Catching My Breath

So many things have happened since I last wrote a journal entry here that I hardly know where to begin. A.J. turned 3 on November 18, 2005, and had a fancy birthday party with lots of relatives and friends. In December 2005 we traveled to the Hampton Roads/Newport News/Williamburg area to celebrate my husband's birthday and Christmas. During that time period I caught the flu then developed a serious throat abscess that made it painful to swallow anything -- even water. Fortunately, with the help of some skilled doctors, I recovered in time to enjoy Christmas.

At the beginning of January, Chris, A.J., and I took a trip that I've been wanting to take for almost five years: we visited my brother Erick in Carlsbad, California for a week. I finally saw Erick's condominium and some of his favorite restaurants, and we finally had time to socialize at length. During the week we were in California, the four of us mostly played tourist -- seeing the San Diego Zoo, the USS Midway, Seaport Village, Legoland, the Hyatt Hotel, an antique shop, the Hosp Nature Preserve, a beach on the Pacific Ocean, and some migrating gray whales -- and visited an aunt and uncle who also live in Carlsbad. I also tried making a home-cooked meal one night in our hotel kitchenette. This proved to be a significant challenge since the temperature control on the oven was broken; I ended up burning a batch of crescent rolls but I did manage to cook some chicken and broccoli successfully. All in all it was a fun trip. Even the plane ride back to the D.C. area was pleasant for Chris, A.J. and me, as my father had managed to upgrade our seats to first class!

During the latter part of January we participated in a Super Bowl party and two potluck parties and celebrated Chinese New Year with my family. In February we attended a birthday party for the son of some friends, attended a co-worker's housewarming party, and saw a performance of Clifford: The Musical at the Warner Theatre. Next weekend we are planning to get together with several friends and family members who are members of a football pool and incidentally celebrate two of the football pool members' birthdays. No one can say we don't have an active social life!