Still alive

So we have been poked, virtually speaking, by various people wanting to know if we are still among the living. The answer is a resounding yes, but unfortunately we have been keeping such a hectic schedule lately that it leaves little time for either of us to blog. I am also hampered by a new "acceptable use" internet policy at work, which is where I did the majority of my blogging (hence the need for an "acceptable use" policy -- fear not, I see the irony). So I need to blog from home, but this is the first evening I've had at home with nothing to do in weeks.

Since last we spoke, Serdic and I have, separately and collectively:

-- hosted a 40th birthday party for my dear friend D (who is in no small way responsible for Serdic and I finding each other again, as she told me about plentyoffish.com)
-- decorated the apartment for Christmas -- I will try to get some pictures up this weekend, but rest assured it looks awesome, and we really enjoyed putting the tree up together for the first time
-- had a 10 month anniversary dinner at a fabulous restaurant (called Isaac's -- unfortunately they have no website) where I had what I would rate one of the top five dinners out (beef tenderloin in a balsamic cream reduction, roasted potatoes and veggies) of my life -- Serdic made all the arrangements and would tell me nothing more than "dress up" and "our reservation is at 8," which made the anticipation of the evening that much more enjoyable, and the final result did not disappoint (not that I was worried it would!)
-- attended a wonderful Christmas party hosted by my sister, Doc, and her husband, Numbers (I'm trying out new nicknames, but I'm not sure these will stick), which meant meeting some cool new people and getting into the Christmas spirit. It was nice for me to meet some of my sister and brother-in-law's friends and colleagues, and put some faces to the names I hear so often
-- hosted game night, which was a new experience for me, although my role consisted mostly of serving some kick ass garlic bread (if I do say so myself) and then staying the hell out of the way
-- been snowed in (neither of us worked on Monday, as I knew I wouldn't be able to get to work on the bus and Serdic was not sure it was safe for him to be driving either, so we had a snuggle at home day instead -- "I'm going back to bed, are you coming?" are some of the sweetest words in the English language)
-- had more than one hellish commute this week, not related to the weather but related to the stupidity of both companies that provide public transit to the "National Capital Region" -- those rants are pretty much a blog entry in and of themselves, so perhaps that will be elaborated on later in the weekend
-- lost my good winter hat, the only hat I have ever owned that looked (dare I say it?) cute on me, during one of the aforementioned hellish commutes. Serdic and I are going to go to the STO headquarters tomorrow to see if it has turned up in their lost and found, but I do not hold out great hope. Sigh. I loved that hat.
-- cursed the snow that has fallen EVERY FREAKING DAY for the last two weeks. I love snow, I love Christmas, snow gets me into the Christmas mood, but we passed "too much of a good thing" about five days ago. Enough already.

Add to that the usual weekly rounds of choir rehearsals, chores, work, and all the rest, and you find me one busy beaver. And the rest of the month will just get crazier. Four more parties, I'm singing in two concerts (concert pimping to follow in separate post), Christmas lunches at work, trying to get my shopping finished (Doc and I have a blitz planned for Sunday -- I pretty much know what I'm getting for everyone, I just have to track everything down) ... the list feels endless. However, I'm really looking forward to everything, and this is my favourite time of year. I'm also really looking forward to getting home and spending some good quality time with my family. I am very blessed to be able to see time with my family as one of the highlights of the holiday season, not one of the reasons to dread it, and I fully intend to celebrate every minute of that. Plus this is my first Christmas with Serdic. I can't wait.

The heavens ring, while the angels sing
Peace on earth and goodwill to men
They are singing of God's gift of love
It is Christmas in Bethlehem