Look Ma! I'm famous!

I defend my thesis in one week from today. Needless to say, things are in crunch-mode 24-7 til then.

See if you can spot me in this video:

Birthday Week

My family was here for my birthday week, which was the first time in many a moon. My birthday week also included Thanksgiving and my parents 33rd wedding anniversary. We had a great time and I miss them a whole ton. Here are some things we did...

Had Tea at the Washington Duke Inn

Played in the leaves

Went to a soccer game in the cold

Drove to the NC mountains and went on a hike

Rescued Rosanne when she fell off a cliff

Birthday outing with Dad

OREO COWS

Got dressed up for a ridiculously good dinner made just for us

Which looked like this (course 3 of 5)

Had Thanksgiving with Aunt, Uncle, Cousin, and 18 pound turkey

Stuffed fridge with leftovers

Some people I am Thankful for

My family. And the chef at the restaurant who cooked us a personalized five course meal with wine pairings to celebrate my birthday and gave us a chance to get all dolled up.

When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around.

Willie Nelson

Birthday

It's my birthday.

The fam is all here.

I get to go see my favorite North Carolina attractions, the oreo cows.

Don't they just scream "Happy Birthday" fun to you???

The Hat - (or the one in which I am glad he doesn't read this blog)

Husband owns a hat that I cannot stand and has resulted in a bit of marital discontent. He picked it out a few years ago, and guessing correctly that I would not buy it for him, turned to the one person who would - his twin brother.

it makes him turn into a crazy person.

And because it was his birthday I "let" him bust it out for the festivities this weekend. (Let's be honest, I didn't have any control over this situation anyway, this boy do-what-he-want!). For his birthday, he wanted to go with 12 of his buddies from school (including three guys with the same birthday) to a hockey game and tailgate for several hours before. I heard about this plan on the drive home from the airport returning from Nairobi in August, and about every three days since then. And it was a beautiful fall day, with plenty of festive beverages and food appropriate for grilling out, and of course Momma Whittle's Famous Carrot Cake which were turned into event appropriate cupcakes.

Watching the game with co-birthday boy James

Go Canes!

Doesn't he look better without it???

CANES BEAT THE PENGUINS! (who are currently the best team in the country, nbd)

Feel Good Friday

My family is leaving this fine weather next Thursday to come see me for eight whole days!!!!!

The Path

Okay, so most of the time I am very pleased to know that I am on the Path I am supposed to be on, to have the luxury to do something that I love to do, and that I know I am Built to do.


Most of the time.

Currently this Path has led me straight into....

duh, duh, duh...

Treacherous Trenches of Torrentially Terrible Thesis - writing.

Okay, that's a bit overdone.

  Light at the end of the tunnel? I defend on the 6th of December.

Speaking of being overly dramatic, is it Christmas yet?