Snow

Henry with Jerome tagging behind.

Sleddin'

We ended up getting about 3/4" of ice and 5" of snow on top of the mountain. School was canceled Friday and we're out tomorrow too. Guess I need to enjoy my summer right now because we will have to make up all the days we've missed in June--seven so far.

They are rerecording "We Are The World" tomorrow as a benefit for the earthquake victims in Haiti. Who do you think should be a part of this? The artists that have been asked to participate are being kept secret, so it's fun to guess. I'm thinking Bono, Shakira, Beyonce, Rhianna, Taylor Swift, Pink, Sting, and of course Wyclef Jean cuz he's from Haiti. But it just won't be the same without Michael.

No Ice Please

I am seriously worried about getting home from school tomorrow. They are saying we could get up to 1" of ice and up to 14" of snow starting tomorrow at noon. I hate it when it starts to ice/snow during the day. A few years ago it took me 5 hours to get home from work due to weather. Normally the drive would take me 25-30 minutes. There were so many cars and trucks wrecked in the road and in the ditch that the traffic everywhere was at a complete stop. It was awful.

Resolution

Last year was the first time I made a New Year's resolution. (Or at least the first year I kept one.) There's always room for improvement in my life, so for 2009 I decided to bring my own mug to the coffee shop instead of using one of their disposable ones. I go the the coffee shop an average of 5 days per week x 52 weeks per year = 260 times. I forgot my cup maybe 10 times last year, so subtract 10 and that's 250 cups that I saved from the landfill. I know in the big scheme of things that's probably not much, but I feel pretty proud of myself for actually following through. Once I got into the habit it was easy and now it is just automatic. (I am planning to save 250 more cups this year.)

I have not blogged about this year's resolution yet because I had to make sure it was possible first. Back when I was in junior high and high school I played handbells and french horn at our church. (I need to clarify that I am not particularly musical at all--I quit band in 8th grade and quit piano lessons even earlier than that.) I'm not even sure why I was asked to do these things at church. I seem to remember that I was filling in for someone who was on vacation in handbells and with the french horn...well, I think I was the only member of the congregation that had a french horn.

Long story short, for 2010 I joined our handbell choir at church. I thought I was joining a beginner class that started three weeks ago, but when I arrived I found out that they have been practicing together since August! (You should also know that when I played in high school it was the big bass bells that didn't play very often, so I didn't really have to pay attention to reading music much.) When I got to the first practice I was assigned A & B on the treble clef. In case you were wondering, A & B are sorta critical notes people! Think melody...instead of harmony and chords. I was paralyzed at the first practice. I don't think I played a single note in the first 30 minutes. But things are starting to come back to me after my second practice and I think I will stick with it.

Outplayed

It's cold here people. I mean Alaska cold. Maybe even Sweden cold. Two weeks of winter break has turned into three weeks due to frigid weather and snow. I heard on the news that it is colder in Arkansas than it is in Anchorage, Alaska this week. You would think my Swedish genes would somehow prepare me for this, but I'm afraid nothing helps when the wind chill is -30 degrees F. I was fairly productive those first few days of this week--cooking, cleaning and organizing Henry's stuff and taking a load of toys, clothing and coats to the Salvation Army, but now I'm in full veg-mode. Movies, TV, Internet. I set my alarm this morning for 7:00, thinking I would try to prepare my body for getting up at 5:45 on Monday and then proceeded to snooze until almost 8:00 when Henry got up.

Liberty Bowl
Memphis, Tennessee

The Liberty Bowl in Memphis was cold too. Not quite this cold, but too cold for Henry to last the whole game even though we put him in his snowsuit. He was begging to go back to the hotel. We had to take him to the car shortly after Eddie Money's halftime performance. The mascot, Tusk, died the day after the game and I have to wonder if the elements had something to do with his death. My feeling is that the Hogs got outplayed by Eastern Carolina. But as Hog fans we will take any kind of victory we can get. Especially in a bowl game. So many times we have been the team that had the lead and deserved to win and then lost it in the last few minutes. (Florida and LSU come to mind.) And I'm really excited about next year with Ryan Mallett coming back. (Not so excited about playing Alabama though, after seeing them win on Thursday night. They are going to be good next year too.) As for basketball, the Arkansas vs. Texas game was encouraging. Maybe with Fortson back we can win a few SEC games. Note: Candy apple red is NOT cardinal red. If you were there you know exactly what I mean.

I borrowed my first book on Playaway from the library. It's the size and shape of an MP3 player loaded with Graceling by Kristen Cashore. You just hook up your own headphones and begin listening. Is listening to a book cheating? What are your feelings on audio books? I think they are great for certain occasions. I listened to a book over Thanksgiving while putting up all my Christmas decorations. It helped make an unpleasant task go by quickly. I would love to share some of my favorite reads of this year. Maybe tomorrow a post about books.

BTW, Jay is not engaged. It was just a Facebook joke.