Happy December!

I know, you must be thinking... Wow, that was one hell of a long 6th day in Hawaii! Sorry, I've been out of the blogosphere for almost a month. This past month has been very hectic, and somehow updating the blog never made it to the top of my "to-do" list. I'll try to do better...I promise! Scot and I are banished to our bedroom tonight (more on that in another entry), so I thought it would be a good time to type up an entry. As I type, Scot, Andy, and I are sitting on our bed watching the Mizzou/Oklahoma game. Go Mizzou!

So, what "excuses" do I have for being so neglectful to my blogging duties? During the last month, I had to do some traveling to Mississippi for work. Taking the time to get ready to leave town, then being out of town, really put me behind on my normal tasks in life. Then, on top of that, I've been super busy at work when I've been in town, too. As most of you know, I received a promotion in October. Well, that's the "good news." I put "good" in quotes, because I accepted the position under the pretense that they would be hiring someone to take over my old position. Well, basically that has been put on hold until at least the first of the year. Not to mention that it will take a minimum of three months to get someone trained and functional once they are even hired. So, I've not only been trying to keep up with all of the responsibilities from my old position, but I've also been thrust into the responsibilities of my new position, including travel. And who doesn't love doing two jobs for an extended period of time with no definite end in sight? Well, I'll answer that question, "Not me!" Sorry to sound so disgruntled. But the truth is, I am! But I'll stay positive, and hope that things will get better soon before I'm 100% burned out.

We've also been in full-on Christmas mode. I say "we" as this means "me," but Scot has been willingly dragged along for the ride! This holiday season we've done two things we've never done before:

1) We put up our Christmas tree before Thanksgiving this year. This has always been a no-no in our opinions. Well, due to our schedule, it was the only practical time to do it. On top of that, we also put up 3 trees this year! I love it! We bought a new tree for the living room since we have such high ceilings in there. Then we put up the two trees that he and I each had, one in the kitchen and one in the bar room. Scot and the boys have given me a hard time for having so much "Christmas cheer" all over the house, but I know they secretly love it! There is one place by the kitchen table where you have a line of sight to all three trees. Scot will stand there and say he feels like he's in a forest. :) Maybe I'll post pictures of our "forest" soon.

2) We also went shopping the day after Thanksgiving this year. This is something I had never done and said I would never do. However, we happened to be back at my mom's in Mexico, so Scot and I decided to drive over to Columbia to get ahead on our Christmas shopping. No, we didn't do the doorbusters at 4am. We went for the afternoonbusters around 1pm. OK- so I think I just made that term up. Either way, we still got really good deals, and the crowds were no where near what I was expecting. Toys R Us was the most crowded place. And, I'm happy to report that except for finishing up Matt and Andy's shopping, we are ALL finished with our Christmas shopping. AND everything is wrapped and under the tree! Woo-hoo! Go me!

Well, those are the "hi-lights" of the past month's craziness. I have to travel for work again this week. The "fortunate" part, however, is that it is to Boonville, MO. So at least I can see family and friends in Mexico and Columbia while I'm there.

Wow- I just noticed I have an excessive amount of "quotes" in this entry. :)