Winter Campout

Well, we survived another winter campout! It was three cold, sleepless nights and four busy, only slightly warmer days. Between massive wind gusts, drizzling rain, and freezing temperatures, we managed to have fun, fellowship, and even attend an outdoor wedding and reception.

I didn't know it was possible to get a "sunburn" from a fire, but I think that is indeed what I arrived home with. Everyone huddled around a central fire to begin and end the day (and even sometimes in the afternoon, given how cold it was), and I think I'm still feeling the effects on the skin of my forehead. It was funny, as I didn't begin to feel any real pains until we were in the car on the ride home. Then the extent of the chapped and chafed skin and sore body (from sleeping on the ground in a tent) become evident, apparently as I thawed out in the warmth of the heater!

We're seriously thinking about renting a camper for next winter, although I'm proud of us for sticking it out when the majority of people rented hotel rooms or had RVs in which to stay. (I'm not sure if that makes us tough or just cheap!) Regardless, it was another great experience and I look forward to the forthcoming summer camp out in July.

“Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we really are.” - Arthur Golden

Sports Clips

While I cut Jeff's hair last night, he set up his laptop and logged on to ESPN to watch the historic college basketball moment as the UConn women's team broke the 88 consecutive wins record. He joked it was like his own personal Sports Clips!

Making Marshallows

In preparation for our winter camp-out weekend in Georgia, I made marshmallows from scratch today. It's been a while since I dug out my candy thermometer, so I'd forgotten all the multitasking involved. While boiling the sugar and water to hard ball stage, I was simultaneously whipping the egg whites to soft peaks and softening the gelatin in a double boiler. It's no wonder I forgot to take pictures until the final product was achieved!

I beat these marshmallows extra long, so hopefully they will hold up on a stick over the fire (that's the downside of the homemade marshmallows; better flavor but inconsistent consistency). I'm stocking up on cinnamon graham crackers and chocolate squares, so it should be a great weekend!

Bungalow Sweet Bungalow

I'm rarely sentimental about physical things or material possessions, but working around the house and yard the last week or so has me very nostalgic for my cozy little bungalow back in Arkansas. I'm glad we had the blessing of selling "by owner" instead of the anonymous process of a realtor, because at least I know the house is in good hands.

I still correspond with the new owners on occasion, and it was nice when she asked me for some "before" photos of the house. We bought the 1914 era Craftsman style bungalow when it was in a state of disrepair, but tried to be good stewards and leave it better than we found it. After I sent her some photos, she was quite surprised and remarked that we must have had vision because she and her husband would not have taken on such a project! Sorting through the photos on my computer has me reminiscing on the experience all over again.

Our Arkansas home before:

After four years of love and hard work:

Some interior comparison shots:

Living Room Before .........................& After

Dining Room Before .......................& After


Kitchen Before ...............................& After


Bedroom Before .............................& After

Home

Jeff gave his last finals early in December, so he's been freed from campus for the last week or so. He goes in occasionally for meetings, etc., but until classes resume January 10th, he's basically all mine! He has his own office at home when he needs to work on research, publications, and other professorial duties, but we certainly appreciate the blessing of his job in terms of the great flexibility and free time it allows.

We're taking advantage of the break to get some little niggly items done around the house. We have to make a list so we get the reward of crossing jobs off, since they are the kinds of tasks that bring little fulfillment, but need to be done. Don't you just hate those kind!

Playing in the Snow

All you Yankees might think we live in the Deep South, but I'll have you know it's actually NORTHERN Alabama! Jeff always points that out. Today it was more evident than usual by the freezing temperatures and blowing snow.

We are trying to stay dedicated to our exercise schedule, so our Sunday morning routine of tennis could not be postponed. Despite the cold and snow and wind, we bundled up and headed out to the courts. Our very treed neighborhood was obviously sheltered from the winter weather, because as soon as we got out on the main street, we questioned our ability to play (and our sanity). We played about 30 minutes in the cold and snow until the wind began to blow horizontal ice pellets across the courts and the baseline was getting icy. We even had to scrape the windshield of the car before we pulled out of the parking lot, which is a rarity here in the South!

I know it doesn't look like much, but the iPhone doesn't capture the snow very well (though you can see the ice on the courts)

Bublé Boogie

Jeff surprised me last Thursday night by announcing that he needed to pack for the weekend. I was confused by the reference until he used his iPhone to bring up a favorite Michael Bublé song and I realized he had bought tickets to the live concert in Nashville! We had tried to find a show in the past, even looking while we were in Germany and Michael Bublé was simultaneously touring Europe, but it hadn't worked out. But Sunday evening we enjoyed the show from the front row of an upper balcony directly overlooking the stage. Although I've been to numerous ballets, operas, symphonies, etc., it was my first real "concert" in the popular sense.

The opening act (and guest performers on a select number of Bublé songs) was Naturally 7, a seven man a cappella/vocal play group. It was really an incredible warm up, as these men used no instruments whatsoever but were, in fact, the instruments themselves. They become the drums, the bass, the electric guitar, the scratching turntable, the trombone and other brass, miscellaneous percussion, etc to accompany their lead singers.

Naturally 7

The main show opened with great theatricality and continued strongly for the next hour and a half. In addition to his many recorded hits, we enjoyed Twist and Shout, Walking in a Winter Wonderland, and a Michael Jackson impersonation. The live band was fabulous and it was an incredible evening. We capped it off by a easy walk back up the hill to our cozy hotel room.