Quick catch-up...

Disclaimer:  If you've known me for very long, you know how (un)likely it is that I will still be posting on this blog two weeks from now.  Still, better to try and fail than never to try at all, right?  And I'm hoping that by making this a joint blog, my better half with fill in the gaps caused by my own procrastination and general laziness busyness (which I will, of course, blame on my children, or possibly even on said better half).

So, here goes!  A "brief" update on the Life of the Grems:

1) We live in Mississippi now!  Hopefully you're all aware of that one, since we've been here nearly a year.  Oxford is a charming and sometimes...interesting...place to live.  We've met some great people and are settling in pretty well.  Be cautious if you visit, though.  As Darren warns, "Don't stand still too long--you might get monogrammed."

2) Will is wrapping up his first year of kindergarten and continues to blow our minds with his academic prowess.

Warning: do not engage in Space Trivia games with this one.  Trust me, he knows more than you do.

3) Lily has spent most of this semester chilling with her BFF Anorah, who is as much of a character as Lily herself.  More incriminating photos to follow.

4) Darren is in the very last absolutely final stages of writing his manuscript.  He's hoping to ship that sucker out to Oxford University Press next week.  Thank goodness.  This also means he's working some late nights this week, hence my spur-of-the-moment decision to revisit the world of blogging.

5) I took up a new job as a part-time ELL tutor at Will's elementary school.  It is a wonderfully challenging job, as it involves a lot of high-energy five year-olds and a lot of talking on the phone in Spanish.  For all you introverts out there, you can imagine the awesomeness of talking on the phone in a second language regularly...but knowing how meaningful it can be to Spanish-speaking parents has helped me get past my phone aversion...at least a little bit.

6) Also, I started running?  While I wouldn't dare let anyone take my picture after running my first 5K last weekend, here's my bib for proof:

I think it was the first enjoyable run I've ever had. Perk of being in my thirties now? We'll see how long this lasts...

7) We're planning a major trip back east this summer.  We'll try to keep folks posted as the plan develops, but it looks like we'll be spending a good bit of June in Rock Hill, SC, with shorter trips to Atlanta and Virginia if the scheduling works out.  We're really looking forward to spending some quality time with the family and friends we've been missing!

That's all for now.  (Possibly for the next couple years, if my past blogging habits are predictive of future performance....)