January Randomness

It is cold. Very cold. And dreary. These are the days that make it seem as if winter will never end. Soup, coffee and hot tea have been my friend.

It's more fun to come home from vacation when you have kids. I missed them more than I would have thought. We had an excellent free day at home on Monday. We tye-dyed shirts, played Play-Doh and just hung out together.

I read three books on vacation. Now, my motivation to read is completely gone. Tom wants me to read "Great By Choice" and I'm having a hard time getting started. I also have a book club book in the line up that I need to get started. I've been spoiled by my fun vacation reading and anything more serious just seems... More serious. :)

Tom has major knee surgery - ACL reconstruction - on Friday. Neither of us are exactly sure what to expect. The whole process is reminding me of the last week of my pregnancies when I freak out that I can't plan for it. I'm afraid he's going to be in a lot of pain and I've never seen him like that. And, since its his right leg, there will be no driving for him for at least two weeks. That will be an interesting twist to our already busy schedule. Silver lining in the whole thing is that we will be forced to slow down a little. I see movies in his future and more cuddles on the couch with the kiddos.

In my free time since coming home, I've been very busy working on three Rotary projects. The first is coming up on Saturday. We are co-hosting an Italian dinner at our house for eight people that was purchased at the Gift of Life auction last year. This will be the day after Tom's surgery so I am so happy to have two wonderful, helpful cohorts and fellow club members taking on most of the hard work. It's coming together and I know it be a super fun evening.

The next big Rotary event is our Gift of Life auction is in February. I've been working on collecting auction items. It's our club's biggest fundraiser and a fun night to boot. It's the one time of year I get to dress up in a fancy dress and I look forward to it. Last year, I bought two dresses and said I would take one back. Guess what? I never did so I have a new dress for this year!!!

Finally, Wine to Water is just around the corner after that. This is a super fun event that raises money for fresh water wells in Sierra Leone. We bring in wineries and breweries for tastings plus have a band, tons of food and a silent auction. This year, we've got two vendors already signed up. One is new for us and one we've been hoping for since we started - Sunking Brewery. It's a personal favorite and I'm stoked they are coming! This is our fourth year for the event and we will likely break the $25,000 mark for money raised for fresh water.

So that's what happening at home during this frigid January!