Times flies....

Wow! I can't believe I have gone this long without posting something. I'm still alive, but life has been super busy. So, where to begin?

I think I'll start with my trip to Oregon November 15th-26th. That is where I have spent most of my time since the last post. It was a wonderful time and it was nice to be able to spend more than a couple of days with John and the kitties. We had a packed calendar! Casino with his parents, Oregon/Oregon State game with friends, dinner with faculty and staff, winery tour and Thanksgiving.

But, before I even got to Oregon I had a BIG surprise at the DFW airport. I worked in a 3 1/2 hour layover and Earl and I were going to catch lunch. Well, not only was Earl there to greet me but he also had Ashley and the new baby Carli! It was fun to see Ashley who doesn't even look like she's given birth and then hold the newest addition to the family. She is a super sweet baby and just beautiful.

We braved the cold and tailgated with some friends for the big Oregon/Oregon State game. This is the big rival game for the state and they even call it "civil war." The Friday before the game we went to a local pizza place called "Track Town" and hung out with John's best friend from college, Chris.

The winery tour was amazing. We only stopped at three of about 15 wineries in a 45 minute range of Eugene. The King Estate Winery has a brand new tasting room and was beautiful. The other highlight was Sweet Cheeks Winery. While this wasn't originally on the list, we drove by and had to go in. It gets it's name from the shape of the vineyard, that looks like butt cheeks. Also, greeting you as you drive in is the standard fountian of a little boy peeing, but we found out the winery calls him "Pinot." That was pretty funny!

Thanksgiving was great at John's parents place. They went all out! We had so much food. John taught his dad to play poker while I played board games with two of his nieces and mom. I think I gained about 10 pounds that day!

After all that fun, it was time to return to the real world. This week has been insanely hectic. I've got so much to do in the next week and a half when the semester ends. I can't believe the semester is almost over! One down, many more to go! Then I leave again for Oregon on December 14th. Yeah!

I hope that these last couple of weeks have been good for you. I give thanks for the many wonderful people who I have the privilege of calling family and friends. Love to all!
PS- My pictures aren't uploading to the site for some reason. I'll try again later.