Snowbound

Soooo....Sweet Husband has a 4-wheel drive and is a nurse. Therefore he goes to work on a Sunday even when the rest of the world stays home under the covers. He dropped DQ off at her job on the way. Kellen and I have been inside all day. Kellen has been in his room watching a television which isn't working well. His choice.

Soooo...I'm in the family room answering a text message from a co-worker who was just checking in. Out of the corner of my ear, I notice the volume on Kellen's t.v. is increasing. It's getting louder and louder. Finally it is so loud that I can't help but notice he is watching some kind of infomercial. A very...graphic...infomercial about...colon cleansing?? There is talk of checking out one's bowel movements...and more. I sprint to the bedroom to turn the channel. Yes, sprint.

That was the most exciting thing that happened all day.

That's what I got.

What do you got?

7:45 a.m. Sunday

Dusk at the Marina

Last Week in Pictures

The coned ceiling of the world's largest hot shop amphitheater, The Museum of Glass, Tacoma


I pulled over and parked in the boat launch to take this picture on the way to work. Poverty Bay


This little bird was just sitting on this table in my backyard. He wasn't moving, so I thought he might have frozen to death. When I got closer...he flew away.

Saying Goodbye to 2007

Dear 2007,

Just a few more hours and you will be history. I'm sorry to be so blunt...but I won't miss you. In fact, I will be happy to see you go. I've learned a lot from you, and perhaps...in time...I will look back upon you fondly, but not now...not yet. Like a winter wind that cuts through to the bone...you have been harsh. You have forced us to huddle together in our home...looking out the window and reflecting...but hardly venturing out. It has been good to slow down a bit and yes, it has been helpful to reflect...but enough. Enough.

May we not forget the lessons that you have brought. May 2008 be more kind.

In the mood to reflect? Check out: 5 Powerful Reasons to Make Reflection a Daily Habit, and How to Do It

On the Wing

Look who got a new camera for Christmas.

Winter in My Garden

It's a Marshmallow World

I Heart the Husband

I'm not used to this. When my children were younger I stayed home with them. I did volunteer work and also had a Discovery Toy business that I ran from home. When they both entered school full time, I started working part time outside of our home. It's only been the last several years that I have worked full time. My husband has worked as a psych nurse for over 20 years, the whole time we've had kids. He was once our only income and even now makes twice what I do in a year.

Since my job for a non-profit has a lot of flexibility, I'm generally the one who has always stayed home with the kids when they've been sick or when there is no school. My husband has always been very supportive and "hands-on", but it just made more sense for me to stay home when needed.

Our roles have been changing since Kellen hit puberty. He needs his dad much more than he needs me at this point. When Kellen turned 13, his dad changed his work schedule so that he could be home in the mornings to wrestle Kellen out of bed and off to school. I'm still usually the one who is home after school.

Today I had a full day at work planned with people coming for job interviews and an important school meeting I was attending with a family in the afternoon. There was snow on the ground and our school district was set to start two hours late. Just when I started to worry about how I was going to juggle the day, my husband offered to go in to work three hours late so that he could take Kellen over to my parent's house for the day. We decided that missing school would probably work best for all of us given the short school day anyway.

Off I went to work and got there on time, if not a little early. After my afternoon meeting, it started to snow again. I rushed home and ran into very little traffic. As I drove further south, the snow stopped and the sun came out. My husband left work at almost the very same time, but he needed to drive east to pick up Kellen at my parents. He ran into a big snow storm and major traffic jams. It is 7:15 now and he is still not home. I feel a tiny bit guilty, but mostly I feel very, very grateful to have such a wonderful father for my kids and an incredibly supportive husband for myself. Oh yeah, and tomorrow if the weather is bad, it's my turn to stay home with Kellen.

Ode to Electricity

It's Sunday night and our power just came back on after being out since Thursday evening's wild wind storm. I don't ever remember being without power that long in my entire life. I feel as if we've just emerged from a marathon indoor winter camping experience.

The highlights:

*DQ roasting french toast sticks over the fire.

*Playing cards by the fire while listening to Christmas music on the transitor radio and being so far gone, we were pondering if we'd rather lie in sin or error.
* Discovering we could see our breath indoors

*Going to bed last night wearing a down vest and a down coat. After I warmed up enough, I took off the coat and due to static electricity, it looked like it was full of little lightening bugs.

It's Snowing!

"...snowflakes are frail, but when enough of them stick together they can stop traffic. In the same way, you and I may feel like we can't make much of a difference as individuals. But, together...we can make a difference in our culture and our world. That is the awesome power of community!"
Rick Warren