h. v. d.

I hope everyone is having a nice Valentine's Day! This morning my friend posted a nice reminder on Facebook: not only is St. Valentine the patron saint of love, but he is also the patron saint of bee keepers, epilepsy, fainting, greetings, plague, travelers, and young people. So if you don't have a sweetheart this year, don't despair: St. Valentine offers something for everyone!

I'm stuck at home with laryngitis, but I'm making the best of it. I actually was pleased to get some a personal research projects done this afternoon, so I don't feel like the day is a total waste. And I'm making the best of my non-existent voice, too: I told J that I'm heightening the level of intimacy for Valentine's Day by speaking in an ever-constant whisper.

J made me a sweet little Valentine webpage this morning. As you might deduce from the page, we've found a house to rent. We filled out the renter application this morning, and hope to find out soon if we got selected. J has been following the house market for months (ever since knew he was getting a new job this year), and this is the first house that we have really liked. The house isn't perfect (the house has been completely remodeled, but some of the workmanship is a bit shoddy), and we weren't planning on moving until the summer, but this opportunity is too good to pass up. We're really excited to be in our own home, too (even though we have really appreciated the time that we have lived in my in-laws' home). Plus, I think it will be good for J to get a new hobby beside house-hunting online.

The other exciting news (for me, at least) is that a Caravaggio show is coming to the United States! Caravaggio is one of my favorite artists of all time, and this show is a really big deal. There hasn't been a Caravaggio show in the US since 1985. We're going to go to Texas for the show later this fall. (And in case you're wondering, the image that J referenced on my Valentine webpage was Caravaggio's David with the Head of Goliath (1606-07).

I hope this laryngitis goes away soon. I feel like this past year has been a little too busy - it's been hard to keep perfectly on top of things because of unexpected changes to our plans: ear aches, colds, funerals, new houses, etc. I'm ready to settle into a good ol' boring routine.

**Addendum: Sam read his first word today! We have been working on letter sounds for several months, and lately he's been asking how to spell words, too. Tonight we were playing with some letter magnets and he sounded out "D-A-D" without any help. I'm so proud of my little buddy!