It's 3:30 and it's getting dark

No joke. Daylight Savings Time in Boston is ridiculous. By the middle of December, it will be like midnight at 4:00 in the afternoon.

To my thinking, this is just one more reason why we should move back to a state that doesn't participate in such nonsense... But I learned yesterday that Indiana does indeed now do Daylight Savings. I guess I will have to rely on my other ten million reasons why Indy is better than Boston to persuade Eric to move there...

If you haven't been reading the news or, like, me, care less than anything in the whole world about sports, it's still likely that you've heard about Boston's recent winnin' ways, what with the Sox taking the World Series, the Pats being the Colts yesterday (Booo!!!!!!), and the Celtics actually winning a couple games. Approximately 96% of all local news coverage in the last couple weeks has been devoted to sports, and I'm getting pretty sick of it. As soon as teachers start making as much as football players, I will start being a professional athletic supporter (hehe...). Till then, Tom Brady, you're cute, but MEH! I say to you! MEH!

However, my lovely hub-unit, the Big E (as my dad has taken to calling him), is beyond obsessed with sports. I'm not sure why, and I'm not ready to plumb the depths of his subconscious to figure out why--likely has something to do with fading aspirations and his father... But anyway, we spend a good deal of time watching sports, or talking about them (talking about them is me asking an obscure question, like "why is that guy putting his knee down on the ground after that other guy kicks the ball? and Eric saying, "That is a touchback, blah blah blah... etc.). We spent the afternoon yesterday at Joey and Jayson's house eating chili-based food (chili dip, vegan chili and meaty chili--all delish) and watching the Pats/Colts game, the outcome of which I've already discussed.

My point--we had a really nice time watching the game at Joey and Jayson's. It was great. Here is Jayson and Tico, our mascot.

It's days like these when I've spent too much time working on spreadsheets and not enough time interacting with other people that make me feel like I need to go outside and "blow off some steam," as my mom used to say when we were bugging her in the house.

The whole point of this blog... Jeez. I logged on to announce that today is my and Eric's 6 month anniversary! Wow!!! So, exactly 6 months ago right now, I was wigging out in our hotel room at the Jurys, drinking far too much champagne far too quickly. Ahh, time flies. It's been a great 6 months. Doesn't feel like that long, in some respects--we're definitely still in the schmoopy-schmoopy phase of marriage. In other ways, it feels like we've been married forever. Like when Eric leaves his socks on the floor. Every night. :)

And those are my thoughts of the day. What I'm looking forward to:

• Trip to Indiana and cutest-town-in-the-world Scottsburg visit!
• Night out at Heroes next Saturday--The Smiths, The Cure, and Depeche Mode just came on all in a row on my iPod. I fiercely feel like dancing.
• Thanksgiving--long weekend HOLLA!
• Christmas!!!! Baby shower for my friend Ann, Christmas Eve breakfast with old high school friends, and a whole week in Roscommon. Bliss. Keep your fingers crossed for snow.
  

XOXOXOXOXO,
haley

A Runnin' Fool

Okay, I wouldn't exactly call myself a runnin' fool. But I DID finish the Tufts 10K on Monday, knocked at least 20 minutes off last year's time, and came in around the middle of the pack. I averaged 11:51/mile, which is great considering that I am part turtle, and considering we walked about a mile of the race. It was necessary. Totally cold and raining outside, which was also a good thing--the cold kept my internal thermometer down (usually set at "self-clean" during runs), and the rain covered up how sweaty I was. Couldn't have been better.

Picture was taken around mile 5.5, and that is my little buddy Ashlee, who was a trooper--she got a cramp around mile 2. Poor little legs! My face is blurry because I was moving so fast!

In other news, my trip to Indiana is impending, and I couldn't be happier. Difficult as always to get away from work, but I will be heading to Columbus on Friday, Nov. 9 and coming back on the 12th. We're going to have a little reception at Jeeves & Co. on the square in Scottsburg, and a signing apparently. Though I don't know who beyond my parents would want a signed copy of the book. It's not like I'm a celebrity and they're never going to see me again, or it's going to be worth something on ebay... But I guess one never knows. In 20 years an original signed copy of The Scottsburg Story could be worth millions. Good reason for you to get your own copy!

Eric emailed earlier today and said he wanted to make "mini-meatloafs" for dinner. This is unprecedented. 1) He doesn't cook, 2) he almost never suggests that HE make something, 3) mini-meatloafs???? He must've come across a recipe--he loves the ketchup/brown sugar sauce you put on meatloaf. Anyway, that's what we're having. He sounds very excited. I'm just excited to not stick my hands in raw meat. Gross.

Up to Nothin'

All is well here. It's stunning to me that it's almost October. A part of me feels like I didn't do a darn thing this month, but I guess I have been rather busy. Or worrying about how busy I'm going to get in just a little while--that's more like it. I have got a crazy fall coming up. And I'll tell you, if I could just wear my courderoys and sweaters, I'd be much happier about it. But for right now, I am stuck in summer clothes because it's hot here.

I've also been worrying about Global Warming and its consequences, but I digress...

September 5: I entered the final year of my third decade of life. Yes. I am 29. It wasn't hard. 24 was the hardest for me, mainly because I was in a phase where I felt my self-worth tied directly to my accomplishments and how much faster I'd accomplished them relative to my peers. Meaning, having finished both a BA and a masters by the time I was 23 was kind of a big deal. Completing both by the age of 24--no big deal... Anyway, I'm over that. Eric took me out to dinner and bought me a new pair of running shoes. My girls and boys took me out for dancing at my FAVORITE dancing place on this planet. It was a raucous night, definitely. One of those nights where the cab let me out on the wrong block, I didn't notice, and then I got really confused--"where the heck am I?" sort of thing. Anyway, "Heroes," our favorite night at Axis, is awesome. They play all my favorite music, and it's kind of gay night, so there are no idiot undergraduates spilling beer on you. I love it.

The running shoes: I've been running. And surprisingly, it's going well. Normally, I sort of operate under the tenet of "Don't run if you're not being chased. Or unless you're chasing some sort of food." But I'm really liking this whole running for pleasure. It's not really pleasure, though, especially when I look at myself in the mirror afterwards and ask myself if my face could get any redder without exploding (answer usually no). But one day, I think I will find myself just pleasantly exerted after running 4-5 miles, and I won't be a tomato-face.

My friend Ashlee and I are doing the Tufts 10-K in a couple weeks. Should be interesting. Last year, we mostly walked, except for a short stint during which pictures for the event were taken. So somewhere on the internet, and I'm not telling you where, are pictures of me running, my hair sticking straight out for my head, a pained look on my face, clutching a messenger bag. I had suspicions before this, but I am now convinced that I look better when I'm not in motion.

We went to the beach down at Eric's Aunt Linda's house in Duxbury. It was awesome. Not too hot and Ashlee brought some really good popcorn from Indiana, which made me a little homesick. I'm not big on the whole ocean thing, though. There are sharks in there, and whales and jellyfish and eels and a ton of other things with teeth. Plus, salt water makes my legs itch. But we had a great time anyway, and went to dinner afterwards at the Franklin Cafe in the South End--AWESOME. Eric devoured a big plate of ribs in about 2.5 seconds, and even ate the slaw that accompanied them. And you all know that his big rule is "No slaw is good slaw."

Biggest news of all... My BOOK is finally going to print! I am waiting right now for the final mock up to come for my approval, and then it will be off to the printers in Indiana for a release sometime in November. Now, you're not going to be able to buy this at Barnes and Noble or anything, but I do think there's some info in there that could help out Roscommon and other small towns. They're available for pre-sale at $6 each. Tell your friends!

No joke, I am really proud of this accomplishment, and feel like this is the start of my REAL career--not just a job I'm doing to gain experience for later. I'm meant to write, I'm meant to help people, and I'm meant to use my brain in a real, productive way. This book really solidifies for me that I'm moving in the right direction. Plus, anything I can do to help the wonderful people of Scottsburg, Indiana... I'm down with that. I love it there. If you're ever on 65 south on your way down south, STOP in Scottsburg and go into town. Lovely lovely.

I should get back to what I was doing. Until next time...

More Pictures

The Fam--it's a shame that Dad's eyes aren't open. This is just about as close to a good picture as we've ever taken. Not really a photogenic bunch, us Glovers.



The Wedding Party--10 of the coolest people Abby and John have ever met.



Dad is a dancing fool. This particular boogie was done to the tune of Thriller. I wish Alan had captured the "zombie hands," because they were spectacular. Ever since he learned how to do the cha-cha, Dad has been a very confident dancer.

Summer of Love

We only went to three weddings this summer, ours included, but it felt like a lot more than that. I learned a lot:
-One should not drink three glasses of champagne BEFORE one participates in a marriage ceremony
-Always sign the marriage license in black ink
-Traveling to New Jersey a minivan, while it makes logistical sense, does not translate into a good time
-North Carolina is the hottest place on earth
-Weddings make me cry. A lot.

So, we just returned from my sister's wedding in North Carolina. She has been married a whole 6 days, and from all reports, it's going pretty well. We had a lovely time--it was a very emotional weekend, though. I started crying during the wedding, which happens all the time--I cry at all major life events. My own wedding, a commencement speech at my Syracuse graduation, every time I leave a job (even if it's a job I hate)... I just can't help it. It's what I do. Anyway, I started crying and I just didn't stop! I think the majority of it was the fact that I was saying goodbye to the fam that night (we left early the next morning), and I just hate that. I hate saying goodbye.

Anyway, North Carolina, though lovely, is indeed the hottest place I have ever been. I spent most of my 5 days there sweating, complaining about being sweaty, or taking a shower to wash off the sweat. It's gross, I know. But so so true. The funniest thing was, the natives didn't seem to mind, while everyone from Michigan was wandering around with a slightly dazed look on their faces, clutching at bottles of water.

But enough about the details... The wedding itself was wonderful. Abby, as always, looked beautiful. And John was great--he was so excited. You could see it in his eyes that he had no second thoughts and that he felt like the luckiest guy in the world to be marrying my sister. Of course, he is...

The lead-up to the wedding was spectacular. Parties, parties, and more parties!

A bachelorette party:


Sports:





Recovery from sports:


Wedding preparations:


Celebrating with Dad:


More pictures will come.

Congrats to Abby and John!

August

So, I guess I'm managing about one blog a month. It's so crazy how time slips past you in the summer.

But it's not like I've just been hanging out in front of the air conditioner this whole time. We have been all over the place in the last month or so, and we're gearing up for one more big trip in a couple weeks. We haven't even fully unpacked our suitcases--it just doesn't seem worth it.

In the middle of the month, we went back to Roscommon and we had SUCH a good time. Since moving away from Rosco, and since moving to Boston in particular, I have such an appreciation for the time I get to spend up north. This place has NOTHING on northern Michigan, especially right now--it's 93 degrees outside.

Boston @ 93 degrees * concrete * stinky trash in the allies * walking everywhere = :(

That was just a little view into my life as an analyst. Nothing is simple anymore...

Anyway, we did have such a good time. My parents threw us a combo party/bridal shower for Abby where I got to see all of my old friends and Eric got to meet them all. We spent a whole day out on the lake with an old high school friend and got fried to a crisp (hurt, but was totally worth it). I finally got the last Harry Potter book and everyone left me alone for the 7 or so hours it took me to read it... Heaven.

The weekend after that, we took a trip down to Princeton, NJ to attend Eric's cousin Brett's wedding to his lovely bride Katherine. It was a great wedding, and we had a really nice time. But the trip as a whole was nothing short of excruciating. There was a big accident on the highway on Friday morning, which forced us to sit on said highway for THREE HOURS, traveling about 8 miles. Then, because we were late by 3 hours, we hit New York City at 5:30. It took us 10 hours to get to Princeton.

We were in a minivan with Eric's parents and sister and brother-in-law. We all like each other, thankfully, but have decided that we will no longer be traveling in the minivan together in the future. It's for the best.

Next on the list is a weekend of rest and recouperation (and cleaning the house!). I'm pretty excited about having no plans. :)

Love

Haley

It's July!

Holy crap! Where did June go?

Well, I guess in many ways it went just like any other month, except that I spent most of it at A NEW JOB! Hooray!!!!

It couldn't have come at a better time. My distaste for my old job had just gotten to a point where I couldn't take it anymore. I was angry all the time, and being snarky about stuff, and honestly, that is just not me. Okay, the being snarky part is, but only once in a while.

I am now the Senior Policy and Planning Analyst for the Mass. Board of Higher Education. I've been on the job about a month, and I'm ear-deep in fiscal policy as it relates to public higher education in the Commonwealth. Infinitely more interesting and engaging, and I am so much happier. SO much.

In life news, in a couple days The Big E and I will celebrate our 2 month anniversary. For our 1 month anniversary, he bought me a chili dog. Perhaps this time we will upgrade to a hamburger.

Married life is good. Great, in fact. We've always had an extremely functional relationship, in that we don't fight, we're good friends, and we seem to understand each other (except for the whole loving baseball thing. I don't get that!). I didn't really know whether being married would change all that much about us, and in a lot of ways, it hasn't. But there is something that is stronger, happier and more special now. I like it.

We're also saving $200 a month by moving E onto my state insurance. So the economics of marriage are working out well, too! Yea!

On the docket for this month: A TRIP HOME! I am so excited--haven't been home since Christmas, and I do miss the old Rosco. I believe we're going to have a little party, introduce Eric properly to our little village and its citizens.

Happy 4th of July to all! We're having a get-together with the Boston crew and one member's 'rents--having a cookout/in with our new indoor grill (thanks to Abby and John) and heading out to the Esplanade with all crazies for the fireworks. I'm not a patriot, but there is something about the 4th in Beantown that makes me all verklempt.

Big hugs!
Haley