My apologies...

It just occurred to me that I haven't posted to my blog in over a month (where does the time go??), so I thought I'd write a quick update. And you'll have to excuse the lack of photos...our Internet has been down for two weeks (feel free to fix it any day now, Armstrong Cable), so I'm jotting this down during a slow minute at work.

~ Our kitchen renovation is still coming along, but most of the big work is finally done - the cabinets are painted and we're waiting on Josh's contractor uncle to install the floor and countertops. Then I'll just have to worry about the trim (I'm thinking I'd rather replace the old stuff than paint what's there) and finding a cabinet to stash my cookbooks and TV in. It will be nice to be able to cook a meal without checking three different rooms to figure out where the hell I put the pots and pans!

~ Our overseas adventure is really taking shape and I can't even tell you how psyched I am. We booked our flights a few weeks ago and, despite saying that I refused to fly coach, I let Josh talk me into it. It does make sense though, for a variety of reasons: 1) we're flying Virgin Atlantic, and their planes are known for having nicer, more spacious seating; 2) they group their seats together in twos, so we don't have to worry about sharing our space with a third person; 3) it's going to save a ton of money; and 4) with said extra monies, we're going to go hog wild while we're over there. Josh, when he found out how much more it would be to fly premium economy, was actually pleading with me to take the less expensive route...he even resorted to bribery. "We'll even get room service while we're there" is a direct quote. How could I turn that down? That, and we'll need to rent a car for the time we're in Scotland, and I'm going to let him get the souped-up Audi that he was lusting after. So in my eyes, it'll totally be worth being slightly more cramped on the flights.

~ I'm finally going to get to see my "niece" and "nephew" this coming weekend when I visit Ang and Matt out in Pittsburgh. Last time I was out there, Ang was 8 months pregnant and now the babies are 5 months old, so it's definitely time to catch up! And my biological niece, Shelby, is even more adorable now that she's a few months old. It's a shame her mom won't bring her out to the good ole PA Dutch country for a visit with Auntie Colleen (ahem, Kristen!).

~ Speaking of babies, there's been an explosion of births in the last few weeks, which has me thinking again about the whole getting pregnant and expanding our family thing. More commentary to come on that one.

I've got more to rehash, but seeing as how it's taken me forever to write this much (seriously, who uses the library on a gorgeous spring afternoon?? C'mon people, go out and DO something!), I'll write another update soon, I promise.

A once-every-five-years gift

I need to send Josh away more often...the only time I ever get flowers is when we can't be together on a holiday. To put this in perspective, the last time was Valentine's Day 2003, when I was in London and he had a dozen red roses sent to my flat. And because I receive them so infrequently, I appreciate it that much more when I do get them. I still wish he was home this weekend, but it makes me all warm and fuzzy knowing that he's thinking of me. :-)

Ugh. This is depressing.

Toby wondering why on earth my car smells like horses
And I never did find my passenger-side mirror



Ugh...I'm sick just looking at these. I suppose it serves to illustrate the point that being a careful and defensive driver doesn't mean shit when other assholes aren't paying attention. Some old granny who shouldn't have been driving in the snow ran me off the road last week. It was Martin Luther King Day, when we had that freak snowstorm, and I was making my way slowly along, only a mile away from the big, plowed road, when she decided to just coast through her stop sign rather than stopping at it...which put her right in my path (I had the right-of-way). To keep from hitting her, I swerved, lost control and ended up in a ditch, having sideswiped an Amish farmer's fence. Do you think the old bat stopped? Of course not. She watched as I slid down the bank - I could see the shocked expression on her face, for Chrissake! - and kept right on driving. The cherry on top was when the Amish guy came rolling down the road in his tractor and I thought, "Oh thank goodness, he thought to bring the tractor to help get me out!" But what are the first words out of his mouth when he climbs out of the cab? "That's my fence. You planning on paying for it?" I was flabbergasted.

But it wasn't all bad...there were two Good Samaritans who stopped to help and one just happened to know my husband (I was never so grateful to be a part of the farming community as I was that day!). They got me pulled out of the ditch and I limped my car home. The bitch of it was, as soon as I crossed from Lancaster into York County, the snow stopped altogether. There was the tiniest dusting. How's that for my luck?

So now I'm holed up in my house, refusing to go out in this newest storm. Josh is in Vermont with our huge F-250, I'm left here with my rental, a brand-new Nissan Versa, and I'm not going to risk wrecking that one. I've never been so anxious for winter to be over!

Thank God for long weekends

I'm exhausted. I haven't been sleeping worth shit lately, thanks to my wonderful husband, who has taken to rolling over and facing me when he gets the urge to snore, with the result of waking me out of a sound sleep and forcing me to roll him back onto his side of the bed. Compound that with getting to bed later, waking up earlier, running at least four miles a day and drastically reducing my caloric intake because I'm tired of being a fatass, and what do you get? A very grumpy Colleen. Since I'm off tomorrow and it's going to be freaking cold outside, I'm sleeping in, make myself some scrumptous Cap'n Crunch French Toast for breakfast (I saw it on an episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives and I tell you what..."yum" doesn't even begin to cover it), and curl up on the couch with a few new movies I've been meaning to see. And I'm not planning on changing out of my pajamas either. I'll be thinking of all of you as you head out in the bitter cold to go to your various jobs and classes. ;-)

Please donate!

Consider making a donation in support of my half-marathon attempt. All proceeds benefit the University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center, definitely a worthy cause!

New year, new goal

So I slacked off a bit on running this holiday season. Oh, who am I kidding, I really slacked off. The last time I ran for any length of time was the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving. So much for being able to jog five miles easy...it looks like I'm back to Square One (or at least Square Two or Three). But there's no sense beating myself up about it and I've already started remedying the situation. I also have another goal that I'm shooting towards, which means that I can't take an entire month off again or else I won't be able to accomplish it. So, here it is...drumroll please...I've decided to run the inaugural Maryland Half-Marathon in May. Yikes! While I'd been intrigued by the idea when I first read about it a few weeks ago, it was the ladies at Charm City Run who made me believe that I can actually do it. We stopped by the store yesterday to get Josh outfitted with a new pair of running shoes (because, if I'm lucky and get my way, he'll be joining me as a fledgling runner sometime soon!) and the half-marathon came up during our conversation with them. I said that I was interested but didn't know if I was ready, and they both heartily contradicted me. It's not until May 31st, which gives me a little under five months to train. Plenty of time, they assured me. So...I'm gonna do it! More details to follow as I start on this journey of (*gulp*) running 13.1 miles!

"I think you may be a kindred spirit after all..."

"Psst...Carrots!"

When I signed on to host a "Christmas with Anne of Green Gables" program at my library, I knew it would bring back some childhood memories, but I had no idea that it would be like opening the floodgates. If you can believe it, I've never read the books...growing up, I was such a huge fan of the movies that I just knew I'd ruin the whole thing by reading them (which is so backwards, I know!). And since I didn't have enough time to go through Lucy Maud Montgomery's whole catalog before the program, I decided to revisit the movies for the first time in probably 15 years.



I can't even begin to explain how deeply Anne's character resonates with me. "My God," I thought as her story unfolded, "that's ME!" It was so like watching myself at that age that I had tears streaming down my face. Bookwormish, imaginative, melodramatic...that describes both me and Anne to a T. I can remember seeing the movies as a little girl, wanting so desperately to be just like her and knowing that I could never be that clever, brave, impetuous, beautiful. Even today, I wish I had more of her spunk and eloquence. And her story is so utterly romantic that my heart aches to think of it. To have such a handsome, intelligent, witty man pine for you the way Gilbert Blythe pines for her...even though my marriage and husband are both wonderful, I couldn't help but wish that I'd waited for a Gilbert of my own to come around.

There's a reason why "Anne of Green Gables" has remained in the public's consciousness for 100 years - it's a timeless, beautiful story, plain and simple. And one of these days, I might get around to finishing the books. :-)


One of my favorite scenes, when Anne's skiff sinks and Gilbert rescues her. The two come so tantalizing close to admitting their true feelings for one another.


I remember thinking that there was no more beautiful and elegant dress in the world than the one Anne wore when reciting "The Highwayman".