January Happenings

January started off with me (Cathy) actually admitting I was sick. I've tried to tell Jeff there is a difference between "not feeling good" and "sick". Sick to me means fever, need to call the MD for prescription meds, and can't go to work. That was the case. So we missed our traditional ringing in of the New Year with attending the New Year's Swing Dance at the Homewood Senior Center. We had a blast last year learning some new steps from our elders who know how to have fun! So we watched the end of a bowl game and called it a night at 10:30 me imbibed with antibiotics. We enjoyed continuing to work on settling in our new house and having a 4 day weekend. Then it was back in the groove of working, etc.

We traveled to Baton Rouge to celebrate the life of Jeff's grandmother, Mrs. Lorena Carver. What a lady! She passed away at the age of 99! WOW! What a special time to be with family! It was the first family death to walk through together and we drew close together and to the Lord and family.

Another first of our married life...our birthdays. I turned 36 on Jan 16 and Jeff turned 34 on Jan 17. So we straddle our mid 30s! It was fun! As we travelled back to Birmingham from Baton Rouge, Jeff had a surprise planned. My brain was focused on getting home and catching up on life, when he works in a stop in Tuscaloosa to take me to a UA Gymnastics meet. He got me good! I think the look on my face was "What?" It registered what was going on and I was pumped. I got to relive my younger days of trying to be Mary Lou Retton.

I tried to be a good wife and make Jeff a homemade birthday cake using my fancy Kitchen Aid mixer. His mom (Doris) had given me kitchen canisters for Christmas, of which I had not labeled. SO, his cake ended up with 2 cups of salt in it vs. sugar. Not so good. Luckily, I caught it before it baked for 45 minutes.

Since then Jeff has been playing with his new Chiminea and I am loving my can crusher. Romantic gift-givers we are! But we listen to what the other likes! I also have another surprise waiting but I won't find out about it until he gives me my Christmas present. Christmas morning he gave me a homemade gift certificate for a surprise weekend get away. Won't be long until I find out where he's taking me and what the rest of my birthday prize will be. He's excellent with surprises!

We hosted Jeff's graduate students in our home for dinner. Four of them drove over from MSU and enjoyed a day in Bham and came to our home. We had such fun hearing stories and enjoying getting to know them on a social level. Neat people! Most of them also traveled here for our wedding and that was encouraging. Graduation is around the corner for 3 of them. Won't be long now! Good time to take goodies to Dr. Carver, guys...:)

What a month...what's up in Feb?