I believe the only thing that is bothering me about not being on Facebook is that I can't enter most blog giveaways anymore! They all want you to go and like a Facebook page :-(

We've been busy. The weather has been making small shifts towards spring, which is encouraging. Still snow in the yard, but no more blizzards (knock on wood). I can't believe I'll actually have to think about the garden soon!

Orion is feeling much better and I am doing okay. Starting to feel a bit of that discomfort again now that I'm sort of close to the end of the second trimester. It really hurts to carry Orion, which breaks my heart. It hurts to sit on the floor too long. Most everything I want to do is uncomfortable. And I seem to be in the bathroom more and more. Frustrating.

On a happy note, my doctor says everything is going perfectly with the pregnancy. I also...looked at the card with the gender on it...AND I am so happy with the news!! I won't say here, but I have told my dad and I tried telling my mom but she still doesn't want to know yet. I will probably share with a few more people, but in person.

Mike stopped on his way through Grand Rapids yesterday at Cabela's and brought home the new Northface jacket I had wanted to replace the one that was stolen. I am so happy! This one is green and maybe more Muppet-like than the last one. Was a very sweet gesture and now I won't freeze.

It was really good to see him again last night, even though we were both wiped. Hopefully he is able to take a half day today and hopefully I get the chores done & the packing before then so we can just set off on our adventure.

This week I finished both The Long Winter and Farmer Boy. Farmer Boy will always be my favorite of the series only because of the culinary descriptions! Gosh, I wish I could cook and preserve food like Mrs. Wilder did.

Now I have started reading The Interestings. This is most definitely my type of book stylistically. The first two chapters had me swooning over her writing technique. I am worried that the plot is going to take a twist that is either predictable or totally off-the-wall later on. Too many books I've read in the past two years have been decent until the final plot twist. See: The Middlesteins & The Corrections, for example.