Checking In

I have been very absent, both from this blog and real life, for the past week. Fortunately, it has been because I have been having a great deal of fun, and not because zombies ate my computer or my hand or because Charlie Sheen, in a mad coke-fueled binge, wrote me a check for $30,000 and then let me help him manage his porno-mansion fantasies. No, nothing as exciting as that. I have just been enjoying life with the ones I love and reading and shopping and being smug and happy on the interwebz.

Last weekend with Matt was amazing, even if I was a bit apprehensive going into it. We spent a lot of time together, cooking, reading in bookstores, and reacquainting ourselves with each other as spouses rather than just parents. It was great fun and reminded me why I am so lucky to have such a funny and awesome partner in crime. Seriously, I laughed more at him over the weekend than I had in the complete month prior to that. I also watched the entire first season of Californication, which is my new favorite show. Showtime, where have you been all my life? And why must I love you to the point where now it is hard to get work done because part of my heart is always on my couch, watching more and more?

This past weekend, the kids and I met my mom in Gatlinburg, TN, for what has become a birthday tradition for me. We meet down there and stay in a hotel and the kids take part in all that Gatlinburg has to offer. And if you have never been to Gatlinburg, let me break it down for you:

Gatlinburg. Is. Awesome.

Now, I'll just come right out and say this: you can't take yourself too seriously if you want to enjoy a weekend in Gatlinburg, TN. It is the hometown of DollyWood (which is actually in Pigeon Forge but is the same general recreational area) which is Dolly Parton's theme park. Mull that around for a second. Gatlinburg is what you would get if you took Las Vegas, subtracted the hookers and casinos, upped the cheese factor by about 10% and then plopped it in the southern Appalachians. There are lots of restaurants, lots of outlet shopping, lots of go-karts, and lots of family fun. There are huge attractions, lots of lighted signs, and lots of hotels. And it is in a beautiful location, with lots of gorgeous natural scenery. You couldn't ask for a better time, if you ask me. Mom and I took the kids to MagiQuest and to the Titanic museum/attraction, and then spent the rest of the time shopping and taking in the sights. The weather was gorgeous, and really none of us could have asked for a better time.

Sadly, Sam and I both woke up sick with a cold this morning. BOO-URNS. I'm afraid that I got it from a co-worker, though, so it is not necessarily because of the wanton fun-having that I have been participating in. I am sitting at work right now, hyped up on Dayquil, not even wearing some of my new togs because I didn't want to waste them on a sick day. It is very quiet in my office, which has led me to believe that I *might* be able to get away with making myself a Costanza bed. Hmmm....

I will be posting more regularly this week about the spoils of my shopping trip and all of the spring stuff I have been coveting and why my hair has gone from zero to AWESOME in the course of the weekend. I know. You can hardly wait. Calm down, dear. I'm back, and it is time to party.