We're getting more snow than Leslie in NH who moved up there for skiing options
Watching Bailey try and squat pee in a foot of snow is pretty funny
We had first tracks on the trails this morning
It's beautiful
Being snowed in is super cozy
It's Friday, so we have no plans and can hunker down for the weekend
Hitting Dave with snow balls is fun
Makes for great pictures
Cons to #2 crazy huge snowstorm in one winter:
We only have 3 inches on the ground, they're predicting another 20 in 24 hours
For crazy huge snow storm #1, Bailey just resorted to peeing on the front mat
It's freaking cold
I'm 99% positive we're going to lose power again
The dogs smell almost moldy at this point
We're running out of firewood - as in, this weekend. Which, with the inevitable power loss, could prove to be a problem
My "workout" will now consist of running in place, jumping jacks, and other forms of horribly embarrassing acts to keep from gaining the "snowstorm five"
Dad is ready to jump off his roof
Our local news anchors seem to believe that the end of mankind is near and that there's NOTHING going on in the world besides this snow storm
Here's a little snapshot of my recent trip to NH to see Cody-licious, les, and Mom - and then some of what we've been doing around the house lately.
These are the faces I had to leave
But this is the face that I got to see
We went for walks
We moved some furniture
We found some sticks
And we did a lot of swinging
Back home on the racho relaxo, we've been hanging pictures, baking cookies, and preparing for the apocalypse
Wedding pictures are up!
And some of our favorite nieces and nephews!
Yum
Bailey is less than thrilled at not being able to chase the squirrelies
So we finally got ourselves dug out on Monday, packed up the bears and headed north. 13 hours later we were in our cabin at Pawtuckaway state park.
It was a different kind of week and in the end, I'm not sure it was my favorite. Not saying that we didn't have fun and, more importantly, get to spend some quality time with people we care about. It just felt... transient. We became one of those families who spent christmas morning on a highway and I was surprised at how many other cars were doing the same. Maybe that's what the rest of the world has done every christmas and we just never realized how normal it was. We were lucky to have what we did for so long but of course, at the time, we never knew it.
I loved walking the bears on the awesome trails near our cabin with Dave. We really felt like a family at those moments. I loved seeing Cody and doing my best to make him laugh, which, I thought, went pretty well considering that the reactions most children have towards being held by me are usually a combination of upchucking and screaming all at once. I loved doing plyometrics with les and baking a pecan pie with mom. I loved playing Mario cart with Cam and winning every game at Trivial Pursuit. :) I loved reading, sleeping in, and although it was sad, spending some time really absorbing how much in our lives is changing.
What a transition year. New job, new house, new traditions, new family arrangements, new training programs. I really found it hard to get in the holiday spirit this year and I'm still not sure why. I wasn't upset about it though, just not in the mood. I'm trying to acknowledge all these changes as they come and not judge myself for how I'm feeling. I suppose that's the only way I know how to handle it all for now.
Pictures!!
Christmas lights in our cabin from our welcome party! Thanks!
Our daily walks.
View from the back of our cabin.
Cody-licious in his first christmas morning. Should've captured the santa pants.
Best laugh ever. He cackles like an old man. Yes, mom, I'll get you a copy. :)
This is how Bailey spent the whole trip home.
Which was long because most of NY and MD looked like this.
It was Saturday, December 19th, and we were supposed to leave for New Hampshire for a very abnormal christmas with the Rooke family. Then it started to snow. Well, it started the night before and by 10am on Saturday, our porch looked like this...
And it was still coming down. Obviously not leaving that day, or probably not the next either (Virginia really doesn't get this much snow very often so knowing how to clear it with its one plow is a baffling thing to say the least), we hunkered down until we lost power... for two days.
But decided to get out and make the most of it with a walk with the bears, who LOVED it.
These are snow berries. Also currently known as Bailey Berries. Her hair is so long that she collects snow on her back legs when she walks through it. Sort of like frozen dreads. Pretty hysterical if you're us and watching her awkwardly waddle her way down the trail but not so much if you're her and they take hours to melt or pull chunks of your hair off.
So there was tons of down time and wondering when we'd be able to turn the lights on, finish our load of laundry, or finish packing. The snow didn't stop coming down for 36 hours and we ended up getting about 23 inches of it. Didn't get out on Sunday either but had another nice stroll, this time with the sun.
Dave threw some ball.
And, of course, more bailey berries. I think this is the one that took her hair off.
And I became an angel. Keep your comments to yourselves, there, family.
We finally got dug out enough to leave on Monday morning. Well, precariously. Stay tuned for nephew Cody's first christmas and our lovely new years with friends in Richmond.
Here's to making the best memories of 2009 our worst in 2010.
A few pictures...better than words. Someone had her sleepypants on on Christmas morning. Shan before the Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville. The excitement is palpable.
A short while later. Hot soup and a space blanket on a cold, windy day. Yum.
Speaking of post race chow, how about a little something after the Richmond half. One of the coolest things about snow? The way it melts. Singletrack here on the farm is almost thawed out after 23" last week.
I have a friend who is going through this stage that all introspective women seem to go through in their mid-20's. The stage where you finally allow the reality of getting through school and out on your own sink in and realize that nothing you have done to this point has really prepared you for the self criticism and unanswered future that lies before you. These five years, or maybe more, are filled with the biggest personal questions you'll face - where you'll go, what you'll do there, who you'll love, and leave, along the way. At this point, the blank slate concept is as intimidating as it is exciting.
I have another friend who once referred to this stage as a "quarter life crises". I know everyone going through the "mid life crises" probably thinks that this is preposterous. You're in your 20's, how can life be so difficult? And, yes, I'll definitely grant that those days spent trying to figure out what you want to do with your life can be much much more exciting than a life spent living out the choices you've made, especially if they're the wrong ones. And I think somewhere in there, within an books worth of questions, lies the pressure.
What if you get it wrong?
The choices you make daily are small enough to be laughed off or fixed if necessary. The choices you make at that point in life: location, careers, spouses, children. These are the building blocks for what you'll wake up to, or walk away from, every day for the rest of your life. I'm just saying I don't envy her. I was there a few years ago too and when she stresses about whether or not to call him back or take that new position at her job, all I can do is tell her it will all work itself out and to just try not to worry.
There are parts of that identity that I miss just a little though. I always loved wondering what the future was holding for me and how it would reveal itself and when. I also miss some of the friendships I have that are changing due to us all "growing up". I think about all that for a second and still don't want to change a thing. Maybe that's how you know you've gotten it right, at least for now.
What she's going through in her life will eventually lead to what I kind of feel like I'm going through right now in my late 20's. There's still a feeling of excitement, of course, because we still have so much ahead of us and so many new things to experience together. There's the feeling of comfort with a hint of creeping, dying to break through self acceptance. But there is a feeling of moving on, growing up (not old), and saying good-bye to that part of your life. The part that would stay out too late, move across the country on a whim, and quit her job if she wasn't happy. Your definition of 'fun' changes from not remembering a friday night to getting to bed early for that run you've helped organize in the morning. Toddlers start to show up at the picnics you're attending. And some of those questions you were asking yourself are finally answered.
I wouldn't change anything about my life now. I'm fortunate enough to say that at the ripe old age of 28, I feel like I have everything I've ever wanted and I'm the happiest I've ever been. But that doesn't mean I can't acknowledge that every so often I miss those times when not a whole lot made sense and that was ok. In the end, we're all pretty fortunate, aren't we? That we can spend an evening warm, with loved ones, watching our choice tv shows, and knowing that we have a place to go in the morning to provide for ourselves?
One of my favorite quotes is "You only live once. But if you do it right, once is enough."
I wonder if that's true.
On a less "thinky" note, here's to presents of singing holiday clocks that shut off at night but wake you up at 6am. See, MOST people would consider 6am night time. Not our favorite little howling santa bears.
I always have a hard time coming up with things to be thankful for on turkey day, other than pie and Dave's mashed potatoes. Definitely not because I'm not thankful for anything but more so that I feel like I try really hard to be that way all the time. Really, I guess I'm thankful for having so much to be thankful for. Awwww. Ok, I know... "sure, whatever, just list it". Fine. I will. So there.
More general things in life:
- My amazing, supportive, sweet, funny, sexy, caring, wonderful husband.
- My ridiculous bears.
- My family who made me who I am today.
- My friends for accepting me that way.
- Our simple existence and the ability to be healthy, work, fulfill our dreams, and take care of each other which, really, isn't that hard at all.
More random, specific things:
- socks, leaves, candles, hugs, cream soda, rain, peanut butter, feel good movies, flannel, naps, football, beer, sports bras, tupperware, shutter buttons, etc.
- And today, especially, because we hosted turkey day dinner for the first time, dishwashers. I'm forever thankful for dishwashers.
Super short list for a really awesome world of things that I love but I'm getting tired and I'm still stupid full from dinner so that's all I got. Well, here's to catching you all up a little:
Walks
Turkey Trot
Helping out at the kids race
I think I'm being watched (that's dave).
Finish line
Turkey Day
Shopping craziness
Oh yeah, and the dogs destroyed another one of their beds. Look how innocent they're trying to be. "Wasn't me, no sir. No, I don't know who else was out here locked on the deck with teeth and claws that could have done this. But it wasn't me. Must have been the cat."
I just figured out what a Bluetooth was. Well, I still don't really know what it is or why they would call it a bluetooth but I do know that it is a way for my pictures and videos on my phone to get transferred to my computer. Kinda scary actually. I just sit here and press one button on my phone over here and it suddenly appears on my computer over there. They've never been plugged in together, to me they're completely different devices. But now they're talking. Or toothing I suppose. If there had been any other part or cord or button I would have had to pay attention to, none of this would be taking place, I assure you. But, turns out, toothing is pretty easy. And hopefully it's free.
That being said, here's a completely random collection of pictures from my phone. Lucky you. :)
From the 18 hours on the farm race...
A pile o bikes.
Our team, Bike Factory Racing. And our mascot, the spaceman.
And my legs after the race. No, that's not a tan line, that's mud. Well, probably a bit of both.
These are from the beach, huge thanks to Becky and Larry for putting us up!!
Here are our two new nephews...
Baby Cody
Puppy Andy the panster
And this is what happens when my team (THE WORLD CHAMPION STEELERS) plays Dave's team (denver) and we meet up with friends to watch. Sorry, couldn't get the picture to flip. Maybe bluetooth can do that too. Either way, someone should teach him some manners.
And THIS is what I get to do every time the Steelers BEAT the broncos.
The bet was the winner gets to hang their team's jersey on a wall in our house. More pictures to come on that later.
