a shout out to all the people I love

what happiness, to find out that family has been posting and talking on this beautiful spot. Ali, we are still laughing over the pumpkins, and Kristy, THANK YOU so much for the CD. We will be enjoying it on out trip to Tucson next weekend. Just wanted to send a big I love you guys to all, and will talk again soon:)
Holly

Back to school birthday

For all who e-mailed or called on my birthday, thank you for helping make a supberbly aweful day somewhat better. I am almost done with the first week of school and it is getting much better. I even get to see Ken after school tomorrow! Today I learned that F=ma!

Insomnia

Alli, I'm still shaking my head over that Pumpkin story. Did you ever find out who did it? It's currently 4:02 and I've taken a break from trying to fall asleep. I'm lying on the couch typing and wondering idly what on earth my TIVO is recording right now. I'm not interested enough to actually turn the TV on to find out. But still, it's a good mystery. I think we should have cousins located three hours in both directions, that way, you call the one direction if you're up late and want to chat, and you call the other direction if you're up REALLY late and want to chat. So, someone, move to Greenland. Or, Eastern Canada. Hmm, this plan may have some flaws in it. but hey, it's 4:11. I can't believe it's taken me nine minutes to type this entire thing. Maybe I'm more tired then I thought. OK, I'm going to go try my bed again. Holly, I'm mailing you a CD tomorrow! I mean today. I am burning it right now. See, there's one good thing about not sleeping!

The Pumpkin Saga

In celebration of Halloween, I brought home a pumpkin and put it outside our door. Halloween came and went, and of course the pumpkin remained. I arrived home from practice one evening to find not one but TWO pumpkins outside my door. Okay, one post-Halloween pumpkin is a little distasteful, but two is a little funny. Sounds good so far.

About a week later, I return to find not one, not two, but seriously THREE pumpkins outside the door. This is getting ridiculous, especially considering the fact that my bike is wedged into the corner in a way that makes it difficult to move, and all three pumpkins are BEHIND the bike. However, I figure the culprit has to be running out of places to find pumpkins in mid-November. But upon my return from both Thanksgiving AND Winter breaks, a new pumpkin has been added. That's a total of five pretty mushy pumpkins wedged behind the bike.

Last week I came home, counted my pumpkins (still five, check) and am in the process of unlocking my door when a friend inquires as to the location of my bike. I check again; Yep, 5 pumpkins, 0 bikes. At this point I'm just so happy there's no additional pumpkins, I'm unconcerned about the 30 year-old bike. (I later find my bike)

While leaving this morning I notice the newly taped fire code violation notice. Now, in our younger, less mature days of our junior year, my roommate and I used to receive these quite frequently. However this is the first of the year for us, and I'm pretty offended. Checked off is the miscellaneous option under which is written PUMPKINS. Outrageous, and only 24 hours to get rid of them! This story doesn't actually have a great ending at all, just that the pumpkins are in the trash and my holiday decorating spirit is quashed.

Happy Happy Birthday Katie!!

Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy BIRTHDAY TO KATIE!
Happy Birthday to you!

yikes

First sabino canyon floods, next pipes freeze? What is arizona coming to? We've had a big change here too; this weekend I was out hiking in the woods in 73 degree weather and today it's so cold my 4th graders voted to have inside recess. (For those of you who don't understand the significance of that, most 9 year olds would still want to have outside recess during a hurricane.)

My burn is healing very nicely, thanks for asking Aunt Sue! I never noticed before though just how many people touch me throughout the day, to get my attention or just during conversations, and without fail they get the burned arm. But it hardly hurts anymore.

So this summer I'm going to Guatemala for a week. I'll be taking classes all morning (one on one with a private instructor...if I don't come back fluent at last, I'm a hopeless case) and exploring Antigua all afternoon (live volcanos and a lot of underprivileged schools). But then I have the option of staying for another week for only $170. If anyone wants to join me, you can get the same rate (it includes housing and food). Right now there is only one other teacher staying who I would be excited about travelling with, and we're trying to evaluate how safe it would be for the two of us to travel alone, but if it turns out to be as dangerous as our program leader seems to think, we will probably stay in Antigua, volunteer in the local orphanage, and do little afternoon trips. Anyone interested?

Love you!

I did it myself!

Hi guys - I just figured out how to get into this blog all by myself! I am so proud. I tried once before but gave up. Some days the internet doesn't like me (and I don't like it either). It was so much fun to read everyone's comments. It is freezing in Tucson today. Ice everywhere and all of our pipes froze. Finally, when it got to 10 o'clock and we still had no water, Rick heated the outside pipes with the hairdryer and we have water again. Unfortunately, the cold didn't come with snow, so the ski slopes in Arizona are barely open. Tricia, Mike, Rick and I were hoping to drive to Sunrise to ski on Saturday, but unless a sudden storm appears - it's not likely. Hey KIMI - how is your burn healing?

24?

Who else watches 24? I cannot wait for tonight! First some college basketball, then Jack Bauer, kicking some ass! I am very excited, this is supposed to be the most shocking, bloody, etc season yet! Work has been so crazy, all I've done this weekend is work, sleep and watch sports. Anyway, I've got to finish watching my Blue Devils beat it out with the Hurricanes. T-minus one and a half hours until tick ... tick ... tick tick tick (24!!!!)

Quiet Ecks??? No way!

Hey Ecklings! No way are we quiet!

How is it that I had like, two quiet days at work and now things are like, insane again???? I'm back to working on Saturdays but I want to take off next Saturday to get up to Philly and see Alli fence at Haverford.

Has everyone read the book Marley & Me? I know my sisters have read it and I am lending it to Lori but everyone should read it! it is So good!

A little shameless big sister bragging --- see how amazing my middle sister is!!! (and good-looking too!):

http://www.eventemanagement.com/duke_careerweek2007/panelists_biographies.php?view_reg=1&letter=S

(For you non-dukies, the Basketball Team plays in Cameron Indoor Stadium!)

Us East-Coasters are having some Captain-Bizarro Weather lately. Saturday, Lori and I were hiking in short-sleeves, and today there is a chance of snow. Go, global warming! or not.

Quiet Ecks?

I am confused... what happened. We all went back to work and stopped blogging or something? I have never known an Eck with nothing to say.

Happy New Years, and Kristy Finally Figures out how to Post!!!

I am extremely embarassed to say that I just figured out how to post to this blog! I have been reading with interest, thinking all the while, how ARE they doing this???! Anyway, great idea, Holly, and Bucky! You guys ROCK!

Kimi and Lori, thank you so much for the awesome newsletter and CDs. I loaded them on my ipod and was rocking them on the turnpike when I drove back to DC last week. Of course the traffic soon turned bumper-to-bumper but I remembered that my mom had packed the newsletter in the middle seat. I grabbed it and read it for the entire exit 8A to exit 6 back-up. (Damn that turnpike merge!) It was so funny, and so great - it gets better every year! I love our family!

I just got back from Milwaukee yesterday, where I was visiting my best friend Emily's family for New Years. She moved from the DC area in October to Berkeley so it was awesome to catch up with her. Also, Milwaukee, believe it or not, is an awesome city. If you ever get a chance to visit there I highly recommend it.

Anyway, I hope that everyone had a joyful Christmas and a happy New Year. I think that this is the first vacation in a long time where I actually came back from it feeling rested. We'll see how long that feeling lasts but I'm enjoying it while I've got it!

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a wonderful New Years! I was in West Virginia skiing with some friends, and I had a blast, except for when I fell onto a wood-burning stove. But the pus is already lessening, so that should heal up just fine (...Dr. Teedge?)

Mother-in-law's day in sounds kind of adorable, but Aunt Sue and Uncle Rick, I think you're making joining the family too easy for these guys. They should be jumping for their lives out of the way of falling boats, and you have them making cookies? Is spending happy quality time together really what family and in-laws are all about? I think not.


Love you guys!