We went snowshoeing again this morning up Big Springs near South Fork. The trail had been overused and so packed down that snowshoes weren't that necessary most of the time, however, the further we hiked and the more elevation we gained, we were glad for our gear, especially for the crampons on the downhill. And we were glad for the time we had together. The Mister stopped at one point and said, "Smell. Listen." We had planned for an hour up and an hour back, but I suggested a push for a little more distance so we could do the loop. Turns out, I had never taken my Darling there on snowshoes! Nine years we've been married and I had not shown him this lovely loop in winter! What else have we missed? We enjoy the simple things. The sparkles in the snow (K said, "It's like walking in diamonds.") and the bunny tracks.
Afterward, we headed for Outback Steak House because they were giving away free Bloomin' Onions after LSU won the Outback Bowl yesterday (so watching football really does pay?). Turns out I do not care for the Bloomin' Onion. I DO care, very much, for the Coconut Shrimp. They brought six with a salad and I was content. Is that plum sauce that goes with? K had steak and fries.
And then... THEN!!! We went to Barnes & Noble to spend all the amazing gift cards I received for Christmas. I've been salivating for days now trying to make my choices. I consulted The Nerdy Book Club Blog and Dr. Peggy Sharp and a few other sources. I made lists and lists on sticky notes. I read authors' websites. And then I had to narrow down my lists and think about balancing my genres and then whittle all of those down once more. In fact, at Outback I had my sticky notes all spread out on the table (some of them got grease spots from that Bloomin' Onion) so I could write stars with my pen on the ones I really wanted. I used my phone in the restaurant to consult the internet a few more times. And then I had to prioritize. So hard. One thing that made my selections easy was that the store didn't have several of my titles in stock. K followed me around with the shopping basket. When I made my selections, we headed for a cafe table so I could calculate the costs while considering my educator discount and the sales tax. I was already well acquainted with each book (as much as possible without having read them), but still, I flipped through each one and read the jackets. I put some back on the shelves. I considered how these books would fit in with the curriculum, how I would use them to teach, and how much the students might enjoy them. I really wanted to get the most bang for my buck and choose wisely. And the picture above details my yield.
Leftover chicken soup for dinner.
Life is good.
Life is GOOD!!!
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