Hap-py New Year!!!

Even though we're already almost 2 weeks into 2007.

It's been a rather wacky couple of weeks while SEEkING SAkNITY...

The Husband picked me up after work (that would be 7:30 p.m.) on Dec 28, and we drove to Blacksburg (yes, it's about 4-1/2 hours). We spent the night at the apartment, then departed the next day for Atlanta for the Chik-Fil-A Bowl.


The whole Atlanta experience was fun. We joined a lot of other Hokies fans at Hard Rock Cafe for some pre-game excitement.

We went to the parade. So many bands. So many cows.


We even found a friend for Maeve's pooch Abbie.


Hokie Bird had a great time:
One of the neatest things to experience was the Hokie Nation following the Marching Virginians to Fan Fest.
Imagine thousands-- really! Thousands-- of football fanatics in maroon and orange joining in the parade. It was awesome!



We ran in to friends from home, drank some beer, and watched some football. Our seats were spectacular, and the first half of the game was great fun to watch.

The final results were not terrific. We rather got our butts handed to us, but overall, the trip was well worth it.

The morning after the game we left for Chicagoland for New Years' Eve. Wonderful timing that we have, we went through Nashville just before the Titans footbal game started. For those who may not know, the stadium is just off the main highway that runs through Nashville. You get my point.

I KNOW how long Illinois is. I've driven it many times. But every time I travel through those hundreds of miles of cornfields, it reminds me that there is room to breathe in our fair nation. (The Husband and I wryly commented a number of times about how many townhouses and strip malls the Washington area developers could cram onto those thousands of acres of God's country.)

Spending time with my family is always important to me. We have a great time together, and it's always difficult for me to leave.

Our journeys totaled 36 hours of driving time during a very busy week. Much of that was in daylight, so I was able to knit. Hurrah!! I finished the casserole mitts. I wasn't as happy with them as I hoped I'd be. They didn't felt as thickly as I'd like. If I make a similar item, I'll probably double the yarn. Mom is going to re-felt them and see if they don't shrink and thicken up a bit more.

I made great progress on starting this:

I'd been intrigued by the lovely Lizard Ridge afghans I've seen, including this one by Katie. (scroll down past the beautiful sweater.)

I've had 10 balls of Noro Kureyon in stash for a very long time, and could never quite figure out what to do with it. I found it rather intimidating on the ball, since the colors are somewhat vibrant, and the irregular thickness of the yarn made it difficult for me to visualize the outcome. Of course, I could have just knit some up to see what happened, but sometimes I just don't feel like venturing out there all by myself.

An afghan requires 20 balls, and while I could have gotten 10 more balls of another colorway and alternated or made strips, I decided to make a shawl. I just love the bumps. The pattern instructions say that the bumps will flatten when blocked-- but hey, I think I'll miss them!!!

We returned home to, of course, work. 5 nights in a row for me.

Got off work Wednesday morning, slept all day, and then hit Late Night. Steph and I were both off night shifts and, I must say, a bit foggy. (If you look closely at my Lizard Ridge above, you may notice that the top row of bumps is not offset from the one below. Needless to say, I paid more attention to talking and listening, and less to what I was doing. Also needless to say, there was subsequent froggage and now I proceed.)

I've REALLY missed my friends at the shop. We had quite a crowd (Sorry about no links-- I'm tired, and I need to wrap this up.)-- Maeve, Holly, Nikki, Niki, Elsbeth, Steph, Carolina, Dani, a new friend, Troy (hey-- she's an EMT-- has a badge and everything!) Aimee, Kelly, Jasmine--- and the beat goes on.

I haven't had time to think too much about the New Year-- intentions, resolutions and the like. The short list is to maintain integrity, serve as a good role model for my children, and try to get a little bit organized (this one is the real challenge).

We'll see how it goes.