Still Alive...

Hello World! How have you been? In case you were wondering, we are indeed still alive and well. Busy, as usual, but alive and well.
That is all.

Further Proof That Life is Fundamentally Unfair...

Isaac and I have been "working out" consistently for about 2 weeks now. Weight loss tally:

Isaac: -10 lbs
Erin: +3 lbs

Why do I even bother?

In Which the Montagues Get in Shape...Sort of.

So. Recently the intrepid Husband and I have decided to return to "working out" (a phrase I don't really understand...but, whatever). You see, we both used to be ridiculously active/athletic/fit and trim. Seriously. STOP LAUGHING! We were. We both used to excerise regularly. At one point in my life, I ran 5-7 miles a day. Everyday. 'Cuz I am awesome like that (okay, I was awesome like that). However, we have now devolved into ridiculously inactive/unathletic/roundish. For Isaac, this change came on over the past year as he confronted 14 hour work/school days and perpetual exhaustion. For me, well, let's say I've been working on my Guinness Record for "The World's Only Perfectly Spherical Human" for quite some time now. I was nearly there too...it's a pity to quit this close to the prize. Nevertheless, we have recently re-located our motivation and have begun to exercise on a regular basis. It's been about a week now and, let me tell you, IT SUCKS.
We went "running" yesterday. And by "we went running" I mean Isaac ran and I plodded along and yelled "How much longer?!" and "That's impossible! Show me the watch! What are you trying to do, kill me?!" at regular intervals. And the longer I ran, the more shrill I became. I am sure I was a delight to be around. A delight. 2 minutes of running, followed by 2 minutes of walking (repeat 7 times) nearly killed me AND I USED TO RUN EVERYDAY. Turns out "getting in shape" is about a MILLION times harder than "staying in shape". But, alas, I am committed. I have a schedule, a chart, a menu; the whole nine yards. All because, although the Guinness Record would be cool and all, I really don't want to resemble a human basketball anymore.

We're Molting

Yes, molting. From the tops of our heads down to our shoulders Isaac and I are shedding more skin than snakes. It is, to put it mildly, disgusting.

Obviously, we are suffering the after effects of rather severe and unpleasant sunburns. And, because you, dear reader, are likely gifted with the ability to make logical deductions, you are probably assuming that, once again, Arizona has tried to kill us. In this case, you would be wrong.

Yes, we are suffering the after effects of sunburn, but it is not Arizona that is to blame, it is...California!

Last weekend we snuck out of blazing hot AZ and spent a couple days in San Diego for our anniversary and it was fantastic. Except for the whole sunburn situation.
Now, you (again with those powers of deduction!) might assume that we are sunburned because we neglected to make use of sun-protection technology. Again, you would be wrong. This, friends, is a case of an epic failure of the sunscreen. Turns out, if you are outside in the sun all day,(let's say you decided to go sailing off the coast of San Diego on a replica 19th century schooner. If that sounds delightful, it's because it is!)SPF 70 (yes, SEVENTY) just isn't going to cut it. I suggest SPF 700, a hat, long sleeves and an umbrella. That should just about do the trick. Take my word for it.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go exfoliate. Again.

4 Years...

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to bring you:

A Love Fest

Why this sudden change in direction? Well. Tomorrow is my 4th wedding anniversary and so I am subjecting you to the obligatory blog-o-sphere schmoopy-ness. In the last month or so, I have read no fewer than 15 "I'm so grateful for my husband/family/marriage" posts. Normally, this sweetness overload would get old, but in this case I am wholeheartedly supportive. Why, you ask? For a lot of reasons, really, but primarily because there is so much nonsense and negativity in this world about marriage and families that I feel like even the smallest efforts to paint marriage, family, monogamy and faith in a positive light are absolutely vital. And so, today, in my tiny corner of the internet and world, I am jumping on the bloggy bandwagon and declaring today officially "Love Fest" day.

Choosing to marry Isaac in the temple was the most important and best decision I have made so far in my life. Making the decision to marry was not easy. Getting married meant giving up some things that I, at the time, desperately wanted. I, being rather independently minded, really struggled with idea of going from "me" to "we". In my moments of extreme doubt, I am grateful for my dear little sister, who must have thought I was nuts for dragging her into my room in the middle of night and for making her listen to me, well, freak out. I am also grateful that she, in no uncertain terms, told me that I was being an idiot. Many people helped me to deal with my moments of uncertaintly and I am blessed to have them in my life. I hope you know who you are and that you know I am eternally grateful. Although actually making the choice and moving forward was difficult and a little scary, it is one of the only decisions I have made knowing 100% that it was the right thing to do. I am grateful everyday for inspiration and revelation that led to my decision.

Imagine putting the two most stubborn people in the universe together and then, ask them to live together, make huge, life altering decisions on a regular basis and, at the end of the day, still like each other and you can imagine how some days are in our marriage. :-)(it's those days that make me remember my wise father's advice, "Do you want to be right, or do you want to be married?") Although things are not perfect,(nor should they be-how else do we learn?)I am still grateful, everyday, to be blessed with my marriage. In one of the many marriage posts I read recently, I came across this statement: "Life is hard, I am so grateful for my marriage" So. True. My marriage is a blessing. Not a burden or a trial. A blessing. And I am grateful for it.

Happy 4th Anniversary to Us! I look forward to many more to come<

Job Hunting = Sadness

Isaac and I are looking for jobs. He's finished with his graduate work and we are ready to move on. Problem is, so are about 1.5 million other recent graduates. This makes the job hunt rather discouraging.
I am so tired of spending hours and hours and hours on applications and cover letters and resumes and all manner of self-promotion only to:

1. Be told 'Thanks but no thanks' (Isaac actually got an email with that as the subject line! Who does that?!) or,
2. Hear nothing as if our applications have been sent into a resume black hole

It is monumentally frustrating. And, murder on the self-esteem.
Job Hunting really does equal sadness.

Arizona is Trying to Kill Me

When I was a kid I had horrible allergies. I was allergic to everything; dust, plants, the little plastic card the Dr. used for the scratch tests, anything with fur, anything with feathers, anything that once thought about maybe coming in contact with pollen...you probably get the idea. My allergies got so horrible that I slept on plastic, hypoallergenic sheets. My room became a "no-pet" zone. I learned to love HEPA filters and dusting. I got out of having to mow the lawn because, if I did, I couldn't breathe for days. It was miserable. However, my misery was not, I thought, permanent. I was overjoyed when, starting in my early 20's the allergies significantly improved. I didn't have to buy large quantities of anti-histamines, nasal sprays and asthma inhalers. I could breathe, most days, without the help of heavy duty pharmaceuticals. It was lovely.
And. Then.
And then, I moved to ARIZONA. My allergies have returned, and I think they are trying to make up for lost time. There is dust EVERYWHERE around here. There are tiny, dried out leafy things blowing around CONSTANTLY. If it grows in Arizona, I am pretty sure I am allergic to it. Stupid Arizona.
I have not breathed using my nose in nearly a week. I should have bought stock in Kleenex and whatever giant drug company makes Zyrtec weeks ago, because I am sure those companies are now rolling in money. My money. Who needs to buy groceries when you can buy anti-histamines?!
Seriously, between the boiling heat, the creepy birds, the awful drivers and allergies from Hades, I am pretty sure Arizona is trying to kill me.

The Janome 6600 Sewing Machine Saga

So, Emily and a couple of other people off-line have asked how I chose the sewing machine I posted about a couple of posts ago. I started this post as a response to Emily's comment, but it was super long, so I decided to make my sewing machine buying saga it's very own post. Feel free to ignore the rest of this if you have no interest in the various intricacies of sewing machines and sewing machine purchases. Without further ado, here's a not-so-quick summary of how I ended up with my Janome 6600.

When I started looking for a new sewing machine, I had no idea what was available. I had used 3 machines in my life: my mother's excellent Kenmore, the Brother machine my mother bought me for Christmas when I was in college and an industrial Singer my mother gave me when I passed the Brother machine onto my little sister (are we sensing a theme here? My mom rocks.). I started looking for a new machine, fully expecting to buy a mechanical Kenmore, Brother or Singer. I had only ever used mechanical machines so I didn't have a clue what computerized machines could do. I tried a computerized machine for the first time at JoAnne's, while looking at the Singer machines and decided I'd buy a computerized machine.

Deciding to buy a computerized machine opened up all sorts of previously unknown features and options, so I started researching every brand of sewing machine I could think of. After looking at and reading about a bunch of machines online and comparing the many features and prices, I decided I wanted to spend enough money to get a machine I would use for many, many years; this meant I bought a machine that has more features than I use right now, but I am hoping to grow into my machine, rather than out of it.

I also set a price limit right away; it quickly became apparent that you could spend thousands of dollars on a computerized sewing machine. I, obviously, do not have thousands of dollars so I set a pretty conservative price limit.

After my initial research, I limited my search to the main quilting brands (because that is what I wanted to do with my machine) so I looked at Pfaff, Bernina, BabyLoc, Viking (Husqvarna), Brother and Elna. I ruled out Singer and a couple of other brands because they were really garment sewing machines that had been "converted" to quilting machines (mostly this meant someone in marketing had added "quilt" to the name of the machine). I also wanted a machine that much more experienced quilters than myself had used for a while and liked. I made a rather extensive list of machines to actually go and try by doing a google search of the brand names and "review"; there are tons of people out there who post really detailed reviews of their machines (I really liked the website patternreview.com for this purpose).

I immediately eliminated Bernina because the cheapest quilting machine was way out of my price range. I didn't like the feel of the BabyLoc, Brother or Elna; they didn't feel very sturdy or well made (hundreds,maybe thousands, of people will be outraged that I say that, but that's what I thought. Feel free to disagree. :-) )Vikings have recently gotten terrible reviews online, so those were also out.

So, that left,basically, the Pfaff and Janome. Quilters rave about both brands and both have long term reputations for excellent quality. Both brands have a line of machines designed specifically for quilters and the machines in these lines have a huge harp (the space between the motor block where the controls usually are and the needle). I like this because it leaves a lot of space to manipulate quilts while piecing and free motion quilting (sewing free form patterns,rather than straight lines). Both also have a feature that will feed the fabric from the top and bottom rather than only from the bottom, which is pretty important when you sew thick fabrics (like terry cloth, denim or flannel) or quilts. I tried the Pfaff Quilt Expression 4.0 and thought it was the machine for me.

I bought the Pfaff and IMMEDIATELY hated it (seriously, ask Isaac, I was nearly in tears). The thread mechanism was super fussy and quilting, even with thin batting, created HUGE knots. Also, the control features for choosing the stitch pattern, changing the size etc... were not very intuitive. It was, from the first minute I tried it, an absolute disaster. So, I returned it, did some more research and decided to try the Janome 6600P. I went back to the Janome dealer 3 times (after the Pfaff disaster I wanted to be really, really sure I liked the machine) and finally bought the machine.

It is fantastic. It is the only machine I tried that has an all metal casing (which makes it rather heavy, but also incredibly sturdy). It has nearly 200 stitch patterns and using the different patterns is super easy. The patterns can be adjusted for size and the machine can be programmed to perform various sequences of stitches. It also has a separate bobbin winding motor, which I haven't needed, but is rather handy and incredibly fast. The machine is also built to accept large thread cones, which is nice for quilting since quilting requires a great deal of thread. My most favorite thing is the start/stop button (most computerized machines have one). I don't have to use a foot pedal; I can control the machine with a button and the speed slider on the front of the machine. I can sew super slow for curves and as fast as I want for straight lines; the slider holds a perfectly steady spead. It. Rocks.

As you probably guessed, I love the Janome. I've sewn a bunch of projects and haven't had any trouble at all. It is also significantly less expensive than the Pfaff (but still kind of pricey; especially compared to a machanical machine). The one thing I don't have with the Janome is a free arm, but my Singer machine has one, so I use the Singer for sleeves and hemming and such and use the Janome for everything else.

Also, the most important thing I discovered while shopping for my machine is to go to a sewing machine dealer and actually sew on the machines. Even if you are looking at a lower-end mechanical machine, go to a dealer and try a bunch of different kinds. I was able to rule out many different models just by using them for a couple minutes. Don't just rely on the dealer demo; bring some fabric (anything you would sew often on your new machine) and try it out on the machines. Also, at a good dealer you should get at least one free class on how to use your machine. Most importantly, at a good dealer you should be able to negotiate on the price. Whatever the dealer initially quotes you is usually high (just like buying a car!), so google reviews of the machine you are thinking about and read what others have paid and the accessories they got with the machine. For example; my machine was significantly less than the list price and I got the brand name sewing table that fits my machine and free classes included in the price, along with 20% off all my future purchases in the store for ever and ever. :-) Lots of people also ask for, and get, extra presser feet, extra classes, bobbins etc...

So, for the 3 of you who have asked, that's how I bought my sewing machine. :-) And, for the rest of you; you have now recieved a totally free and unsolicited "How to Buy a Sewing Machine" tutorial. You're welcome.

If you ever...

get a lovely Scentsy candle warmer from your Mother-in-Law for Christmas along with cinnamon scented Scentsy wax from your mother and Mother-in-Law and you decide to put the warmer in the wall socket behind your table, because no one ever walks back there, so it won't be bumped and you realize that you need to change the wax in the warmer because it stopped smelling like lovely cinnamon several weeks ago and now simply smells like hot wax and you walk behind your kitchen table to get the warmer and forget that the warmer is on and try to pull the warmer out of the wall socket while it is A) on and B) full of hot wax be prepared bump your elbow on the table and spray hot wax everywhere and then, be sure to plan on spending a great deal of time cleaning red-orange wax off your hands, shoes, jeans and, most importantly, the white carpet in your rented apartment. You'll want to make sure you can spend at least 1 hour brushing the, now dried, wax out of the carpet and then fruitlessly scrubbing the carpet in an (unsuccessfull) attempt to eradicate the orange-red stain. Trust me. I know.

Penance

So. Apparently, I am a "bad blogger". In the past few days I have been informed, by friends and family, that I "suck" as a blogger. Many apologies. I fear, though, that I have nothing to say and so, I say nothing. It's not that I don't want to record my every action here on this very public space (actually, it is that I don't want to record my every action here...but only partially), it's that my day to day existence is excruciatingly boring. However, because I like to respond appropriately when I have been reprimanded, I will now treat you to a detailed account of my most recent activities. For the past month. Do please remember that you asked for it.
In the past month:
1. Went to work. A lot.
2. Wished I wasn't at work. A lot.
3. Explained to my boss, for the 1000th time, that, yes, is absolutely necessary that the lectures we produce be historically accurate.
4. Went to New Jersey.
5. Sat in Newark Airport for 4.5 hours.
6. Met a bird that lived in the airport. Met his little friend. Named the bird: Moe. Named the friend: Harriet. I have no idea if the names are gender appropriate. I am adding "Looking up from my book, whilst sitting at gate C-121 in Newark New Jersey, only to see 2 little birds hopping around my feet" to my list of somewhat disturbing bird encounters.
7. Was invited to the AP reading again. WOOHOO.
8. Realized I may not be able to go to the AP Reading. Sad.
9. Began looking for a full time, classroom based teaching job.
10. Heard that 700 or so teachers are going to be laid off after this school year.
11. Suspended the search for a full time teaching job until further notice.
12. Made contact with an old friend (I am still planning to call Emily! I am just slow!)
13. Went to church.
14. Wrestled with Primary children.
15. Wondered what, in the name of all that is holy and good, the Bishop was thinking when he called me to the Primary Presidency.
16. Felt really bad, on multiple occassions, for really, really struggling with being in the Primary Presidency.
17. Read a bunch of books.
18. Did not, despite good intentions, finish the quilt that is sitting in my living room. In the quilt frame. For 4.5 months.
19. Faciliated 3 online courses.
20. Started facilitating 4 more online courses.
21. Joined a gym.
22. Started getting up at 4:30 to attend the aforementioned gym.
23. Isaac bought a roadbike.
24. Went biking.
25. Got really, really sunburned while biking. Stupid Arizona.
25. Completed saving for a new car. (Today!)
26. Watched the news and felt really grateful for the decision to live debt-free.
27. Found an incredible sewing/quilting/embroidery machine and hated the decision to live debt-free.
28. Decided to save for the aforementioned sewing machine. Even if it takes a year.
29. Discovered, painfully, that I am quite allergic to macadamia nuts.
30. Isaac settled on a final project
31. Isaac is working like a crazy person to finish the final project.
32. Isaac pretty much rocks GIS and website design. (this isn't only true of the last month; it's always true. But, it needed to be said. In case anyone forgot, or something)
33. I think this about covers it.
34. But, 32 is an odd number to stop on.
35. So, I added three lines to make it 35.

There. Penance complete. Let this be a lesson to you, should you ever wish I blogged more.

Isaac's Christmas Present or...

"I married an overgrown 10 year old". :-)
So, shortly after Christmas, Isaac and I made our way to the local hobby shop and purchased Isaac's Christmas present: A radio controlled helicopter. Yes, you read that correctly. My (mostly adult) husband wanted nothing but this helicopter for Christmas, so that is what he got. :-) He loves it.
And, to show that sometimes you just can't hide your inner 10 year old, here are a few pictures of him learning to fly the helicopter.




So adorable.

I return...Triumphant!

It has been a really busy couple of weeks (thus the lack of posts!), but things are settling down now.
Catch up Summary: Christmas was great. New Year's was great (in bed by 10:00. PERFECT.). Returning to work wasn't so great. Isaac is working lots, but doesn't have to go to school for another couple of weeks. So jealous!
That's it. Nothing exciting. Nothing special. Maybe the return wasn't so triumphant after all...

The Grand Canyon

Well all, we have returned from our Grand adventure! It did not go as planned, but it was super fun. Here are a few pictrs. We took 400. I won't subject you to all of them! Just the highlights. :-)

This is Isaac at the Grand Canyon Train Station. We were walking the South rim when a deluge let loose. We took refuge under the station patio-Isaac must have been thirsty or something! Look at the size of the raindrops!We were above the clouds! Watching the clouds move up and down the canyon walls was very cool.
There are a bunch of historic buildings right on the South rim. This is one of them, during a pause in the rain.
Isaac-when it FINALLY decided to stop raining!

Us! Yippee for self-timing cameras!

Finally, Pictures

So, we are finally posting some pictures. And by we, I mean ME! I am amazing and, despite a nearly paralyzing fear of breaking the camera, figured out how to do this whole "pictures on the blog" thing. Go me.
This is the bestest cutting board in the universe. It has been blogged about previously. $20. Costco. Get one. Love it.
Our happy pillows. On our nifty IKEA couch. The pillows were a wedding present. The couch was a tax refund present.
The view from our balcony. Yes, that is grass. Unfortunately,it's some mutant, rock hard, sharp as glass grass that one cannot really enjoy like real grass. But it's nice to look at!
You can't see it, but that's a map on the computer. He spends ALL DAY looking at and working with maps. What does he do when he gets home? Looks at maps. :-) Look how happy maps make him. What a nerd. :-)

There are about 100 million more pictures, but uploading them takes forever and I am tired of waiting around for the computer. More later.

Good News from the Montagues!

This week's good news:
1. Erin did not kill her co-worker and will, therefore, not be going to jail anytime soon!
2. The camera finally came! We have many pictures. Isaac is in charge of putting them on the blog, because the camera kind of scares me.
3. ISAAC GOT A JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He's working for the Greater Phoenix Economic Council. It's a GIS internship! This will be perfect for while he is in school. The hours will mean he has plenty of time to work on his school work. :-) He starts on Monday. :-) This job will probably count as his internship/final project which means he may be able to finish his master's a little earlier than we originally thought!
4. I found a good quilt shop here! (Thanks Alisa!)
5. We found out that Isaac and I can use the ASU gym and pool almost for free (Isaac is free actually, I have to pay a fee per semester). I am excited. :-)
6. I found a speedo swimsuit (for use in the ASU pool) at Cabela's for $6.00. I am such a bargain shopper! :-)
7. I hope everyone is sitting down for this one...


I went to HFPE meeting on Tuesday. Voluntarily. By myself. I crocheted burp cloths with a friend in the ward (Again, thanks Alisa! It was fun!)

There's more, but I think you get the general idea! :-) I wish Happy Weeks to all of you!

New Toy

Well, we have finally given in. After 2 years of having a camera that only sort-of worked, and after MONTHS of Isaac meticulously researching digital cameras online, and after MONTHS of saving, we have BOUGHT A NEW CAMERA! We bought a Canon EOS XSI in a kit with a few lenses and filters.
Now, as I mentioned before, Isaac has spent MONTHS researching these things, so he actually knows what the lenses and filters do. I am more of a push-the-button-and-hope-for-the-best kind of photographer, but he is super excited to try the different lenses and such. And so, to those who have been patiently waiting (or not so patiently waiting-MOM! :-) ), soon, there will be pictures on the blog. It should be here next week. Expect much more visual posts soon! :-)

In-N-Out is OUT

So. Isaac and I are working really hard to not eat out as much. We are big eaters out. Well, let me re-phrase. I am a big eater of resturant food. Isaac just likes food. Anyway, we've been trying not to eat out as much and have been doing really well so we celebrated by... eating out. I know. I know. But nobody is perfect. The road to recovery is full of potholes. At least we have admitted we have a problem. :-)
Anyway-we went out to eat at In-N-Out Burger. Isaac had never been and I went once a really long time ago (remember Maren, Krystal and Morgan? The drive thru in LA? In Maren's parents car?) ANYWAY. I didn't remember if I liked it or not, but I told Isaac it was super popular, so it must be good. So we went. IT WASN'T. That's right. IN-N-OUT Burger STINKS. Well, at least it stinks here. Maybe it's because it is out of its normal habitat. I don't know, but it was NOT GOOD. I was super depressed. Our rare, and getting rarer, eating out event and it wasn't even good. TRAGIC. From now on, when we go out, we are going places I know I like. Then our eating out experience won't be wasted on chalky french fries and rubbery hamburgers.
Harumph.

Camera Drama

So, I found the camera. I got the camera ready to take pictures of my new quilt top and our apartment. The batteries were dead. Sigh.
In other news, we met our next door neighbors, who are in our ward (at least they are until July when they move). Their last name is Shakespeare. I am not even making that up. Shakespeare. We should take a picture with them, but our camera is dead.
Photos are still on the "to do" list. Batteries are on the shopping list.
:-)

Sunny Arizona

Hello from sunny Arizona! And by sunny I mean, of course, blazing hot! We are officially Arizona residents now! (We even have the driver's licenses to prove it!). It is nice to be getting settled and moving forward.
In the last 2 days, I've had 3 job interviews and a call about a 4th! This is very good news, but also more than just a little busy and stressful. Any one of these jobs would be great-I am looking forward to hearing from people starting next week. Hopefully at least 1 will come through. :-)
Isaac and I are speaking in church on Sunday. What an introduction to the ward! This is a little unfortunate for me-I haven't spoken in church for 7 years! That's quite a stretch and one I was not overly eager to end. But, on Sunday, Isaac and I will be speaking all about fathers and so the "no talks in church" marathon will come to an end! I guess it's a good way to introduce Isaac and I. Although, he's been in the ward for a couple of months now so they all know him. :-)
In totally unrelated news-look at Morgan's blog for some fairly scary pictures of the aftermath of the tornado that went through her little city in Kansas. She and the family are just fine, but those pictures sure remind me of all the things I don't miss about living in tornado country!
Sometime in the relatively near future, I hope to finally post a few pictures of the apartment. As soon as the boxes are all off the floor! :-)

The Countdowns....

I am counting down to many things. First, the end of school. I have 4 days (not counting today) left at Jordan. 2 class days and 2 grant days. :-) Technically, there are 2 weeks of school left, but because of my third countdown, I only have four days. HAHAHAHAHA. I laugh at everyone who has to stay for the last week! :-)

Second, the end of the ESL class from HECK. I have only 2 more classes. Technically, I should only have 1 more class and then questions to answer 'online', but, for reasons I will never understand, we are having an "in-person" class next Thursday. We are doing show and tell. I am not making this up. We are supposed to bring something that represents ourselves as a 'teacher and as a learner' and then we will all 'share'. Why, you ask? I don't know. But, we have to be there because show and tell is now worth 100 points. LAME. I am bringing Diet Coke. I am also not making that up. I am going to say, "Diet Coke, or more specifically the caffeine in Diet Coke, got me through graduate school so that I can teach...ergo-Me as a learner and as a teacher!" Do you think I'll get all 100 points?

Anyway, on to number 3: the AP reading. I fly out 1 week from Sunday. All week long I have been getting friendly little emails from the AP people. "Don't forget your social security card for the I-9!" "Bring a sweater! The reading room is quite chilly!" "Would you like to come on a tour of Rocky Mountain State Park?" and so on and so on. It should be quite interesting. 9 days!

And finally, the countdown to the official and permanent move to Arizona! This is a little longer, but nevertheless, I am still counting down. There are 18 days. Woohoo! Just a little more than 2 weeks! I have a couple of job interviews in the next few days, so hopefully by the time I get down there I will be gainfully employed! YIPPEE!!!!!!!!!!!