Merry Christmas to Me from Victoria’s Secret!

So this year my husband and I decided to do things a little differently for Christmas gifts to each other.  I went through our drawer that has coupons and gifts cards and found that we had a total of $175 in free money at various stores, so we divided the ‘free money’ and that was our limit.  We opened our gifts with my parents and other family this morning and everything was as expected.  I received a puzzle, lotions, sweater…and then something very exciting happened. 

Jason said one more gift and he left and came back with this…

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A Victoria’s Secret Tower of NINE boxes.  He used the scratch off card guaranteeing him $10 and found out it was worth $500!!!!!!!!!  They let him have a personal shopper to help him spend his money and they did a wonderful job.  I cannot even tell you how exciting it was to open all of those boxes.  I am not going to show you what was in them, just know it was embarrassing enough to open them in front of family! 

I hope your Christmas was as exciting as mine 🙂  Also, my husband is wearing 4 pairs of lounge/warm up pants, all of which he received this morning.

5000 piece puzzle of Florence

A few years ago I put together a 5000 piece puzzle and I swore I’d never do it again.  Not only does it take too long, but at some point it stops being fun.  But, in February I was looking on ebay (a wonderful place to get puzzles) and saw this beautiful puzzle of Florence, Italy.  We were finalizing or trip to Italy, so I bought it.  And started piecing it together in February.  And did not put the last piece in place until last night.  October 24.  Obviously I took time off here and there, but still…  I’m never doing another 5000 piece puzzle again.  Really.

A special thanks to those of you who came by the house and took the time to put in a piece or two.  It may have taken me another month to finish without you!

5000 piece puzzles are expensive and I’m willing to give this puzzle away, but I won’t pay for shipping.  Once I put it back in the box I’ll weigh it so you have an idea how much it may cost to mail.  If you are interested, let me know.

EDIT-I’ve mailed this on to South Africa.

Our Anniversary Weekend

It shouldn’t come as a shock for those of you who regularly read my blog that Jason and I met in a bookstore.  I was an assistant manager at the B Dalton at Ballston in Arlington, Virginia, and his buddy in the Navy worked there part-time.  We met, had a few dates, and I knew I had found someone very special. 

We took a trip to Italy earlier this year that we called our 10 year anniversary trip, but decided we would mark the day with a trip down memory lane.  It’s been a little over 10 years since we lived in the DC area and when we left the house we didn’t even take a map.  Our first stop was the bookstore where we met.  I did become store manager eventually and I was disappointed to see that the place has really let itself go!

We drove by where my first apartment should have been, but it has been razed to make room for condos.  We found our first place together and marvelled at how far we’d come on 10 years! 

We found a sports bar to watch the Ohio State – Michigan State football game, which was a tricky thing on an anniversary weekend.  You all know I’m a Buckeye. but Jason is a Spartan and we are both trash talkers during the game.  So, the best thing I can say about the game is that we made it through, love intact.

I love the Metro system.  I love visiting places that have good public transportation.  We took the metro to the Mall and visited a few Smithsonians, the WWII memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, and rode the Carousel like two kids 🙂  We basically acted like goofy tourists and had a fantastic time. 

We visited a favorite place for both of us, the Arlington Cemetery and saw the Changing of the Guard, Lee’s House, and spent some time getting lost in the history and the sacrifice that have made this country great.

Ten years ago, when I left the DC area, I was following my soon-to-be-husband to where he needed to be.  I might still be there if not for Jason and it was so nice to go back.  Before any of our DC friends become offended that we didn’t call, let me say that we did not call anyone.  It was a few days just for us.  I’ll be back soon, I hope, and I’ll be calling you all to put me up for a night 🙂

I have to add this photo of the cool dog that we saw at the WWII Memorial.  He was posing for pictures for anyone who wanted to take them.  How cute is he?!

Off to France

Eric and Virginie have been our friends for over fours years and today they moved to Lyon, France with 10 month old Camille.  Jason and I will miss them and their friendship.  We wish them nothing but happiness and a house big enough for guests 🙂  We are already looking forward to our trip to France. 

Don’t be dismayed at goodbyes.  A farewell is necessary before you can meet again.  And meeting again , after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends.”     -Richard Bach

Camille saying goodbye to Max at our house.

The gals at the Cheesecake Factory yesterday.

The guys and Camille waiting for cheesecake.

My book problem

So, I just posted info on the upcoming book sale in Cleveland.  I have never seen a bookstore or or book sale (and some libraries) that I have not walked into.  I knew I had a book buying problem.  So, I decided it would be funny if I collected all the books that I have purchased, but not yet read, over the years and took a picture to show that I really did not need to attend another book sale.  Well, here it is.

That’s Max looking a little nervous that all those books might topple over on him!  So, instead of being funny, it made me a little sad that I had gotten this far behind 😦  I will go to the book sale this weekend, but I’m taking Jason to limit my craziness.  But, then I need to spend a few months reading through my backlog before buying anything new.

So, please, take a look at the different FREE books I offer every month.  I have already read them and need to pass them on.