I have PVNS: Bowling, The elliptical, and the tolls...oh.. and winter boots!

I forget that other people don't have vacation when I am on vacation.. so this week... has felt like the weekend... Here are some random things...

Since getting back from the lake...letting myself decompress... I have been enjoying things. I got to see Sal on Thursday. After a short shift at the tolls I met up with him for an evening of fun. We went to the bowling alley (Big Balls Bowling!) we had gone to in October when he was here (where I kicked his butt!) and had hoped to bowl, but there was a two hour wait for an alley. So we walked up to a beautiful restaurant and had some food and drinks. It was a lot of fun to just sit with him. He knows me so well and we can go from one topic to another so easily. We really appreciate each other and the relationship we have developed over the years. I haven't shared much about him here, but he pops up on the blog from time to time... We laugh a lot together... and I feel so safe with him, always have. It doesn't matter if we are in Portland or in NYC, I trust him always... After a couple of hours we decided to walk back to the bowling alley and there was a lane available. So we bowled... and I beat him. I grew up with the little ball bowling and one would think I would do better with that... but I don't. I do pretty well with the bigger balls... getting a couple of strings that were over 120... I beat him... badly... in the first two stings... on which we had placed a wager.. and he begged for a double or nothing third string... and he lost, again... we had rented the lane for an hour and with some time remaining he asked for a fourth round. In the fifth or sixth frame I had gotten two strikes in a row... and as our lane was about to be shut down I left asking the bowling lane guy to let us finish our string and he agreed... I came back to a smiling Sal... who was so proud of himself... for taking my turn... giving me two gutter balls! I told him I would offer to take his turn in return for him taking mine, but I didn't want to improve his score! A night of laughter was very welcomed! Thank you Sal!

I have also been slowly getting back into the gym..and did 40 minutes on the elliptical today... I am looking forward to getting into the gym and getting healthier! Jill and Michael... I am putting you on notice... I am going to harass you to get your butts moving! Granted we are many miles apart, but... no reason we can't keep each other going!

And for my New Year's Eve... well hold on because the level of excitement is really high..... my plans this year include working the tolls until 8:00 p.m. then... then I am coming home and am going to watch Water for Elephants. Perhaps that sounds sad to some, but I am actually very much looking forward to it. I appreciated other offers to go out, but, really want to just come home and relax. Don't be jealous!

Oh.. and winter boots.. You may find this hard to believe... given the fact that I live in Maine, have lived in Maine my whole life... I have not had a pair of winter boots, real winter boots... for YEARS... probably since being an adult. I have had hiking boot-type shoes/sneakers that I have counted as my winter shoes... why would a person who hates winter have boots that would be required for being outside? Well last winter when I would go outside to clean off the truck, I admit, my ankles got a little cold... and sometimes wet from the snow melting... and I had resorted to wearing socks that I would tuck my jeans into when I had to go out in the snow... Well.. this year I decided to get some winter boots.. to try to help motivate myself to be outside more... I had bought a pair at Kohls in early December, but when I brought them home I hated them... so I took them back... and have been searching for something I could tolerate... I like the idea of the boots that are rubbery on the bottom and leather on top... the classic LLBean Boot... but I hate the way they feel... While visiting Dad and Betty I looked online...wanted something that was practical...without being too glommy... (a word I use when I mean big and makes me feel like I have clown shoes on!) So I found these: http://www.llbean.com/is-viewers/dhtml/images/spacer.gif

They are not super stylish.. but I like that I can wear a coupe of pairs of socks and will be able to walk around outside, in the snow... in them... and I don't feel like they make my feet look even bigger... so practical and not terribly ugly! I am hoping these boots will inspire me to be outside more this winter... next I need to get a good winter hat... I have one that one of my students had knit for me, but am thinking more along the lines of this: