The Fat Archaeologist

So January 2010 came and went and I vowed to not make any new years resolutions because a) our real new year begins in September (Rosh Hashanah) and 2) resolutions are really a marketing tactic put on by a big eastern syndicate you know.

So I vowed to not make a resolution because they are stupid and no one ever follows through on them, me included. I do think though, that my sweet, wonderful, adoring husband WILL stick to his resolutions and you can keep track of them here. He decided to enter the new millennium and got a blog. (Well he didn't actually get a blog, I set it up for him and he writes the entry in Word and copies and pastes it into the edit box on his Blogger dashboard.)

He's really into road cycling (well watching it on tv or his computer) and all of the Tore Day Frances-eses. Or however you pronounce that foreign word. LOL {just kidding!}

And he reads a blog about another guy who loves road cycling (fatcyclist.com) who began a blogging journey to weight loss through cycling and Adam was inspired by this. I am really proud of him and I think what he writes is hilarious. He writes for a living and he is rather good at it!
Check it out. Night y'all!

The Fat Archaeologist

Disney World and Ayla's Birthday!

Cake
Originally uploaded by JenniferKPhotos

How could I forget?! We had planned this trip last January and were planning to go to WDW in July 2009, however some things came up, Adam had to travel for work and it was not a good time to go so we postponed our trip til this past December, and promised Ayla we would celebrate her birthday when we were there. And we did! She had so much fun wearing the Birthday pin they gave her and everyone wishing her a Happy Birthday. I had arranged for the server at Chef Mickey's to bring a cake for Ayla and I purchased the snowglobe and pin and asked them to add it to the cake and when they brought it out this is what it looked like: So cute! Ayla was thrilled.
{more photos in a bit}

Happy {Secular} New Year! Welcome 2010!

So its now 2010! Time is flying by! We had my brother Daniel, my parents and my niece come visit this week. It was so much fun to see them and to hang out with them. Avery had a blast playing football with Uncle Dan and Ayla was in heaven playing with her cousin. I had a lovely birthday yesterday complete with not one but TWO birthday cakes, balloons, and lots of presents! {I love to get presents}.

{my sweet boy with his Pop-pop!}

{Made & decorated by my kids and their cousin}

{yes that is an ENTIRE Tiramisu cake!}

{From Walt Disney World! Minnie Mouse apron that I absolutely LOVE to pieces}

{a giraffe statue from the Animal Kingdom Lodge at Walt Disney World}

{O. M. G. A new point and shoot camera!}

{My sweet boy helping me with the candles}

{Having fun with the birthday plates!}

{Adam and the kids decided to get me these plates for the cake! LOL}

Its been a nice Holiday/Hanukkah/Christmas season. We started the month of December off with a trip to Disney World after we shared Thanksgiving with Adam's parents. (Pop I need pictures from Thanksgiving!!) I did my traditional Black Friday shopping but only got a few items at Target. I didn't need a lot this year and nothing that was on sale was anything that I wanted or needed.

At the end of November/beginning of December we spent 6 glorious days at WDW and had a really nice time. We stayed at the Polynesian Resort this time, and we were in HEAVEN in our room which overlooked the Quiet pool. We even had a view of some fireworks that shot up into the sky over the Hawaii Building.

{view from our room}

On the last day of our trip we went to Downtown Disney and had fun shopping in the rain. We stopped for some yummy Ghirardelli ice cream and Decadent Drinking Chocolate-- that is to die for!

After getting back from Disney, Adam and I began the 7 day marathon to finish up the Fall semester. What a hectic time for us. This coincided with the beginning of Hanukkah which made things extra specially crazy! I had two 20 page papers to do, a lengthy presentation to finish and give and a final exam to study for and take all within a span of 5 days! Adam had to read about 30 papers, read and grade 100 exams, finish a lengthy and complicated grant proposal and also turn in grades before the deadline. It was kinda hellish there for a few days but we had a wonderful celebration of the Festival of Lights. Hanukkah 2009 went off without a hitch! Since its a minor holiday in the Jewish calendar there isn't a lot of pomp and circumstance, but some fried foods and some candle lighting.

We had two friends and their families over a few days before Christmas to celebrate the holiday season and to watch A Christmas Story which my friends Randi and Kyle had never seen (or even heard of) before! And get this! Kyle went to school with "Ralphie"--Peter Billingsly, sat next to him on the bus and was friends with his older sister! And he STILL had never heard of the movie. I found that to be really crazy! LOL So we had a mini potluck and lots of dessert cookies to eat and we watched the movie. The kids had so much fun.

Adam and I are so lucky to have such a great support system here. We have wonderful friends that are fellow homeschoolers that we hang out with, share things together and they also watch my kids when we need them too. They know who they are, and I want to say how much I love them and am so appreciative of them and their help. Friends that you can trust don't come around too often, but I've been given this wonderful set of friends here in Columbia that is more that I could ever have wished for. Thank you my sweet friends!

I hope everyone's 2010 is filled with happiness, love, joy and wonder.