looking up

we're doing much better at the bucks. things are still really hectic, money is tight, advisors are demanding..but we've been able to spend more time together lately, which always results in laughter and lifted spirits.

-ed and i have both been on antibiotics. mine turned out to be something different. apparently my body is not currently able to handle it's own friendly bacteria :/ the doctor asked me if i was stressed...HA. the symptoms have been around since august, which, coincidentally, is when school started. geez. she gave me antibiotics and made me all but pinky swear that i would start sleeping more. this weather is currently helping me keep my promise :)

-speaking of the weather! i told you i would use the fireplace as soon as it got chilly!

-my niece is adorable :) ..and makes angry faces that look JUST like her dad's.






i don't know what they do to her that causes her to make such..beautiful? faces. can you believe she just turned two? where's the baby fat?!? our kids are going to be rolie polies, she's going to be a giant.

-the allens will again descend on austin for halloween! derek had his wedding back in september, and now alissa is getting hitched. i'm trying to think of a costume that's wedding appropriate..not too over the top. while they're not dressing up, alissa and lyle have totally embraced the fact that their wedding is on halloween...i'm even making the pumpkin pie bites from bakerella for their rehearsal dinner! any costume suggestions?

-my advisor will be gone for a week :) so i'm definitely breathing easier. we had a student concerns meeting this past week that has given me a little perspective...as demanding as my advisor is, she's approachable (most of the time). sure..she assigns ungodly amounts of reading, requires my presence at everything, calls me out in her class, and is generally intimidating..but i still feel comfortable approaching her with problems and questions. other students are not so lucky.

-thanks to everyone for their love these last couple of weeks. they have been some of the toughest in memory, and it's so comforting to know that a few of you are going through it with me (thanks abbi and ivy), and that all of you will listen to my moans and groans.

love love love