Part 2 of S.N.O.W.

By Wednesday the snow was basically crunchy ice. We played a little in the morning and then just enjoyed staying warm indoors. By Thursday it was time to get back to normal. Rhiannon's school started 2 hours late; our driveway and most of the 1/2 mile of sidewalk up to the school was still solid ice, which made for a verrrrrrrrry slooooooow but fun walk.

Our friend Lydia took these great pictures from our Tuesday snow adventures...I love them!

Who needs a snowman

when you can make one out of Wade? :)

Wade gets help from Cam and Ryder

Hurray for snow days!

After three days of staying home, I was really excited when the driveway ice finally melted late Thursday morning. We survived pretty well, food-wise, but I was eager to re-stock, just the same! :)

S.N.O.W.

We were hoping for at least one good snowfall before winter ends, and today we definitely got it. It seems a little too powdery for a good snowman, but we've had fun throwing some snowballs and pulling each other around on the sled. Driving on the wet-and-soon-to-be-icy roads is not for me, so about the only thing the kids haven't done yet is the real slide-down-a-hill sledding. They've both spent lots of time playing inside and outside with friends today, though, so hopefully they won't hold it against me. I've spent lots of time shoveling snow, and I've been surprised to find I don't mind it nearly as much as I did last winter. It's good exercise, right? My arms and hands certainly seem to think so! :)

I could not get Rhiannon to stop eating the snow until I mentioned "squirrel poo." Then she miraculously stopped cold turkey.

"YES! Snow angels!"

They're lovin' it!

I took this picture around 8am. I've already shoveled the driveway twice.

Plenty of snow for me--we don't need anymore! :)

Clock's ticking

On Saturday Jason and I did something BIG. We sat down and planned out our cross-country return trip to Ridgecrest this summer, right down to making hotel reservations and estimating miles per day. I'm so thankful we still have some time here, and I'm also excited to get back to the desert! Here's a sneak peek of the places we'll see on the trip, complete with Verity-is-a-nerd website links... :)

Pro Football Hall of Fame in OH

Kirtland, OH

Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, IL

Nauvoo, IL

Winter Quarters in Omaha, NE

Keystone, SD

Yellowstone!

After that, we'll drive to Idaho and then Utah to spend time with family and friends before heading to our final destination! It's going to be a 3,600-plus mile trip, full of adventure. And you know how we like adventure! ;)

4 more to go!

Yesterday we went to the National Museum of the Marine Corps. It was an amazing place and very well-done. We went with Jason's longtime friend Autumn and her friend Matt. I think my favorite part was the World War II section, especially the Iwo Jima part, where we were "briefed" for battle, placed on a boat, and then dropped on Iwo Jima. A veteran "who was there" greeted us when we landed. Neat, neat place! We now have only 4 things left on our "Things To Do While We're Here" list!!!

thirty-four

Yes, I know history is right in my backyard today, but Obama is NOT the man on my mind right now--JASON is! Happy 34th birthday to the greatest guy I know!

It's okay, a little key lime pie never hurt anyone!

Jason and Rhiannon get their sport on with a little Wii tennis!

Jason is flying to Florida for business today so we celebrated yesterday. Monday started out with this conversation, around 9am:

Wade: Dad, do you want birthday donuts for your birthday?

Dad: Wade, do YOU want birthday donuts for my birthday?

Wade: YES!

So...we started the day with donuts. :) Later in the afternoon we drove down to the Metro and picked up Jason's longtime friend Autumn Jensen and her friend Matt, who were in town for all the inauguration festivities. We all went to the National Museum of the Marine Corps and had a great time there (pictures to follow in the next post). What a beautiful museum! Then we had a family dinner at this really great Chinese restaurant called Ho's Dynasty. And then we ended the day with some Wii and key lime pie!

In honor of his birthday, here are 34 "words" that describe what we love about Jason:

He'sTheBomb, GreatPowerBombGiver, Generous, Lovable, RockBandRocker, FunToWiiWith, Hard-Working, Dedicated, HasCoolMusic, KnowsHowToShowAGirlAGoodTime, SenseOfHumor, FunToGoToHockeyGamesWith, Leader, Freakin'Genius, SushiLover, GoodAboutSharingHisTortillaChips, BigHugs, FunToSitWith, Handsome, LooksGreatInADressShirtAndTie, Provider, GreatSmile, FunToCuddleWith, StrongTestimony, NiceHairdos, Supportive, LaughsALot, TicklesMe, LoveHimForTakingUsOnThisGrandEastCoastAdventure, GoodWithAirHogzToys, TakesMeGolfingSometimes, LoveGoingToCarShowWithHim, MakesMeLaugh, BestDadAndHubbyOfTheUniverse!!!

Show and tell

The latest and greatest...and as far as we're concerned, definitely NEWSWORTHY!

Wade reaches his first goal of the new year...

Rhiannon gets to learn how to play the recorder during music at school...

and Wade wanted to throw this extra one in, too. :)

Pretty sweet

Some random sweetness for you,

as in things I find "good, excellent, fun; COOL."

Birthday donuts are pretty sweet...

(don't be alarmed--only one of those

colossal treats had my name on it!)

Roses from Jason are beyond sweet...

And this amazing website makes all things food storage seem pretty sweet, too!

Hashi-what?

I thoroughly enjoyed everyone's comments from the last post. You all helped me laugh about a very awkward experience--thank you!

Today I turned 33! On Tuesday I gave myself an early b-day present and had a routine physical, the first in several years. About halfway into the visit the doctor checked my neck and wanted further testing on my thyroid. So, that's what I've been up to this week: a few more visits to the lab for bloodwork and a quick thyroid ultrasound finished this morning. I'll have a follow-up visit next week to see what the doc's conclusions are, but he suspects Hashimoto's disease, or hypothyroidism, where the body mistakenly attacks thyroid hormones, affecting metabolism, energy level, weight gain, etc. The fix is pretty simple--a person just has to take synthetic thyroid hormones for the rest of his/her life.

Now, on any other day, I would be FREAKING OUT RIGHT NOW! But the past two weeks, prior to this news, I have been drawn to two talks: President Eyring's talk about being grateful daily and writing about the Lord's hand in our lives in our journals, and Elder Wirthlin's last talk called "Come What May, and Love It." It may sound cheesy, but these talks have come to my mind again and again. They have brought me peace of mind and great comfort! So, truly, I will take what comes and deal with it happily.

The rest of the day should be fun--I'm going into Rhiannon's class to be their guest Mystery Reader, then we'll get birthday donuts after school, and then, in honor of Hashimoto, Jason and I will go out to eat tonight at a Chinese/Japanese place. :)

Enjoy some pics of me and Wade!

Uh...

I wasn't going to share this, but hopefully it'll make me feel better to get it off my chest. Nothing big, just a huge "weird" factor for me.

Close to word-for-word conversation I had while shopping at Kohl's today:

(I'm sitting on the floor trying on some athletic shoes in the boys' section, pretty much minding my own business)

(A woman suddenly appears and stands close to me)

Me: Uh, hi, do you work here?

Woman: Yes.

(awkward silence)

Me: I'm just trying on shoes. These sizes seem to fit me better.

Woman: What scent are you wearing? It smells wonderful and it's filling up this whole space.

Me: (mental note to not wear whatever I'm wearing ever again) Oh, it's just some lotion.

Woman: Where did you get it?

Me: I got some different lotions for Christmas. There was jasmine, coconut melon, and some other ones.

(awkward silence)

Woman: Are you married?

Me: Oh, yes.

Woman: Your children?

Me: I have a daughter and a son.

Woman: They're here with you?

Me: Oh no, they're home with their dad.

(awkward silence)

Woman: You like those kind of shoes?

Me: Oh yes, I've never gone wrong with New Balance. They're great.

Woman: (says something about getting shoes for her two daughters) My daughter tried on Avia and said they were too hard. Avias are not good shoes.

Me: Oh. Well, I think I'm going to get these shoes here. They fit great. (I stand up and get ready to go)

Woman: Is that moisturizer you're wearing that's making your face shiny?

Me: (very aware that I'm feeling more and more awkward) Oh, oh, no, I'm just sweating. I'm always hot.

Woman: Oh. I'm always cold! (She points to the shawls she's wearing)

Me: (smiling, as I wipe the sweat off my upper lip) Well, have a nice day!

(She offers her hand, we shake hands, and then I walk quickly away!)

Hindsight: It was good for me to relive that because now I realize the lady was just being friendly and if I'd been less into myself and my "shopping list" I would have engaged more in conversation. I'll try to remember that, if there's ever a next-time quite like that!

27 Q-and-A's

A tag from Sabrina: the new 2009 edition of getting to know your family and friends!


1.What is your occupation right now? best job on earth (stay-at-home mom)
2.What color are your socks right now? new cozy gray socks from Santa!
3.What are you listening to right now? quiet (kids are asleep), various blog playlists that pop up!
4.What was the last thing that you ate? A treat with the kids: graham crackers with vanilla frosting in the middle
5.Can you drive a stick shift? Yep, but it's been a LONG time!
6.Last person you spoke to on the phone? my dad and mom--they've been great about calling over the holidays!
7.Do you like the person who sent this to you? YES!!
8.How old are you today? 32
9.What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? baseball, football, hockey (in that order)
10.What is your favorite drink? WATER
11.Have you ever dyed your hair? Nope
12.Favorite food? The three important food groups--pizza, tacos, and dessert!
13.What is the last movie you watched? Bolt (it was fun). And we've been watching all of Wade's Star Wars DVDs that he got for Christmas.
14.Favorite day of the year? Christmas and birthdays
15.How do you vent anger? I don't get mad that often, but the kids would say that I either scream, take big deep breaths, count to ten, or give the evil Mom look
16.What was your favorite toy as a child? Cabbage patch kids, and books of all shapes and sizes
17.What is your favorite season? spring
18.Cherries or Blueberries? Blueberries
19. When was the last time you cried? a couple weeks ago when I was watching "It's A Wonderful Life" with the kids. I must cry more than I realize, though, because if I get even the slightest catch in my voice, Rhiannon asks me if I'm crying!
20.What is on the floor of your closet? shoes and a scale and probably a few dust bunnies
21. What did you do last night? I was tired! I read a chapter of Fablehaven to the kids and then went right to bed!
22. What are you most afraid of? good question. Maybe weather-related disasters? Or bugs? Or a flood in the basement?
23. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? CHEESE
24. Favorite dog breed? Not sure. I think I like any dog, since it's not a cat.
25. Favorite day of the week? weekends, weekends, weekends
26. How many states have you lived in? 5
27. What is your favorite flower? I love roses and gerbera daisies.


Let's see, if they're up for it, I'm going to tag Liz C., Maggie M., Angie Z., Jaymie C., and Julie P.!

May the Force be with you in 2009!

On New Year's Eve we joined some friends for a Star Wars-themed party. You can bet that Rhiannon and Wade were all over this idea! :) We played a bit of Star Wars Trivial Pursuit, too (bonus points if you can tell me what Kashyyyk is!). We ate a ton of good food and enjoyed the fun company for a couple hours before we "party hopped" to another friend's party.

I didn't take any pictures there, probably because I was in shock from the abundance of food at their house, too! :) Around 9:15 Wade came to me and said he felt pretty sick and thought it might be from some "salty Cheerios" he'd eaten downstairs. I hadn't done my routine food check for him, and he'd eaten some of the Cheerios/peanut/Chex mix. We were pretty lucky--he was breathing fine but felt horrible and his eyes were bright red, even with some Benadryl. He got it out of his system and then went to bed as soon as we got home. Thankfully he's doing fine now, but what a wake-up call for the new year!!!

Wade crashed and Jason fell asleep around 11, so Rhiannon and I rang in the new year together. We almost missed it because we were caught up in our Wii game! :)

2008 was an extraordinary year for us. We were adjusted from our big move cross-country and could enjoy lots of things here. 2009 will bring changes, too--we'll keep you posted!