2008

New Year's Eve was spent with my family in Vermont. It was wonderful- snow fell for days and my aunt and uncle's home is like a northern Disneyland for outdoor sports and indoor relaxation. My brother, Jeff, brought over his snowmobile as well and Jedd will never be the same. I walked by a window and glanced out, I saw my 11 y.o. son sittting ona snowmobile by himself and thought, "how nice of the guys to let him sit on it alone." The next thing I see the lad is driving off to manly cheers. He did a small circle and came back slowly to the guys. My brother said, "take off Jedd! Have fun! Go for it!" and Jedd did. I threw clothes on and went out and jumped on another. It was my uncle's new HUGE one. It was scary. I circled back and asked for a smaller one, please. He brought out my aunt's. Ah yes. This was better. But the snow was beating into my helmut so hard that even with the defogger, I found it disconcerting. Oh, and Jedd outgrew his snowpants but we didn't realize that in time. So he now had my snowbibs tied up and around his neck and back to make them fit. I tried sqeezing into Emma's but the button closing? yeah, that wasn't happening. So I was out in conditions very close to blizzard force in nothing but a pair of bluejeans. Smart? Not so much. I was cozy everywhere else though, just the darn legs.

I returned the snowmobile And the three of them took off. (see 2nd photo)

My dear aunt stuck her head out the door and asked if I wanted a playmate. Of course I did! She whipped on snowclothes and was out pulling toboggans and sleds in an astonishingly quick flash. We went to the hills behind the house and started down. Whoo hoo! The men came around the corner to ferry up the sleds. Jeff comes up with the brilliant idea of tying my rope through the back of the snowmobile and holding on. Oh my gosh! Besides the several feet of snow that piled up on me and the fact that I always ended up in a pile while he kept going...what fun! At one point I realized that the pain in my legs was not going away and I started to wonder what exactly frostbite felt like in it's beginning stages. I threw snowballs at a window to get my mom's attention and pleaded with her to come open the back door. I suddenly didn't think I could make it around to the front or side doors. She helped me peel off the layers. But when it came to the legs, there were no layers My jeans actually stood up by themselves when removed. My legs were like iceblocks. I was an idiot! Who does that? I think she did start to scold me before she took pity on me.

Upstairs for a cribbage marathon. It is my new all-consuming passion. Right word? Probably not, let's just say I learned this a few months back when my mom, aunt and uncle came to visit and I am addicted to this game. Anyone play or want to learn? So far it's just Jedd and I here in the Huntington home who have the bug. And Jedd is amazingly good.

Today, it is back to work. Can I be honest here? I do not want to go back! Anyone want to buy a business? Thom assures me that once I'm back it'll be fine. We'll see....we'll see.......

This photo doesn't belong here, but I'm sticking it in for fun. Me and mom dancing with stuffed animals in our pajamas. Sometimes you need to publicize a photo like this to keep yourself humble....