January 30, 2008

Aurora is our own personal "snow-dog". Yesterday she was so happy to be parked up on the back hill in the -17 C weather and watch it snow. When she was forced o come in the house, she bounced around the house for awhile because she was so excited.

Ron spent the day driving people here there and everywhere. He really doesn't get enough of what we term "windshield-time" since he retired from the phone company. The kids and I provide him with ample opportunities if only on Tuesdays to partially sate his appetite for the road. He was running us around from about 10:30 am until he picked me up from school at just after 9:00 last night.

I am almost back to full health again, finally!!! The bug is still sort-of kicking around the house, with everyone just having lower than normal energy levels. The boys have been pretty slow about getting out to their paper routes in the mornings.

I shot this picture through the windshield on the way home from school today. We have gotten a bit of snow (maybe 2 inches) and the river is almost completely frozen over now. It has actually warmed up considerably since the beginning of the week. It was a balmy -8 C (20 F) when I stepped out of class this afternoon.

We are expecting another blast of cold air later in the week again and maybe a bit more snow over the next few days.

O.K., bedtime now. . . see ya.

Sick and Tired, but Better. . .

This was the view out the passenger window as I drove home from school this afternoon. The river still hasn`t frozen completely yet, but it has a good start.

I stayed home from school again Friday. I spent all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in bed. I am still not feeling great, but if I miss any more school, this semester will be an expensive waste of time and money. Fortunately, my calculus instructor let me take last Friday`s quiz this morning.

My plans for riding the bus on M, W, F have been postponed. I am too much of a softie to be out in the cold. This morning it was around -19 C (-2 F) when I got in the truck to go to school. The temperature hovered around 0 F all day at school. I left a liter bottle of water in the front seat and it froze nearly solid in the 4 hours I was at school. I stayed indoors as much as possible.

Today has been an emotionally interesting day for me. Yesterday, as many of you know, President Hinkley passed away at 97. He was the President and Prophet of the LDS Church. I am glad for him, as he has been released to join his wife, Marjorie who passed away a couple of years ago. I am feeling a bit strange though, because I have only been a member of the Church a relatively short time and have never known any other leader. It will be strange not to hear his kind, gentle, but wise and firm counsel at conference. We all know who President Hinkley`s successor will be and he is another exceptionally wonderful man and it will be interesting to see what his focus will be. (President Hinkley seemed to me to focus on Temple building)

January 24, 2008

All the soldiers are dropping one-by-one. Everyone in the house is sick now; except Dax, he started it all!!!

I never did make it to my lab on Tuesday night, so I will really have to do well on the rest of them to make up for it. Then, Wednesday morning as I walked out the driveway I noticed the ice crystals floating around in the air. The temperature was around -15 C. 5 minutes later I was feeling sick (feverish) and frantically running 1/2 block on the icy sidewalk with my book-bag over my shoulder and fervently praying I catch the bus (which was a few minutes early). Fortunately, the bus driver waited for me, but it took me quite awhile to catch my breath once on the bus, and when I did, I coughed for about half an hour straight. I can't imagine why I'm not able to shake this sickness!!!

Today I drove to school, but I was quasi dis-oriented half the day i.e. I thought I had missed one class that hadn't even begun yet. Halfway back to the truck, I realized my mistake and did actually make it to lecture on time.

Tomorrow is a "bus day" and I hope not to repeat the same scenario as yesterday. There is a fine balance, you don't want to be standing in the cold waiting for the bus for too long, but if the bus is early, there is the whole "sprinting in the icy-air" thing. I have a calculus quiz tomorrow, but I think it will probably be pretty much a wash. I also have a physics assignment due and I don't even know where to start with it right at the moment. Maybe my mind will clear up enough to get them done.

Enough whining for one blog. . .thanks for "listening". . .see ya.

January 22, 2008 Part Two

So much for the grand plans for today. I received a blessing, then went straight back to bed. I slept through when I should have been In class, but I really shouldn't miss my lab this evening.

I am just drained of all energy so I hope to just "limp" my way through until I can function again.

Elizabeth has not moved from her bed all day either, and I think Adam is about to come down with it too, he has the tell-tale dark circles under his eyes.

January 22, 2008

I am still fighting the cold and now it seems as if Ellie is coming down with it.

Yesterday I used my bus pass and it was fine. It only adds just over an hour to my day, so I will probably continue with it when possible. The sun was/is out, but it is crisp outside and I almost didn't have enough clothing with me.

Today, Ron wil be taking Kaili to music lessons and Dax & Kaili to art class. Elizabeth wil be staying home with her big brother and laying low. I will be dropped at school and I won't be home until almost 10 tonight. UGH!!!

I am really fighting the feeling of lethargy right now and just want to sleep it all off 'till April or May sometime.

January 20, 2008

Yesterday was a very low key day all the way around. We watched a bit of TV with the boys, napped, played with the DS, watched a movie and generally did nothing. When Brianna's dad cam to pick her up for skiing, she said she didn't really want to go, so she stayed with us all day. We couldn't even tell she was here as the girls were barely heard nor seen all day. They were busy playing with Polly Pockets, the dollhouse and Barbies. Apparently they made it out to play in the snow for a bit in the afternoon. The boys were content to play on Ron's Wii for the afternoon, and since they rarely get to use it, we heard nothing from them either.

Today I got up early and delivered Ron to the church for meetings, then hurried home to get myself ready and pick-up the kids and Gertie (a widow that rides in with us). We had choir practice afterward and I was dragging all day I think I am trying to come down with that cold that has been going around now. I have been hitting the Zicam today and hope that I can nip it in the bud.

I was able to speak with Dad and Kathy on the phone yesterday and it was good to hear from them. It sounds like they are looking forward to our visit South this summer too. I hope we will be able to make it to the Getty while we are there this time.

Kaili may begin babysitting for the neighbors this coming week. She is very nervous about it, and Ron is being a typical father. He has told her that now she has a job she can move out (as if he will ever push anyone out the door).

The sun came out this afternoon and after yesterday's grey day, it was especially bright and beautiful on the fresh, clean new snow.

That's the report for today . . .Have a great Sunday evening, I'm off to play DS for a bit while Ron goes back for another meeting at the church this evening and the kids hit the sack early to get ready for the upcoming week's challenges.

Contrast. . .better late than never, right?

This is what I found while looking through my photos today. It is one of the cacti that populate our back hillside. I thought it fit the contrast theme, because the tissue paper delicate flowers are so different then the treacherously sharp needles. The wispy grass contrasts with the full barrel bodies of the cactus and. . .it's a cactus native to Canada. I thought Canada was the "Great White North", not the sage and cactus covered hillside that is my backyard.

January 18, 2008

This is Elizabeth's second birthday cake this week. I dug out the decorating stuff and managed to pull-off butter-cream roses, even though it has been awhile since I have done any flowers. Tonight Elizabeth had 4 of her girlfriends over for pizza and cake, then we all went to the Canada Games pool for a swim. Most of them had other stuff going, so only one girl is spending the night tonight. YES!!! We might actually get some sleep tonight.

I had my first calculus quiz today and I think I did OK. On the way home the truck actually died this time. Fortunately, I was able to get it restarted quickly and got home without further incident. I think the fuel filter needs replacement, and I'm wondering about the health of the fuel pump too. We can only pray that it won't be too pricey a fix.

I also picked up my "free" bus pass at school today. I say "free", because we are charged $40.00 per semester for the bus passes whether we choose to use them or not. I will probably begin riding the bus 3 days a week because I only have 2 hours of classes in the middle of the day on Mon. Wed. and Fri. It will save on gas (money) and I won't have to deal with the parking issue, plus I would really like to do more public transportation anyway.

I haven't made it to the gym in over a month, so I think I will be cancelling my contract. With my new school schedule and riding the bus, I don't realistically see myself getting there too often anyway. I may try to hit the gym at school instead now. We'll see what happens.

It is still fairly warm for January in our neck of the woods.

I will see if I can dig up a good photo for this week's theme manana.

Good night folks

January 16, 2008

Yesterday was a long day with a bunch of running around between classes. During the 2 hour break, I decided to drive home for dinner with the family. On the way back to class, the truck started sputtering, backfiring and lurching as I was approaching a big intersection and bridge with nowhere to go. Fortunately, my fervent prayers were answered and I was able to safely make it into a parking lot. Ron and the kids picked me up and delivered me to class before they all headed off for their Tuesday evening activities. Today, the truck seems to be running fine, so I guess there was just some junk in the fuel line or something (I hope).

Today, I woke up feeling a bit under the weather and dizzy, so I stayed low until it was time to leave for school at around 11:00 am. It feels as though winter is here, it stayed below freezing all day and was spitting a little snow at school today. I was feeling much better this afternoon and was actually able to focus in class.

After school Ron and I met at Jim and Linda's where we entertained the idea of staging another Canadian invasion of California in June and July. The main reason for our visit was to relieve them of a small chest freezer that was taking-up space in their garage. Ron and I got rid of a HUGE one a few months ago, but we really wanted to replace it with a smaller one. The "new" freezer is upstairs in the kitchen and has already been put ito service.

One of my favorite shows "Little Mosque on the Prairie" is about to begin, so I'll sign off here and say good-night all. . . .

Jan 13, 2008

It was actually frosty this morning and I don't think any more snow melted today for a change.

Ron was still feeling a bit under the weather, so he stayed home while the kids and I attended our church meetings. It seems as if many of the men were not there today for one reason or another. The talks were very good and the one that stood out for me today was about "good, better and best" and how that can relate to family time. We are so very blessed to have the closeness as a family that we do, especially when one considers that we are actually a "blended" family. The children do love one another and treat me as though I am their "mom".

It will be an early one for me tonight. . .good night all.

Jan 11, 2008

Yesterday was fairly warm again, but the weather guessers are calling for cold weather near the end of the month.

After school yesterday, we met Jim and Linda for dinner and a show. We saw "Bucket List" and it was really good. There were only a few unnecessary profanities, but the story was very moving at times. I think all of us had tears at the end, and I know all of us were laughing pretty hard in a few spots during the show.

Ron has been feeling a bit under the weather and I am feeling less than energetic right now. I think it will be his turn to stay home from meetings tomorrow while the kids and I attend them. It will be good to see everyone again, and get back into our routine after so long away.

I have spent much of the day staring at my physics assignment for Monday without really making any headway and just laying around while football games drone on in the background. I think any real progress on schoolwork will just have to wait until Monday morning.

Elizabeth's birthday is Monday, so we have been trying to figure out what to do to celebrate. I finally got a sample invitation done for her to copy (instead of me doing it all this time) and we will do a pizza, swim and sleep-over party next Friday.

Jan 10, 2008

It snowed about an inch again last night. By this afternoon it was in the 40's again and it was a sloggy, slushy mess in the parking lots. I will try to get the camera out and start taking photos again one day soon. Things are slowly normalizing around here. Maybe after Elizabeth's BD next week will will finally be back into the swing of things.

The boys actually made it up and out on time today, but he girls were still a bit slow on the uptake. Ron and I met Jim and Linda at "Timmie's" for tea before I went to class and they gave me a really nice BD card and we had a nice chat. Linda tried out my DS and found the one game she tried a bit challenging.

My dad called my cell phone this morning and left some lame story about the time difference between Cal and Can, and how he called me on Birthday, but the time thing just made it seem like he was a day late. My mom hasn't called me at all yet. I guess she got sick of me at Christmas or she is just having so much fun with TK that I have been replaced.

Classes are going good, but I am going to have to start really hitting the books, I already have a physics assignment due on Monday that has me a bit stumped.

(For those of you who don't know my mom and I, this is playful banter. She rarely screws up so when she does I have to take advantage of it)

Jan 9, 2008

Sorry I haven't written in a couple of days. We are still trying to get into some sort of routine around here. PLUS, Ron (with my assistance) picked up a Nintendo DS for me for my birthday and I have been playing with that!

We have had light snow here the last two mornings and everything is really pretty outside right now. The temperatures have been pretty mild too, it has stayed right around freezing or a little above.

Everyone overslept this morning, so by the time the boys delivered the papers, they were too late to attend seminary. Last night we even made everyone stay in instead of attending the normal Tuesday night activities in an attempt to get them back on track with their rest. They were tired enough that there weren't even too many complaints.

I am being paged for a birthday breakfast treat of eggs Bennie!!! Gotta go. Maggie

Jan 6, 2008

Today was a rest day! I tried to go in slow motion, but I did manage to get most of the food and "stuff" put away. Ron went to church, but the rest of us stayed home to catch up on our rest and have some "down" time. It almost took dynamite to get Adam going at 10 am (1/2 hour after we should have been at church today.)

It was 40+ degrees when we got home yesterday, but it was in the 30's today. I don't think there was much snowfall, if any, here while we were on vacation. It seems there is less white stuff on the ground than when we left.

Today is my first day back to school, but it will be a late day and a short one too. Then we need to get a few groceries so we can get back to healthy home cooked meals.

I am trying to catch up on everyone's blogs and have finally responded to a few comments that had been left on mine, sorry for the tardiness! I have almost three weeks of newspapers to skim over too, so this is it for tonight. Hope everyone is happy and healthy. . .Ciao for now

Jan 5, 2008 HOME!!!! (Well, Kamloops, anyway)

Last night was spent across the freeway from the Seattle Temple. First we spent a couple of hours unwinding before we headed to Deseret Books. After denting the budget and beefing up our library, CD and DVD collections we headed off for dinner at Applebee's. Thanks to a gift card for Gary and Doris, much of the cost of dinner was covered. The internet at the hotel was excruciatingly slow, so I didn't get to any blogging.

After an early but restless night for me. . .my thermostat started acting up around 3am. . .Ron and I got up early and headed for the Temple. We got there to find that the maintenance dates posted online were erroneous (or we somehow misinterpreted them) and the Temple was actually closed.

We ended-up hitting the road a bit earlier than we had originally thought we would and I think our band of travellers were just ahead of a big wind storm once again. We had toyed with the idea of visiting Sean, Desiree and Alexis in the lower mainland on our way through, but they were busy today and we couldn't quite make it work this time. We will try to get down there in a few weeks when the weather is a bit more conducive for travel.

We had clear sailing at the border, I think it took us about 5 minutes total to clear it. . There appeared to be a bit of a back-up headed south, though.

I'm not sure the kids will be able to locate all of their "church gear" in the morning and we are supposed to be there for the morning session tomorrow. This place is total chaos (imagine that!) . . .the kids are so tired we have several long faces and short tempers flaring around here. The trailer is still hitched and mostly unloaded. We will finish that in slow motion in the the daylight tomorrow. I think Ron may be going by himself to church so the kids can get rested and organized for the upcoming week and I will stay here and try to keep the peace.

Jan 3, 2008 (On the road)

Today we got off to a late start in Redding. We didn't even rouse until 8:30. Then the morning was wet, white and wild. We hit sleet and snow around Dunsmuir, Ca. When we stopped for fuel in Weed, the wind was howling and we decided to stay on I-5 instead of taking 97 through Klamath Falls as we had originally intended. Just as we left town, we saw the CHP stopping everyone southbound for chain controls. The snow changed back to sleet, then rain until just about the Siskiyou summit where we were back into snow. I'm fairly sure we were just ahead of the chain controls once again.

We were blessed with fairly tame weather most of the drive and I'm certain we made the right choice in "following the Spirit" and changing our planned route in Weed. We are now just south of Portland for the night and we will be headed at least as far as Seattle tomorrow. It may be a short drive day, but this way Ron and I will be able to attend the Temple there. We thought about attending the Temple here in the morning, but this one is closed until Jan 15 for cleaning/maintenance. . .OH well.

Right now it looks as though we won't get home until some time late Saturday or even possibly not until Sunday.

Date??? What is the date??? Let's see, sometime early in 2008. . . the 2nd???

We are stopped at our favorite La Quinta in Redding, Ca on our trek back to the north. It has been a very hectic, eventful and fun but exhausting several weeks.

I will be filling everyone in on details of our trip and trying to get around to everyone`s blogs over the next week or two. I have been offline for so long, that tonight my unread emails numbered over 250. I certainly have missed visiting all my online buddies.

Fortunately we had nice weather today and maybe we will be blessed with a fairly uneventful trip home. I don`t know why, but the border crossing always makes me just a little anxious. We are hoping to get home and have the trailer (which is packed to the gunnels) basically unloaded, and get rested up before school on Monday.

Hope everyone is enjoying a nice start to 2008.