Holiday Travels

I just did some quick math (on a calculator, haha!). We will be traveling all over Texas in six different stints, covering approximately 2400 miles between three points in two weeks. Guess we don't have to be in the Air Force to travel, huh? :) And definitely a good thing that Derek likes to ride in the car.

I am absolutely so excited to see my family! And, by family, I 'm including in-laws. I think it's funny that lots of people moan and groan about their in-laws but I love mine. Maybe I'm just used to embracing new family because of my...diverse...background, but I found it very easy to assimilate into the Heath side. It's such a cool name, too. When I have to give my name over the phone, it's always pretty much like this...

Operator: Your first name ma'am?
Me: Kadi
Operator: K-A-T-I-E?
Me: No, K-A-D-I.
Operator: T-Y?
Me (frustrated now): No, D as in Delta.
Operator: Oh, ok. Last name?
Me: Heath, like the candy bar.
Operator: Gotcha. Cool!

So much easier.

We've made some awesome friends in Del Rio and I am sooooo going to miss them, but I'm glad that I have things to look forward to in the future. Just because Mitch is out of a job right now doesn't mean life as I know it is over. We have family and friends that rally around us and help keep us emotionally stable, which I think is critically important - sad, stressed, sleepless people don't do well in interviews.

Luckily, there are still husbands, fried clams and 30 Rock in this world. That's become one of my favorite rituals. Once a week, after Derek goes to bed, Mitch and I grab a box of frozen fried clams and sit doen to watch an hour or so of 30 Rock. It's a random half-hour-episode sitcom made by the same people who do Saturday Night Live. For the record: I absolutely hate/loathe/abhor SNL. Refuse to watch it. But 30 Rock is fairly clean and the lead actress is actually believable to a point. Plus Matt Damon guest stars occasionally and I like him. Plus it's funny. I have definitely come to appreciate the life-giving force of a good round of laughs (which is another reason I'm looking forward to going home - our families looooove to laugh).