on polar vortexes & wedding gowns

I don't think I had ever heard of a polar vortex before this year.  And now we've been surviving through it.  Crazy amounts of snow and cold, cold weather.  The kids had an extra 3 days off during their Christmas vacation (that's 19 days off!) and then another 7 days off in a row because of it (in combination with a weekend).  Roads were closing in all around us!  

Check out the satellite images of the polar vortex!

So what's a mom to do with two girls who are anxious to get back to school?  Their final day off during that 7-day stretch, we got out my wedding dress.  The pictures speak for themselves: it was beautiful and oh so fun!

 

There is such a build-up to Christmas Day and it starts the day after Thanksgiving.  We put up our tree, turn on the Christmas music (if we haven't already), and we anticipate the Christmas parties.   But for our culture, as soon as December 26 comes, Christmas is completely over... almost as if it never even happened.  The once-a-year 'Jesus tolerance' is over (you know, when entertainment goes from musicians singing 'Silent Night' when lighting the Christmas tree to songs with provocative lyrics at the NYE party).  I need a couple of days to wean myself off of Christmas music and out of the season.  So it's always great when we have a party or two to look forward to after Christmas Day.  We do Christmas with mom and dad Barkel the weekend after Christmas which is just perfect!  We ease ourselves out of the Christmas season more slowly than the world around us.  And as Christians, we celebrate Jesus daily.

Our final Christmas party for the season:

Great times with the family.  Mom and dad somehow accomplished buying a gazillion presents for everyone even while non-stop working at their new home.