Snow, Snow, and Cold!

This week has been absolutely, FREEZING! Normally, our snow comes, the sun comes out the next day and the snow is gone. The past few days, it's been so cold even when the sun comes out, the snow is freezing and going no where.

Five Weeks Old

They just don't get any cuter than this!

Oliver, Zoe & Gracie.

Glad It's January

The holidays could not have come and gone any quicker than they did for me, this year. I did my best to find my Christmas Spirit, without any luck. I went through the motions, displaying the Christmas cards we had received, picking out gifts for my family, making sure I was able to see everyone. I even through together a cute display of "spirit" on the wall at the entrance to my office at work with small red drawn, cloth, gift bags for all the women, and green holiday gift bags for the men... 18 women, and 4 men... all with their names in glitter. They really were cute, and I received many compliments on them. Wish I had thought to take a picture to show off here! My son was encouraged by his girlfriend's mother to surprise me and put some lights on the house because he had done such a wonderful job with their house! I think the kids told me just the other day, they put up more than 6500 lights on her house. What the girlfriend's mother didn't know is, he's always put lights on our house, and not just a string of lights! He'd do a really nice job, with coordinated lights, strung above icicles. The more the merrier! After the encouragement he received from her, he put up a string of lights, alternating red and white bulbs, along the edge of our home... nothing like the jobs he's done in prior years. I will say, I was still thrilled to have the lights. They looked very nice. My guy bought us a new tree this year. A four foot, artificial, fiber optic tree, small enough to fit in our dining room... We had the giant dog, Tai, my son's six month old Golden Retriever, so we needed to have something small and off the ground. It was beautiful! Just something was missing! Where was my Christmas Spirit? Hoping my "spirit" would show up soon, I took the week before Christmas, December 18 through December 25, as scheduled time off from work, needing to return to work December 26. My first day off I received an urgent email from my boss, I was needed in the office. I got myself together after sleeping in, and spent the whole afternoon there disciplining one employee and meeting with a small group others. It was a stressfull afternoon. By the time I got home, I felt it, that overwhelming heaviness coming over me. I spent that night with miserable aches and pains, fever and chills. That next day, I was too sick to get out of bed. I forced myself to take a shower, thinking the heat and steam would make me feel better. I slept most the day and went to bed early that night. My parents had called the next day. They'd made a chicken and rice dish and wanted to share with me. Thinking this sounded wondered, and I didn't think I was contagious, I told them I'd be there in a bit. We talked about Christmas plans and settled on dinner together with my son and his girlfriend. I went home, tummy full, and went to bed. First thing Friday before Christmas, my mom called and cancelled all Christmas plans she had made with me and my son the day before. She said she wanted to wait for my brother to drive up from California, after the first of the year. Knowing my brother, as I do, I knew he would not make it from California to here, any time soon. He doesn't do snow, and we've had plenty. So, I asked the kids if they could get together with me and my parents for Christmas, BEFORE Christmas, Saturday the 22nd. Monday, my guy would be home; Monday was also Christmas Eve; my son said he would be busy with his girlfriend's family Christmas Eve; and Tuesday - Christmas Day - my son again said he would be busy with his girlfriend's family. So, as I saw it, if I wanted any kind of Christmas with my family, the least stressful day was Sunday, December 23! My guy had talked about going to his mom's to be with his family, Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, or both days. I did not want to go to Twin Falls. I wasn't into driving in the ice and snow the 130 miles to get there. This had nothing to do with his family, I love his mom. The fact that Mother Nature was being cruel this year, that's what was driving me to stay put. There had been so many fatal accidents on a particular stretch of the icy Interstate, I just wanted to stay home, all cozy, safe and warm, watching the puppies and getting ready for work Wednesday, December 26th. I was looking forward to being alone, believe it or not, not an ounce of stress being tugged this way or that, looking forward to just doing nothing. So, back to my story... Friday, early afternoon, my dad calls and invites me to lunch with him and my mom. At lunch, I asked if they would like to get together with just me and the kids, Saturday. They seemed fine with this. Afterall, my mom had cancelled her plans until after New Years, when my brother could make it up. So, plans for Saturday with me and my kids were made. I let the kids know and everything was good.

New Year

Wishing you all

a happy and safe New Year,

may 2008 be great to you!