My little brother is 20 [17 Feb 2007] [ time started | 8:41 p.m. ] [ song playing | Stars - Les Mis TAC ] Another week down - just two more weeks of work left! I have officially given my notice at work, which is exciting and a little scary. In two weeks I'll be unemployed! However, I applied for a job on Friday that sounds great, and there's been lots more that are kinda interesting. I still don't have a British National Insurance Number (can't get that till I get there), and they're asking for it on all the application forms, so I had to try to explain my situation - hopefully it made sense! Today Todd gave me my Valentine's present, which is...new luggage! Yay! I've had my suitcases FOREVER (well, since 1993, which is pretty close to forever), so it's great to finally get some new ones. You can see the ones I got here. I got the blue instead of the black, 'cause everybody has black, and you never know which bags are yours. That was the good thing about my old luggage - it was hot pink, and we never had to guess which one it was! We also went to Staples and I got some business type stuff that I wanted to help me try to look professional in my job interviews. I haven't had a job interview in SO long, I'm pretty nervous about it. Hopefully I won't have to do too many of them. We've had quite a bit of snow this week, and wouldn't you know it, I managed to go over on my ankle last weekend and it's been sore ever since, which makes walking on the slippery sidewalks less than enjoyable. However, I just found out that there is an outdoor skating rink two blocks from my house, so I might give the skates another try and see how my feet hold up. I talked to my nephew on the phone today, he is just too cute! He's 22 months old now, so he's talking a bit, and LOVES the phone. I talked to him for about five minutes, and then my mom asked for the phone back - he said "No! Stacy!" and ran away. What a sweetie. :-) I had actually phoned home to speak to my brother, who turned 20 today. I can't believe my little brother is 20...we are all getting old! The next two weeks should be pretty busy, I have several different going-away events that my wonderful friends are throwing for me. The big one is next Saturday night, but there's also some dinners and stuff that should be very nice. This week is Todd's reading week, so he's going to take me out for lunch on Tuesday, which is fun. Other than that, I will be busy with all the last-minute trip preparations. Now that I have the luggage, I can start the packing process. It is going to be very difficult, I'm not looking forward to it. How do you pack for a year in two suitcases?? Alright, that's enough babbling for now. I am in the middle of a puzzle that I want to finish. Yup, it's another exciting Saturday night for Todd and Stacy. :-) 17 days until London!! [ time finished | 8:55 p.m. ] [ song playing | Music of Heaven - Jason Robert Brown ]

Happy Valentine's Day! [11 Feb 2007] [ time started | 12:16 p.m. ] [ song playing | Home for a Rest - Spirit of the West ] So, February is just about half over - things seem to be speeding up as we get closer to my departure date. I haven't started packing, exactly, but I have started a pile of things that will eventually need to be packed. I also sorted out everything with my insurance, so that is all taken care of. Now I just need to save every penny I can lay my hands on between now and the 6th. Last weekend Todd and I went for a nice romantice dinner at a restaurant called 5th Elementt. They were having a promotion, so we decided to give it a try, and it was really nice! I had salmon-wrapped scallops, an excellent lamb shank, and creme brulee for dessert. Yum! The next night we had Todd's cousin and friend over for dinner and some board games. This weekend, we went out Friday night for dinner at Mandarin with Zorana. I am sure going to miss those Mandarin meals. :-) Today is actually the 18-month anniversary of our first date, and I was hoping to go to the coffee shop where that date took place, but unfortunately it isn't open on Sundays. So we'll have to figure out something else to celebrate. We did exchange Valentine's gifts early, since I am very impatient. :-) Here is what we exchanged - Todd gave me a miniature rose plant (he doesn't like getting regular cut flowers, 'cause they die too quickly), and some Ben & Jerry's ice cream. He was also going to get us Phantom tickets to go before I leave, but it looks like they're sold out, so we'll have to come up with something else. I gave him a webcam so that we can see each other while we are talking when I am away (I got one when I got my new laptop). It's also so I can keep an eye on my Tiger, make sure he's being taken care of. :-) Work is busy, trying to get everything tied up. They are interviewing for my position next week, so hopefully it won't be long after that before I can start going over things with my replacement. I've spent a fair bit of time over the past few weeks working on the website for a group that Susan volunteers with. They were looking to redesign their site, so Susan recommended me, which was very nice of her! The finished site is up now - take a look: 10,000 Trees The most exciting news of the past two weeks, however, is that my mom has booked her flight to come and stay with me in the summer! She is coming for 8 full weeks, and we plan to see tons of Britain and Europe in general. My youngest sister is also coming with her for the first two weeks, but she hasn't booked the flight yet. Anyway, Todd should be home from church soon, so I'll wrap this up. Hope you all have a nice Valentine's Day, cheesy as it is. :-) [ time finished | 12:47 p.m. ] [ song playing | The Sound of your Voice - Barenaked Ladies ]