Life Changes!

Well, I was going to start a whole new blog but then the thought of coming up with a catchy title and color theme was overwhelming, so I'm going to just catch up here!

Wow - 2007 has been a year of changes in my family:

• My parents relocated from new england to this area - so now the 6 of us live within 15 miles of each other for the first time since we were all under the same roof!

• My sister Chrissie brought home her daughter from Guatemala in May, giving my parents their first grandchild, and making her 3 sisters fabulous aunts! (there's a whole 'nother blog about this - see link to the right)
  

• I started dating Greg!

• My sister Sarah started dating Mike!

Yep! I have a boyfriend. I almost want to type that sentence again because it's so fun to say. Kinda like that Seinfield episode when Jerry had the fake wife (Courtney Cox) to get a discount on drycleaning - he was telling Kramer it was just so fun to start a sentence with "My wife..".. well Jerry, it's equally wonderful starting a sentence with "My boyfriend...". and it's a fun word to just throw into a conversation.. for a 30-something woman who had pretty much given up on a future of anything other than singleness it is a very great blessing to have this man in my life!

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
- Proverbs 13:12

So what's life been like with Greg? In a word - fabulous! My palm pilot now has a calendar, memo and task category of Greg, to record things like dates and trips, cute e-mails and ideas on where to go next. Here are some of the fun things we've done so far:

• been to a bunch of museums and gardens - Greg LOVES them - and if you think I'm slow in a museum you ain't seen nuttin' yet! Greg likes to get all the info he can! :)
• day trips to Annapolis (actually got to walk thru the house I lived in from 7th to 9th grades! it was empty and unlocked!), Chesapeake City, Avalon (got off the beach literally moments before the downpour started!), New York City (went to see the opera Carmen at Lincoln Center!)
  
• took up cycling! but not with the flashy shirts - we just like riding around on the bikes, looking at pretty houses or parks
• taught Greg how to rollerblade.. I won't say it was his favorite thing, but he was a good sport about it!
• went canoing
  
• enjoyed the Scottish Games - watched a dog heard sheep - amazing you can train a dog to do that! Greg even found my family tartan - I didn't even know we had one - go figure!
  
• went to a horse show! Greg grew up riding, competing in horse shows and even worked as a cowboy out west one summer - cool guy!
• in June we traveled to North Carolina where I met Greg's fabulous mother and spent a lovely weekend in their beautiful town
• in July we drove to Va Beach where I got to meet Greg's brother, sister-in-law and nephew. We stopped in Chincoteague for lunch, but didn't see any wild horses...
• in August it was a short drive to New Jersey to meet Greg's sister and her husband - they took us to their friend's restaurant that has THE BEST steamed mussels - it was all Greg could do to not pick up the bowl and drink the melted butter/garlic juice.. yum!
• in September I took Greg out to experience Montauk - we had a wonderful time - Dad cooked some great meals, we had perfect beach weather and it was fun to introduce him to all the fun traditions of our summer "condo"
• in October we completed Greg's "meet my family" tour by flying out to Arizona to meet Greg's other sister and her husband. We had a great time shopping in Mexico (where thankfully the dollar still has some strength!), touring Frank Lloyd Wright's winter place and looking at cactus (or is it cacti?).
  
• in November we're going to NYC for a weekend of Christmas festivities
  

As you can see it's been quite an exciting ride! :)