Happy Hanukkah!

Hello.

I have been negligent in my postings for lack of Internet and well, because there has been a lot going on.

My holiday was lovely and full of wonderful people, as Dan and I were in Chicago with his family and friends. I met Alice for the first time, after hearing plenty of stories of her from Linda, who has been her friend for sometime. Linda also took me to Andersonville, a portion of Chicago I'd never been to before. The shops were fun and the cafe where we had lunch is just the type of place I'm excited to take my mom or my sister if/WHEN they visit me.

Ben Saller turned 27 on the weekend, and he is such a warm hearted person that it was no surprise there were loads of people in his house for his celebration. Near the end, there was a spontaneous walk to to a taco joint a few blocks away. Warm Mexican food at 2am with friends is such a wonderful thing. While we were waiting for our food to be done, we were serenaded by about 20 people singing karaoke in Spanish.

Dan is back in Carbondale going through his finals. I have most of my things moved up, but there will still be a truck load with Dan's things. There is already stuff all over for lack of storage. It will be interesting to get his things in as well.

I'm on the job hunt still here in Bloomington. In the mean time, I'm working part time at Barnes and Noble and sewing all sorts of projects that need to be done for people before Christmas. I'm busy. Word has come back that the Alaska job is a no go. They found someone who will be a better fit for them, possibly one who didn't say openly in the interview that she wants to open a coffee shop with in the next five years. I don't regret being honest. And really, I am happy to not have to make the choice to leave or stay. There is always the fun of working in the summer there. And really, that isn't a bad option.

I hope to have pictures soon, I haven't been carrying my camera in Blono and I don't usually remember to bring it when I come to a cafe for internet. Sorry! I'll try harder! You can see the chaos of my place with the cats and fabric all over.

And tonight marks the beginning of Hanukkah. I hope you are all with loved ones.

Kristy ran!

Kristy ran the Chicago Marathon! Yay Kristy!

Dan and I went up to Chicago to cheer her on this past weekend, and Chicago put on a good show. The weather was warm, the breeze came out, and most were in good spirits.

We drove through Champaign and made a jam drop at my brother's. Six huge jars of Ciara's homemade jam from the stock pile at dad's house to his. "How long with this last you Miah?" "Six jars? Probably six weeks." My brother loves jam.

My weekend was rounded out with a trip to my favorite fabric shop - The Needle Shop - and a special treat of meeting Alice, Gus's sister and Dan's aunt. I happen to think aunts are pretty cool, being one myself, and Alice was no exception. She is a wonderful story teller, and hearing about how she met her husband on a 2 week long steam ship voyage from New York to Athens was both hilarious and a trip through time.

There was a lot of fun crammed into the weekend, so I'm tired today. I got sun burnt while cheering Kristy on (ironic as she was running to raise money for skin cancer research), and for some reason my body hasn't liked the weather since leaving Juneau. I can't seem to drink enough water, and lotion just gets sucked into my skin. I'm hoping everything calms down. Or it rains. Both would be preferred.