Hello Hello, what a nice weekend. The only reason I am happy to return today is because I have not been on a computer since last Wednesday. So this is a nice refreshing change...check my emails accounts, update this, and then as a reward read how everyone else's weekend went. I got a RSVP from Phil and Sarah saying that they will come this weekend! I am so excited. Alright. Let's start with the basic recap of this weekend, shall we?

On Wednesday night we drove to Milwaukee to stay with the in laws. Pretty uneventful night. Thursday morning was church, had turkey (For the first time in THREE years!!! Since we do alternating years with my family and his, we have had the luck to have them each do "something a little different" for their respective holiday), fantastic jello, pie, stuffing, mashed tatos, veggies, salad, cranberry sauce...it was good. Then we watched Sam I am, played Flux and The Great Dalmuti, crafts for me, Tim read, and talked, and then went to bed. Friday came, and we got up, showered and packed up our stuff. I "convinced" Sharon (mother in law) to take us to Sam's club. In part because I wanted to see what they had for food, and decoration for the party. I got the food, and cider so I don't have to cook on Saturday at all. It was also a great bonding exercize for all of us. I am happy to see that happen, considering what a rocky path we started on. After eating at Subway we said our See you later's, and headed over to American Science Surplus where it was really tough to just limit ourselves to the presents for the party. The Milwaukee store is a 100 times better than the Chicago one. Did some other shopping and headed home, were I spent a couple hours playing Suikoden, and then went to the Lighthouse for a few drinks before bed.

Saturday we slept in (boy did I need it, the dogs at the Benninghoff's are LOUD and annoying...really early in the morning), watched alternatively movies and played more Suikoden, and at night we watched some bad movies while wrapping the fantastic gifts and I tried to figure out how to make a bow. I decided to go with my own design in the end, and it looks pretty good.

Sunday, got up and went to Evanston to see Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (which wasn't that great. I mean technically, and visually, it was very nice...but it was just missing that spirit...the spirit that made LotR what it is). Then we went to EBGames to return a game that was defective, then got in th car and headed to IHOP for our meal of the day, did more shopping, got groceries, and then went home. Watched a little tv, and played Suikoden until 1.00 AM. 8( We were naughty, but we weren't tired!!!

And Monday. Here I am today. Okay, so I didn't finish my writing my 50K novel. I did get 30K words in...but Suikoden killed the rest of my enthusiam for it. Plus, going on vacation in November didn't help matter eithers. In any case, I will suceed next year, and it did instill in my the will to write 20K a month. I can do that, and it is still writing. And that will add up to quite a bit over a year...great writing practive and sheer volumn is the next step in my goal to publish before I am thirty. I mean, this whole exercize wasn't that bad because I realized my resolution of last year ot write more went exceedingly well. I had two writing groups, which both failed...but not because I never wrote in them but more or less because the others really weren't that interested. Then the solo writing, and the nano equals to more creative writing than I have ever done in my life. Which is good. I am pleased...and not feeling like a total loser.

Thank you to Christain for his advice on the whole friend thing (see previous entry), I agree. Thank you for the perspective. Although it is weird because Tim had one of those dreams that you convinced are real...where she called two months after the baby was born, and said she was doing well, and that the baby (girl) name started with a M or an N. Huh. How about that. I won't hold my breath though. This girl can hold onto a grudge better than a miser pinches pennies.

All in all, I had a really good, restful weekend.