some mindless running around.  I didn't have cash, so intended to buy very little.  Kevin had given me two scratcher tickets that each won a free ticket, so I cashed those in for two new ones.  One of them won $20!  There was my cash for the day.

It'll be hard to go to work tomorrow, after my second 4-day weekend in a row, but I'll manage.  The slower pace that January brings will be wonderful.  I can work on some software that is getting the better of me.  I will NOT be beaten by a computer.  I'm hard headed, and in my job, it pays off.

I'll be better about updating my journal now.  My first convention isn't until the first weekend in February (Indianapolis) so I'll have a full month of in-lab work before the craziness of convention season.  Peace out!