Rip Van Winkle

I know I sound like a broken record, but I cannot believe how quickly time flies! Valentine's Day has come and gone, not to mention Christmas and New Year's, and I don't really know where all that time went or what I did with it while it was here.

To make a long story as short as possible, this is what I've been up to:

• In the last few weeks of 2009, I finished my 2nd (and final) internship, graduated with my master's degree in occupational therapy, and celebrated that graduation with family and friends. I sewed like crazy in the few days between graduation and Christmas, finishing my mother-in-law's Christmas present (a throw) in the nick of time. When it became obvious that the quilts for my mom and grandma weren't going to be done in time, I decided to give mom and grandma a quick preview while they were in town for graduation.
• The day after Christmas, my husband and I packed up and headed to Panama for a week of tropical birdwatching. We celebrated New Year's Eve on the rooftop deck of a former radio tower (now a jungle eco-lodge), trying to catch a glimpse of fireworks in the distance. Pictures of the trip to come!
• I finished the quilts for my mom and grandma and shipped them off to Missouri. I started the final Christmas quilt, for my other grandma, and hope to have that done soon. Pictures of all the quilts to come shortly.
• I took the national occupational therapy exam, which I have to pass to be able to practice as an OT. Official exam results due any day now!
• My husband and I took a quick weekend trip to Port Antonio, Jamaica. Pictures of that to come, too. (Don't worry, all this international jet-setting is about to come to a screeching halt when I start my new job next month!)
• Oliver developed an eye infection that required a drop of medicine in his eye 4-6 times a day for a week, which resulted in several unpleasant scratches for me and my dear husband (marriage is a partnership, right, so we split the job: I actually dropped the drops into the eye while my husband held the cat still). Fortunately, Oliver's eye recovered, and our wounds have pretty much healed, too. No pictures of those misadventures forthcoming.
• I bought Anna Thomas's new book, Love Soup, and have been cooking my way through it. So far I have made 3 green soups, a cauliflower bisque, and sopa de ajo (garlic soup). I have also made my own vegetable broth twice, and while it is a bit of work, I really like making my own broth! Yum.
• I decided I didn't have enough to do and I was tired of making quilts for other people, so I started a quilt for myself. It's nearly finished -- I just need to finish quilting it and then bind it up -- so I hope to have pictures of that soon, too.
• I went to the first meeting of the Dallas Modern Quilt Guild with Ellen. It was a lot of fun to meet new folks and see all the different things they've made. I love show and tell!

Well, that's basically all that's been going on around here over the last 7-8 weeks... Hopefully I'll have lots of news to share soon as I get quilts finished and pictures uploaded!