So busy!

Life has been a little crazy lately, I admit. Last week it seemed like we had something going on every night. On top of that I've been doing a little stint of long-term subbing. Altogether I'll have been in the same classroom for a week and a half. And believe me--that's PLENTY. I'm not sure I want to do any more long-term subbing. It's really stressful and I really hate that feeling of dread when I get up in the morning, not wanting to go to work!

Our choir sang at Stake Conference this past Sunday. I was really impressed with how the songs came together. One song we had already sung a couple of months ago and it was super easy. The other song was a medley of "The First Noel" and "Jesus, Once of Humble Birth". It is such a beautiful song. If you have never heard it you should really look it up. It has become my favorite Christmas song. We ended up with nearly 35 people singing in the choir and I think we had some angels too! I thought that is sounded beautiful and several people commented on how good it sounded too. I'm really having a lot of fun with this calling as ward choir director.

After gaining 15 pounds in the last (ahem) 4 months, (what about that newleywed 19???) I decided to finally join a gym a week and a half ago. I decided working out at the gym was no longer a budget luxury, it was a budget necessity! We have an LA Fitness just down the street from us but when I went there a month ago, I wasn't ready to pay $45/month plus the registration fee. But after going around to some other places and finding myself less than impressed, I went back to the LA Fitness and discovered they were running a deal for $30/month plus a registration fee. "Sign me up," I said!! So I've been going pretty regularly for the last week and a half and I'm really enjoying it. It's a kind-of "me" time when I get to take time just for myself. As much as I can, I try to get some treadmill/bike/elliptical and also get some swimming in. Then if I have a couple of extra minutes I get in the hot tub! It's really relaxing most days and I like the feeling that at least I'm not getting any fatter!

I'm getting veeeerrrry excited for Christmas, not for presents, but for seeing my family! My sister and her husband are flying in from Las Vegas with their little munchkin next week and they're staying until Christmas Eve. My parents and brothers from NY come in a week from Saturday and so we'll have the whole family together for the first time in over 2 years. My sister and her husband have not met Ben yet so that will be fun! I still don't really have Christmas decorations up in our apartment--not because I don't have time or desire, but we really don't have a budget for extra Christmas decorations this year. Oh well. I plug in my tree as much as I can and enjoy that!

We went to Ben's holiday work party last Friday. Ben works for a member of the church and it's a really great working environment with great people, both members and non-members. We had a catered dinner from one of my favorite Tex-Mex restaurants out here. I ended up saving the secretary's life with the Heimlich maneuver. She was choking on a chip and as inadequate as I felt, I was the closest person around and she was looking at me for help so I just set my plate down and grabbed her around the middle! After only 2 thrusts she could breathe again. I am grateful for the first aid training that I had a year and a half ago, and I'm also grateful that the chip probably wasn't stuck very far down!

They gave all the employees generous gift cards, and we got one for Best Buy so we went and bought another guitar for our Rock Band so we can have 4 people playing it. We figured with Christmas coming up and things that we could have some fun with that. And we're hoping to make some closer friendships with some of the other young couples in the ward. For some reason people's busy lives always seem to get in the way of get-togethers, but we'll figure it out somehow. Well, I've got bread in the oven and dishes to do. A woman's work is never done ... A revoir (or however that goes)!!