Today, it's like 10 degrees!!! How awesome is that?? OK. Maybe you don't understand. Let me put it into terms that you can understand.
Yesterday the record was -48 (no wind chill by the way, that was the straight up temp!) And today it's 10. Yeah!!! Ok, you still don't understand?
It's like this - pretend yesterday was freezing (32 degrees), then today would be 90 degrees!!!! HEAT WAVE BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Burrr, I'm cold.
Cold weather... I wish we had single digits. I was actually trying to remember this morning when it was above 0 last - I couldn't remember. Today was the coldest I've ever felt in my life - You'd think when it goes below zero, it's just cold and you can't really tell a difference, but today, I got in the car and it was -38. Seriously, that is the coldest I've ever felt in my whole entire life!
OH, here's one example. I filled up a water bottle this morning in the house, before I closed it, there must have been a little water in the top because it was on it's side on the way to work this morning. Which takes about 10 minutes. When I got here, there was a FROZEN drop of water coming out of the top of my water bottle! You ever heard of it getting that cold? One drop of water freezing before it hits the ground 1 inch away????? At least, we are warming up - (minus 34) now!
I was hoping Sam would email me some pictures of the house. The other night, after shoveling - AGAIN, he took some pictures with all the Christmas lights on... I wanted to get some pictures of the snow. I don't think any of you could believe me if I told you. I wanted pictures. I've never seen so much snow in all my born days! Well, I guess I need to go get the mail - burrr.....
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! Mail retrieved!
Have you ever been in such cold that it takes your breath away?
Have you ever had the runny nose snot in your nose freeze your nostrils together?
Have you ever had your appendages burn from the cold just from walking from the door to the car?
Have you ever walked down your shoveled sidewalk only to hit an unpacked spot and fall in up to your knee?
Have you ever left your drink in the car only to come back the next day to have it frozen solid?
Have you ever heard of a neck warmer?
Have you ever walked into the house with ice crystals in the shape of a circle where your mouth is breathing, on your neck warmer?
Have you ever had your hair freeze solid?
Have you ever had all the fluids in your car freeze, ie. brake fluid, power steering fluid?
Have you ever plugged in your car?
Did you even know that normal cars come with plugs? (We are NOT talking about hybrids here, folks!)
Have you ever kicked the snow off your shoes and some fall into the car and have it never melt for at least a month? IN the car?
Have you ever had the nicest sunniest days of the year and yet can't allow your bare skin to be exposed for fear of instant frostbite? (maybe that is a little bit of a stretch, but seriously, I'm not too far off!)
Sam, you have to admit, I did a good job of not exaggerating this time, didn't I?
PS. Anyone up for skiing???! :)
OH, here's one example. I filled up a water bottle this morning in the house, before I closed it, there must have been a little water in the top because it was on it's side on the way to work this morning. Which takes about 10 minutes. When I got here, there was a FROZEN drop of water coming out of the top of my water bottle! You ever heard of it getting that cold? One drop of water freezing before it hits the ground 1 inch away????? At least, we are warming up - (minus 34) now!
I was hoping Sam would email me some pictures of the house. The other night, after shoveling - AGAIN, he took some pictures with all the Christmas lights on... I wanted to get some pictures of the snow. I don't think any of you could believe me if I told you. I wanted pictures. I've never seen so much snow in all my born days! Well, I guess I need to go get the mail - burrr.....
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! Mail retrieved!
Have you ever been in such cold that it takes your breath away?
Have you ever had the runny nose snot in your nose freeze your nostrils together?
Have you ever had your appendages burn from the cold just from walking from the door to the car?
Have you ever walked down your shoveled sidewalk only to hit an unpacked spot and fall in up to your knee?
Have you ever left your drink in the car only to come back the next day to have it frozen solid?
Have you ever heard of a neck warmer?
Have you ever walked into the house with ice crystals in the shape of a circle where your mouth is breathing, on your neck warmer?
Have you ever had your hair freeze solid?
Have you ever had all the fluids in your car freeze, ie. brake fluid, power steering fluid?
Have you ever plugged in your car?
Did you even know that normal cars come with plugs? (We are NOT talking about hybrids here, folks!)
Have you ever kicked the snow off your shoes and some fall into the car and have it never melt for at least a month? IN the car?
Have you ever had the nicest sunniest days of the year and yet can't allow your bare skin to be exposed for fear of instant frostbite? (maybe that is a little bit of a stretch, but seriously, I'm not too far off!)
Sam, you have to admit, I did a good job of not exaggerating this time, didn't I?
PS. Anyone up for skiing???! :)
Friday, January 2, 2009
Anyone out there?
Does anyone even look at this blog anymore? I don't. I promised I wouldn't write anymore until I somehow got a way to post pictures. I thought I'd post even though I don't have pictures. That wonderful camera that was listed in my last entry has been a very wonderful addition to our family. Sam LOVES it. And we have been using it like crazy, taking some great pictures, but then in early December, an ERR 99 showed up on it. To make a long story a little shorter, we had to send it in to get fixed, so for the whole month, we were without a camera. So I have nothing to show of our trip to VA for Christmas... I would have loved taking photos of my family and I got together with a couple dear friends, who have recently had new babies. It would have been so much fun to photograph them with their little ones, but alas, just the memories will have to stay. Oh well. But the good news it, it's back, completely repaired and ready to rock and roll in the new year!!! If only I could pry Sam's hands off of it to get some pictures! HA, totally just kidding. We ran to Fargo yesterday to visit Sam's sister, Sadie and her hubbie, Nathan and their little guy, Ethan. I was taking pictures the whole time and got some good ones. IF, and I repeat, IF I get access to those pictures on my computer, I'll post a few for you!!!
Anyway, we are well. For the most part, everyone is getting a Christmas card/letter, even though it'll be a bit late, but for those that can't wait or don't receive one for whatever reason, I'll post our letter here and that way you can get caught up on the last 4 months of my life. Actually, it's an overview of the year, but maybe you can see why I didn't have the time to post earlier!
Happy New Year everyone!!!!
Dearest Friends and Family,
Sam and I have been going back and forth on whether to even write a Christmas card this year. It’s been forever since we’ve sent one out and sometimes on your list of priorities, it doesn’t even make the cut! But we LOVE hearing from you and posting all your pictures on our fridge, so we thought we’d send some well-wishes back to you!
It’s been a big year. The New Year always dawns bright with Youth Ski trips. And so that keeps us hopping for the first 3 months.
Then this Spring, Sam and I got a few days off and flew down to Orlando to visit my brother Wes and his wife, Cindy. We had a great time visiting and going canoeing at Blue Springs, seeing manatees and going to Epcot! It was definitely a highlight of the year! Then we flew back into Chicago, where Sam attended a 3 day Youth Conference at Willow Creek Church. It was a great opportunity of refreshment and renewal for us.
May dawned with sad hearts. As many of you know, Sam’s dad, John, battled Lymphoma for the last 5 and a half years. On May 16, Jesus took him home to be with Him. I don’t even know how to begin a tribute of his life. So I’ll just tell you the impact he had on me. I worked with John for the last year and a half and came to enjoy that time with him so much. Talk about a ray of sunshine. He was ALWAYS smiling, even when you knew the pain was almost too much to bear. He always had an encouraging word and was always thinking about other people. I came to rely on his encouragement a lot more than I realized. I learned so much from him just about being focused on others rather than myself, no matter what conditions were. I have a long way to go, but he gave me a standard to reach for! He was a man that knew where he’d spend eternity which perhaps was the best gift he ever gave his family; he made a huge impact on the world he left behind and for those that knew him, their lives will forever be changed. I could go on, but there is definitely a void in our lives where John was.
The summer continued on, as it always does, even when tragedy strikes. Our summers are extremely busy in youth ministry. For Memorial Day, we headed off to the Turtle Mountains with about 10 4th-6th graders. It was a cold camping trip – we woke up one morning to a world of white frost, everywhere. I think it got down to 20 degrees. Let me tell you, that is cold when you are sleeping a tent! In July, Sam and I took about 12 Jr. Highers to Minneapolis for the Middle School mission’s trip and it went great!!! As soon as we got back from that trip, Sam headed out to Chicago with the Sr. Highers for another missions trip. I missed out on that one, but I know they had some great adventures. Then as soon as Sam got back from that trip, he took his three younger brothers on an adventure to the Boundary Waters. They were gone for another week. I know they had a great time together, even though Charlie says a week in the wilderness is a bit much for him!!!
We had our shares of lows and highs this year. Sam’s sister, Katie got married this summer as well. Sam had the opportunity to marry Katie and Mike at a small, intimate, family wedding on May 4th so that John could walk his last daughter down the isle and that was so special. Then they had their big wedding on July 5th. My parents flew in for the wedding and got to take part in the festivities by doing the flowers – they turned out beautiful and it was a great fun time to help Katie celebrate this new chapter of her life!
In September, Sam and I got a chance to scoot on down to Jackson Hole, Wy – a must see! We LOVED it! Sam was inspired to finish the 40+ originals for his one-man art show in November, which was a huge success. I wish all of you could have see it! I’m so proud of him! I could go on, but there were just too many adventures to share – but I did want to tell you how thankful we are at how God has impacted our lives through our family and friends. Thank you for your love and support – we couldn’t get on without it! God Bless you this Christmas season and may you be overwhelmed by the love of your family and friends as we have been. May Jesus be glorified this Christmas season!
Love, Sam, Sarah and Tonto - woof!
Anyway, we are well. For the most part, everyone is getting a Christmas card/letter, even though it'll be a bit late, but for those that can't wait or don't receive one for whatever reason, I'll post our letter here and that way you can get caught up on the last 4 months of my life. Actually, it's an overview of the year, but maybe you can see why I didn't have the time to post earlier!
Happy New Year everyone!!!!
Dearest Friends and Family,
Sam and I have been going back and forth on whether to even write a Christmas card this year. It’s been forever since we’ve sent one out and sometimes on your list of priorities, it doesn’t even make the cut! But we LOVE hearing from you and posting all your pictures on our fridge, so we thought we’d send some well-wishes back to you!
It’s been a big year. The New Year always dawns bright with Youth Ski trips. And so that keeps us hopping for the first 3 months.
Then this Spring, Sam and I got a few days off and flew down to Orlando to visit my brother Wes and his wife, Cindy. We had a great time visiting and going canoeing at Blue Springs, seeing manatees and going to Epcot! It was definitely a highlight of the year! Then we flew back into Chicago, where Sam attended a 3 day Youth Conference at Willow Creek Church. It was a great opportunity of refreshment and renewal for us.
May dawned with sad hearts. As many of you know, Sam’s dad, John, battled Lymphoma for the last 5 and a half years. On May 16, Jesus took him home to be with Him. I don’t even know how to begin a tribute of his life. So I’ll just tell you the impact he had on me. I worked with John for the last year and a half and came to enjoy that time with him so much. Talk about a ray of sunshine. He was ALWAYS smiling, even when you knew the pain was almost too much to bear. He always had an encouraging word and was always thinking about other people. I came to rely on his encouragement a lot more than I realized. I learned so much from him just about being focused on others rather than myself, no matter what conditions were. I have a long way to go, but he gave me a standard to reach for! He was a man that knew where he’d spend eternity which perhaps was the best gift he ever gave his family; he made a huge impact on the world he left behind and for those that knew him, their lives will forever be changed. I could go on, but there is definitely a void in our lives where John was.
The summer continued on, as it always does, even when tragedy strikes. Our summers are extremely busy in youth ministry. For Memorial Day, we headed off to the Turtle Mountains with about 10 4th-6th graders. It was a cold camping trip – we woke up one morning to a world of white frost, everywhere. I think it got down to 20 degrees. Let me tell you, that is cold when you are sleeping a tent! In July, Sam and I took about 12 Jr. Highers to Minneapolis for the Middle School mission’s trip and it went great!!! As soon as we got back from that trip, Sam headed out to Chicago with the Sr. Highers for another missions trip. I missed out on that one, but I know they had some great adventures. Then as soon as Sam got back from that trip, he took his three younger brothers on an adventure to the Boundary Waters. They were gone for another week. I know they had a great time together, even though Charlie says a week in the wilderness is a bit much for him!!!
We had our shares of lows and highs this year. Sam’s sister, Katie got married this summer as well. Sam had the opportunity to marry Katie and Mike at a small, intimate, family wedding on May 4th so that John could walk his last daughter down the isle and that was so special. Then they had their big wedding on July 5th. My parents flew in for the wedding and got to take part in the festivities by doing the flowers – they turned out beautiful and it was a great fun time to help Katie celebrate this new chapter of her life!
In September, Sam and I got a chance to scoot on down to Jackson Hole, Wy – a must see! We LOVED it! Sam was inspired to finish the 40+ originals for his one-man art show in November, which was a huge success. I wish all of you could have see it! I’m so proud of him! I could go on, but there were just too many adventures to share – but I did want to tell you how thankful we are at how God has impacted our lives through our family and friends. Thank you for your love and support – we couldn’t get on without it! God Bless you this Christmas season and may you be overwhelmed by the love of your family and friends as we have been. May Jesus be glorified this Christmas season!
Love, Sam, Sarah and Tonto - woof!
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