Doing the Happy Dance!

Yes, friends and strangers, I am officially doing the happy dance! Here's how it went down:

Chris and I had planned to go to Omaha on Saturday but with the whole "selling the Michigan house" situation, neither one of us really felt like going and spending money, knowing that if the house doesn't sell within 6 months, that we could really need that money. It was also raining like crazy so we decided to wait and see if we'd feel like going later on. Chris tackled the dishes and I started working on laundry. We cleaned like madmen! A little after noon, I decided I needed a break and walked out to the mailbox. And like I've done every day for the past 3 weeks, I frantically searched for a letter with the UNI return address. Unlike every other day over the past 3 weeks, this time said letter was actually in the pile! Yikes! I didn't care if it was raining or not, I opened it. And all I could see was PASS, PASS, PASS!!!!! Yowza! And, of course, being the mentally stable, serene individual that I am, I promptly burst into tears! I ran into the house and totally freaked Chris out since I was crying and dripping wet. It took him a minute to realize what was happening and then he was so excited for me! So, in case you haven't been following my posts, I officially PASSed by English comprehensive exams for my MA degree - both my written and orals! YEAH!!! Which means I just have my thesis to finish and defend and I'll be done! Double YEAH!

After receiving such awesome news, we decided that we definitely had to go celebrate in the city. We decided we would just return the things we needed to return, pick up a few minor things and then do dinner at a nice place. We ended up at Olive Garden which we both like. I don't think I always realize how much a good or bad server can affect your meal. We had a fantastic server named Chris - he was a winner on the name alone! Seriously though, he made us feel like we were his only table, and we know we couldn't have been because it was packed in there. If you ever make it to the Olive Garden on about 74th and Dodge in Omaha, be sure to ask for Chris. He was awesome! Chris (my Chris) and I were both stuffed but we got a dessert to go to share at home later. We stopped by one of the malls to run a quick errand and had to detour through the food court to use the bathroom. When I came out, Chris grabbed me and said he thought we really needed to try this new place. The new place turned out to be a little shop called "Lora's Just Desserts." It is owned by a local woman and she bakes the most amazing treats! We bought a piece of chocolate layer cake and a mini cherry pie to take home. They were both fantastic! So if you're ever in Omaha, out at the Westroads Mall, stop by Lora's Just Desserts or you can go visit her at www.lorasjustdesserts.com.

On the way home we swung by our friends Brian and Sharon's and visited with them and little Noah. We have been so out of touch with studying for my comps and all of our weekends away so it was nice to just sit and visit for a while. Sunday was busy with church and small group and relaxing.

Can't believe we're already to Wednesday! Chris had another bout of stomach flu on Monday night and Tuesday so that was lots of fun. So far I've managed to dodge it and will keep praying that I don't get sick. I need to make another pass with my trusty Lysol spray but we're getting closer to germ free. Chris is feeling much better and is back at work today which he is very happy about. So life is good again in the Nicholson household!