Challenges

I’m back in the office for the first time since December 19. It’s not a whole lot of fun. I don’t care what your job is — the first day back after a long vacation is rough. I’ve gotten caught up on what some people did over the break, and I did actually complete a short document for the upcoming shuttle flight. So the day’s not a total loss…
I rode over the Kemah bridge twice yesterday without issue, but going down scares me every time. As we came over the second time back into Seabrook, we continued straight to the stoplight on NASA Road 1 instead of trying to make the sharp turn at the bottom to join Todville. I didn’t want to have to slow down so quickly at the bottom of the bridge, since it was a damp morning and both the road and our brakes were slick. So I am very sad to see that Joe crashed in that very spot over the weekend and ended up with a broken collarbone and separated shoulder. Get well soon, Joe!!
In an effort to both save money and eat healthier, Jose and I are once again attempting to cook some “real” dinners. I’d call it a New Year’s resolution, except it’s something we’ve been trying to do on and off for a long time. Yep, cooking. With real ingredients. And a recipe. Instead of from a box. Last night we made orange beef teriyaki noodles and it was both easy to make and quite tasty!
This morning I put down a deposit on our wedding venue! If you haven’t been reading the wedding blog, you can go there for all the details. The reception, and possibly ceremony, will be at the Magnolia Ballroom in downtown Houston. We visited last Friday and really liked the old historic building and think our guests will too. I’m SO excited to have one major decision now crossed off the list. (And since the package includes all the food, cake, and alcohol as well, it truly was a MAJOR decision.) Now I get to think about the fun stuff, and all the little ways we can really personalize things to make the wedding reflect who we are. I thought about what we like and came up with a short list of things that unfortunately is quite diverse. Anybody know how I can incorporate airplanes, triathlons, outer space, Japan and magnolias in a single wedding? There’s a challenge for ya…