Hiya!

Hello!

Oh, where does time go?
Two weeks ago I was in Spain having dinner with my long-time friends. As much as I enjoy the anonimity of living in a place where not many people know much about me, it is such a wonderful feeling to get together with people that know you - almost instictively - and go down memory lane.
I remind my friends in Spain to cherish the fact that they have each other nearby. I say the same to you, wherever you are - if you have good ol' friends that you've known forever nearby, reach out to them. So sometimes it's hard to make that first call because it's been way too long.. so what? There is something so great about sitting down over a brewsky with someone that knows what you were like when you were 16. Truth is, we may have more wisdom, more inhibitions, and more baggage, but in essence we are the same. :-)
So at the tender age of 36, I'm finally at peace with that!
So, you may wonder how many pairs of shoes I came back from Spain with (bad sentence!).. ummmmmm... 7 pairs of shoes/boots for Sofia + 3 pairs of house slippers for her; 2 pairs for me (two pairs of boots - one pair of awesome riding boots, one pair of fucsia shitkickers - gotta see them!), 1 pair for Angie, one pair for Andy.
I did NOT pay for all of them! Sofia got 3 pairs of slippers, 3 pairs of shoes as gifts. I point that out so you don't think I'm extravagant! :-)

Our friends Brent and Steph (originally from KY, residents of Austin, TX by way of Minneapolis and Providence, RI) were supposed to be here this weekend. Unfortunately, Steph's dad is in the hospital so they obviously have postponed their trip. Please send some prayers or good karma over their way.
We hope that they will be able to make it this summer when the weather is nice and the pool is so inviting!! Can't wait!!

I've had a super busy week. I spent 50+ hours of employers time studying for the Series 7 securities exam, which I'll be taking the last week of April. I have a full schedule of studying ahead of me until the end of April. Andy and I were invited to dinner by one of the Edward Jones partners this past Tuesday. It was a dinner to welcome me to the company, with four other couples besides us. It was enjoyable. What a great company!! They have a huge initiative to hire women, so if you know of anyone that may be intrigued at all about what being a financial advisor is all about, let me know. Michelle????

Andy has been busy doing things around the house - replaced toilet, bathroom faucets last weekend. He is - as always - being awesome about being primary parent when I have to study. What a guy!! :-) I did know this about him when I married him :-)
He'll be turning 41 on March 15th, which we may be celebrating in my parents' new kitchen. New kitchen - btw - out of necessity, as mom created a small kitchen fire that forced a complete kitchen remodel. Parents are ok and house - apparently - is cleaner than ever. This should serve to a reminder to us all to make sure that we are insured to the level we should be, that we have some baking soda near (but not-too-near) the stove, and that the fire extinguisher is not so close to the stove that the handle will melt if it burns (yeah, ask my dad about that!).

ok, so that's it for now.. hubby and I are watching a movie together tonight. OMG - how long has it been??!! :-) million years?

Be good to each other. hug your loved ones. drop us a line. know that we're thinking about you... and, if you are reading this, leave a comment (see bottom of post) so that I know you were here!!

ps. I'll try and post pictures soon!

peace & sunshine,
Mary