What's up with me.

I feel like I've neglected this blog to some degree. I really don't have much explanation for that besides the fact that I haven't really felt like myself for a while now. But some stuff has been happening, so...

• Had an awesome weekend this past one. Bryan's new position (since the fall) has allowed him to actually have a few days off during outage season, as opposed to the past 7 years where he was lucky to have even *one* day off between the beginning of March and the beginning of May. We did a lot of hanging out snuggling on the couch, went shopping (although I think we didn't buy ANYTHING now that I think about it), had dinner out, went to see Tracy Morgan at the National, went to Monument Ave. Easter on Parade, saw my friend Kim... I hate to sound cheesy, but I really love spending time with that man. I mean, I love HIM, period, but we have so much fun together and I'm still grateful and surprised on a daily basis that I was lucky enough to snag him as my husband. :)
• So the shopping... the time has come for me to get a new vehicle. Sabine, my 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse, has served me well, but she seems to be approaching her last leg. Also, when we eventually start a family, there is no way in hell I'll be heaving a car seat in and out of THAT tiny little thing, so I need to upsize. We went out Saturday afternoon to browse and see what exactly I *want,* since there are so many different options! I like the crossover SUVs and the small SUVs, so that's what we looked at. I think we have decided what I'm getting, but now we're stalking ebay and Craigslist like fiends until we can pounce on an awesome deal. I'll keep you updated. :)
• I think a lot of you who read this know this, but for those of you who don't, we've been trying to get pregnant for quite a while now. Luckily for me, I know quite a few women who have struggled with the same problem, so I know I'm not alone, but it's been hard. I haven't wanted to talk about it too much for fear of jinxing us, but since we seem to be jinxed anyway, screw it. I'm not going to get into it too deeply right now, but that's why I haven't been myself. I'm used to setting my mind to something and being able to achieve it, so this trying to conceive (and NOT) business is foreign territory in a lot of ways for me. I reached a low point a couple weeks ago where I decided that I was going to stop putting my life on hold in anticipation of the enormous changes that come with becoming a parent and do the things I (we) want to do. And that decision has made a dramatic change in my mood. Yay for coming out of a slump, even if just for a while!
• Although, I must admit, there's one thing in particular that has done wonders for my state of mind. I said we decided to stop putting things on hold, and one of those things is our next big trip. My boss was the one who said to me after we didn't get pregnant last month: JUST BOOK IT. Well, since she's a smart lady (and a doctor), we took her advice. And... WE'RE GOING TO SOUTH AFRICA!! WOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!! Yes, y'all, for two weeks in June we'll be trekking across South Africa in a six-passenger van, going on safari, checking out the beaches, seeing ELEPHANTS! (my favorite), ostriches, whales, penguins, riding a train... I mean, people, this is a trip of a lifetime. We've been talking about doing this sort of trip before we have kids, meaning going to some continent that we will likely not have the money to take our whole family to, and we finally picked a place and a time and we booked it. More details later... :)
• Finally, I'm headed to Memphis this afternoon! My old boss from the Arthritis Foundation contacted me a couple weeks ago and told me that a pharmaceutical company was looking for people my age with rheumatoid arthritis for a focus group they were doing in Memphis. I told her I was definitely interested, and after a couple phone calls with the company, I was booking a flight! The drug company is footing the bill for all of my travel expenses, and in return I have to sit in a room all day tomorrow and give them my opinion. If you know me, you know this kind of thing is right up my alley. :) Plus, I've never been to Memphis, so I'm excited about that. The only bad thing is that I don't think I'm going to have a chance to see Graceland, because it's closed when I actually have free time. And that is about as tragic as Elvis's death, you know?