Howdy

How I have missed my little blog! There are many things to write about and images to share. The downside is i caught a head cold and can't seem to focus long enough to get the writing cohesive and the images uploaded from the camera. Hopefully by Saturday everything will be clearer and I can write a post about all the grand things i have imagined to happen in 2008.

The ending of December and 2007 was great! Texas was wonderful. I miss my family so much even though I love Oregon. There is never enough time when I go and visit. Having to cram six-eight months worth of visiting time into about a day is not enough.

Highlight of the trip was going with my sister and her husband to their sonigram. I felt very honored to be part of a special moment in their first pregnancy. Never being present at one before I found it amazing to see the little baby on the screen with its tiny bones and little beating heart with four chambers! The biggest surprise was finding out they were having a little girl! They were convinced they were having a boy. My sister asked the nurse several times if she was sure it was a girl. The nurse said "I've been doing this a long time, this is a very clear picture of the baby, I'm 90% sure that it's a girl". My sister has some fears of being a mother of a girl but I believe she will do wonderful.

After the sonigram my sister had an appointment with her midwife and she was able to give me a tourer of the birthing center. It's so nice! Downtown Dallas has several old houses and this happens to be where the birthing center is, inside an old Victorian house! She showed me the birthing room that looked like they converted the dinning area into a bedroom with a lounge area and an adjoining bathroom. The kitchen of the house is around the corner from the room. Inside this huge Armour is all the technical equipment needed for the baby right after birth. I wish I had taken pictures but at the time it just didn't occur to me to do so. I'm very excited for them and I believe they will have a healthy baby and a smooth easy delivery.

The majority of the trip was consumed by spending time with other family members. Lots of visiting and eating and playing of games with more eating. I love love love my grandmother's cooking on both sides. We also went to The Dallas World Aquarium like we usually do on every trip. Normally my husband and I go alone to have a few hours to our selves to relax. On the last night we were there we went to the Trans Siberian Orchestra which was great. My husband wants to do it again the next Christmas we're in town. I enjoyed it and all but i'm not sure I want to do it all the time. From what I've heard their performance is basically the same every time.

New Years was low key. We visited my husband's aunt and played games the whole evening. It was really nice. I'm not one for a huge New Years Eve party. This is probably my least liked holiday ever since I got too old for staying up till midnight to be a novelty.

There was a downer in the whole ending of 2007. My husband's paternal grandfather passed away at 84. The man had been in poor health since a massive stroke in 2000. He had another stroke on I believe on the 23rd but did not pass until the 27th. Today was the funeral for him. It was a very nice service and at the cemetery he received a veterans burial with a gun solute and taps and the widow received the folded flag. I'm glad I could be there to support my husband through the service. He's not very close to his dad's side of the family and that was the first time for me to meet many of the members.

Tonight we're off to go see National Treasure: Book of Secrets with my husbands parents and siblings. It should be fun even if some say it's not as good as the first. Rarely sequels are better or equal. The same goes for books translated to movies.

Promise to be back soon with goals for '08 and some pictures.