Nature took a shower.

Last night, I slept with the Rain. Its patter beating an open window and cool breath tickling my nose. I had the most peaceful sleep of these weeks past. Although, husband was not here, and the bed is not my own, I was still calm. I did not wake to use the restroom or toss and turn in search of comfort. I just slept.

Yet, once again... I find myself missing husband. Longing for his weight opposite my side. Dreaming of his heavy breath at my back... or in my face. It is a sweeter sort of missing. For he is not 7,000 something miles away... only 600. Still in the same state... still in my calling network. I can pester him all day with questions, I love yous, or just listen to him breath as he watches TV. Or, as I have done, I can imagine him in his habitat... OUR habitat... searching for something easy to eat, playing with Zora, or just reading... in OUR bed. Although, I'd rather be home, this feeling of sweet longing is just fine for now.

In the daylight, as I close the window, the remains of last night's water still lay on the seal, resisting overwash by today's continuing downpour.

Time doesn't fly... it travels at mach 3.

Hello everyone... I've been gone. I know... forever. I'm sure all two of you are very disappointed. Anyway... The past month has been more than hectic. Where shall I begin my story? I'll start with Dec. 19... the last night I spent at home, comfortable.

Matthew and I left home Dec. 20 for Austin. We stayed at my friend's house... for this sake, we'll call her "E". We left our loving puppy, Zora, in her stead. The next morning we got on a plane and headed for Maryland. The weather was mild, and the company was good. We stayed mostly with K, Matt's mommy. Christmas was pleasant, and the gifts were generous. (Matt gave me an iPod Nano 8G... woo hoo). Jessica made a wonderful dinner of Cornish game hens, sweet potatoes (as well as regular potatoes), bread, green beans, and caramel pie. I don't have any pictures of this yet... I forgot my camera. Curses.

Matt got a gift card for Nike+ shoes, and the kit. For those of you unfamiliar with Nike+... Here's a quick breakdown.
You need: Nike+ shoes, Nike+ iPod kit, and an iPod nano.
How it works: A microchip transmitter goes underneath the sole of your Nike+ shoe (it's got a special cut out for it), and the receiver goes into the bottom of your iPod nano... this tracks your running or walking pace, distance, and time. At the end of your workout you can load your info up to nikeplus.com, and basically keep a running log without really having to do anything except run. It's pretty cool. I've got the same set up.

Hopefully, this will improve my running speed, and efficiency.

Well... while we were in Maryland, we decided to visit the capitol, Annapolis (you know the movie with the extra hottie)... anyway, we went to the capitol building:

MattHere's the back of the Capitol.I'm there.... look closer.... no, closer!
And here's their pretty Christmas Tree.And, we spent some time overlooking the Chesapeake Bay:
Matt again
And me.Then, we visited the Naval Academy... it was pretty cool. Here are a few pictures:
A giant anchor.
A sunset over a football field (one of many).
Me on the campus.

So, that brings us up to Dec. 29... We are headed for Minnesota now!

First, our original flight out of Baltimore was canceled... and we rerouted. We had only 50 minutes to make the 30 minute drive to the airport, and deal with a rude counter person, get through security, and to our plane. Luckily, we made it just in time. We flew on one of those planes that only has two seats on one side, and one on the other... the whole way to Minneapolis. Scary. It was cool though. We made it okay.

We stayed in Minneapolis that night, and headed for Hastings, MN, for the annual McGraw Holiday Party. The theme was "Red, White, and Blue" in honor of several of Matt's uncles serving in the Armed Forces, and Matt's return home to the states. Here are a few pictures from that (Matt has a huge family... his Dad is one of 12).

Uncle Greg and Matthew.
Uncle Mick and me, and Uncle Marc in the back.
Cousin Danny, Uncle Mick, Aunt Marj, and Emily (Danny's to-be bride).
Many of the aunts.
I look drunk... but I'm really not.
Conga line with some aunts and second cousins.
Some uncles and one cousinn.
So, I was drinking a little.
Aunt Katy and Matthew.

So, that's all the pictures I have of that. The next day we drove down to Mankato, MN. It was snowing like crazy. That night Mankato got 10 inches of snow. It was crazy! Here are a few pictures from the drive:

We spent one day sledding, and many other days relaxing. One day I was really sick, and didn't leave the house... or bed for that matter. But, all in all it was fun. Here are some pictures:

My borrowed snow get-up.

Being silly.

Being sillier.

Being silliest.

Pretty half-frozen pond.

Hey, the clothes aren't all mine, alright?

Here I go...

There I went... eating snow.

Matt, face first... brave.

Some of my camera work.

More.

Me and Matthew with a frozen lake behind us.Here are some more pictures from family gatherings.
Me and Blake. He loved me. Matt was jealous. I was planning on keeping track of how many times someone asked, "Are you pregnant?" or "When are you two having kids?"

Us and Grandpa, the icon of the family.
Uncle Steve, Matt, and Grandpa.
Blake.

After this... we headed home... where our luck began. We arrived home to an anxious dog, and a flat tire. We spent two hours waiting for our flat to be fixed; we had a nail in the tire. We then, drove to the kennel to drop off our doggie... poor baby, and then made the rest of the way home to our house. We spent one night at home, and drove to El Paso to see my mom, grandparents, and my sister and her family. This would be great... if I hadn't broke a tooth.

Then, the day after we got here, we were rear-ended. The bumper is smashed, and muffler beyond repair. We never saw the guy who hit us... it was rush hour traffic, and he/she/it rushed away. So, Matt made his way home this past Saturday (sort of... it took him 12 hours), and I'm still in El Paso, waiting for our car to be repaired so I can drive home... alone.

Now, with my tooth... apparently... it was already weak, and needed a root canal, which I got yesterday. I'm just stuck here. I'm drying out because it's so darn dry here.

But, that's the end... Anyway, I'll catch up on your blogs just as soon as I can.

Have a lovely week!