BRRRRR!

When the person on the radio said it was 22 BELOW this morning, I waited for them to laugh and say they were joking...but they weren't lying. It really was 22 BELOW ZERO this morning with windchill. It makes the sun just seem like a cruel taunt to come out side and bask in its glory when really, if you did that you would DIE from FROSTBITE (can you tell that I'm a little bitter about the weather?) I'm going to Orlando next week for work and while they are complaining of 50 degree temperatures, right now that sounds like paradise. I did see my first "sun dog" this morning (look it up, it's for real) Eliot, my boss informed me and my coworker Sam that it's a rainbow of ice crystals that form around the sun when it's this cold out. I love a good rainbow, but I'll take mine after a thunderstorm thank you very much.

a wonderful dilema

i have just finished reading a book, a fluffy novel telling the story of an Italian girl and her family growing up in a milltown on the East Coast in the 1920s. now i have the dilema of choosing what to read next. only a true reader understands this quandry. when you finish a good book there is a feeling of satisfaction like drinking a really good cup of coffee or enjoying a pefectly moist and dense brownie. it's wonderful, but at the same time it's over and even if you have a stack of good books in front of you, it takes a little while to get into another story, introduce yourself to a new set of characters and immerse yourself in their life's story. so here i am sitting in front of my bookshelf, weighing my options between the Grapes of Wrath, which i know will be wonderful, but it seems a little daunting, a Jodi Picoult novel, equally wonderful, but much lighter, and an assortment of other novels. what will it be? in the end there isn't a wrong choice, but there are certain moods for books, so which one is best for the end of January?

technology

I am sitting on the floor of our second bedroom, fiddling with a pair of rabbit ears (Adam insisted on putting tin foil on them, but I don't think they really help) trying to get a clear signal to watch the Bears game. It's so frustrating to get such fuzzy reception when we're used to crystal clear digital images. But I also realize how spoiled we are to not have to deal with these funny looking antennas on a regular basis. You ask why we are resorting to an antenna? Well, it seems Mediacom, our local cable provider is in some kind of feud with FOX so we don't get that channel anymore. I'm not a diehard football fan, but I was raised on Sunday afternoon Chicago Bears games. And according to my brother, the Bears haven't won the superbowl since 1985 so I'm doing my part and supporting da bears.

snow day

Adam and I have declared it a Sunday snow day. It started snowing late last night and by this morning we had 4 or 5 inches. I'm sure we could have made it to church, but it's so much more fun to stay home and make pancakes, drink coffee, and watch cars try to navigate the roads. Does anyone else find pleasure in looking out their windows and watching cars spin up the hill or trying to get out of the mound of snow the plow left in front of their driveway or is it just us? Our next mission is to track down someone with a sled (I think Bo is our best bet) and bundle up to go sledding. I'm not sure if we'll actually be that ambitious, but it sounds good.

It started snowing last night and before I went to bed I lay on the couch looking out the window at the gray sky that seemed to glow as it released its flakes onto the world below. There's something so perfect about snow falling. I love how it muffles the rest of the world and covers up all our dirt and grime. When I was a kid I hated it when the mailman or paperboy trekked across our front yard. I loved the perfection of the smooth layer of snow over the otherwise gray yard.

I'm listening to Norah Jones. Her voice reminds me of rainy days and watching it snow outside. I can't wait for her new CD to come out the end of the month.

more to come, i promise...

Happy New Year

It's that time of year to make new beginnings and reflect on the old year. This is my version of a Christmas letter.

Here I go with a little game I like to call High/Low

Highs of 2006:
Adam and I bought our first house in March. It is a condo in Des Moines, really close to downtown where we work, and it has been great to get it furnished and decorated and make it feel like home. We've been in it 9 months (which is a record for me to be at one address) but it feels like we've been here a lot longer.

The Drake Relays. I think the last weekend in April will always be reunion time in Des Moines. Laura was in from LA and Lynn was back from the Virgin Islands for a much needed girl weekend.

Weekend in Chicago, visiting friends and watching the Cubs beat the Cardinals :)

Week at Lake Okoboji with the Schmidts. Adam got to experience my childhood vacation spot and we celebrated our one-year anniversary. I also played my first 9 holes of golf.

Throughout the year we have started meeting more couples at church and have finally found our niche in ministry there. We help with the set up and tear down of one of the services and will be leading a Bible study this winter.

Visiting Laura in LA for Labor Day weekend. 4 glorious days consisting of shoe shopping, coffee, red wine, champagne, movie sets, ocean views, and of course, the HOLLYWOOD BOWL: Countdown of the top 50 musicals of all time.

Adam and I had all kinds of fun this fall going to an apple orchard, drinking cider, and going to a costume party.

I started leading a creative writing workshop at the women's prison with a friend from college. Once a week we go write with a group of 10-12 women for an hour and a half. It has been so rewarding.

We spent a weekend in Minneapolis/St. Paul Christmas shopping and enjoying the sites with our friends Jim and Allison.

Thanksgiving and Christmas were both spent with family and loved ones. We are blessed to be close enough to drive home and see both of our families.

And for Lows,
I really only have one, and it's a selfish one, but it must be noted that my dear friend (and co-worker) Becca moved to LA to take a fabulous job at Bon Appetit magazine. It was an opportunity she couldn't pass up, but I miss her dearly. I always knew she was wonderful (who else slaves over birthday cakes, will go on walks with you any time, and always have time to take a lunch break when you're having a hard day at work?) but it's only that more apparent now that she's not here. But she was back in town over the holidays, and I'm confident that in two years she'll be back in Des Moines...


God only knows what this next year has in store for us.