Snow, Celebrations, Upcoming Adventure

Hello and Happy February!!

We are having a sunny day today.  So bright and cheery-looking outside!

SNOW. We survived our "Big Storm" last week, which gave us a whopping TWO FEET of snow, and gave the school students 2 days off of school.  It was light and fluffy!

 After hours of all of us taking shifts, moving snow off of cars and sidewalks and driveways, the girls played in it some, too.

24 inches of snow...?!?!?!?

I'M FAMOUS!!  Tonight and tomorrow we're supposed to get some more.  But did you catch the news, and what they called the little storm between Wednesday's and tonight's storm?  WINTER STORM KARI!!  Yes, and they even spelled it right!  Here's my link: Winter Storm Kari .  It wasn't devastating or terrible. Just a small one that followed the big one.

Zipping down the hill at lightning speeds...well not really

Kara & her friend Liesel

NEW MONTH.  The big accomplishment is: we made it through January!!  Yesterday was the last day, and now we're into "short February." Teresa pointed out last night: have you looked at the calendar for February?  It's a perfect rectangle." Four full weeks, starting on Sunday, so no "leftover" days at the end of 28 days.  A perfect rectangle!

KARA'S AWARD.  Kara worked really hard on her "Personal Progress" in church, including goals and service projects in value categories like Integrity and Individual Worth.  She has also been studying scriptures to learn, and earn her Young Womanhood Recognition award.  It's very cool, and represents hours and hours of organized effort in different goal areas.  So she received it a few weeks ago!
 We went out to celebrate.  There's a great Mexican restaurant about 20 minutes from us.  Frank and I have been back a few times now -- which says something!  We usually say, "let's try something new,"  but we like this place: it's very small, not much to look at, but serves really good food.

FEBRUARY ADVENTURE.  The kids get a "February Break" from school: a week off, about mid-month.  So it probably sounds a little weird, but we're going to Dubai ("doo-BYE," like you're telling someone "bye") for that week!

 In Mexico City, we met quite a few other families "on assignment," who had different work-related moves and had lived in various countries for work.  The Andersons continued that trend, and are now on assignment in Dubai.  They had lived there 3 years, and then last fall they extended one more year.  They threw out the invitation: "Come visit us in Dubai!"  So we thought about it...and said okay.  We'll call it a "Senior Family Trip" in honor of Teresa's senior year, her last year of living with us at home full-time...?  (Just kidding.  The timing is because the Andersons are there, ha!)   Frank had some frequent flyer miles that covered 2 of our plane tickets, so that worked out well.  We'll leave on Feb. 13, a week from Friday.


We just got the recorded phone call informing us that school is cancelled for tomorrow.  Forecasters say "a foot or more snow expected."  (Me? I'm still in denial that winter's even coming...can you see me curled up on the couch with my hands over my ears and eyes closed, singing "I can't hear you...")

But don't worry about me.  Mentally, I'm on a beach somewhere, soaking up the sun with a good book.

Kari :)