In other news...

Pardon the brief hiatus. Life is getting increasingly busy each day here at 123 Orin Street. We spent this past weekend out of town visiting my parents in Hollidaysburg. We arrived Friday night and delivered birthday presents to my mom and dad (from July since I haven't seen him) and my nephew Bryson. Afterwards, we watched episodes of "The Office" with Ash, Drew and my mom well past our normal bedtimes. On Saturday we went shopping and got a few more items crossed off our Christmas presents (for others) list. Thanks to big sales and coupons, we got great deals on everything. I even managed to purchase a few items for myself haha. These items were 2 tops from JCP since my mom had a $10 coupon on anything with no minimum purchase that she wasn't going to use, as well as a Christmas creamer/sugar set with matching bowl for my Christmas decor this year. All items totaled less than $20 though so I was pleased. :) We continued shopping most of Saturday and then had a small gathering with cake for Bryson's birthday that evening. Mark's girlfiend and son came as well as her nephew so Bryson had 2 kids to run around and play with. After a late run to Target/Circuit City, we retired from shopping for the rest of the weekend.

On Sunday, we lounged around the house and played with Bryson for a while. We also watched the cartoon version of "101 Dalmations" with him. Then we met up with Erik and saw his new apt and went to lunch at TGI Fridays. We also got to visit with Pat for a while which was really nice. We don't get to see her often and it was good to catch up for a while and just visit and see how she was doing. All in all it was a fun weekend, but as is always the case, it went by very quickly.

This week we went grocery shopping after work Monday, saving over $50 thanks to coupon clipping, and had Chick-Fil-A for dinner. You can pretty much guarantee that one day a week, or every other week, we spend the evening grocery shopping after work and grabbing dinner out. There's really no other way to get it done haha. If we grocery shop after work, it's too late for dinner by the time we get home. And if we go home for dinner first, we back track to get back to the grocery store haha. We have gone a few times Saturday mornings which is fun, but it's usually pretty crowded.

Tuesday was our weekly trip to the eye doctor for Peter's eye. I'm happy to report that he doesn't have to go back for 2 weeks this time because it's healing nicely! And if nothing happens within the next two weeks, she'll take the contact out and see how he does on his own. Otherwise, if something does happen, he'll have to get laser surgery. So please continue to keep him in your prayers. While Peter was in with the eye doctor, I drove over to Target to pass some time. I can't believe how much Christmas stuff is out in the stores now. I even purchased some wrapping paper haha. But for $1 a roll for 40 sq ft, it was a good deal.

Speaking of Christmas, I gave Peter some of his anniversary gift early, so that he could enjoy it all during this season. It was 3 Christmas CDs because he's been saying he wants some more Christmas music than what we collectively have already, so I went on the hunt and ordered them a few weeks ago from FamilyChristian.com and thanks to special sales and my coupon and 99 cents shipping on every order, I scored a great deal with getting all 3 for less than $30. I purchased:

1. Casting Crowns - Peace on Earth (just released)
2. Bebo Norman - Christmas From the Realms of Glory
3. Third Day - Christmas Offerings

If you're looking for some great Christmas music, these 3 are awesome. We listened to them on Halloween haha, on our way to my parent's house and then again on the drive home. They have some very traditional songs with different arrangements and some new songs with just great lyrics. If you're reading this and want me to burn you a copy, just let me know :)

Back to Tuesday...after Peter's eye appointment we went to vote. It was great, short and sweet. No lines. Only took a few minutes which is good compared to some stories I've heard of waiting in line for hours. Then we came home and ate some yummy dinner. We grilled chicken and had it with some seasoned rice and fresh aspargus. Then I took a nap. Yes, a nap. It was very much needed and felt great. I forgot how much I loved naps. Then it was off to Bible Study where we heard another great and encouraging message on prayer and the power in praise. I'll blog more about this later after having time to digest it more.

Oh, and check out my new layout. I especially love the sun shining through the tree on the picture at the top. And I added music. Let me know what you think. Is it good? Is it bad?

So anyways that about sums up what's been going on recently with us.