...but the fire is so delightful

So I've been whining about a lot of things recently: not having a job, getting waitlisted for school, not having a job, being lonely for christmas, not having a job.... you get the idea. So I decided to remind myself about some of the things I'm lucky to have.

1. Charlie and I watched Planet in Peril last week. It really made me thankful that I was born

in this country. Obviously, things could be better and this isn't a great time economically, etc. but I am SO lucky to have the life I do. Seeing how some people were forced to live, find food, work... it made me really thankful.

2. It's been freeeeezing lately. I mean freezing. I'm an east coast girl. I'm used to warm

winters. Snow occasionally but mostly rain. The past three days we've had sub-zero temps. The dogs have icicles hanging off of their faces when they go out. But, I have a nice warm fireplace that I've been spending a lot of time by. And a large bottle of wine to go with

it. :)

3. It's Christmastime! We have snow on the ground, a tree, and everywhere I go is decorated.

4. My family is healthy, happy, busy and coming to visit soon!

5. Uh, my fiance. He's a pretty cool guy. Supportive, fun, and willing to drag me up mountains when I've given up.

6. Puppies who keep my feet warm. I mentioned it's cold. Dogs are warm, and when they sit under your desk they're better than slippers. Which is good because they ate my slippers.

The hike before the cold

So we went hiking today. Probably a smart move seeing as the weather report has snow and freeeeeezing temperatures in our forecast. Anyway, the weather was great today and it was nice to get outside. Unfortunately, I wussed out and didn't make it quite to the top. The hike down was interesting, too. There was enough snow on the mountain that it was pretty slippery. I think Charlie and I each fell at least four times. Here are a few pics of the day:

Unemployment...

So yesterday was my last day at the doggie daycare.  For some unknown reason there was a part of me that was sad to leave.  I think it was a combination of me hating goodbyes and knowing that I didn't have another job waiting for me.  Moving to Colorado has been great but I don't know how many more goodbyes I can handle.  Even though people have come out to see us (Charlie's parents and my Dad) and I got to go home to see my family and even catch up with a few friends it was hard knowing that I can't see them again for 5 months.  It's one thing when we live 45 minutes apart and don't see each other bc we're so busy...but somehow knowing that I can't see them makes it worse.  

I've been looking for jobs all over monster, craigslist, company websites, and newspapers and there's nothing.  I'm beginning to think I was stupid to quit, despite how miserable that job made me; at least it was a paycheck.  *sigh* I'm done feeling sorry for myself and off to finish dinner and xmas presents.  I have a million cards to write and I need to mail my package by Saturday.  

Thankful Thanksgiving

So, obviously I haven't posted in a while. I took a trip back home to Maryland about a week ago and between being gone and then being busy with work and Thanksgiving when I got back I've been slacking on the blogging. So here are a few things I've been meaning to write about.

1. It was great to see my family. I missed them so much and the trip back was so unexpected and on such short notice that I think it made me appreciate it more. We did a lot of sitting by the fire, drinking wine, cooking good meals, and wedding planning. I love my family tons and it was so nice to be able to spend some time with them.

2. I was also able to catch up with some friends when I was back. It's always nice to know that even though I'm 1,500 miles away we can go for months without seeing each other and still feel like no time has passed.

3. Charlie and I had Thanksgiving dinner at a woman's house who he works with. Their family was there and they had invited us and a family of refugees from Burma to celebrate with them. It was so nice to have people to spend the holiday with, especially because I had to work in the morning and cooking would have been a nightmare.

4. I quit my job when I got back. I've been thinking about it for a while. It makes me absolutely miserable, and driving back to the east coast gave me a lot of time to think. I realized how much I missed teaching and how much I missed having a career as opposed to a dead-end job. I decided to submit my subbing application for the next semester and try and get a full-tim job the next year.

5. It snowed!! Ok, not a lot maybe and inch or two. But things look a lot more festive and it feels like the holidays now. Oh, and Henry loved it.

6. We went hiking yesterday. Charlie went without me when I was back home and wanted to show me the trails that he did. We had a great time and got some great pics thanks to our new camera. Here's a few:

At the beginning....before the long climb.

The Royal Arch.

The view at the top wasn't too bad! Dunkin and I decided to enjoy it for a bit before hiking back down.

Saturday Stuff

I missed Friday.... so here's things I'm thankful for the past 2 days:

1. The way that snow sticks to evergreen trees.

2. Living in a place where I feel safe.

3. Making a trip home, spending time with family, actually being a part of planning my wedding.

4. Someone to hug in the middle of the night.

5. Lazy Saturday mornings.

6. Bookstores, breweries, and malls that are walking distance from my house.

7. My goofy winter hat that keeps me warm.

8. 5 days of hiking in a row. A new record.

9. The rockies. They're beautiful.

10. The way my dogs get so excited when it snows.

11. Spending stress-free, quality time with my dad.

Thankful Thursday

So I've missed a few days. (Oops...)

1. Leftovers. There's nothing like having a warm, good dinner without having to cook it. It definitely makes working hard the night (or nights) before worth while.
2. Snow flurries!!
3. Curling up in bed with a good book and a good dog.
4. Finally, being able to say that I can drive a stick.
5. My fiance coming home from Vegas tonight.
6. The CMA awards. I love country music.
7. Lyrics from a song that describe exactly what I'm feeling.
8. A weekend off from work.
9. A hot shower.
10. A big, cozy sweater that's too big but soo warm.
11. A windy, cloudy day. It makes me appreciate my warm, cozy apartment.

Funday Monday

Today I'm thankful for:

1. Hopefully a new job soon.
2. A nice, warm, Italian lunch followed by a nice walk on a cold fall day.
3. Spending time with family.
4. My rock climbing fiance.
5. A cozy evening, a new recipe, and good dinner company.
6. My unexpected trip home in a week!