Christmas Miracle "Mania"

The snow is still falling! It is beautiful. I have never seen a storm like this since we have lived here. It feels like I am back in Idaho and I love it! I sent Nathan out to shovel a pathway for Trent so when the bus comes to pick him up tomorrow morning he can get down to the street. All we have is a skinny digging shovel...guess I better go buy one for the next time it snows like this...four years or so? Nathan in his own words describes what happens:

Before our little "miracles" showed up

Our church was cancelled today so this family from our ward was making the rounds and saw Nathan out there shoveling and stopped to help. It seriously saved me probably 2 hours worth of work...at least. There is a thick layer of ice on top of all the snow, so it is quite the process shoveling all of that. I have already had to go back out and shovel two more inches to try and keep the path clear for Trent. Here is some video of Nathan walking on the snow. You can hear him breaking through the ice.

This truly was such a wonderful Christmas "Miracle Mania" (as Nathan put it) It was so nice for Nathan to be on the receiving end of service. We go and do things for others, but to be on the receiving end is such a gift. Nathan keeps talking about it, and how awesome it was that they came to help. These are the times when I feel truly watched out for, and that Heavenly Father is aware of me and knows what I need. It just reaffirmed to me that we are not alone, and others can help ease our burdens. Shoveling my driveway may have seemed like a simple thing to them, but to me...it was huge and one less thing that I needed to worry about.

Winter Wonderland

Winter is here. A real Winter! Usually winter in the Northwest means freezing slushy/rain that freezes and turns the road into a solid sheet of ice. We are actually getting snow...and quite a bit! It actually feels like christmas AND looks like it. We are just loving it. The boys went over to the Morgans to sled down their semi-steep driveway. Jonathan loved being pulled around in the sled. I would ask him if he was done and he would shake his head no.

Jonathan and Annie on the sled (Jonathan is in the back)

You can see the snowflakes comin down and piling up on the bushes. It is still snowing too. It has not quit all day. Life is so good.

Lesson Learned

As I spent everyday this week spending some quality time with my chiropractor (twice a day to be exact!), I have learned a valuable lesson. I woke up Sunday night with horrible neck pain. I could not lay in any position that was comfortible, so I got out of bed and tried to deal with the pain. I finally caved in and took some ibuprofen to knock the pain, and had to keep drugged up for the next 3 days in order to even kindof function. (and you know how I rarely take drugs...thus my motto "Toughen up Buttercup", but sometimes the butter is not tough, and one must medicate) My neck was totally messed up. I looked like a wierdo, because it was all spasmed up so I could not turn my neck at all, you should see me trying to drive! It gave the word, "Stiffneckedness" in the Book of Mormon a whole new meaning. I am happy to report that today it is finally loosening up, and there is light at the end of the tunnel. So what is this valuable lesson that I learned? I learned that no one over the age of 30 should go sledding. Sledding is evil for old farts and should be avoided at all costs. Was it really worth Whiplash to impress a bunch of 8 year olds? I say, it is not. If you don't know what I am talking about, refer to my posting "Show me da Snow" for more details. Just say No to sledding.

Show me da Snow!

It is spring break here in Vancouver, and we wanted to do something different. We wanted to play in some snow, so we hopped in the car and headed to the mountains. Our friends came along on our little adventure. (Robin, Emily, Maddie and Annie) We all put on some rented snow shoes (Robin and I took turns sitting in the car with the babies, in case you were wondering) and we went out trekkin. It was wonderful! It was so awesome to walk along, and hear the sound of nothingness, except for the crunching of the snow and the slight breeze. The snow was glistening in the sun (yes, the sun was actually out! Miracle I know!). Now for those of you who know about me and exercise...that I am allergic to it, might be surprised to hear that I LOVED snow shoeing. Who knew? Guess it is good to try new things every now and then.

You can see Mt. Hood in the background....isn't it gorgeous? Well...after the snow shoeing, we moved on to the sledding portion of the trip. As I watched Nathan and Emily sledding down the hill, it looked like fun, so I decided to give it a whirl. We hiked up the hill and I got on the sled and took off. Well, I didn't factor in that I am much heavier than an 8 year old, so I was screaming like a little girl as I was bombing down the hill gaining momentum on a death trap that you cannot steer or control. I hit a jump at the bottom of the hill, flying off of the sled and barely skidding to a stop before dropping down the hill into the parking lot. The kids were all telling me that I now needed to try out the "faster" sled. I couldn't say No...the peer pressure of an 8 year old was just too much to bear. I guess I should have remembered the Nancy Reagan slogan, "Just Say No". I'll remember that one in the future. I took that second run, and let me just say that I went faster, and caught some "serious air" according to the kids (I think I blacked out mid jump). Let's just say that I am not as young as I use to be and ended up crawling my way out of the situation, all the while trying to look cool. I ended up at the chiropractor the next day with a kinked neck, that we are still trying to un-kink. Other than the sledding episode, the day was fabulous!