Winter Blahs

Today is our fourth snow day in two weeks. Phew. The first one was a ton of fun seeing as our school hadn't called off since the winter of 2009, and I went all of last winter without a blessed snowday. That ended up shortening my summer considerably, which was nice indeed, but now I find myself praying for clear skies as the East coast continues to be pounded with these storms. I could post pictures but it all looks the same as my blizzard post - white. Ugh. The higher the snowbanks get, the more winter is seeming to drag on.

I started off this morning with a phone call to my mom (who else would I call that early!?) and she was griping about my lack of blogging. Honestly, there's not much going on. We're hunkered down for the winter, catching up on 'Entourage' and finishing 'The Wire.' Chris is studying for CFA level 2 in June and I'm doing some professional development online. It's a quiet existence but there are a few things that keep us going:

1) The dog. She is always a force of nature and has become my constant companion. Recently she's forgotten how to fetch, and re-teaching her has been difficult. It seems like she only remembers when she feels like it.
2) Saving money. We're working hard to cut down on expenses to save up for summer projects. We're hoping to have the shed demolished and the new laundry room built, for real, this year. Along with that would come a new small deck and a large backyard patio (with fire pit!). Chris is also discussing a retaining wall to hold back some of our jungle foliage but we'll see how that goes. These dreams of spring and summer lounging outdoors really help us get through these dark and cold days!
3) Harrow's Chicken Pies. We have a maximum of 2 per month. If you've had one, you know why we have to set a limit. They are the most perfect food! And great 'sit in front of the TV and watch The Wire' food.
4) Speaking of 'The Wire'...a friend of mine from school reccomended we start watching this HBO series through Netflix and we are completely hooked. The acting is phenomenal and the characters are real and memorable. We discuss naming another dog 'McNulty' or 'Bode Braudis' from time to time...
5) We joined a new gym - LA Fitness. You would think that our nightmarish experience with Bally Total Fitness would have turned us away from the evils of Big Corportate Gyms but apparently we learned nothing. Our year with Planet Fitness left us fat and grumpy, so we decided to 'check out' LA Fitness. All the guy had to do was show us the pool - the bright, clean, sparkling, EMPTY pool - and we were sold. I go more often now that Chris is studying but we both really it so far.

Other than that, it's a quiet life and all is well...sorry to post the monotony, Mom, but you asked for it! :)