Snow Days

So, this year we have already gotten 3 days off school for snow. All of you who live in North, don't even say anything. It is different here as many northerners are experiencing right now. Last time it snowed, a slick little layer of ice formed on the roads, no biggie, but dangerous just the same for those of us who have never been trained in driving on ice. But this time around, we really got some snow. About 36 hours after it began snowing, all the streets have probably at least 1 inch of compacted snow/slush/ice with up to 4 inches of snow surrounding those areas. And, there are no snow plows in sight and there will not be. This would be why people stock up when we hear snow might be coming. When snow does come like this, it stays and keeps a lot of us in.

All that to say, we have had a lot of fun enjoying our 2 days in. Last night, our friends who are in walking distance (4 in total) walked to our house for some dessert and games. We played some Mad Gab. Hilarious. The best card said "Disco Pierre Knead Stoner". Any guesses? At midnight, I decided that I just had to get out there in the snow. What if the sun came out early and it all disappeared? You never know what might happen in the South. So, I suited up and eventually got everyone else on board. I grabbed a cookie sheet, foam board, plastic storage container, and a 3 ring binder. We had a lot of fun "sledding" and "snow boarding" down the hilly streets with our makeshift sleds. The winner by far was the foam board!

Little did I know that this morning we would wake up to every bit of the snow from the night before plus more. Zach and I took it slow with a good hearty breakfast, randomness around the house, and then we were out. We made some things out of snow....



And then went for a walk. On our walk, we ran into some of the neighborhood families that has young children. We joined into the snow ball fight and the sledding (they had a plastic sled). After they went inside to warm up, we finished our walk. Today has been a really GREAT day!

On the Radio

Every morning I listen to a country station because of the dj person (I don't know what you call it). This guy is so funny and always has people call in for random reasons. He also has a tendency to make fun of people when they call.

Well, this morning he was talking about double names. I just had to call in. I was extremely nervous, but I did it. It was a really short conversation, but I think it went well. One more new thing done.

Cruising

Zach and I have officially decided to go on a cruise in March. It is a rarity that Zach is able to commit to a vacation weeks ahead of time, so we decided to take advantage of it. We are going to go on a short cruise to the Bahamas! I can't wait...more to come.

My Japanese Experience

Zach and I were invited to celebrate the ending of a rough year and the beginning of a new year with a close friend. She picked to go to a Japanese Sushi Bar for this celebration. I was a little nervous but I read reviews that talked about menu items other than sushi. I know that I LOVE Hibachi grills which is Japanese right? Anyways, we accepted the invite.

Zach and I decided to split what is called a bento box. Along with the bento box, came soup, salad, a crispy shrimp roll, 2 entrees, rice, and veggies. Out came the soup and salad. They resembled what I have previously received at Hibachi grills. No surprises there. Then out come our crispy shrimp roll. As the waitress was bringing it to us, I said, "I thought we were just getting one roll." She said, "This is one roll." I replied, "I would call that 8 rolls." Everyone laughed. I saw eight little pieces of sushi (8 rolls) on the plate. So, I learned my first lesson of the night. What I was seeing was one roll cut into 8 pieces.

Next surprise was when our entree came out in a cute little box. Once again, I said out loud, "What a cute little box!" I was given some looks that indicated I should have been expecting this box. Next lesson learned was that our meal was called bento box because that is the name of the little box/plate/compartmentalized little thing that our food came in. I thought the name was something specific to this restaurant.

I gained a little culture (out loud) that night.

I'm Back

I know that I have been gone for a while. I know my mom missed me, so I am starting this thing back up. I needed a break over the holidays. I gave up a lot more than just the blog over the holidays. I gave up exercise and cooking. I pretty much gave up anything that I didn't want to do. It was rather nice, but selfish at the same time. I must admit that is was a great break though. For anyone who does not know, Zach quit his job at the bank to become a full time musician. This meant that we had 2 weeks off together to see our families over the holiday.

We spent a week in Peoria with Zach's side of the family. During that time, we did some cookie baking, skiing, hanging out, playing games, shopping, playing in the snow, eating, etc. It was such a great time with his family. One of my favorite parts was the playing in the 10 inches of snow! I shoveled snow for the first time in my life. I also got to drive in the snow for the first time. Overall, just a great trip spent with family.

Then, it was a drive through Nashville straight on to Birmingham. It was a great visit with my family, the ones still in town, for a shorter amount of time. We had a great Christmas celebration with those of us in town. Lilly Bea, my little cousin, was so much fun to watch and be around. She is 4 years old and is quite girly right now. She did some amazing posing for the camera. Here is my favorite shot!

A Big Night

Last night was a full night. I hosted a freedom party at my house with a friend. A freedom party is a party where the guests learn about human trafficking and then are given the opportunity to purchase things (jewelry, pajamas, bags, scarves, books, etc) made by former slaves from around the world. I was a great night and I am so excited about how it all went.

Last night was also the last night of John and Kate Plus 8. This is the one show that I truly watch. I will work to be able to see it. Last night, I said up way late past my party to be able to record it (I was using the TV during the party so I couldn't record then). I can't believe it is over. I know there are a lot of opinions about this family, but I loved watching the kids. I am very sad to see it go. I hope to hear updates down the road as to how they are doing.

101 Bulbs in the Ground

I am so happy to announce that we now have 101 daffodil bulbs lining our driveway. Zach gave me 100 (ended up being 101) daffodil bulbs for my birthday/anniversary. Over the last 2 weeks, Zach and I have put 101 bulbs in the ground. Right now, I have a broken trowel and very sore hands to show for it. Hopefully in the Spring, we will have a yard of flowers (my favorite flowers) to show for it.

This is not all that has happened in our yard over the past 2 weeks. Zach has been very busy saving multiple trees and destroying one small tree. As you see in the picture below, he has pulled endless vines off of trees. Notice the tree on the right vs the tree on the left. The pile on the ground is from the tree on the right only. The tree he took out of the ground was one that was growing out of another tree and looked a little ugly. The 60-70 degree weather has made this work a little easier to do.