FEBZILLA

Hola! (subject line phrase coined by my friend Julie Berry...)

Yep, we're here... and yes, it's snowing.  Again!

I'M SO HAPPY THAT WE HAVE ELECTRICITY.
Should I say that again?
5 more times?? Ha.  It's been ultra-cold, and the snow is powdery for the moment.  This storm started last night and is supposed to continue through the night tonight.

SNOW DAYS.  Our kids haven't had a full week of school for four weeks!  Martin Luther King Jr. Day was Monday, Jan. 19, giving us a 4-day week.

Mound closest is our poor rhododendron plant :(

The next week was the first Big Storm (24 inches at our house): 2 snow days made it a 3-day week.

Last week was another Big Storm (18 inches)...most school districts took 2 days off, but we only had 1 day off, making that a 4-day week for us.

BAD, BAD icicles!

And now this storm!  For sure today makes a 4th snow day off from school this winter.  (Hoping we can dig out in time so they can go to school tomorrow, but it hasn't slowed down yet...)  Teresa is happy enough about that, since the seniors do not have to make up the days.  Kara, however, looks at the calendar and sees that now, our "last day of school" has been bumped around the weekend, into the next week of June!  The kids will go to school through June 22 now. Ugh!

Bentley at work

BENTLEY SHOUT-OUT.  See these awesome photos of snowflakes?  They're from the Internet, but I'm thanking Wilson Bentley, a man passionate about snow and nature.  Born just weeks before President Lincoln was assasinated, he perfected a process of taking pictures of snowflakes: catching flakes on black velvet in such a way that their images could be captured before they melted.


RECITAL.

Kara & her friend Isabel

Kara did great on her piano recital last Saturday!
She had been practicing "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey like crazy, and she did really well on it.  It's so fun when our kids latch onto 80's songs!  That was 1981.  I'm sure she'd play it for you over the phone or something, if you asked her to :)

Well, just checking in.  We're still alive and we still have power :) :) :) :) :) :)  I'm so happy about that, I may just...go out and shovel!

Kari

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 :)

Snowmageddon 2015

Hola!

Well we are in the middle of our blizzard, here in New England and specifically Massachusetts.  I made it to the grocery store last night (didn't really NEED to...just did, for some extras...).  It is kind of funny, how the forecast of a storm sends people to the stores.  By 4 p.m. last night, the pickins were pretty slim in some aisles of Stop n Shop!  I did not have "water" on my list, but as I walked by the water aisles, the shelves were completely empty, except for 3 of those 5-gallon water jug things you put up in the office so people can get cups of water throughout the day.

NEWS. If you have the news on all the time (and I don't recommend it...I think 24-hour news is silly, given what they report as "important" most of the time), you would think we are all already dead!  Drama, drama, drama.  That gets people frantic and panicky.  That's not exactly healthy.

(I type these words on my computer, of course, meaning we still have power.  Knock on wood, count our many blessings, thank you, thank you!  My tune changes, you might recall, if the electricity goes out!  That is my own form of hyperventilating drama.  As of right now, we still have power and heat, and I am exceedingly happy about that!)

SCHOOL CLOSINGS. There has been lots of hype ahead of this storm, so schools pretty much announced they would be closed for today, by 4p.m. yesterday.

SNOW. So the snow started last night for us, and is supposed to continue ALL day, and into the night.  Wayland may get an additional 12-18 inches?  We currently have about that.  Maybe a foot? It's hard to tell.

Here's the front door, looking out.

Snow drifted against the front door

And also the view out the front window, towards the mailbox and street...

from living room looking out

same view (backwards) in the fall

Below, I've posted the same view, only backwards, withOUT snow...

It's supposed to come down all day today.  High winds make the snow blow sideways, and when it's so windy it drifts!  So you can't be so sure on the measurements.

So far, we are snug as bugs.  We still have power so Frank can work from home.

And I can still be in denial about shoveling until it stops tonight.

Then the digging-out begins!

Happy Tuesday from the Arctic North :)

Kari

Movies, Cooties, Patriots

Hola!  Today is the 16th of January...that would mean January is half over!  What have we done with the month so far...?

Elves...exceptional warriors :)

THE HOBBIT.  Yes, Frank and I held off watching "The Hobbit" until we could watch it at our leisure, and actually "finish" it, for Pete's sake!  None of this "3 separate movies, stretched out over 3 years, where you have to stay hanging, and wait a whole year in between each one" kind of thing.  Two weekends ago, we rented the first 2 Hobbit movies from Redbox and watched them, and then last weekend we watched the 3rd movie in the theater.  Amazing cinemetography.  Thoroughly disgusting "Orc" creatures.  And I really want those Elves fighting on MY side.

(P.S. I think Orlando Bloom -- photo above -- was born under a lucky star...how did he get the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies, AND the Lord of the Rings starring roles?)

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS.  Well this will be WAY more exciting for our cousin Dallas in Show Low than for people in our house (?!?!), since he is the die-hard Patriots Fan.  But the Patriots are one game away from going to the SUPERBOWL!  Around this sports-crazy town, there is much rejoicing.  We'll see what Sunday brings.

STREP THROAT.  I couldn't remember why last week seemed so short...now I do remember.  I lost 2 days to laying in bed wishing I could disappear!  I don't think I have had strep cooties before.  I will say, however, that I am EXTREMELY glad to be born AFTER PENICILLIN.  Wow, what a difference that awesome stuff makes.

MIDTERMS. Kara and Teresa gear up for midterms at the high school...those will take place next week.  It's a new and rather daunting experience for freshmen.  Kara has 5 big tests, over the course of 4 days.  The high school sets it up like a college schedule.  The students have two 2-hour testing blocks of time each day of midterms, and no other regular classes.  It's "old hat" for Teresa the Senior, but having done it 6 times before (midterms, then finals each school year) does not make it any less stressful.

NEWEST FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER. Teresa has taken some really cool pictures in her photography class this semester.  Here are some she took while we were in Florida...oh the first 2 are here at our house in Massachusetts.  If you click on these pictures, you can see them bigger.

alligator buddy in the canal behind Grammie D & Poppa Dave's

Creepy, huh?

Have a great weekend!
Love, Kari

Christmas Highlights

Hola--

Just thinking about our Christmas vacation...I cannot believe we are at the end :(  That alarm clock went off pretty early in the morning Monday.

(REMINDER: if you click on these pictures, you can see them BIGGER.)

We went to Florida, to visit Grammie D and Poppa Dave.  They have a pretty small congregation, so we all gave talks in Sacrament Meeting.  Our topic was "Strengthening the Family."

TALKING TO OUR MISSIONARY.  The highlight for me was to get to see and talk to David on Skype, on Christmas morning!  He called about ten in the morning.

David in Italy, the rest of us in Florida in 2 different rooms of the house

We talked about his new area, his new companion, and his living arrangements.  They don't have a dryer, so they hang their laundry out to dry, every time they wash it.

Chase (David's friend in Massachusetts) took care of our pets while we were gone.  Teresa got him on her iPod and held it by the computer where David was, so Chase and David got to talk a few minutes too.

Chase, in Massachusetts

VEGETABLE GARDEN.  Poppa Dave has a beautiful vegetable garden!  We had fresh vegetables pretty frequently.

REEL AND ROD.  Of course Teresa and Kara fished off of the dock, in the canal behind David & Diane's backyard.  That canal leads to Lake Okeechobee.  They caught a TON of fish!  One night they kept what they caught, then Poppa Dave cleaned the fish and we had filets for dinner.  Not too often the girls get to provide fresh fish for dinner, for the family :)

fish for dinner :)

HUNTING FOR SHARK;s TEETH.  We spent one day at the beach...we drove close to Venice Beach, where they have lots of shark's teeth.  Did you know that sharks lose teeth regularly, and they grow new ones when old ones fall out?  One shark could lose 2000 to 3000 teeth in his lifetime!

in search of shark's teeth!

So much sand...so little time

shark's teeth to be found on certain beaches

Another day we found out about the Seminole nation, Indians who live there in Florida.  We went to their museum and learned that they went to war with the U.S. military 3 times, ending in a draw each time.  They never signed a peace treaty with the U.S., so they are still an independent nation.

We took a buggy ride through the swamp, and then an airboat ride.  We saw lots of 'Critters" that live in Florida!

friendly neighborhood gator

Oh, the girls got to swim some, too.

Now, it's back to reality.  What?!?  Already??!  Yep.  Bedtime :)

Have a great week!  Kari

Merry Christmas Time

Hello, All!

I was just reminded that I haven't updated the WHITESELL blog lately.  I seem to spend quite a bit of time on David's blog, but have neglected ours.  I feel like there are not enough hours in the day, you know!

T.V TIME.  Maybe I should cut out the hours of television I watch each night...oh, wait, I don't do that.  Hmmm.

CULINARY ARTS TIME.  Maybe I should stop spending hours and hours cooking each night...oh wait, I don't do that either!  Ha.  (One of the requirements for a new recipe I try out for dinner is "can I do this in 30 minutes or less?"  If the answer is yes, then I'll try it.)

So I don't have the answer -- sometimes I think the photos make the blog, so I do spend a little too much time with photos... my problem is, I get sucked in because I love pictures so much!  I start looking at them on the computer, and get distracted and look at others...then I edit a few that I'll put in a scrapbook page "someday," then remember another event I wanted to scrapbook.  Then 30 minutes are gone, and I still haven't posted any to the blog!?  Sigh.

I digress.  My point of this post is to say "Merry Christmas!" and let you know we are all doing swimmingly.  (Teresa and Frank have been coughing for weeks, though...the cough seems to hang on the longest.)

Update of recent events:
KARA. Kara would like to play high school tennis in the spring.  She took a camp last summer, and some lessons.  She may get into a clinic this winter, to get better.  She needs more practice playing "doubles," since that's what she would be doing on the team in the spring.

 She has been working hard in her classes, trying to keep up with the increased homework that comes with "being in high school."

TERESA. was sad that volleyball ended.  She'd like to play all day, every day.  We did watch the BYU Women's volleyball team make it to the NCAA FINALS last week!  Ok, so we lost the championship game.  But to even make it that far was AMAZING.

Teresa is in "waiting mode."  She applied to 4 universities and has been accepted to 3 (still waiting on her 1st choice, BYU Provo).  She got accepted to Utah State (Logan), Colorado State (Fort Collins) and University of New Haven (Connecticut) -- yea, Teresa!  But she now says that she doesn't want to go to New Haven.  We will find out about BYU at the very end of February.

Meanwhile, AP Biology and Calculus keep her hopping.  They cover a LOT of material in those classes, as you may know, from either taking the class or having a child take it.

Frank continues to work hard all day, every day to keep the fam afloat!  He's driving in to the office 4 of 5 days now.  The 11-year old scouts learn from him weekly, as well as the both of us teaching the "scripture mastery" day of seminary each week.  This year, he's also been on the Regional Executive Board of the Boy Scouts in this area.

I am still tutoring ELL students 2 days a week.  Seminary is at our house once a week, and they also just asked me to be the Mia Maid advisor.  That's Kara's class...I think she's okay with it?!?  I am also trying to phase myself out of Cub Scouts, but I have been helping the new people since they've never been in it before.  (14 Bears...Bears are in 3rd grade.  Yes. It's a big, somewhat rowdy group...)

FLORIDA. We're going to Florida for the Christmas break, or at least a week of it!  Frank's parents live just off of Lake Okeechobee.  If you look at a map of Florida, there's a BIIIIIG lake right in the southern center. That's Lake Okeechobee, and that's where we'll be!

I think we have family scattered all over the U.S. -- wish we could "teleport" and see everybody this week.

The kids at school get a kick out of saying "See you next year!"  It's kind of weird that 2014 is almost behind us.

Happy Christmas Day on Thursday :)

Kari

Fall Colors, Books, HP

Hola!

Here's a quick update for the week.  I'm currently listening to the BYU women's volleyball game against San Diego.  BYU is #9, nationally, right now--pretty good! (well bummer the match went to 5 games and we lost...sigh I stayed up so late for that, blah...)

HS SPORTS. Teresa has been playing high school volleyball this season, and Kara has been playing soccer.  It fills their days, to be sure, and they have to practice some time management skills!  But we do enjoy watching them play.

CONFERENCES. We just finished with General Conference, 2 weeks ago, followed by our Stake Conference.  Good speakers, as usual :)

Otherwise, I feel like I think a lot during the week about Cub Scouts, and Seminary.  There is always more to do and plan!  Like a lot of other jobs, I suppose.

BOOKS. I'm also trying to read some, and keep up with a Book Club I've been going to.  Last month we read The Pearl by John Steinbeck.  It's a good, short one to start the year with! Ha. Just 90 pages.  Often Steinbeck is pretty depressing (think "The Grapes of Wrath" and "Of Mice and Men"), and this one certainly had low points too!  But it was thought-provoking, kind of a study in human behavior.

FALL PHOTOS. October is so beautiful in New England!  Oranges, reds, browns.  (I am in denial, right now, for what comes after that.)  Here are some photos I took last week:

I just drove around a little, in some areas unfamiliar to me.  Then all of a sudden I came over a hill and saw this tiny little cemetery, very peaceful in the morning light.  I took a few photos of the cemetery, too.

HP CHANGE. The big change announcement for Frank's company last week was that they will be splitting over the next year or so, into two companies.  One, "HP Inc.," will be computers and printers and sales of the home equipment.  The other, "HP Enterprise," will be technical support and data storage for big companies that have huge amounts of data.  Frank's position will be with HP Enterprise.

Hope you had a good week!

Kari