Where is global warming when you need it?

Leila was supposed to fly to Utah on Sunday. I was going to take them to the airport at 5 AM and they were going to spend the week with Leila's sister and I was going to meet them on Saturday. Then the forecast showed the chance of 1-2 inches of snow. That wasn't too bad. Then they said 4-6, then 6-12. Suddenly 40 mile an hour winds were added to the snow forecast.

The airport called and told us their flights were canceled. They were also canceled today. It looks like Tuesday they will be leaving for Utah. Not to complain about having my family stay longer with me and not being alone for the week, but I had big plans to finish some projects around the house as well as Christmas presents and did I mention the sleeping. Oh, the sleeping without interruptions was going to be a highlight of my vacation. Oh, the sleeping. The sleeping. I will need to start working on projects and presents even though they are here, so it won't be a surprise for them, but it will get done, I hope. I will put pictures up if I finish, if not, one more unfinished project.

Church was also canceled and we stayed holed up until after lunch when the winds died down. Emily and Aleah played in the snow as I dug out the cars, the driveway, and the porch. Drifts were about 3 feet deep but some patches were only a few inches. It is hard to say exactly how much snow we had since it is still blowing around. I will put up some pictures. Emily dug a snow cave in one snowpile and Aleah made snow angels until she had snow inside her coat and boots and mittens and hat. They don't seem to mind the cold as much as I do. Emily insisted on throwing snowballs at me the whole time and so I would toss a shovel full of snow at her. It didn't even phase her. Incredible.

To Do List

In spirit of the very amateur movie "Things to do" as well as the more professional "Bucket List" as well as the "To do list blog" I have started a life list:

Stuff I want to do:

(Not in any particular order)

1. Make a violin
2. Learn another language, maybe Hindi or German
3. Run in a marathon
4. Meet the prophet or an apostle
5. Be in a band - preferably bluegrass
6. Learn woodworking
7. Go on service mission
8. Go on germplasm collecting trip
9. Work at a living history farm
10. Have solar panels or wind power to supplement electricity
11. Go back to Nicaragua
12. Go to blues club
13. Commute to work with recumbent bike
14. Build velomobile
15. Learn to use rowing scull and be in a sculling race
16. Write a book
17. Invent something, discover something, imagine something, do something new and original.
18. Have barn dance in our barn
19. Prove something new mathematically
20. ?


Stuff I don't really want to do:
1. Jump out of an airplane - for some reason in movies this is always something people want to do. I have no desire to fall out of an airplane. Now go on a glider, that is a different story
2. Eat Mondongo - beef tripe, knuckle and gristle stew. Sorry Nicaragua, it is just wrong.
3. Spelunking in tight spaces - I see pictures of large caverns with large stalagmites and stalagtites is tempting, but having to squeeze in narrow dark spaces to get there convinces me otherwise.

New links, old friends

I recently heard from Matt and Carol from China. They lived in Texas and were in our ward. Emily and Sam, their son, are the same age and were close friends. I remember at a wedding reception trying to console a very upset Sam because Emily wanted to dance with other people. Matt is a researcher in China studying environmental restoration. They have two websites chronicalling all of their adventures. I have linked to them in the sidebar.

My sister Anna and her husband mike have also jumped into blogging. They may not be in China but they had multiple skunks invade their bedroom, so it seems pretty wild in Florida.

My mom commented to me that she felt like blogs were like leaving your windows open for strangers to peer into. I feel the like it does open up my life to strangers, but also to friends. I would feel much more isolated without it. As it is I know what is going on with my friends and family even though I live far away. And if I remember to post it you can still know me and my family. I like that a blog opens my life to the world. I like that idea.