Life update: MLK Day

Thanks to Martin Luther King, Jr. and his work years ago - because of him and others in the civil rights movement, we are able to teach in desegregated schools.  And oh yeah, we have the day off today.  Nice perk.

Rachel continues to grow as the pregnancy advances to its 26th week.  The due date is less than 100 days away!  The excitement builds, though I still have not quite provided as much input into nursery colors palate as Rachel would like.  On the plus side, we are down to ~5 names that we are choosing between.  Will we reveal the name once we choose, or will we wait until birth just to keep everyone in suspense?

On the housing front, we are more set now on buying in the spring.  We have done some more touring of potential neighborhoods, and a move north may be more likely based on the availability of housing.  One area with tons of available houses was described by Rachel as "a depressing suburb" so hopefully once we start visiting we will find a nice place in a nice neighborhood.  We will probably start looking at specific houses in around 6 weeks.

Today on HGTV was a marathon of "My First Place."  This show provides an interesting look at different couples buying their first house.  We get to see the horrors of couples who bicker, fight, and disagree as they struggle with a big decision.  There are many unrealistic expectations that are difficult to overcome.  But thanks to the magic of TV, they find (50, 100, 150 house visits later, which of course are not shown) the "perfect" house in the end.  I am interested to see what our tendencies will be once we start looking.  And I want to know if that feeling - that "this is the one" - can actually happen outside of the world of TV.

-alan