Perspective

In Mi. today it was 30 degrees warmer than MN.

In Az today it was 70 degrees warmer than MN.

I'm thankful we will be heading to warmer temps.

We are only packing t-shirts and shorts for our trip to MI.

Finally

Adam (and many others) can't believe I have never seen ET - the movie. I don't know why or how I missed it as a kid, but never saw it. I had to sub the other day for a media class and that was the lesson plan (something about camera angles etc... was the tie in to the class). So I asked the teacher if I could borrow it to see the end. Yesterday I needed to get a long run in for my training so I took the movie with me and watched it as I ran. I'm not quite done with it, I thought it was almost over but then ET came back to life. Seeing I was finished stretching and been gone a while, I shut it off and will try and finish it in the car on our way to MI. So, no more laughing at me for not seeing ET!

So Busy

I should be posting pictures and such but I've been in a knitting zone as well as wrapping zone. We head for MI tomorrow and there is plenty to do yet so updating the blog has been on my mind, just not in the time line of things that need to be done. We had a great time at our progressive dinner with Team Beat. (I'll post pictures when I get time!) Sat. was busy with laundry, watching the snow pile up, watching the snow blow around, and finishing knitted Christmas gifts! I'm one sock short, but will give the single one for now and the 2nd one when we return home. We took time out to watch MSU beat Texas - sweet game and well worth the break. Today we went to church, ya we are tough around here: the bank read -16 (actual) when we past it at 8 this am and now I think it is -7 with a wind chill of -30s! Adam and Gerrit are sleeping, I just finished wrapping gifts, and havn't started packing! I'm going to watch Secret Life of Bees with friends from book club seeing we read the book a few months back. Then I'll have to get down to business and pack. Time is running out!

Hangin' with the Big Boys

Tonight we watched our friends' boys so they could go to a hockey game. Watching them is pretty easy. We combined food to make a decent dinner for all of us and while dinner was cooking, all the boys played basketball in the living room. They raised the hoop and even Gerrit was able to make a bucket or two at a higher height (impressive). After dinner and a yummy dessert (cookie monsters w/ peppermint stick ice cream), we all headed to the basement. When I made it down, the boys were wrestling - Gerrit included! He loves to wrestle with Adam and a few more boys in the house, meant more to wrestle with! He jumped on them and steamrolled them until his cheeks were rosy red. I just hope he can keep the wrestling to the boys and be gentle around his mother (especially in the mornings).

Maybe I Spoke Too Soon

Yesterday and today I went to my friend's house to get a quick run in after work. These are the friends that I blogged about earlier saying how wonderful it was to not pay a gym membership and all the benefits I get. Well, yesterday the 3rd grader joined me in the work out room which meant no Oprah, yes Disney channel! Oh, and in the background was the 3rd grader making dirk bike noises as he was riding his scooter! I was looking forward to running and watching Oprah and the beginning of the news uninterrupted. Instead I watched something about Zach and Cody and Derek's House??? Guess this was a taste for what is to come.

Today I started out watching Disney then was able to watch Oprah and the news as the 3rd grader went across the street to shovel! Finally!

I can't complain because I grateful to be able to run inside. What was I thinking - training for a 1/2 marathon in the middle of the winter!

Welcome Winter!

No snow day today here in MN but if we lived in MI I bet there would have been one today. I knew it was going to be cold so I wore my poofy coat (I hate wearing it b/c it is so big but on really cold days, I bust it out) and put Gerrit's fleece hat on him b/c it covers more of his head than my cute knitted ones. He wore his mittens as did I because my car read -4 (actual temp)! As I drove further north, the temp continued to drop! Yikes. The sun did shine which seemed to make it 'feel' warmer. The wind chill was -30s and this lasted for 2 days so far. It is now snowing and is suppose to get balmy warm 20s later this week! This will feel like a heat wave and I think I will be able to switch to my thinner coat once again. How much longer before spring?

Practicing Already!

Today we made the trek to Sibley to watch a student of mine play basketball. She's in 7th grade playing on the 10th grade team (the team I use to coach a few years back). I went to her JV volleyball game too this fall as her honoree favorite teacher. Adam and Gerrit came with me and we made an afternoon out of it. The only bummer is she must have been sick b/c she wasn't there! We stayed and watched the 1st half of the game and then went to our favorite restaurant for lunch...PUNCH! yum!

Gerrit loved climbing the bleachers, once he figured out how. There was plenty of room for him to roam and he took full advantage of it. At one point he noticed the little basketball I had in his diaper bag and grabbed it. We thought he was going to throw it on the court so Adam took him to the side of the bleachers and let him play there while I watched the game. The side that he took him too had a hoop by it too. Gerrit immediately grabbed the ball and pointed to the hoop. So Adam would lift him up and let him shoot. He even tried shooting from the ground and of course came no where near making it! Adam didn't even show him the hoop, he knew what to do and wanted to shoot.

I'll try and get to a game in which she's actually playing later this season. It was nice to have Adam and Gerrit there to keep me company and fun to watch Gerrit's reaction.