Tis the Season

It's that time of year again...the time of year to make absolutely delicious cookies. John picked some chocolate malt cookie sandwiches from a Martha Stuart cookbook--a recipe completely above my baking skill level, but that ended up tasting rather good.
We had some unexpected visitors yesterday. Brad and Lyndsay were on their way up to Bath,

Michigan when the oh-so-terrible weather caused them to stop off the road right at our apartment! After playing a little poker, eating half a dozen cookies, pizza, and burgers, they decided to spend the night. The weather was just pissing everyone off. Three degrees....and that's when John's car decides to not start. So I was stranded at the grocery store for about two hours while we tried to figure out how to jump a car in 30-mile-per-hour wind. Blech. John was sweet coming to my rescue though. My hero. Swoon.

We are now taking my car to Aurora tomorrow to go to his grandma's house for a couple days. Thankfully, I talked him into getting a hotel room instead of sleeping on the floor with his 40 other relatives. (I am not exaggerating the number.) But he's a good sport with my 50,000 family members, so I can't complain. He has one of those great red-headed grandma's who you can tell raised hell her entire life. Fabulous. She flies planes, hates Democrats and Mexicans, and swears more than Walter from the Big Lebowski. Basically, she's the female version of Kerry's father...but with hair.

Other exciting news, though not holiday related, John and I have officially filled out the global placement application form for him at Whirlool. This means that, if selected, we could end up in Istanbul, Hong Kong, Slavokia, Melbourne, Milan, anywhere! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Hong Kong, but I'll take anything. It's only a six-month placement, so we'll be back in no time. Keep your fingers crossed though, and I'll promise to buy you a present if we go. I've always wanted to live outside the country, and I thought that was something I'd given up for good. I also thought I'd never get the opportunity to return to school, but I found out this last week that my company offers reimbursement for college classes! I'm already looking into Masters programs. Hopefully I can find something online because the closest campus is an hour from here. I'll do what I have to though, I suppose. So many things changing. Changing. Changing. Exciting, yes?

I suppose that's the update.

Falling Behind

Last month, another NaNoWriMo session passed. I didn't write a single creative word over the 30-day span. 2,300 words per day is daunting task and more than some professionals churn out in a work week. No matter what I say, however, I can't deny that it stung just a little to see an old acquaintance finish with no problems at all. Hopefully, I can take that bitterness and turn it into production!
A new year is just around the corner, and I am exactly the kind of sap who makes New Years resolutions. For 2009, my resolutions are as follows:

1. Write a minimum of 200 creative words per day.
2. Read a minimum of 25 books in the year.
3. Maintain a healthier lifestyle.

Now, I know number 3 appears on every delightfully chunky person's list, but this isn't necessarily a weight loss goal. Visiting the gym four times a week and not keeping M&Ms at my desk shouldn't kill me...I hope.