Reasons to go home: to see old friends finally tie the knot. Here they are, Mr. & Mrs. Gaboda at last. Aww...congratulations, I'm so happy for you!


Me and Baby Taylor, looking adorable in his tux...I nearly had to sign a waiver before Grandma would hand him over, but I assured her I'd had recent experience with newborns...


Mom and Dad at the helm of their new boat. I was in the prow...singing "Hearts of Oak" and generally enjoying the hell out of myself. The good thing about boating on a chilly day in October is you have the entire Wolf River to yourself, save for the fishermen. The bad thing is you've got to watch out for sudden squalls.


Reasons to go home part deux: Auntie Nicki with Lily and mom and dad. I never realised how much Peter and I looked alike, but there it is. Lily, of course, is already adept at posing for the camera...isn't she an ANGEL?!


I saved this picture as "zomg, baby!" Isn't she ADORABLE?!?!?!
(note the red nail polish...a remnant from the wedding. Yeah, that's the polish I forgot to take off before militia. Needless to say, they didn't have nailpolish in the eighteenth century. Especially not in the army. Ooops...)


I be rollin'...they be hatin'...
This is my new car. She's a 2003 Buick Regal: eat your heart out, Toyota Corolla. In keep with the A-B-C naming theme I started with the Argo and Boxer, I named her after my favourite movie, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Except that doesn't really fit, so I shortened it to Chi Chi, like the classy bingo-lovin', margarita drinkin' gal she is.


So that's it...I didn't take as many photographs as I thought I did, although there was often more than one camera present, so I'm sure I'm a few random shots I don't know about. I've never had a better time going home to visit. It was just awesome to be surrounded by loved ones for a week.

The week since had been long, but I'm hopefully adjusted to my schedule again. Last night a couple friends and I went to Busch Garden's Howl-O-Scream and I made it through six haunted mazes (screaming the entire way) and two major roller coasters. Granted, they were not the Gryffon, but I did do one of them IN THE DARK. AAAAAAHHH! It's been so long since I was at an amusement park that I almost forgot how much fun they are--especially once night fell and people started jumping out at you from behind bushes.

And I've also volunteered to help sew fur onto the Santa suits that CW rents out...the CDC uses the profits for charitable giving, so it's all for a good cause. Right now though, I'm more tempted to join the beagle in a nap than I am to fire up the Singer...