That being said, those of you who are wondering why I haven't answered your emails over the last two weeks, I apologize and will be getting to it very soon.
Much to tell! Zack's parents, Bruce and Patty, as well as my Aunt Julie and Grandma Mary-Jane all visited during the week of New Year's. B, P, Z, and S all went to Monticello one day (Thomas Jefferson's pad, at left), and on another day, Z took P, S, and A.J. on a wine-tasting tour. We had a lovely drive through the mountains, and got onto a highway called Skyline Drive/Blue Ridge Parkway. It basically winds along the mountain ridge top and has the most awesome views (bottom left).
The families left just after the new year, and we
are so grateful to be able to have spent some holiday times with them!
In other news, Zack got a new tattoo on Saturday. It is a scorpion on his right, lower bicep. I went with him to Charlottesville so he could have company while he got inked. I told him it was his birthday present (which is on Jan. 20). Little did he know that I had already hatched a devious plan to present him with his actual present today. Bruce called me last week and asked if I had any b-day ideas for his boy. "Well, he wants a dog," I said. "I think it's time we get that German Shepherd puppy he's been pining for." Bruce said he and Patty wanted in on the gift, so I called as many Virginia breeders as I could find and made an appointment with one for my day off today. Under the guise of "I want to go to a winery in Charlottesville," off we went on a road trip. As we pulled into the driveway, Zack, who was prepared for a boring afternoon of carting his drunken girlfriend around, perked up and said, "This seems shady. This doesn't look like a winery. Where are the vines? ... Oh, hey, they have German Shepherds! ... Hey, wait a minute....." That's when I told him that this was his real b-day present and we looked at a pregnant female and met the sire and the whole bit. We ended up putting a deposit on a male puppy (which will be born in about two weeks). Z is on Cloud 9 and I couldn't be happier making my boy smile. :-)
Now, a touch of troubling news. Just before the puppy surprise, I got a call from my work saying that there was a mandatory meeting. Turns out, Gannett has issued a company-wide mandate that every employee has to take one week of unpaid leave within the next six weeks. Yay, I get my birthday off! Booh, my new company is in the toilet. I'm gonna sit down with the editor tomorrow and hopefully he can talk me down from the ledge, because I'm a whisker away from panicking. But, everyone knows my flair for the dramatic, so maybe this is a one-time thing and then we'll start to recover (please keep your fingers crossed).
Again, we love and miss all of you, and I will be replying to all your emails very soon. (That means you, all my Chronicle girls!)
Oh, and to leave you with a pleasant thought, here is Z's new tattoo. I have affectionately named it Diesel the Scorpion King. :-)
