We weren't going to do anything for Christmas this year, but my parents decided to get my brother and myself a gift anyway. This is what they ordered for me:

I'm really excited. They also ordered an adventure mount with it, so I can strap it to -among other things- my bike. So expect more videos like the one of my hometown a few weeks ago .

Winter definitely hit here. It's well below freezing and it snowed quite a bit here. Depending on whether I have to ride my bike through the snow and ice or not, I either love it or hate it . It does really look pretty. Hopefully my camera will be here before it melts!

I don't have much other news. Work has really been kicking my ass. It's been so busy (and I missed a few days because of my mom), I'm cutting my vacation a little short. Instead of the planned 2 weeks off, I'm taking a little over a week. Which is still (a lot) more than some of you, so I can't complain too much. And any time off is really appreciated right now.

My mom is doing alright. She's been eating a lot better, and she feels well enough to venture outside (for a smoke) a few times a day. She tires very quickly though, so she needs to learn to pace herself. They're going to start her treatment soon.
I got a book the other day with tips and recipes for people undergoing chemo, to make sure she eats well and keeps her strength up. When I'm over this little bout with the flu, I'm going to try some of the things in the book to see what she likes, and stuff her freezer.

It's in her lungs.

A little late, but I finally have some pictures. Don't pay attention to the mess in the yard, there's still a lot to do before I can focus on getting the yard done. Obviously the house isn't done yet, not by a long shot. Paint, weatherboarding, interior. But it's starting to take shape. And it's finally weathertight!

I'm beat. Both physically and mentally. Hard work on the house, long days at work and a lot of stress is taking it's toll. And waking up many times a night the past 2 weeks isn't helping either. But I'm hanging in there.

Someone helped me install the doors this week, so it was time to take out the existing back wall this weekend. It didn't go entirely as planned, though. The window I needed to re-use in the new outside wall came out fine, but the other 2 windows, that were bigger, just didn't want to come out. They ended cracking and broke. They were going to get scrapped anyway, so it didn't matter that much, but 2 big pieces are a lot easier to clean up than a million pieces scattered EVERYWHERE . So there's plenty to do tomorrow still. I'll take pictures tomorrow, too. I just didn't get around to it today, plus everything is a big mess with glass and bricks. But we did get a lot done today.
Tara is staying at my parents' house this weekend, so I don't have to worry about her while we're demo-ing. It's weird to not have her around, though.