Wayne and Rebecca Madsen

We prepared during the first half of the week.

Early in the week, I tied up the last loose ends at school, and here's to hoping that next semester will be the last. Even now the weight and pressure of job hunting rests on my mind as painfully as my sinuses. But this is what the holiday break is for.

After packing on Tuesday, we spent most of Wednesday in airplanes. Thankfully, Paela was a little angel during both legs of the trip. She even became friends with the college student sitting next to her for the 5 hour leg, constantly offering him slobber-covered toys and half eaten crackers. While I anticipated a melt-down due to the lack of mobility, Paela was a trooper for the trip even though she was only able to walk around the crowded plane for a bit near the end of the trip due to turbulence during most of the trip.

Since arriving at my parent's house, we've dealt with massive amounts of snow, which Paela isn't too keen on. She giggled at the daddy-drawn sled ride, but walking in the snow is not her favorite activity. Now that we have put the kid in snow, I say it is time to warm up around here.

We visited with some old friends of mine and read books while Paela played with her grandparents. While walking around, we came across a home being sold for 177K and mourned the lack of reasonably priced homes where we live.

And the allergies to a new area (and cats) cause all sorts of holiday sinus pressures.