It's Too Cold Outside

 I guess it's that time of year again.

In all three years as a school van driver, at about exactly the same time of year, this shiny light appears with a LOW TIRE warning.  Yesterday came that day.  I knew I'd be okay to risk driving both morning and afternoon runs and then my husband so kindly checked and added air to all four tires.  He said every tire was low.  So, I will see if the light comes back on and if it does I will definitely run in to the bus garage.  Last year one tire actually needed to be repaired so it could be that again or it could just be what happens to tires when the air gets cold.  

And lately it's been COLD.  

I consider myself lucky to be part of the country that experiences the weather of all four seasons but this is my least favorite of them all.  I'm sure I've already told you that, though.

In better news it's FRIDAY!  I had to wake up earlier than usual to take the girl to her swim practice before school.  I did my morning van run and will spend time getting things done around the house until it's time to leave again to bring everyone home.  I'm hoping for a relaxing and cozy night inside tonight and I will suggest we watch a Christmas movie.  Home is my favorite place to be, especially in this season.  

Tomorrow will be our first experience at the school's swim invitational.  Since my daughter is still new to swimming she won't be competing yet but I did sign up to help at the snack bar.  I'll admit that I am not really looking forward to it.  I'm clueless as to what to expect.  I'd much rather spend a Saturday at home or maybe do some much needed Christmas shopping but this is something my daughter really wanted to get into and it's only right that I support her through that.  Sunday will be church and my daughter is going to her friend's/our next door neighbor's 15th birthday party.  15!  I remember the day they moved into the house and on that same night was when her mother went into labor.  Times moves so fast.  I'm sure I've said that enough times, too.  

Enjoy the weekend and stay warm!  

First Snowfall

 The view outside my window.  

This is the first snow fall of the season and it came down heavily sometime after 5am and continued on and off for a few hours when it turned over to rain.  There's just enough snow to cover the ground and enough rain to make it all slushy.  Worrying that by the time the sun goes down it may all turn to ice.  

Last night the school called for a two-hour delay and then this morning as I sat with my cup of coffee a text came in saying that they were officially closed.  I let the kids sleep in and enjoyed a quiet morning.  As much as I am grateful for these snow days I'm not so happy that I don't get paid.  

You would also think that being a Siberian Husky means that this snow would give you a sense of wanting to harness up and run for miles while pulling a sled but, instead, I have a husky that would rather be angry at the white stuff.  "What am I supposed to do in this?" is what I'm sure she's thinking.  

I'll admit, from the inside looking out it's very beautiful but ...

Last Day of Break

 

Welcome December!  As much as I am a lover of summertime I do feel as though this is my favorite time of the year.  It's filled with the good memories of my childhood when family would gather at my grandparents house with all of the aunts, uncles and cousins.  My grandparents loved Christmas and made sure to make it special for all the grandchildren.  Then we would arrive home really late and Santa's gift was already under the tree for me.  My dad couldn't wait until morning and insisted we all stayed up to open all of the presents.  My parents made Christmas extra special, too.  As I got older Christmases began to look different but it was always special.  Then once I had children it was so incredible to be able to see the holiday through their little eyes.  We filled the tree with a lot of gifts for them and were woken up very early on Christmas Day to their impatience with wanting to open them.  

Today is the last day of Thanksgiving break but they are calling for about 2"-5" inches of snow starting late tonight into tomorrow morning so that could mean a two hour delay or closing for school.  We will see.  The break was good.  A mix of busy and relaxing.  I'm still working on the decorating but the tree is up.  In the first year of marriage Rob and I both had off work on Black Friday and neither had any desire to be part of the shopping rush so we stayed home and decorated the apartment for Christmas.  Then we decided to make it a Black Friday tradition every year.  Setting up and decorating the tree seems to take up most of the day.  Having to fluff the branches, fixing broken lights and doing my best to strategically place each ornament is a challenge but I love when I can look at it's finished beauty and feel thankful.  My mother had always been good at getting the branches moved in perfect position and she was particular with making sure the balls were evenly placed, she refused to have the same colors too close to each other.  I don't know how she did it but that's a struggle for me.  My mother also liked changing up the theme each year.  For me, I keep it simple and it's covered in store bought ornaments and handmade ornaments from the kids.  It's a tree filled with memories of our family through the years and it's exactly as I love it.  

As I wrap up the last day of Thanksgiving break there is a lot to do.  Laundry, meal planning and grocery shopping, and hopefully finishing last minute details of the decorating so all the boxes can go back up to the attic.  Last night my husband and son drove down to DC to watch the Commanders/Broncos game.  The Commanders is their team and this is a tradition for my son's birthday.  It seemed like a good game where Washington fought hard but unfortunately lost by 1 point.  Since it was a late game they stayed at a hotel and will be coming home today.  My daughter is currently at the school for swim practice.  So, as of right now I'm taking a moment to enjoy the quiet house with a cup of coffee.  I also plan on starting December by reading and studying the book of John in the Bible.  

I hope you have an amazing December filled with good cheer, joy, and happiness!!!!

18th Birthday/An Unconventional Thanksgiving

 The week started by celebrating a very special boy's 18th birthday.  I cannot believe how quickly these years have gone and now my boy is officially an adult.  When he gives us attitude, which happens more often than it should, I remind him how I can now kick him out the door ... but I wouldn't.  I couldn't.  He's certainly not ready.  I'm not ready.  I remember going to prayer and asking God to allow me the blessing to be a mother, promising Him that I will raise my children to know Him.  Very quickly those two lines appeared on the test and everything from that point on changed.  I hold tightly to all the memories, feel a lot of regret over the mistakes I have made as a mom, and cherish the current moments.  Matthew, you are a gift and I am so grateful for you.  

On Tuesday we went to a dinner in Hershey to celebrate all of the recent Eagle Scouts in the area.  It was a nice event with delicious food and recognition.  

And of course, it wouldn't make sense to have an event in Hershey without the best chocolate scattered as the centerpiece of each table.  

A thought had come to mind recently about an idea to do something together as a family instead of having our traditional Thanksgiving dinner at home.  We usually host with my parents and in-laws in attendance.  I gave Rob and the kids the choice and they all agreed in wanting to do something outside of the home.  My kids don't even like turkey and all of the sides (they are weirdos, I know) and after some issues of last and previous Thanksgivings I wanted a break from family drama.   Eye rolls from the mother-in-law and sister-in-law, insults from my father ... yeah, I'll admit to having to deal with those things.  As much as I enjoy the food, I felt it was a good idea to just get away.  Why not?  Do we really need to do things the traditional way all the time?  I think not.  

The day began with the kids running in the nearby Turkey Trot.  My son medaled; second best time in his age group.  Our original plan of the day was not going to work out so we headed into Philadelphia, which is a few hour drive from us.  None of us have ever walked around this city and we wanted to check it out.  It was amazing to see how many people were still walking around, even though many stores were closed for the holidays.  Sadly, there were a lot of homeless, either sleeping on the sidewalks or begging for money.  

We saw tall buildings.  

The Liberty Bell

The famous LOVE statue.  It's much smaller than I thought it was.  

The Christmas tree is now set up.  We did not stay long enough to see it lit up, though.  

And ate dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe.  Cheeseburgers took the place of the turkey.  

We promised the kids we would take them back on a warmer day when all of the stores and museums are open.  Philadelphia is mostly what I thought it would be and I would have no problem going back. 

Maybe that's not your idea of a good Thanksgiving but for us it was enjoyable.  Don't ever be afraid to step away from what everyone considers the norm.