On vacation

I am on vacation!!! Yeehaw!!!! I need the break - work has been crazy. It's getting close to Spring now, and some of the shelters and warming centers close when it gets warm, which means that there isn't enough room for everyone to sleep, and we are on a mad dash to find housing or alternative shelters for everyone. lots of other stuff going on too: the video was released that i was in, and people keep telling me that they saw me on tv (this is kind-of a fun thing :-) ; we had our 12th annual art auction last night, which was really nice, but getting ready for it was wild; I had to evaluate my student and get her written grade report done for U of C; lots of people have been on vacation, which adds to everyone's workload; and we have several annual reports due in April that we have been trying to finish. Whew! I started my vacation yesterday and am off until the 28th, and i am over the moon about it! The agency has a very generous vacation package - 15 days in your first year (soon to change to 23 after we merge with another agency) and 25 days from you second year onward (this will go up too after the merger). this is nice because you can take a week off every three months. oh - speaking of the merger - we have been working on that non-stop as well because it is supposed to be finalized in April.

other stuff: I turned 35 on the 15th (I am middle aged now - hahahaha!), and my birthday was great! I got two cakes, balloons, presents, free lunch, and singing and dancing at work, and Michael and I are having a party at a great Irish pub on Sunday. Our friend Barbara is coming for a visit from Columbus on Monday, and we are really excited about it - we miss our friends terribly. I hope that the weather is decent. It has been a bit warmer and sunnier lately - in the 30's and 40's with lighter winds. With any luck, mother nature will be in a good mood next week and give us some nice sunny weather so that we can enjoy romping around the city. we don't have very many specific things planned; we will let her choose things when she gets here, but I know that Michael wants to take her to the top of the Hancock building and to an exhibit at the museum of science and industry. other than that, who knows? i am just happy to see her and to have 10 days to sleep in!

what else? well, that's probably enough for now. i am going to have some lunch now and then start cleaning the house and doing laundry to get ready for Barbara's visit. I am either way too tired or disgusted with the thought of using my time off to clean after work, so the house looks like a bomb went off in it. this is going to take awhile. more later.