Boring is Good

Good days at home.......

Home reading up a storm........

Storm coming..........

Coming with it - wind and snow........

Snow isn't on a cruise ship..........

Ship out to the Bahamas!

Bahamas not quite yet - pretty soon

4 below? What?

If I went outside right now and my nose started to run, it would freeze and my nose would become an icicle.

4 degrees below zero is a ridiculous temperature.

But NOTHING like International Falls Minnesota. The temperature there on Friday was 46 below. Who knows what the wind chill was. The coldest temperature I have ever experienced was up in Potsdam at a Priest/Laurel conference. We left the cozy cabin that morning to go to breakfast in the hall and it was a glorious morning - sunny, cold, crystal clear blue skies, can you picture it? All of a sudden my nose felt funny. It seemed like my nose hairs were freezing! There was a thermometer nailed to one of the posts so I stopped to check it. When what to my wondering eyes should appear but a reading of minus 18 degrees. Crazy.

My father tells the story of when he was in the Army up at Fort Drum near Watertown. One night dad said it was cold but not terribly cold so he and his buddy went for a walk. A little while later a jeep comes up to them and the driver is yelling, "you **** fools what are you doing out in this weather?"

My father asks, "What weather? We're fine."

Driver says, "Get in the jeep. It's 30 below zero."

Dad said they had no idea it was that cold.

So I guess the moral of this story is - don't join the army. No, no!! Just kidding.

Maybe it's - don't tell your kids dumb things you did. No, no!

Maybe there IS no moral. I don't know.

I think I'm WAY ready for our cruise to The Bahamas!!

Spastic Unmentionables

I have been down and out.

A long time ago my friend Sheri told me that the contraction-like pain from irritable bowel syndrome is the closest thing to labor that there is.

Well then I was in labor for three days.

YIKES. This IBS stuff has been an issue for me since I was a teenager. MONTHS can go by without an attack, then WHAMO. I must admit though that this one was the worst of my whole life.

Yesterday I could barely walk. It hurt so bad I wanted to, you know, fro up.

After sleeping on and off most of yesterday, and then sleeping last night from 11pm to 8:00 this morning, things got a bit better.

I feel like singing The Battle Hymn of the Republic. "Glory, Glory Hallelujah!"

Hope you are all fine. REALLY.

Time Flies When You're........

.......getting old and seeing the days go by too quickly.

(Not grumpy, just reflective.)

Already it's the second week of the new year.

Remember when I was taking a picture every day? It was very fun, sometimes hard to find interesting shots but I liked doing it. A couple of weeks ago I thought, "Hey! I want to take a picture every day again! I can do that! Joy! Hooray!"

So January 1, 2011 comes along and,

I forgot.

And January 2, 2011 etc..etc..etc..

So don't hold your breath looking for a daily photo because there ain't one.

And of course since today is the NINTH for goodness sakes, I can't start today can I?

I'll let you know.

Okay so here is my week coming up:

Monday, my mom has to go to the dentist twice. In one day.

Tuesday I 'm home. We'll see how long THAT lasts!

Wednesday, Gail and I are going to help Linda take down her Christmas stuff.

Thursday, I'm going to the temple.

Friday I'm home.

Did you hear that? It was me. *Sighing*

Goodnight!

Or as my father and I used to do when I was a little kid, after he tucked me in,

Dad, "Goodnight!"

Me, " Goooood night!"

Dad, "GooooodNIGHT!"

Me, "GOOOOOOD NIGHT!"

Everybody Loves Larry

My husband goes by many different names -

1. Larry

2. Laurence

3. Hon

4. Lare

5. Brother Locke

6. Uncle Larry

Well, the other day THIS little peanut right here.............

.......informed her mother that from now on she was going to call Brother Locke, Uncle Larry.

I love it.

And another little person at church was learning about her upcoming baptism from her mother. Mom said, "Grandma and Grandpa will be coming and your friends and family too!"

Paige asks all serious, "And Brother Locke?"

Mother answers, "Yes, Brother Locke too."

Paige, "Okay."

I mean, can you stand how cute that is?