And So It Begins

Hello!

I was so flabbergasted by our quick change of temperatures this weekend, I wasn't even going to blog about it! But Frank said no, go ahead, and maybe people will feel sorry for us... :)

LAST year, we did not get snow until December 19th...I remember because it was the last day before the holiday break. Well guess what we saw on Friday morning, October 16? Yes, SNOWFLAKES! (You can click on any of these to enlarge...I tried it, it works...)

The kids were all excited. 4th grader Kara says, "Do I need to wear my boots to school?" (Remember I said we saw FLAKES. Flurrying through the air...there was nothing on the ground to speak of, nothing stuck to accumulate a measurement.) Then it turned back into rain, rain, and more rain.

The blessing of it all is, I am in heaven because I am remembering LAST year at this very exact weekend. All our stuff had just been delivered to the house a few days ago. We were living in boxes, serving meals on a card table set up in the family room, because the kitchen was completely torn up and being renovated. When I think back to that, I am so relieved that we are not doing THAT, I could do the Happy Dance. (Whatever that is; use your imagination, I guess.)

So, temps have dipped and will go up and down for the next few weeks. Our leaves have not yet fallen, but we got a smidgen of snow this weekend! Reminds me of Colorado. Here is a snow picture or two (Teresa tried to catch some on her tongue), and yes they are both wearing flip-flops when it is 32 degrees out. Frank and I shiver uncontrollably when it's 70, and the kids wear flip-flops when it's 32. Go figure.

Here is our awesome little stove in the computer room, that warms things up so delightfully:

I just checked the weather and it will be in the 50's and 60's this week. Maybe we'll get good temperatures for Trick-or-Treating?? Maybe.

Otherwise, we got in another family hike on Saturday! David jogged it once then caught up to us on his 2nd round, while the rest of us did the loop once. I tried out a new jacket, that was supposedly wind-resistant, water-repellant, insulated, all with this very thin fabric...I didn't believe the tags so I layered with other jackets, too. But it actually kept me pretty warm, hiking in the 40's that day. I think I'll keep the jacket.

We had a great Stake Conference this weekend. Every 6 months, multiple church congregations in the area (we make up a "stake") come together for some inspirational talks and music.

We were also encouraged to attend the temple Friday night. It was a nice temple date for Frank and I, and we listened to some really good messages Saturday and Sunday.

Here's a pond closeby--reds, oranges, yellows.






Last thing, I have to say how cool this program is, that we downloaded for Teresa's social studies class: Google Earth! It can take you anywhere on the planet! You can go up close, far away, bird's eye view, type in any address and it will take you there. We found the houses of almost all our cousins and grandparents, our house and neighborhood in Mexico City...Frank will go to Argentina next month. I think I'll have him show me his offices there and in Peru.

Have a great week! Kari