I Can See Clearly Now

Though the rain's not gone :). Here's the song.

Literally, the rain is not gone in Washington. Actually, we hadn't had rain in over a week until today. There is still talk of snow, but so far, it hasn't happened. Which is fine by me! I've done the white Christmas thing once, and that was good enough for me ;).

But, with the passing of days, things get better. You feel llike you can conquer the next big trial. You wonder why you had a meltdown only a couple of days ago. And it's just better to be in a happier state of mind. And so, figuratively, the rain is gone ;). I guess life is just full of ups and downs and we have to just get through both of them. And, in the end, we are stronger for it. Plus, having those bouts of extreme "down-ness" does help me to realize how wonderful it is at all the other times (and the other times are always more plentiful, which is good). It also helps to remember that there are so many less fortunate than I am, even though I do have struggles and trials. I still have so much for which to be grateful. And I also know that my struggles are uniquely mine. They are the things that will help me grow and learn the most. Does that mean I'm totally psyched for trials? Nah. Who is? But it helps to get through them and gain perspective.

So enough of that...

Yesterday my mom and I went over to Christina's to celebrate Emily's first birthday. She turned 1 on Friday, the 11th. I cannot believe that a year ago, she was just getting ready to come home from the hospital -- a brand new baby girl. Now she laughs and smiles. Eats cupcakes. Stands by herself. Waves. Would rather play with cameras and cell phones than open (or even look into) her birthday presents... Yes, she is entering toddler-hood. She is walking a couple of steps at a time. Nothing major. She does a lot of knee-walking. She has decided she doesn't like baths right now. But she gets through it. Like Desiree, she is a very easy baby. It's just such a joy and a blessing for me to be able to be close to these little angels and watch them grow. That has been one of the biggest blessings about being here in Washington, in spite of the things that haven't worked out according to my plans... I am near all my nieces and nephews, and I have the opportunity of knowing them and watching them grow and change and having them know me. There are few sadnesses that can't be cured by a hug from a little boy or girl who genuinely loves you and is excited to see you. Or a baby who reaches out to you because she wants you to hold her. So yes, Emily is one now. And I'm so glad I was able to celebrate with her for her birthday, even though we didn't do a "party" for her. Next year, when she's a little older, that'll probably be what happens.

My mom and I made oreo truffles yesterday. Wow! I think I'm sick of oreo truffles! I mean, they are fabulously good and all that. But doing the dipping of them is kind of tedious. It actually went pretty well yesterday, though. Every time we make them, we try a different approach for the dipping part. Yesterday we used a melon-baller.

Oh, and just for the sake of remembering this... The other night, while my mom and I were making pumpkin bread, we had doubled the recipe. However, she quadrupled the baking soda. I guess this was to go with her previous statement of the evening that "all measurements are approximations." Hahahaha... Something always goes awry when my mom and I bake together. I'm not sure why that is. But it's pretty funny. By the way... Some of you will be receiving pumpkin bread in the mail. Trust me, it is still yummy.

I have spent the last several nights watching all of season 1 of Scrubs. That show is so great. I need to work on obtaining all of the seasons. But I have a good start. I have 1, 2, and 8.

Oh, and I think I've also forgotten to mention that I am now volunteering at a middle school instead of a high school. The middle school librarian doesn't have an aide or anything, so she had tons of work that needed to get done, including cataloging, covering books, adding barcodes, etc. She is really nice, as was the high school librarian and her aide. In fact today, when I got to the middle school library, I found that Lisa (the high school librarian) had brought over a poinsettia and a huge box of fancy chocolate truffles to say "thanks" and "Merry Christmas." It was super nice of her. I took in some pigeon poop (the food stuff, not the real stuff ;)) and a few oreo truffles to share, but I felt so lacking when I saw that she had given me something so nice. I didn't expect anything at all. But wow!

Well, I suppose it's time to post this and get on with other things. :). Sorry about the boo-hoo post from Saturday. I guess I kind of want to keep the blog "honest." Life isn't always all roses. And so, if this blog is about the Nilla Life, I should probably be keeping it real ;).