And was able to finally download some pics that have been sitting in the camera since Christmas:
This is pretty much what she does all day when she's not following me around.
Or frothing at the mouth at other dogs.
Minus the antlers. I mean, really? Who wears antlers after December 25th? Duh.
Ok, stay with me here for these next two pics...
I don't quite know how to explain... Other than he was trying out his new wetsuit.
In the snow.
What? You've never done that?
This was taken at Multnomah Falls when we were out killing time waiting for the power to come back on.
It was stupid-crazy there. Ice, ice and more ice. At one point, I dug my heels in (LITERALLY) and refused to go any further up the trail (yeah, I'm a fun date). But seriously, it was TREACHEROUS.
This is frozen fog. It's like pretty freezing rain... it's unbelievable... These were taken last Saturday in the town where my grandma's memorial service was held.
And, finally, a Nate-ism:
We went out for dinner tonight and I had a "grown-up" drink. As we were driving home, Nate asked me if I was "knocked up".
After a bit of discussion(!), it turns out, he meant "tipsy".
The morning started off with Freak-Dog, who will be three years old next month, seeing herself in the mirror for the first time and trying to attack her reflection.
Brilliant, I tell you.
This is what we deal with if she sees another dog while were out on a walk. Or in a car. Or one that passes by the house.
Kirk is now in charge of choosing all pets from here on out. I pick lemons. Cute, brain-damaged lemons.
- I wish Nate would eat potatoes. What kid doesn't love mashed potatoes?? Or twice baked potatoes?? Scalloped? I don't understand it. If we force him to eat a bite, he'll gag and, well, you get the idea...
- Selling my sewing machine at a garage sale a couple of years ago was S T U P I D. I paid a measly $20 for it and because I couldn't figure out how to thread the bobbin (sounds like a yo-yo trick) I completely gave up. I'd really like to take a sewing class now - because I'm having to hem my pants with that iron-on tape stuff. Actually, I think I should be hand-stitching hems - but we're talking about track pants (is that what you call them?? the nylon-y pants with the stripes down the side that I love because they have an elastic waist?)
- I'm clinging to the chance that we'll see snow this weekend. CLINGING - I'm not ready for winter to be over, and frankly, I'm a little peeved that we bought a season pass at Meadows and there hasn't been much skiing.
- We've lived in HR for EIGHT months. That's crazy. I can't believe how quickly time passes!
- Apparently, Russian Tea Cakes and peanut butter Chex Mix aren't calorie or fat free. Who knew? (See above comment about the elastic waist pants). Also, I guess they're not meant to replace meals nor to be grazed on constantly BETWEEN meals.
- This is a great columnthat articulates my feelings exactly about the behavior of some on Tuesday. I'm NOT an Ann Coulter fan but in this instance she nailed it. Please take a couple of minutes to read it; the second page in particular.
- Hayden is taking a class next term called "Reducing Your Carbon Footprint". Oh yes.
(pause) I start cracking up whenever I think about it :)
Couple of thoughts on this:
First, I don't ever want to hear that schools don't have enough funding. If there's time and money to teach a class like that, then you have PLENTY of funding.
Second... I'd be happy to have my kid be instructed on reducing his carbon footprint as soon as the Al Gore's and Oprah's (9 homes/private plane) of the world unload their numerous homes, fleets of cars, private jets and entourages. I think it would be a fair statement to say that the Miller family of Freedom Loop are doing far less damage to the environment then they are. So, in the meantime, mind your own beeswax. Enough of this "do as I say, not as I do" nonsense.
Third... Hayden's other choice was Water Aerobics. He chose the lesser of two evils.
- Tomorrow I will be having my most favorite lemon drops (with a shot of Chambord) and sushi - I cannot wait!
In the comments of my last post I touched on the fact that part of the reason I've been online less is because some things going on in society really piss me off and when I see it, I get a little militant.
These are a couple of examples... don't listen to the first one if you're offended by f-bombs and the like.
Wait.
Actually, you SHOULD watch and listen even if it offends your sensibilities because too many people are plugging their ears and closing their eyes and letting this crap slide.
This would be the Inaugural Rap by Jay Z and Young Jezzy. Think this doesn't have an impact? Jay Z is HUGELY popular, and happens to be married to Beyonce and they are both at the top of their game, in the celebrity world (aren't they cool??). If he's talking this trash, you can believe that it will have an impact on his audience - you ok with that? Thought they were all about "unity" - if that's what they consider "celebrating" and "coming together" we have NOTHING in common.
Start around the :56 second mark where Young Jezzy thanks the guy in Iraq for throwing shoes at President Bush... it just gets "better" from there:
Charming, no? President Obama should be so proud to have supporters like this.
Our second video is found on the home page of Mom Logic. Seriously. Is this not frighteningly disturbing? And the comments on that site are all about "how cute the girl is" and "how she's got it right!".
First, how much of a moron are you as a parent to set your kid up to do this? What kind of loving parent manipulates their child like this?
Second, where does this ANGER and rage come from? Why can't people simply disagree with someone else? Why does it have to turn mean spirited? I've never seen such bitterness - I can't imagine how miserable these people must be in their lives.
Adorable, right? Please.
So, this is the kind of stuff that makes me a little nutty. I don't give a rat's ass who you voted for but show some respect to a man who spent seven years of his presidency PROTECTING OUR COUNTRY FROM ANOTHER TERRORIST ATTACK. Oh yeah. Remember that little thing called September 11, 2001? That thing we all swore "we'd never forget"?
For whatever reason, there's an awful lot of people out there who think it's perfectly acceptable to sing "na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, hey hey, goodbye" at an inauguration to the man who had your back so you could sleep at nightwithout worrying that you'd be blown to bits on your next trip to the store. Shame on you. Not only for having bad manners, but for being so ungrateful. Like him or not, there's a possibility that you''re still alive today because he lived up to his oath to protect this country.
We have mayors who seduce (near) minors and refuse to step down from their elected position - and people seem to be ok with that too... So what if he lied? So what if a 42 year old man in a position of influence and power takes an ALMOST 18 year old to lunch (and ultimately has sex with him)? What business is it of ours?
If you're ok with this kind of world, then please, keep your mouth shut the next time you witness or read something that is morally wrong.
Lots has happened since my December 23 post: My grandma passed away the next day (Christmas Eve), there was Christmas and New Year's, we've been skiing, school concerts, sickness, family members visiting, a memorial service, Kirk's been building things, etc... Oh, and I STILL haven't found the USB cord to my camera so I haven't even looked at Christmas pictures.
Now you're caught up.
Then, last week I was suddenly totally disinterested in Twitter and Facebook. I'm usually pretty good about posting updates there, but then something in me went *SNAP*, and I wondered why I would tell people things like, oh, I've wasted 2 dozen eggs trying to make egg salad... or random musings about my ongoing battle with laundry. Not that there's anything wrong with people posting that stuff, I just felt, FOR ME, it was silly to share the minute details of my day.
Another thing with Twitter that's really started to bug me is that it's a numbers game. Plain and simple. For example, I came across a person on Twitter that has over 4,000 followers, but doesn't follow ANYONE. NOT ONE PERSON. That is the most narcissistic thing I think I've ever seen. Really? You're so special that you want to share every breath you take with the world, but no one is worthy of your attention? UGH. Welcome to the world of everyone wanting to be famous. It's a nasty snapshot of where society has placed it's priorities.
Personally, I also don't understand why you would want to follow more than say, 30 people on Twitter. How on earth could you manage to keep up with updates if you have 100 or more people that you follow? Or maybe the point isn't to keep up with all of those people... Again, it's a numbers game (see above paragraph).
Facebook is a little different - because it's not so one-sided. You can see pics of your friends and their families/activities/interests and reconnect with long lost relationships... but again, I wonder about the idea of sharing EVERYTHING about my life and my family's life on there.
I'm not saying that it's wrong to use those platforms, just for me it's not workin' right now. Plus, now that I've backed off of that stuff I have SO MUCH MORE TIME to do things. I'm not pre-occupied with "I need to Twitter this!". Now, I'm more checked into life, not my computer. I'm also not saying that I won't ever post stuff, but I guess I'll just be a little more selective. I need to try to blog more for our extended family so they can keep up with what we're doing, so that's where my energy will be directed for now.
The end.
*update*
Ok... It's not the end...
Below is my response to April following her comment. I'm posting it here because I think it gives some clarity to my earlier thoughts:
Thanks April! I know, I've totally done a 180 on my view about this stuff, but I also still see the value in it... like you, realtionship building has been the biggest "gain" for me. But, when I got to the point where I was putting whatever thought popped into my head on to twitter, I realized I needed to listen to the advice I give my kids, which is "you don't have to have EVERY thought in your head come out of your mouth" (or in this case, get typed on a keyboard).
A second factor was that I need(ed) to limit the things that I watch/read that get me riled up. There's a lot out there that can really piss me off if I let it, so I am choosing to extract myself from those situations in order to keep my (barely hanging on) sanity. I just felt that it was turning into tireless self-promotion, and frankly, I'm not that interesting :)
I love learning about people via Twitter and Facebook, and to know what they're up to, but when it turns into a love-fest with myself, I need to step back.
Of course, I won't stop altogether... but I need to be sure that I am RESPONDING more to other people, than just bathering on about "me".
As much as I love the snow, I'm getting grumpy. We haven't had any mail delivery since Friday. The day after I ordered Kirk's "big" present, we discovered he doesn't really need it after all. It arrived today, the ONE time I was out of the house, so I couldn't refuse it, so I have to ship it back and wait God knows how long to get a refund.
My computer battery charger cord broke and HOPEFULLY a new one will arrive in three days. Wait. That's Christmas day. Ugh. Oh, and the freeway is closed, so we can't get in to Portland for Christmas Eve services (yes, they have churches in Hood River, but Sunset is our home). My dad can't make the drive up to be with us on Christmas (because of bad roads) and this will be the first time in my 39 years that I won't be with him on Christmas.
Lest I sound like I'm being negative, I'm really trying not to be. We are incredibly blessed so I can't and shouldn't complain. I'm just getting a little frustrated. The snow is great - Kirk's very fortunate that he can work from home (like he did all last week, and will again this week). The kids are healthy and happy. I don't really have to be anywhere, except I miss seeing my grandma GREATLY. I'm used to being with her almost every day, and it will be a week tomorrow since I've seen her.
I'm frustrated by silly inconveniences... closed freeways. no mail. delayed UPS deliveries. broken battery chargers. snow up to my thighs. But then i remember that there are people who have been stuck at the airport since Friday. All they want is to go home and there's no amount of money in the world that can make that happen. They are all forced to wait.
We passed truck drivers on the side of I-84 yesterday. Those guys are stranded here - not making any money. Not a mile closer to their families.
There are people who don't have families to go to Christmas day. My dad can't be with us this year, but he's blessed to be surrounded by friends that have included them in their big family Christmas.
There's my grandma who will have her last Christmas in this world on Thursday. My mind can't even go there.
So, while I want to sometimes complain about snow and ice and slippery streets and not being able to have the perfect Miller Family Christmas, all things that are REAL and frustrating - but very small in the big scheme of things. When I get sulky because things aren't going the way I think they should, I always remind myself that someone has it worse than I do. I won't turn this in to a long flowery prose about all the things I have been blessed with, because really? Who wants to read that?
Update: That was written last night and after having a good cry about all of my perceived woes, I feel a little better.
Today has been different from the rest. We've all been inside. Tv's been off for the most part. Kirk has been working all day ("struggling" would be a more accurate word) and is pretty frustrated. The kids and I played some boardgames, I did a lot of reading. Not having my computer is SORT OF nice. SORT OF. I waste a lot of time on that thing.
I was telling Kirk today how funny human-nature is. For me personally, I use the phrase "I don't have time" a LOT. I don't have time to clean this-or-that, don't have time to organize the closet, don't have time to paint the kids rooms... And for the past eight days, I've had nothing BUT time. And what have I done? A whole lotta nuth-in. No major projects have been tackled. Yeah, I've done some baking, but that's about it. I just don't get it - all I ever want is TIME, and when I have it I don't take advantage of it.
Time to get a therapist. Or just an attitude adjustment.
So, I'm posting these for our family because other people might not be super-interested in every little detail of what we're doing (and my complete and utter fascination with taking pictures of anything/one with snow on it).
The kids have been digging trenches and tunnels in the yard. These pics are from last night... about 2 hours after they had totally dug it out.
These next couple of pics are taken around town when Kirk was out and about (Heth, doesn't this remind you of Moro when we were kids??):
Yeah, there's a car under that pile (below)
This is the Hood River taken today on our way to The Dalles
If you're still trying to figure out what to get me for Christmas, it was for sale last year for $1.4 million. You can't put a price on love, can you?? I'll even let you stay in the house that's on the island. I'm sure we can make some kind of arrangement. Have your people call my people, ok?
This is Nate, stuck in his snow tunnel. He didn't make it wide enough to get his arms through, and he got stuck.
This is Hayden attempting to pull Nate out of the tunnel. He successfully removed a boot, not a body.
And thus ends day EIGHT (but who's counting??) of snow pics.
And the winner of the big(ish) Netflix gift is.....
are ya ready? ...
Oh, and I KNOW this person will use this (and hopefully RETURN the movies in a timely manner!)....
Does that give you any idea of who it is?
Well, if your name is
JANET FRASER
then, you, my friend, are the lucky winner!
(Sorry about the "return them in a timely manner part"... but I thought you'd get a kick out of that!)
Anyhoo... I'm going to be sending it off to you in a couple of minutes, so knock yourself out!
Thanks for playing everyone - next time I think I'll pony-up some more lettuce and do something like a $25 Amazon certificate. And yes, Janet, you can enter that one too :)
And oh, by-the-way, Kirk and Hayden were sitting here when the Random.org thing picked her name. I didn't play favorites :)
I was thinking, since we're all stuck in the house for a few days, what better way is there to pass the time then to catch up on all the movies you've wanted to watch but never seem to get around to renting?
So, as a thanks for checking my blog (especially during my frequent dry spells!) I'm giving away a
You can wile away the hours with unlimited movies (3 at a time) for 30 days! That outta get you caught up!
To be a contender, post your Name, town and how many inches of snow you have right now (that doesn't have any bearing to who will be chosen, I'm just curious.)
Winner will be chosen by Random.org. Giveaway ends on Sunday, December 21 at 2:30pm.
BTW, if you already have a Netflix account, you'll get a month off from your membership fee (up to $16.99).
We just got back from going out for breakfast and doing some shopping downtown. One store keeper was so excited to have customers that she gave me a free yummy smelling candle!
People are out and about but the snow is picking up and there's a bit of wind, so it's kinda brutal on the face. But words can't describe how beautiful it is... I don't think I've ever seen Kirk happier - this is what he's dreamed of for years; a town where it snows.
Here's some pics from this morning. Most of my pics are also posted on Facebook so some of you will probably be seeing duplicates :)
Nate after being out in the snow for I-don't-know-how-long. He'll go out and shovel snow for two straight hours. He spends most of his time outside.
And then there's Hayden (and Sally in her glowing jacket)... who goes out occasionally, and yesterday he dug a big trench area in the backyard for the dogs (unfortunately, it's all filled in with snow again). But, he's more of a homebody like his mom and spends a lot of time watching movies :)
Here's some from our breakfast/shopping outing earlier this morning (click on the pics to make them a little bigger):
It really hasn't stopped snowing here since Wednesday, except for an hour here and there... and with the new storm coming in I can't wait to see what things look like! I've never been anywhere with this much snow!
SO much to blog about, and I've been totally procrastinating. And the longer I stall, the worse it gets. I know I'm going to miss something, so I need to just knuckle down and knock a post out.
This could be a bumpy ride, because I'm trying to remember waaaaay back, and honestly? I can't even remember what I wore yesterday.
I know a lot of people are talking about having cabin-fever, but I'm not experiencing any of that. Guess I'm a pure blooded home-body. I LOVE being home, not having to go anywhere! We're able to drive in town so I don't feel stranded, but as long as we have food and all the ingredients I need to bake things, I'm good.
We've been up to a few things over the past week so I'll try to give a run-down (and include a few pics along the way).
Last Friday and Saturday, Hayden's choir class from school went caroling to the nursing homes and then walked around downtown Hood River singing. We tried not to stalk them, but it's a small town.
On Sunday the snow started. These were taken at 7:30am when I woke up:
And.... for your viewing pleasure, a little "cat-tossing":
Oh, my voice sounds a little funky because I had a cold.
On Monday we had school, but I think there was a two hour delay (it seems FOREVER ago; I can't recall). Still snowing.
On Tuesday I went up to my aunt's to stay with grandma for a few hours. Kirk went to work that day, so I had to drive my car up there, which ended up being totally fine. I've never driven it in conditions like these, so I had no idea how it would handle and it totally rocked.
These are pics I took on my phone -
This is just east of The Dalles
Leaving my aunt's house
there was steam coming off the water...
That evening we had Nate's Christmas concert at school. Took some pics, but they didn't turn out because 1) I still have no clue how to use any of the settings on the camera and 2) we were way in the back and it was hard to get a pic that didn't turn out fuzzy (again, need to learn how to use the camera).
On Wednesday I went to Nate's school to help with gingerbread houses. It was DUMPING snow the entire time. Here's his finished product:
Here's some pics of the playground/recess in the snow:
We also went for a walk in the evening... it was amazing - so quiet and huge snowflakes falling.
Yesterday was Thursday, right? They had a two hour delay that morning, even though we had about 10" on the ground and it was still coming down. So Kirk took the boys to school and then went up to Meadows to do a couple of runs. At 11:30am Nate called and school had been canceled so I picked the kids up around 12:30pm and then came home. Went to the store later in the afternoon, then Kirk took them sledding at the park and we all cleaned up the house so I wouldn't feel guilty for sitting down and reading a book. I can't relax if the house isn't picked up, especially when the kids are going in and out and there are boots/gloves/scarves/jackets all over the place. Makes me a little nutty.
These are pics from Thursday morning:
All of the backyard pics are taken from outside our bedroom door. We have a sliding glass door that looks right into the yard and I love the view, because I don't see any other houses or cars. The gal that lives on the other side of our fence has but these cool lantern things in the snow and at night they are soooo pretty when they glow. I should try to get a pic of that.
Apparently, it snowed through the night again because there were trenches all over the back yard where the dog had plowed around, and this morning they were totally covered up. There's 15" on the ground now and the forecast says that we'll be measuring in FEET, not inches when the next storm hits tomorrow.
Here's a shot from this morning to compare with yesterday at the same time:
So, that's pretty much it. Apart from doing some baking and lots of laundry, I'm just laying low and enjoying the downtime.
They canceled school today, the first time all week. So, Christmas Break has officially started.
Thanks April! I know, I've totally done a 180 on my view about this stuff, but I also still see the value in it... like you, realtionship building has been the biggest "gain" for me. But, when I got to the point where I was putting whatever thought popped into my head on to twitter, I realized I needed to listen to the advice I give my kids, which is "you don't have to have EVERY thought in your head come out of your mouth" (or in this case, get typed on a keyboard).
A second factor was that I need(ed) to limit the things that I watch/read that get me riled up. There's a lot out there that can really piss me off if I let it, so I am choosing to extract myself from those situations in order to keep my (barely hanging on) sanity. I just felt that it was turning into tireless self-promotion, and frankly, I'm not that interesting :)
I love learning about people via Twitter and Facebook, and to know what they're up to, but when it turns into a love-fest with myself, I need to step back.
Of course, I won't stop altogether... but I need to be sure that I am RESPONDING more to other people, than just bathering on about "me".
BTW, you rock!