Home Sickness

I love my hometown, Saint George. It is beautiful and has addicting sunshine. This scene may look familiar to my fellow Saint George lovers. The red bluffs, the arid landscape, the gorgeous sky. Surprisingly, however, this photo wasn't taken in St. George. Last Christmas I found myself in a very old van with eight strangers driving through this landscape - in Morocco. In Africa. Weird huh? Doesn't it look just like Saint George? I had been travelling with just my husband and backpack for a month and hadn't spoken to my family in weeks. It was Christmastime and I was in a strange land that didn't acknowledge or celebrate Christmas at all. It made me feel a bit homesick and as the mountains became bluffs and started to turn red it was impossible not to think of home where all of my family was gathered together doing all of our traditions. It truly was remarkable how much the landscape looked like home!

Like I said in a previous post, I like looking at my photos from our year abroad when I feel like winter is never going to end and I will be stuck in my house forever. This may inspire posts of previous trips that I never really posted about. I hope you don't mind. It is just something to get me through this last (hopefully) stretch of cold gray days. Thanks for your patience.

Ice Storm

We had an ice storm this weekend. The temperature hovered right at the freezing point so it would rain for a few minutes then dip below freezing, then it would warm just enough to melt the ice a little then it would freeze again. It was miserable while it was happening, but today was sunny and it looks stunningly beautiful. I was so inspired on the drive home from work that I grabbed my camera and went for a little walk.

I went out for a few minutes and was so excited about taking photos that I didn't know my hands were slowly progressing toward frostbite. I hadn't worn gloves (I swear, sometimes my actions would lead people to believe that I've never lived in a cold climate before!) My sister called me and as I tried in vain to bend my fingers to grab my phone I realized that I had waited too long to go back to the house and get gloves. I ran home and made Scooter warm my hands. I almost cried - it really HURTS to have your fingers go from really cold back to warm. After I could bend my fingers I went back out - this time wearing gloves.

Every twig, every pine needle, every blade of grass was coated with ice. I loved the minuscule bubbles in the ice droplets. As the sun was setting it hit the ice and made the trees look like they had subtle Christmas lights on them. Gorgeous!

Saint Louis Temple

A couple weekends ago we went to Saint Louis temple with our friends Gene and Diana. St. Louis is our nearest temple - about 4 hours away. We were so grateful to be able to make the trip. A Kansas City temple has been announced and we can't wait until it is completed - it will be a quick 25 minute drive. I miss going to the temple regularly!

Pathetic

Every time I hear a radio commercial for On Star I cry. Every time.

When Winter Weather Gets Me Down

The skies have been gray for what feels like months, but when winter weather gets me down I look at my photos from our surreal year in Europe. These are the moments that have been making me smile for the past few days...