Another year older...

...but I don't feel older. But I may be getting a bit... senile.

For example, today, I was attempting to maneuver the truck out of the garage and onto the driveway (which is tricky as there is a big hill that you back into if you back up too far). After backing up, you have to pull foward (and try not to hit the house). This is also tricky, when the truck is in four wheel drive, because the turns are alot wider. However, I managed to do this quite well, and was happily roaring down the driveway when I rememberd that I hadn't kissed my new and wonderful husband good-bye. As this was something that could not be neglected, and very important, I backed up and rolled down the window (he was outside getting firewood). He came over and kissed me and Cody put her great huge paws on the truck's window ledge and waited for her kiss too. After everyone had gotten a proper good-bye, I stepped on the gas and... shot backwards. Apparently, I had forgotten to change gears, and was still in reverse. Nick looks at me with a perfectly straight face and says, "You gotta go forward", in that poncey British accent of his (that I adore).

At least we're married now - I don't have to worry about impressions so much. Ha!

I had an interesting birthday. As I turned twenty-seven on the 27th, it was my "golden birthday", a tradition that our family makes a big deal of but Nick's family never heard of. (For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, a golden birthday is when you turn the same age as the day of your birthday - hence, turning 27 on the 27th.)

Anyway, I had to work, and so I got up early to make a cake. I had bought an angel food cake pan, and Nick thought that was unecessary. He asked why I couldn't just use any other pot in the house as I have about a hundred (he says) as wedding gifts. I tried to explain that you can't bake an angel food cake in a regular pot. He wants to know why, and I can't explain I just know that its just not done. He thinks I'm silly, but he liked eating the cake anyway.

He really thought I was strange when I took the cake out and set it upside down, on top of a glass, to cool. I think he thought I was really losing it - finally going senile in my "old age". I gave him a short baking lesson, but I really don't think that he's going to start baking cakes anytime soon.

Oh well, we had to take off to town becuase I had a doctor's appointment, and then by the time that was over, we had time to go shopping so he could get my gift and then I had to go to work.

Work was thrilling. Halfway through the shift, I started feeling sick, but tried to ignore it - I wanted a romantic evening, darn it!!!

So, after work, I came home, looking forward to a romantic evening with my new husband. I had hinted that it would be cool to have candlelight and soft music playing when I got home, but apparently hints are lost on the poor man. I came home to a house blazing with light (no candles) and "Married with Children" on the telly in the background. Sorry, but Al Bundy ain't romantic, honey. I asked him about the candles. He says he was worried that I might accidentally set the place on fire with the candles about, and grins. Okay, so I'm clumsy, but not that bad.

However, minus the candles and soft music, I frosted the cake and we had cake at midnight and then I opened my gifts from him. Then I dragged him into the living room and turned off "Married with Children", and put some romantic music on and we danced in the moonlit living room. Just us, and it was magical.

the married life...

Here, I am, after long months of neglect to my blog. I'm still alive (at least one could assume that since I'm typing now...), and things are going well at home. Settling in to the new house together, and everyone is getting used to each other. The dogs actually get along now (before they fought constantly), and the cat... well, he stays upstairs. HE does NOT like Cody (Nick's dog). Well, the feeling is quite mutual, I'm afraid. Well, the dog might like the cat as in thinking it is FOOD -- She already tried to eat the cat for dinner (on Thanksgiving Day), and the cat hid for four hours.

Since then, the cat has stayed almost exclusively upstairs, although he came downstairs on Christmas Day when he thought the dog *might* be gone. The dog was sleeping, it learned very quickly, when it meowed, which woke Cody up. I have rarely seen a cat move that fast. I read a description of a cat somewhere, in which it had a bottlebrush tail, and that is exactly what Cartman had -- a huge, bushy bottle brush tail, sticking out behind him as he shot up the stairs.

Nick is spoiling me -- he won't let me do the dishes, because he says he'll do them when I'm at work. He's adjusting to the shock of Wisconsin Winter. Its ten below zero here, and it makes England sound very warm and cozy right about now. Perhaps we can arrange something where we live in England in the winter and here in the spring and summer. :D Did I mention I hated cold weather? Actually, if we moved in January, that would be fine -- it never really gets cold before then anyway.

Well, its quite fun being married, and having my own little house to live in and decorate. But its hard to remember to sign my new last name on things, and to still write my old last name on my checks and check card (which I haven't changed yet).

We decided to worry about THAT until AFTER we got his visa paperwork out. That's almost done, so now I get to look forward to FINALLY changing my hideous driver's liscense (YES!! a new picture!!!), and getting different bank cards and checks.

I also have to order new address labels, since after I mailed out ALL my Christmas cards, I reallized that I had printed up the new address labels with my OLD zip code. *sigh*

I wonder how many people noticed that?

Well, I"m off for now, got to work on my book. :)