Sweet, sweet Holidays

Hellooooo Folks,



This has been such an odd last couple of weeks due to the snow and crazy weather we've been having. Added to that I have lost all connectionto my officed from home, a very rare feat indeed. I've worked for the Boy Scouts for like 6 years and the entire time I've had at home access. My new laptop isn't compatible due to the # of bits? Whatever...just make it work! Hahaha...
My new computer isnt' copatible to the secure network and that is AWEFULLY frurstrating! I feel like I lost about a week and a half trapped in the house. And I was one of those crazy people who ventured outside at least 3-4 times.



Anyway, I took some pics and will try to get them up of me getting the chains on! (woman power, lol) and downed trees and now that the snow is all gone, I can hardly remember that it was even here or how bad it was.


Wed. AM I had finally had it with my tub not draining and decided (well, I really decided on Tuesday to go early Wed AM) to leave VERY early for the PDX office so I could work for the 1/2 a day and then head across the bridge to my parents house. On my way to PDX, boss man called and told me that they had closed the office so I just kept on keeping on all the way to my parents. I got there around 9:30 AM. Not too bad considering the ruts were about a 1.5 ft deep and it was snowing like crazy. See, out here in the NW, cities doesn't have plows...what would we do with them the other 45.9 years between severe snow falls?


I arrive and my mom and I decide to venture out. She hasn't been out in days and I for sure wanted to get out and about and figured that in a town of 4 times my entire county's population, the roads would be better...I was soooo wrong but who cares. I had my chains and false yet happy security. We wandered to the post office and WalMart. It was icy but ok. My mom needed her prescriptions and I needed stamps.

We call my SIL and ask her if she's coming over and she says yes but that she needs help digging out so I head on over with the Elders and we begin to dig her out. This is another testimony that we did have that freezing rain they promised because we had like 8 inches of soft powdery snow then an inch of solid ice, then 8 inches of snow again. The two cutest things ever were: My SIL was putting the mittens on my nephew and he got so excited to come down with us and "help" that he walked away with only 1 and I asked him, "Aukai, where's your other glove?" ANd he looked down and thought, oh yeah, I forgot it and headed back up but mom had sent the keys down with him so I said, hey, can I have the keys? He promptly threw them down two stories at me!! lol...good thing he has a good throwing arm and I can catch well!

Then he finally gets down to the parking lot and his tool of choice to shovel the family car out from under the mounds of snow? A kitchen spatula!! And he was so dedicated to making it happen. He just shoeveled his little heart out! It was adorable...as he really is. Sissy, Keli'i and mom joined us and we were off.

We dropped the kids off and Nell and I headed out to pick up the easel from Cherish's place. That was an episode all of it's own because Cherish wasn't home so Nell and I went shopping to the fabric store, Tuesday AM and Wendy's for Frosties. Like we really needed a frosty in that weather?

Christmas was adorable with the missionaries (they live with my parents) and my nieces and nephews. They were very cute and just happy enough. I got everyone in my family the same thing - signs for the doors or inside that say "Nihpali Family - Eastablished 19 or 200..." Except Andrew. He's not married so why would he get one? Anyway...it was a good surprise because I kept them hidden in the car until late Christmas Eve. Hohoo ho!

I think i'll end tonight on the happy note. Only depressing things happen beginning the day after Christmas.

Hope everyone had a very, very Merry Christmas!

Hugs,

Sharon