It's a beautiful day on Paradise!

I know most of my family is going to object to the usage of the word in referring to anything other than Hawaii. I just can't help it. It was a lovely Sunday in paradise.

This morning rolled around and I woke up to two snuggly kisses from tiny little lips and a tight baby bear hug from two tiny arms. Georgi had crawled into bed sometime during the night. It was 7:00am and morning time! "Wake up, Mommy, it's light out."

I still didn't feel like the girls were over their sickness to take them to church, so I took them on a walk instead. Two little hands in each of mine lead me to the Kolache Factory where the girls picke out their favorite treats. Kate had blueberry, Reagan had apple, Georgi had peach. I had coffee. A slow stroll back home as we basked in the early morning sun, jackets unzipped, letting the fresh air ruffle our hair and blow away the last wisps of sleep.

Daddy didn't open his eyes until almost noon because we were so quiet when we got home. The girls played with their kitty, taught her how to chase her tail and giggled into their blankets. Laundry, mountains of laundry waited in ominous silence behind the bedroom door. Being sick for over a week meant that I had laundry. Tanner is good at starting the laundry and switching the laundry, but folding the laundry...like, I said, there were mountains. So, I made the girls fold it ALL while Tanner and I crept quietly out of the house to do 2 weeks worth of food shopping in an hour and a half.

We browsed the vegetable aisles, the cheese mound, the baskets of bread. Slowly piecing together a menu of dinners. Fresh garlic, cheese, spinach, ricotta and long thin lasagna noodles; white wine, garlic, cubed bread, swiss and gruyere cheeses; fresh mozzerella, basil, spring greens...we enjoyed our leisurely foray into the grocery store.

We flung the doors open wide and let the breeze ripple through the house. Long sunrays stretched across the carpet and played with bits of dust in the air. Yes, a beautiful day in our bit of Paradise.

Finally, the winter weather has rolled away, and we get our sun and blue skies back for the next week! I cannot believe I have lived so many years looking forward to sunshine June rather than complaining because I don't have sunshine in February.

Every person I know has been shaking their head in confusion. Sleet, hail, ice, snow...these are words that only exist on paper for most of us. They belong to the stuff of legend and lore. You know the stories, "When grandpa was a kid there was snow storm that shut down the town for 3 whole days..." It is shocking to have these stories jumping up and taking our lives by storm. The kids are morose: no day off of school on Good Friday. And Good Friday is usually sunny and warm, a day to play in the backyard or on the street. It's a guaranteed picnic day, lunch-with-mom-or-dad sort of day. Instead, it's a school day. No one gets to spend the afternoon dyeing eggs. It's just a normal day at school.

But, I guess legends have to be made and re-born every 30 years or people begin to forget what makes everything else special. It was a lot of fun watching 22 and under kids trying to drive in the snow. They would get stopped and a light and then the car wouldn't grab the asphalt, so of course they decided the best course of action was to step on the gas even more. We were tempted to set up lawn chairs and a beer stand on the corner and just watch the cars slide. We didn't because while everyone was dealing with winter weather, we were dealing with the flu.

I now understand the purpose of flu shots. It's to keep parents healthy enough to care of kids who get sick. It's taken us an entire week to finally put to bed the last fever. Everyone but Georgi is starting to eat again. This bug makes you disinterested in food for at least a week. A great incentive for weight loss, but really, I'd rather go on a 40 day fast.

We welcomed the sun this morning. For the first time we all felt like we had energy to take a walk, so we bundled everyone up and went for a walk. Starbucks, pet store, shoe store, Ross and then home.

Badda bing! January is almost over?

Huh? What's up with that? I blinked and Christmas/New Year's zoomed by.

Reagan had a birthday party with all of her new friends. Pin the tail on the donkey and a Cakewalk, and of course the princess castle cake...I need to post pictures.

Oh, how I wish everyone in PDX could experience a Christmas with us, but with our luck, it would rain if anyone came for a visit. The last two years have shown us the sunny side of Christmas. Blue skies, white fluffy clouds, plenty of warmth for kids to dash outside in pajamas to play with a new toy. As the day progresses, everyone piles into cars to visit friends and eat Christmas dinner, and nothing, I mean nothing, tastes better than southern cornbread stuffing--even when you accidentally dump the brown sugar intended for the crispy crust of the sweet potato pie into it. It's not a New England Christmas, so, no one thinks about caroling. Instead, someone grabs a football and a game spills off the front porch and on to the street. Jugs of iced tea. Pecan pie. Brownies and Divinity.

It's awfully quiet in a college town on New Year's Eve. Oxymoronic, isn't it? Everyone is asleep by 10:00pm. Not a bang, boom, honk or hoot. No sirens. Everyone is thankful that the town can take a brief nap before the Spring Term arrives.

Then the mad rush to side the house before school started. The mad rush to pull out windows, build walls, insulate, build a new window, set a new door, get the house tight and ready. Time to adjust to getting up early every day. A quick dash to the zoo before Christmas break is over. A nice afternoon spent with Uncle Howell. Starting choir for the kids, dance for Kate, violin for Reagan. Practice some Chinese. Choir for mom and dad.

Deep breath and January is almost over, and time to put together a birthday party for Kate.

Non-creative, quick update...

Wow...I don't know what to say. I'm already exhausted and Christmas is nowhere near. We've got the lights up, the tree trimmed, the advent house stocked and restocked (Georgi still doesn't understand "no touch!"), the wreaths are set, the house is decorated, presents bought and cards written and ready to mail.

Tanner has taken two finals and has three to go. We are entering what Aggies fondly call, "dead" week. The longer we live here the more aware I become of all the crazy college traditions and how they really do hold sway over this town. We plan Christmas Parties and vacations around whatever the college is doing. It's just a little weird when you're use to being autonomous. I'll suggest a date and someone will invariably say, "You can't do it then, that's Dead Week" or "Fish Camp" or "Ring Dance" as if those terms actually hold meaning.

On a side note, Tanner just got confirmation that he is now officially being officially transfered into upper division Chemical Engineering. Which makes him a SOPHOMORE! Whoop! After 3 years of school, we've finally made it! This means that companies will now consider him for internships during the summer.

This weekend we had our Christmas Show at the rink, and we participated in the Christmas Parade. My back and neck are sore from waving. My mouth is sore from smiling. My feet are sore from standing and running. At least my big weekend is over, and now we've just got to get through finals. Then it's a two week break before Tanner starts the mini-mester.

We're praying about a job for me. We're hoping that I'll be able to support the family so that Tanner can quit his job and just focus on school. I've got two job offers with pro's and con's for each. We just want to know which one would be the best for our family.

Georgi Ice Skates!

Oh, the weather outside is DELIGHTFUL!

I do not need boots, long winter coats, gloves, hats, thick socks or snow pants. I do not hurry from my car, dodging rain or snow. I do not need the heaters turned on or a fire burning in the hearth. I do not have the wintery urge to curl up with a book and a cup of hot tea. I do not feel the need to stock up on butter, bread, crackers or soup. I do not curl my toes in dread before I open my front door.

I live in Texas. It's 73 degrees, and I am sitting with all the windows open after the sun has gone down basking in a light cool breeze. I am not shivering even though I am wearing shorts and a tank top. The kitchen window is open because I used the oven for dinner tonight, and we need to cool the house down. The girls wanted to go swimming this afternoon, but all the pools are closed for the season. Kate complained about wearing a uniform to school because they are sooooo hot! It is a polo with khaki pants. Short sleeved.

The air feels slightly damp, like the type of damp you get in Hawaii during the month of May. Nice and sloppy, it makes you feel like you must be on vacation. I've discovered that I actually enjoy grocery shopping on days like today because it doesn't feel like normal grocery shopping. I feel like I should be buying bottled juice, poptarts and T.V. dinners. Instead I walk out with a gallon of milk, apples, oranges, a bevy of vegetables and stuffing. Wait...oh, yes, it's November. I have to get ready for Thanksgiving, for Black Friday. But Black Friday is easy in Texas. Sixty-five at 4:00am just isn't that cold. I'll still bring some hot chocolate..salted.

Oh, rats!

Seriously. We're talking 4 rats or maybe 5 if you count the one that got away! One dark gray one was slaughtered by our heroic lamb names Annie. 2 white ones were whipped into heaven by traps. 1 fell from the attic to the floor somewhere in a wall and has made occupation of the back half of the house impossible. And the one that got away screamed for 5 minutes at around 3:30am, then dragged the trap to the hole they had made in our wall before freeing itself and scurrying away.

At least we found the hole. And plugged it.

If it isn't rats, it's mice. That's what we dealt with last month. 3 mice.

If it isn't mice it's cockroaches or crickets or fire ants. It's amazing how cool and calm I've become concerning pests. Pests that would have freaked me out 2 years ago are now just minor inconveniences.