Today I had to go back to work. Bummer! I was a little upset when I got to the parking lot and it was not yet plowed! I park about 3 blocks from my building. It was 7:50am and I had to drive around looking for a plowed lot. I found one with only 3 inches of snow, so I parked there. But then none of the sidewalks were shovelled either. Needless to say, my pants, socks, and shoes were soaked when I got into work.

This is what the MSU campus looks like with a foot of fresh snow on it.





Although I had some playtime with my nephew, Milhouse, while I was home at Christmas, I still wanted to see if Lil' T was at the shelter where I volunteer. Today I headed over there after work. It was getting late, so I changed real quick and went out to the kennels. It was bittersweet because he was still there. I was happy to see him but sad he was still there. He arrived at the shelter November 12, making it a month and a half that he has been at the shelter. We played in the snow for about 3 minutes before his paws got cold. Here is me and Lil' T in the snow! (If you own a house and want a dog, please consider adopting him!)


Here he is!


Woo hoo! Let's go for a walk.


Ummm, on second thought, it's COLD out.


Lil' T decided it is time to head back inside.


Aren't we cute!

Happy New Year! I rang in the New Year with about 20 of my closest Michigan friends at Jared's house. It was good times and yummy food as we welcomed in 2008. Our town got hit with a bit of a storm. When I woke up today, there was 6 inches of snow on the ground. Sweet! Here are some pictures of my evening.


Lisa and I


Courtney, Lisa, and Kate


Group shot!


Bonnie and I with Andy looking on...


2008 gets a thumbs up from Ralph!

I hope you had a happy and safe New Years. With the holiday, I had lots of free time. So I tidied up my apartment and did some laundry. I also made a fleece blanket. It seemed to be all the rage this holiday season. You simply tie the edges together because fleece doesn't run or tear. I found some cool panels at Walmart. Total cost for fleece = $14. I had to buy sewing scissors to cut the fabric ($5) but overall it was a cheap, fun project. A few years ago, a friend made me a fleece scarf for Xmas. I might try that next. Here is a photo of each side of my new blanket.

I drove back to Michigan on Thursday. My trip home was great, but it was nice to come back to my apartment. Christmas was fun! I was able to spend more time with my mom and brother this visit. I also spent some time with Krishna and Lisa. It was a pretty low key trip. I brought home my skis, but of course it rained and ruined all the snow. So I mostly hung out.

Christmas Eve we have family friends over to my mom's. Minnie, Ken, Julie, and Kate, along with my brother and Sarah, came over to my mom's house. We had a great time catching up and eating lots of food. We have been spending Christmas Eve with the Gordon's for as long as I can remember. Before they came over, my family exchanged gifts. I got wire cooling racks, cookie scoops, and my soft shell jacket. Plus a few little bonus gifts.

Christmas Day, my family went over to my grandma's house. I went over earlier and tried my third attempt at cooking a ham. Not my best work, but everyone ate it (except me of course). Again, lots of food was consumed. We did some family portraits, which I will try to post later.

Christmas night, I go tot he movies with my friends Mandy and Stephane. Julie and Kate occasionally join us. We saw "Sweeney Todd" and it was great!

The day after Christmas is Boxing Day. This was the 11 year that my friends from high school got together to catch up and play with our new toys. Usually we play Pictionary or Apples to Apples. This year it was Pictionary. I had to leave early to have some work done on my car, but it was fun to see some of my friends that I hadn't seen in a while.

Back in Lansing, I worked at ORCBS for a half day. Then my friend Eryn (whom I went to BU with) came to visit. We hit up the Detroit Zoo on Saturday with some friends.


Eryn and I in the butterfly house

A butterfly and I

Snow monkeys! They even had a hot tub in their exhibit

The Detroit Zoo has one of the largest polar bear exhibits I have ever seen. It was pretty cool!

Eryn and a napping polar bear

Eryn, Kate, Seth, Gary, and Jeanette with a grizzly in the background