Doin' our part to boost the economy.

So, the bulk of the holiday obligations are over - whew...I made it! The feeling of having Hanukkah and Christmas behind me is fabulous. I usually end up with a little cash in my pocket, and with less people in the malls and more free time for a sanity break, I'm a happy girl. Baruch HaShem!

I suggested a girls-day-out last Sunday for a little letterboxing and photography, with some shopping thrown in just for good measure - how nice! Lisa, Netanya and I ended up in Olympia on a sweet little trail that was in all it's winter glory. Everything was frosted with ice crystals, the lake was frozen enough to make lovely patterns on the water and we hiked at a pretty good pace because we were absolutely freezing! We were unable to snag that box, but were very happy to have found that little loop trail. In the spring and summer it must be glorious and may require another visit. We were more successful finding a couple other boxes, luckily, even running into some newbies for a little exchanging. I hope we didn't startle 'em too badly; it's not every day that total strangers come up to you on a trail and introduce themselves as SHH, Padawan and Serenade! lol!

That little bit of cash in my pocket started burning a hole, so I decided to avail myself of a little HP Netbook, and boy, is that thing a cutie! And since the only thing I don't like about laptops is the cursor pad, I had to buy the itty wireless travel mouse to go with it. I love it, and will love it even more on the cross-country road trip* this coming spring. I had a little trouble finding just the right case for it, but that has been resolved just in time for class tomorrow night.

*Speaking of which, my dear hubby made that dream a wonderful reality for us by plopping all the funds needed right into my savings account, so I say, "let the planning begin!" Big kisses and hugs to Rob for making that happen!

The kids did their part to fuel the economy by spending the cash they received as gifts, as well. We have added a lovely orange iPod Nano and a PSP game-thingy to our ever-growing collection of electronics. The youngest woman of the house has opted for smaller ticket items and is having quite a good time buying the 'extra' things like hats and scarves. (She is also enjoying the fact that she still has money in her purse, while the boys have spend all theirs - ha!)

That's what has been going on around here, for the most part. I'm anticipating January to be a quieter month, thankfully with only New Years and my birthday, which are usually fairly uneventful. Tu b'Shvat is approaching at the end of the month, but I'll think about that tomorrow...