The Storm of the Century

Just a couple of days before Thanksgiving the weather man started reporting that we were expecting the "STORM OF THE CENTURY"!! My friend Linda was here to visit her parents and was leaving to go back to Illinois on Tuesday, the day of the big storm. I told her I would take her to the airport. Her plane wasn't scheduled to depart until 4:00 that afternoon but she wanted me to get there and get back before the storm hit. I picked her up at 10:00 a.m. and we headed into Salt Lake. We stopped and had breakfast, the wind was blowing so hard it nearly blew us over. We enjoyed visiting over breakfast together and then headed to the airport. Linda called to check her flight just before we got there and it said it would be delayed. We were hoping she would be able to make it out. The airport was suppose to be crazy as well with everyone traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday. Linda called me on my way home and as the phone rang I was afraid she was going to say, "Can you come back and get me my plane has been canceled," but instead she said, she got right through the screening and her plane would only be delayed 15 minutes. I went to the store on the way home so I wouldn't have to travel out in the storm. That night Les and I settled in expecting the worse. I got up at 4:00 a.m. in the morning and looked out the window...where was the snow?!?! There was only a little only a little skiff. The big blizzard of the century turned out to be the big fizzle of the century:-) Not that I was sad by any means. This morning however we did wake up to snow. Not the big one, just the usual start of winter. We probably received 2 to 3 inches. Les had to shovel the driveway to get out for his Bishopric meeting this morning. Where was I? Snuggled under the covers of course. Les tried to talk me into coming out and shoveling with him saying, "it would be fun." Oh ya, real fun. Here are a few pictures I took from the window. I didn't even want to venture out this morning, besides I had just done my hair for church:-) Here comes Winter!!!!!

Hope you get the drift...no pun intended:-)

Thanksgiving Day!!!

This was the second Thanksgiving since Les and I have been married that I have not had to prepare Thanksgiving dinner! Yahoo!!! We went to Ashlyn's house and had a great time with Dave's family and Rod and Sam. I can't believe I didn't take my camera but my arms were full of food. I didn't have to prepare the whole dinner but I did prepare some of it. Hope ya'all had a great Thanksgiving!

What are you thankful for?

With Thanksgiving right around the corner I was reflecting today on what I really am thankful for. With the wind blowing outside and snow on the ground the first thing I thought about was I am so thankful that I have a nice warm home and that it is warm and cozy inside. As I awoke this morning I thought, I am so thankful for a warm comfortable bed. I had a hot bath this morning and it felt so wonderful to just lie there and soak, one of my most favorite place to read is in the bath tub:-) I am so thankful that all I have to do is turn on the tap and out comes hot or cold water with not effort. I thought of Les's nephew who is on a mission in Sierra Leone Africa who has no running water, who lives with rats and other creatures on a daily basis, who in the last 4 months has dropped 23 lbs. I have so much to be thankful for. I flip a switch and have light. I go to the refrigerator or cup board and have food to eat. I live in a country where I am free to come and go as I please, I can go to church and worship as I please. I'm thankful for FREEDOM and the young men and women who put their lives on the line so that I can enjoy that freedom. We must never forget that our freedom comes at a great cost. I have a wonderful family who bring me so much joy. We have our trials and our struggles but those too I am thankful for because they bring me closer to the Savior and my Heavenly Father. I know that through Them we can over come our struggles and become better people. I'm thankful for hair blowers and make up so I don't scare people when I go out in public. I'm thankful for music and for the important part it plays in my life. I grew up with music in my life, with parents who loved music, and a father who had a beautiful tenor voice who sang in church, at funerals, for many occasions. Then in my own home I have enjoyed all kinds of music. Now I have grandchildren who are so gifted with musical talent, music makes this world a much more beautiful place. I'm thankful for this beautiful world and for nature and the changing seasons. I'm thankful for friends, some of which I only get to see on occasion but what great memories I have of our times together. I'm thankful for my life, for the experiences I am blessed with daily. And the older I get the more I am made aware of my health, I am so thankful to be healthy and be able to dance and walk, and all the things I'm able to do. You never really enjoy your health more then when you don't have it, then you realise how important it is to you. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you too reflect on what you are most thankful for. Take a minute in your busy day to just stop and smell the roses or look at a beautiful sunset. We are indeed a blessed people.

We didn't get the expected snow...but we know it's right around the corner!

That snow that the weather man was forecasting never happened...at least not in the valley but from this picture you can see we did get snow in the mountains. We've had beautiful blue skies and the most beautiful fall weather. This weather has really spoiled me and I am not ready for the weather to change. Most of the trees still have their leaves as you can see from this picture. Our aspen trees have been a beautiful yellow and still have a lot of their leaves. And just look at the beautiful clear BLUE SKY! I love this time of the year!
This time of the year has always been my favorite. It brings back childhood memories of walking home from school and hearing the crisp sound of the Autumn leaves crunching below my feet. Of raking up large piles of leaves and then jumping into them. The clean crisp air that seemed to give me energy. It's a time for apples of all colors, and pine nuts, and curling up by the fireplace with a warm fire and a good book. Hot chocolate, carmel popcorn ball, apple crisp, hmmmmmm... I LOVE AUTUMN!
I can't take credit for this photo but I absolutely love it. It was taken by Les's cousin Westley Cottom.