End of December and 2009

Dad and I drove home on Sunday leaving later than we intended and we ran into a nasty snow storm in Illinois. From about 7 until around noon (so for over 200 miles), driving was bad and scary. We saw a lot of cars in the ditch and we were extremely thankful when everything cleared up.

For having a lot of snow dumped on WI and IL, it didn't look like they had that much. When we got to MN though, you could definitely see just how much snow they ended up getting! Our driveway was in rough shape.....especially because everything was now frozen. So dad put my truck into 4-wheel drive and took a couple spins to try and break up the snow in the driveway. We got pretty lucky and clean-up only took about an hour - ha! It's snowing again today so I'm going to have to go out and shovel before I leave for work, but that's okay because it's pretty good exercise.

Monday had dad and I both at work all day but yesterday I had the day off, did some things around the house, and later SG came over to help set up our new printer! He also brought The Ugly Truth to watch (which I loved!) and surprised me with a Christmas present :)

I don't work this morning so more cleaning and laundry, maybe trying to watch Ever After (another Christmas present). I had originally received that movie from my sister for Christmas when it first came out about 8 or 9 years ago. P then took it with her to MO when she started college down there (brat). A year ago or maybe more, my dad and I were down there visiting and I spied it among all of the videos they had put in the basement (since they now used a DVD player, those fancy folks). P was nice enough to set up one of the TVs they owned with the built-in video player so I could watch it, but of course I put it in, start enjoying and BAM! The silly little player started eating the tape! They still haven't been able to get the tape out of the player, but it's ruined for good most likely. No matter, as I now have a new copy - haha, take that video player!

I already miss my sis and her little family (awww), she's such a grown-up! It's crazy! Since P and AJ come up in just a few (hopefully) short weeks, we get to see them again soon and I cannot wait!

But between now and when they get here, a new year begins, work continues, and a new semester starts. Throw in a 21st birthday for one of my good friends and I'm fairly certain time will not be dragging.
Drive safe everyone and enjoy the rest of the holidays!

Last Day in St. Louis (for 2009 at least!)

AJ was a completely different little girl today; you could tell that she felt a lot better! P, DL, AJ, dad, and I all went to the Science Center, near the St. Louis Zoo (which is an amazing zoo - but they don't have dolphins). Although A was a little too young for most of the things there, she seemed to have a really good time and so did the rest of us.

Because I'm weird, I thought it was pretty amazing to see "live" dinosaur fossils - aka fossils of a triceratops and other dinosaurs that were not just casts. I've never seen actual fossils of dinosaurs and I've always wanted to, so that right there made me like the Science Center a lot.
They also had a mummy of a 7 or 8 month old boy from about 2,000 years ago - another thing that really interested me.
There were a bunch of other cool things (earthquake stuff, aviation information, architectural items, ect) but those two were probably my favorite. I'm hoping that sometime this spring we'll be able to come down and go again because they also have what looked like a really awesome playground outside. It's so fun with Abby because she loves to look at everything and will probably be in the climbing stage pretty shortly.

St. Louis has a vast array of places people are able to go and do, many of them free. I believe their zoo is ranked #3 in the nation and it's free, the Science Center was free, they also have the City Museum which isn't free but your family can very easily spend the whole day playing and discovering there. Then there is Grants Farm and Grants Trail (both free), the Anheuser Brewery (free tours with two free beer samples at the end), and the tallest national monument, the Arch (which is not free, but the museum under it is). So if you're looking for a pretty fun and affordable family vacation with lots of activities, St. Louis is a pretty good spot.

Tomorrow, pops and I are heading back home bright and early to MN, where I'm sure the lack of snow in MO will surely be made up for. One of my cousins reported 13" of build-up in their yard; I'm rather excited to see all of it!

I'm going to miss my sis, her hubby, and the baby quite a lot, but P has already planned a trip up with AJ in January, so only about three weeks before I get to see them again - yay! Our family is pretty close and I'm very lucky to be able to see my sister and niece quite often for living 10 hours away.

I hope everyone had/has a safe drive back home from all of the Christmas festivities and don't forget to rest up as New Years is right around the corner :)

Merry Christmas

While AJ was still sick, she perked up when we started opening presents. Such an inquisitive, smart, and beautiful little girl (although, I tend to be biased).

So many blessings and things to be thankful for, I hope your day was filled with love and laughter, friends and joy.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve

A day that is supposed to be so joyful was also filled with sadness for me and mine today.

P and my papa took AJ to Urgent Care today because she couldn't stop coughing, was running a fever, and she had a ton of drainage from her nasal passages. She was diagnosed with a double ear infection as well as having a viral infection. Poor baby, she was also sick over Thanksgiving. By the time she went down for bed tonight, she seemed much better, so hopefully tomorrow she'll be back to her normal self, or almost.

One of my in-law's grandmother is at the hospital and we are not sure if/when she will wake up.

And one of my best friends is spending the night at the hospital as well as her heart is beating abnormally fast and the doctors are trying to figure out why. She might have had food poisoning as she was awake for most of the night, throwing up over a half-dozen times.

Perhaps tomorrow will bring a Christmas miracle to all.

Blessings to you and yours and enjoy the time you have with family and friends.

Merry Christmas!

The Journey of a Thousand Miles Must Begin With a Single Step

Another quote, I know...... but appropriate because many people are traveling (or attempting to travel) for Christmas.

My dad and I woke up bright and early this morning and headed out on the road at 5:44 a.m. Our destination? The Show-Me state, specifically St. Louis. My sister, her husband, and their daughter (my niece/goddaughter) live there and we decided to visit them for Christmas since they couldn't make it up to Minnesnowta.

P called me Tuesday morning, freaking out about the weather everyone in MN is beginning to enjoy right about now. She was convinced our dad and I needed to leave right then and there.....except I had to work Tuesday night until 10. So we just stuck to our regular plan of leaving early Wednesday morning and thankfully, it worked out fine. We did decide to skip over Iowa because of reports of icy roads and instead took this route. This is the 5th or 6th time I've made the drive but the first time that I've gone through WI and IL.

The drive was rough at some areas due to rain/sleet at near freezing temps so we were nervous about ice but didn't encounter any (which we were very happy about). My papa also pointed out a coyote to me near Tomah WI, which I was excited about because I've never seen one in their natural habitat. Ha, that sounds odd but I like things like that!

We arrived at Pbo and DL's place around 4 and have just been taking it easy all night. DL made cheesy potato soup for supper which we followed up with a few episodes of an excellent show "The Big Bang Theory".
My dad and I haven't seen AJ for a few months and it's crazy how much she has grown! She's 13 months now and was 9 months when we last saw her - a big difference! My favorite phrase that she says is "Uh-oh!" and she likes to elongate the "-ohhhhh" part of it; so cute! It's going to be so nice to just relax and not have to worry about anything as we don't leave until Sunday. Yay for holidays!

I hope everyone has a safe travel to wherever their destination may be and to enjoy and cherish time you are able to spend with your loved ones.
That also means that if you are snowed in due to the 15+ inches expected (ahem, MN) try to cherish being with the family members who are snowed in with you :)

New Beginnings

"With every end, comes a new beginning" is a popular quote - and while I'm not really ending anything (except my procrastination when it came to starting this blog), it's definitely a new, welcome beginning for myself.

So hello.