LET THERE BE LIGHT

WOW, it is REALLY cold out. We are talking below zero (F) cold out! They say it will rapidly warm up by next week which is fine by us! We are ready for Spring and the temps that come with it! We can't complain because we live in the middle of the States and usually have very mild winters, but wowza, this Winter has really been cold and snowy. They are calling for more snow on Wednesday night. Can hardly wait! For most of us, we grow tired of the dark days, the long nights and the chilled winds of winter that keep us inside more than we might like. The challenge is to see every day as a good day with its special charms and offers of pleasure and gratification. The trick is to change our perception so that we see and experience our situation, whatever it might be, in a more positive light. So with that said, we visualize ourselves on a sunny beach, drink in hand, nothing to worry about, nice tunes playing in the background and listening to the waves. SMILES!

This weekend we ventured out to Lawrence to pick out the light fixtures for the house and even with us being cautious, we still were over budget. When you have a lot of choices it becomes hard to find just what you want. Luckily for us we found a modern design and what we both envisioned, especially the lights that will go over our kitchen island. Light is such an important factor in your daily life, it affects your mood etc. so we wanted to make sure we picked the right ones.

While we were at the house this weekend, we did notice that they put the heat duct in the wrong place in the master bedroom. The builder said he would send someone out to fix it this week. Some times it is the little things you don't notice until a few months down the line. The builder asked for an extension on the closing which is what we expected. We were hoping for a March 15 closing anyway rather than a March 1 closing because our lease doesn't expire until March 31. With the closing rescheduled, it still gives us plenty of time to pack and prepare for the move. Hopefully it gives the builder plenty of time to complete his projects. Weather permitting, hopefully everything will go smoothly.

SIMPLY THE BEST

The Indianapolis Colts v. New England Patriots. What a football game! The second half I was literally on the edge of my seat. Whether you are a Colts’ fan or a Patriots’ fan, you have to admit, it was one heck of a game! The biggest comeback ever for a championship game. I love Peyton Manning, even though he beat my beloved KC Chiefs once again this year. He shows a lot of class, on and off the field. Put down Manning if you want because he lives the American dream but he has worked long and hard to get to where he is today. Yes, he is the highest-paid player in football history who has commercials playing every five minutes, but he is also a football player who WANTS to win, has worked HARD and is now heading to the Super Bowl and LOVES the game we love to watch every Sunday afternoon. There are so many stories of sport players with drug, gambling, sex, or sleazy habits that simply took them out of the game or made the game less than appealing. But not Peyton, he is a Superstar in every sense of the word. He appears to handle the attention and/or critism in an admirable manner and gives 100 percent each time he takes the field. The look on his face after the last interception to clinch the win was priceless. I have only two other things to say about this subject, GO COLTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As for an update on our house, the countdown is officially on. The sheetrock is up and they will begin to tape and mud it this week. For the interior paint, we have chosen a color called Urban Putty which is a soft caramel color with white trim. It will be awhile before they are able to paint but it is exciting to finally see walls!

This weekend we were treated to yet another round of that lovely white fluffy stuff and now we have a winter wonderland! Everything is covered in heavy white snow! Everywhere we went this weekend, there were people out shoveling their walks/driveways or building snowmen. It was really quite a sight to see. We normally don’t get a lot of snow in Kansas so it has been a real treat for the kids.

We wanted to wish Dad (Sheldon) a Happy 57th Birthday on Thursday, January 25. Dad has taught us very important lessons to carry through life, too many to list here on our blog. The most important one however is how to be a loving caring person to those you love! We hope you have a celebratory, no work kind of day! Happy Birthday DAD! We can’t wait to see you in March! And as always, sending lots of love your way!

WHEN ITS COLD OUTSIDE

I'm a big believer in the if you can't beat it, embrace it philosophy. So, instead of whining and moaning about our three-day (going on four-day) winter storm, I have learned to accept it. And if you believe that let me tell you about that magic money tree I sell in addition to our nutritional supplements. I’m not from Canada like Kevin so I don’t like the temps to dip below, say, freezing! :-)

This weekend we had some work to complete at our new house and the weather, in no way, was going to cooperate. Not only was it cold (frickin cold), we got lots of rain/ice showers which made the roads treacherous. But we didn’t have a choice in rescheduling since the sheetrock work begins this week. Due to the weather, a few of Kevin’s friends did not make the trip down to the house so I volunteered my services. Now don’t chuckle, I really did help him out! ;-) To keep warm, we layered ourselves with two pair of wool socks, boots, two pair of flannel pants under jeans, a t-shirt, a long sleeve t-shirt, under two sweatshirts, under a big winter coat, two pair of gloves, a hat, AND winter coat with hood. And YES we were still cold. The temperature was around 8 degrees. BRRR!!! It was so cold outside this weekend, that Kevin wanted me to name this particular blog, nose-sicles. I just couldn't bring myself to do that although I thought it was funny! :-)

We want to thank David for coming out especially in the bad weather to put the insulation up in the garage. Your help really meant a lot to us and saved us a few more hours. Thanks a million Bro. :-)

The best part of the weekend however is when we were able to watch a few movies with Scott. It isn’t very often that he graces us with his presence and the visit was quite pleasant. Due to the weather, he was home all weekend and we were able to catch up on what was going on in his world. He starts school on Wednesday and is looking forward to his new classes. He has spent a majority of his winter break with his friends and working up at the Great Mall. All I can say about his job is he is learning rather quickly the pressures of being a manager! :-)

Charlie, the framer, has completed our deck. We have attached pictures and we think he did an excellent job on it. We can't wait to enjoy a cup of our morning brew and take in the fantastic view. Just another month and a half to go! :-)

KNICK OF TIME

We aren’t sure what this weekend holds, but the weather forecasters are calling for ice and snow on Friday and Saturday. Wow, just in the knick of time for us to do the work we need to do at the house. We don’t have to do any of the work on the house except for putting insulation in our garage and running network cable through it. Every other weekend, the weather has been beautiful, temps in the upper 40s and sunny. No, not this weekend. Temps are supposed to be in the teens and freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeezing! Reschedule? Not an option. We can’t really pick another weekend to do the work since they want to start the sheetrock work next week. Aaah, the joys of Mother Nature in Kansas.

Speaking of laughing, Kevin and I sure did get some quaint stares when we decided to visit a Home Store the other day. Usually when we enter into a store, Kevin will open the door for me –- so thinking the same thing would happen this particular afternoon, I walk up to the door, only Kevin decides to play a game –- let’s see who can get inside first! Well, I wasn’t about to let him WIN! So we both go barreling in the front doors of the Home Store and these ladies are just staring at us with their mouths gaping like they think there is an emergency out in the parking lot or something. Of course, I just look at them and say “He actually thinks he is faster than me.” They all start laughing and I look behind me (yes I WON!) and Kevin’s face is beet red. Priceless moment I tell you!

I guess we could sum things up by saying our whole life philosophy seems to be based on the mantra – “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” because it just makes things worse to worry about things that are out of our control. So we won’t worry about the weather this weekend. We will get the work done. And just remember happiness helps deal effectively with the stress of life and those who wait for a better time to be happy will probably never achieve it.

PEACE AND JOY

Earlier we heard on CNN the top three new year's resolutions were 1) to lose weight, 2) to be a better person, 3) to stop smoking. I suppose all three are good things to aim for and all of them have obvious benefits in this life. We don’t make new year’s resolutions as we believe if a change needs to be made, it should be made now and not at the beginning of a new year. Last year, without making new year’s resolutions we got into the best shape of our life, we made better financial decisions and we are now living a healthier, happier and spiritual life.

So as we sit here and think of how to wish you all a Happy New Year, we are completely puzzled. We know that when we look back on the year 2006 no one will say it went exactly as they envisioned. When we look back we remember several things. There was a lot of laughter, good times at the weddings we attended in Canada and visiting with family and friends. There were new decisions made about our future home, moving, selling and building. There was also a lot of sadness and sorrow at the passing of Elizabeth’s Grandmother. Someone who was the Queen of Reciprocation.

For the year 2007, there will be great surprises and not so great surprises. Planned events, and unplanned events. Happy times and sad times. Summer delights and winter blues. So instead of wishing you all a happy New Year, we would like to wish you a Peaceful New Year. A peace that will sustain you through whatever storms may arise and a joy that will bring you much happiness throughout the entire year.

BTW, those of you who wanted to comment before and couldn't, we have fixed that issue and you can NOW comment without signing up. :-)