Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...

The kids have a snow day today. We have maybe an inch of snow but schools are closed because of bitter cold temps and wind chill.

The NOAA web page says that the actual temperature right now is -13 degrees.
The NOAA web page says that the actual temp + windchill makes it feel like -41 degrees.

I believe those might be the coldest temps I've ever experienced in my life.

The funny thing is that it was really, really cold when we were in Winter Park last month. There were a few days while there that we had sub-zero temps. We even went tubing one day when the actual temp was -5. I told John last night that I'm glad we weren't watching the news 24/7 while we were there or we might have realized the stupidity of our decision. Ignorance truly is bliss.

Anyway, yeah, it's COLD outside.

That's why we're staying in today.

I just put a roast in the crock-pot for dinner, and I'm thinking movies, hot chocolate, some reading, and cookie-baking are on my to-do list for the day!

John has to get out later to get a hair cut. I called last week to make an appointment and was told it would be about 3 weeks before Rachel--our family hair wizard--could see me. John called yesterday and got an appointment for this afternoon. HUH? It's not the first time it's happened. I tease him all the time about how quickly those salon ladies accommodate him. It's absolutely true, but I think he got an appointment so quickly today because they had multiple cancellations because of the weather!

I was really thankful for a snow day because Abbey is still sick. I took her to the doctor yesterday to rule out strep, which we did. She seems to have some sort of virus with sore throat, cough, and fever being the symptoms. I would have kept her home today anyway but it was nice for it not to be counted against her. She still has a low-grade temp this morning...boo!...and so I'm still not sure she'll be going to school tomorrow. So far the rest of us are well and I'm hoping it stays that way.

John took Jack-the-beagle back for (another) follow-up appointment with our vet yesterday. He's now on his THIRD round of (sorry, no generic available) antibiotics. That dog has cost us a lot of money lately. I really really really really really want an iPhone. I've been waiting forEVER for Verizon and Apple to join forces and as you probably know, they recently did. I suppose I'll be waiting a bit longer because we've spent he equivalent of 3-4 iPhones on Jack's rear end. I'm slightly bitter. Grrrrrrrrrr.

FYI--Tell About It Tuesday will be back next week. Because I have one more life-changing discovery to share. I know you're on the edge of your seat.

Peace out, peeps. And Happy Snow Day!

A Few Days in the Mountains...

We've just returned from a few days up in Winter Park, CO with John's family. It was snowy, cold, beautiful, and so much fun!

We rented an amazing condo (thank you, Papa and Mimi!) that had a terrific view of the ski slopes. We originally thought some of us would ski, but we decided we'd rather spend our time doing something we could all do together.

So...

We went tubing!

Oh my gosh...it is so much fun. We loved it so much that we went back again the next day! My favorite part was riding with Abbey. She would giggle the entire time she was flying down the hill. It was so cute. We also loved hooking all of our tubes together and making one big amoeba or one long chain. The more people you have, the faster you go! The best part though is that you don't have to walk back up the hill...they have a "magic stairway" (conveyor belt thingy) that carries you back to the top.

(We went a few years ago to a different tubing hill. I thought it was wise that this one required a helmet for all tubers.)

Will was overjoyed about me taking his picture.

We also let the kids ride snowmobiles! They didn't go fast enough for the older kids though...

Abbey didn't want to ride, so she patiently watched everyone else ride played in the snow while we watched her brother and sister and two cousins.

I think it snowed every day we were there! I was thankful for that since not all of our family lives in a place that sees snow very often. And isn't that what you hope for when you visit Colorado anyway?

Another fun thing we did was take a sleigh ride.

It was snowing and so cold. Very picturesque indeed. Midway through the ride, we stopped and warmed up around a campfire and had hot cocoa.

We had a wonderful time. As we were driving back I was thinking about how blessed we are to live in a place of such great beauty and to be able to enjoy it with those we love is just icing on the cake. I have lots more pictures but want to ask permission before I share them here. So stay tuned...