Happy Easter!

Surprise flowers that appeared in our yard, March 2008

Finally...spring is here (sort of). We've still had a few chilly days and a couple of snowflakes, but the sun is starting to peek out through the clouds a little more and the days don't feel so short. As I'm writing this, I'm wearing my favorite red flip-flops, listening to the new Jack Johnson album, and the sun is shining through our huge windows...a good day, if you ask me! I am missing Easter in Buffalo with my family, though (and all of Grandma Barb's yummy food), so PJ and I are going to make our own little Easter dinner tonight-- rosemary chicken, potatoes, squash, rice, and broccoli casserole. I'm hungry just thinking about it. Mmm...

I'm happy to report that I finally have a real job! No more temping, no more horrible benefits, no more unpaid sick days and vacation days! I'm going to be doing the same work with the County Council that I've been doing since I began as a temp in October, except they finally created a permanent position for me! I have to admit, after 2.5 years of floating around and trying to figure out what to do with my life, it felt really, really flattering to have so many people recognize how hard I've been working. It's only an office admin position, but I'm making so many great connections with this job (lots of executive directors of non-profits!), the schedule works out perfectly with my grad school schedule, and I'm working with a great bunch of people. I feel like I'm on the right path for my career...thank goodness!

It's been a busy couple of weeks around here. In addition to the new job, I finally went to a PYP event. It was a little scary for me to be around so many new people and not know anyone, but I ended up at a table with a couple of really nice women (a graphic designer, a teacher, and another admin assistant) who I had a lot of fun chatting with. I'm looking forward to going to another event soon.

Last weekend, we had a bunch of friends over for a game night (if you have not played Catch Phrase yet, you don't know what you're missing) on Friday and then on Saturday, the boys made an early breakfast (green eggs, green pancakes, and beer...delicious) and we took the bus downtown to Market Square to celebrate St. Patty's Day with every 20-something in Pittsburgh--

St. Patrick's Day Celebration, Market Square, March 15, 2008

And after the past couple of days, which have also been super busy, it's nice to finally have a lazy Sunday for naps and walks and food and movies...all of which I am about to do.

Happy Easter!