The Holidays

Because I haven't had time yet to sit down and actually write a post, I'm just going to post some pictures and a video...I'll be back to add the details later.

The snow when we arrived at my parents house in Idaho!

Chips from the restaurant in Minneapolis where we were stuck overnight.

Duncan waiting patiently for Zach to give him his present (blind as a bat but his nose works!).

Me bundled up for a cold afternoon of skiing.

The ski path on the mountain. Beautiful!

And I leave you with a video of Duncan helping Zach unwrap one of his presents. I'm not sure how it started, but every year since I can remember having Duncan, he has helped unwrap at least one gift.

Snow Day!

One of the greatest things about living in the Midwest as a child was the opportunity for SNOW DAYS! An unexpected day off school! Wooo!! I didn't care if the roads were bad or if we were going to be stuck at home all day. It was thrilling. Usually there was enough snow on the ground to go sledding, and my house was THE place to be for sledding in the neighborhood. The backyard was a gigantic uninterrupted hill. It was awesome. My brother and I would bundle up and head out for hours. We were usually joined by various neighbor kids and we'd swap sleds and partners and sled until our toes were numb (and sometimes right through the numb toes)!

As I've grown up, Snow Days haven't been quite as exciting. In college, we rarely had classes canceled due to snow - and even if we did, we were just thankful we had a few extra hours to finish that paper. My job during college didn't care about the weather. We were always open - even if we only had 5 customers all night.

Then I got my first "real" job. Suddenly, I was rooting for snow days again. As a dance school, if we canceled classes, office staff didn't usually have to come in! When I left that job, I assumed that was the end of that, but once again, I chose to work at a company that takes days off due to weather!

So this past week I have been sitting around pining for a snow day. Tuesday afternoon they forecasted a big snow storm and snow we got. Unfortunately, it started after I had been at work for a couple hours...so I had to drive home in it. Not my ideal, but I got out of work a couple hours early!

Then yesterday, they started predicting a severe ice storm. It was supposed to begin around 3pm, but luckily (for everyone who HAD to drive home from work and school and the likes) it didn't start until nearly 8pm, so there were rumors flying around regarding closing for the next day. So, just like when I was younger, I sat in bed last night praying that there would be no school on Friday.

I woke up this morning (at 5:15am) to Rob scraping ice off his car. I told him to check the TV before he left to make sure the roads were drivable...he said "they just said to be careful."

Damn.

Then I couldn't go back to sleep, so I turned on the TV to see just what was going on. Was the storm not as bad as they had predicted? I start reading the scroll on the bottom of the screen and it is listing all the outlying districts and as time goes by, a few more local districts start showing up. Then I get the call. We're cancelling for the AM! WAHOO!

As soon as it gets light outside, I get up to check out just what miracle is keeping me home. And I find this:

Pretty, huh? But not worthy to get out and about in. Thank you God!

So today, instead of sitting behind my stupid desk and wondering how pass the time until 4pm, I get to stay at home and do whatever I want! I laid in bed until 10am and watched all of the Today's Show and plan on catching up on a few other daytime programs. :) I can also catch up on laundry, dishes, wrapping presents, loading up the iPod and maybe even a workout on the elliptical! Yay!

Blogs

I have always claimed I like to read. Generally, I am drawn to ChickLit. I am always drawn to that section of the book store (speaking of the bookstore, I went to Borders the other day to get some presents and was overwhelmed and excited when I walked in...I feel like 12 and in the same room as my crush...that kind of excitement...ohhhh over-stimulation!)

I digress.

While I LOVE books, I enjoy reading of any type. Recently, I have gotten hooked on several blogs. My daily routine consists of checking like 15. I am going to update the list on the side of this site to reflect my new hobby. The great part about finding new blogs is back reading their stories...I can spend an hour or more reading about their life and then they reference someone else, so I click on that link and start reading their stories. Its fabulous. I'm addicted.

My "Pretend Job"

Sometimes, I tell myself, "I should get a real job." I apparently have a 'pretend job.' In a way, this is true, since some days I do not do much that people in the real professional world do. Today is a good example.

So one of my friends informs me today that she can't chat with me 'cuz she's crazy busy today. I ask what her current project is and she says its something to do with Nigeria, hospitals, the words "due diligence" and "analysis" were in there and some other fancy sounding stuff...big report. Wow. That sounds like a real job. She's researching and writing serious stuff for very important people to read and consider.

Guess what I have done today?

Yup, I am coloring, cutting and decorating bags like reindeer. That is part of my job today. I also stamped bags and then put gifts in them and sealed them with pretty ribbon. I also set up a photo area for Santa to sit and get pictures taken with kids. Yup. This is my job. We've got a Santa Lunch on Sunday, and since I'm apparently the "Special Events Coordinator" (wahoo! that sounds mildly important), I have to get stuff ready.

This new title is...well just that...new! Apparently, when they hired the other lady to help out in the mornings, they decided I should focus that time on special events. I'm cool with that. Plus, some day when I look for that elusive "real job," Special Event Coordinator will look sweet on my resume!

Plus its kinda fun. Who doesn't like to spend their days coloring?