Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Old Man Winter

Winter has been particularly fierce here in our neck of the woods. It's been intensely cold (for ths area) and we've had an unusual amount of snow for an unusual amount of time. It started snowing on Saturday 12/13 and snowed almost every day for a week. From then it's been too cold for any melting to happen and it's still been snowing intermittently. Right now there's a mixture of rain and snow, telling me that it's too cold to just rain but too warm to just snow.

I'd love some rain about now. I've fallen thrice since last Friday (12/19), all three times on my right side with my shoulder taking the brunt of my weight.

For some reason blogger has decided that I can't move my pictures around so these are not in chronological order.



There are some large icicles hanging from the eaves outside our front door. The effect that the dripping water has produced is illustrated in the following two pictures. They're little tiny stalagmites, aided in formation by the fir boughs on the front porch that I had intended to make wreaths with. It looks like a tiny 1" a



This is what the deck looked like in the middle of the snowfall. By the time things started warming up at all, another 4" had accumulated.


This is the reproducing icicle during the cold


James and the kids walking home from the mailbox.


Upon first seeing this picture, James commented that if you didn't know any better, you'd think this was taken up in the mountains. In all actuality, I took this photo in our sleepy little valley 5 miles outside the city limits.




Captain Snowbeard


The kids and I after our sledding adventure.


The Valley Association's sad attempt at closing our road...


No, those are not people's driveways...they are cars that have been abandoned after attempting to drive up the hill on the road that had been closed.




Our street.


Our roof and the trees behind our house.




Some videos of the sledding fun!









That's what our holiday break has looked like so far. What has yours looked like?

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Mixture

Today is a good day. I woke up in a good mood at 10:00 this morning and had breakfast with my family and we are having our typical Football Sunday.

I was looking at my Facebook page earlier today and received a painful reminder. Now I am attempting to feel the painful feelings in order to give them some recognition and then let them go. Forgive myself and the other person involved.

I miss someone whom has been hurt by me and I have been hurt by her in turn.

I've gone through, and still go through a range of emotions regarding my (lack of a) relationship with her and today I am sad.

Her name is Erin. She used to be married to my husband and was my good friend, confidant, and band mate for a long time. We had a falling out three years ago (I can't believe it's been that long) and we haven't spoken since. There have been many e-mails between us but nothing good.

I attempted to confront some things that were going on and my feelings surrounding them. Mainly that she was systematically cutting everyone out of her life because of a man that she has a relationship with; and then saying that she felt isolated by her friends because we didn't want to be around this guy. Apparently that was a big mistake.

There is also an issue of money that we owe her for watching our kids. Still. Part of me wants to send her whatever money we can so that I can let go of all of this but, at the same time, I still feel that she has a part in the fiasco that resulted in DSHS not paying for the services. And I want her to own up to that.

Without going into boring detail about this situation, I will just say that our friendship is over and that makes me sad. Although she has been quite selfish in our relationship, I miss her smile, her laugh, her silliness.

Most of my other friends remind me often that it really is for the best. That her selfishness has brought an end to several of her friendships. But it doesn't hurt any less. An organic, sort of moving away from tight friendship would have been preferred.

Maybe I'll send her a Christmas card with some money in it. See if that helps me to let go and get over it. Find the forgiveness I need so badly.