Days of our Lives

Ok. So first off Merry Christmas!

Our Christmas was great! 

 Great because we were all together.  (minus my mama, miss you!) 

Great because we were all healthy.  (except some runny noses)

Great because we have a roof over our heads.

Great because we had food on the table.

The list goes on.  I could sit here and type all day what was so great about Christmas.  But the very most important thing that made it great was we were celebrating such a wonderful day!  The Birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!

It is still snowing.  I guess we are in a middle of a blizzard.  What do you think?

Snow anyone?

If you can’t tell, that is Lorri shoveling snow.  Why is she shoveling when it is -15/20 degrees (with windchill)?  Well her answer.. “If the lawn needs mowed, you mow it.!”

Here are two pictures looking out of the sliding glass door downstairs.  (the downstairs area also known as the Zumba Haven.  You can see picture of the Zumba Haven here.)

Snow downstairs

That dark shadow is Taea’s hand.  She is showing how tall she is.  Can you tell how high the snow is? 

Outside the sliding doors downstairs

Here is more of a close up outside that door.

The worst part is this is my MOST favorite shopping day of the year!  I can’t wait for this day all year!  I called WalMart and they were suppose to open at 6am but due to the blizzard they didn’t have enough staff or the parking lot cleared.  So they weren’t sure when they were going to open. 

The interstate is shut down also, so I can’t go to Rapid either.

Anyway…. I think I have rambled enough about the snow. 

Merry Christmas and I hope you all have a great New Year!

      T’WAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, HE LIVED ALL ALONE
      IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF PLASTER AND STONE
      I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE
      AND TO SEE JUST WHO, IN THIS SMALL HOME DID LIVE

      I LOOKED ALL ABOUT, A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE -
      NO TINSEL NO PRESENTS, NOT EVEN A TREE.
      NO STOCKING BY THE MANTLE JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND
      ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES OF A FAR DISTANT LAND
      WITH MEDALS AND BADGES, AWARDS OF ALL KINDS.
      THEN A SOBER THOUGHT CAME INTO MY MIND

      FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT, IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,
      T’WAS THE HOME OF A SOLDIER, ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY
      THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING, SILENT, ALONE
      CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME

      THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE, THE ROOM IN DISORDER
      NOT HOW I PICTURED A LONE  SOLDIER..
      WAS THIS THE HERO OF WHOM I’D JUST READ,
      CURLED UP ON A PONCHO, THE FLOOR FOR A BED

      I REALISED THE FAMILIES THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT
      OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS, WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT
      AND SOON ROUND THE WORLD THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY
      AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY

      THEY ALL ENJOY FREEDOM EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR
      BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS, LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.
      I COULDN’T HELP BUT WONDER, HOW MANY ALONE,
      ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME?

      THE VERY THOUGHT BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE
      I DROPPED TO MY KNEES AND STARTED TO CRY
      THE SOLDIER AWAKENED, I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE
      “SANTA DON’T CRY, THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE.
      I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM, I DON’T ASK FOR MORE
      MY LIFE IS MY GOD, MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS“

      THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP.
      I COULDN’T CONTROL IT, I CONTINUED TO WEEP.

      I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS, SO SILENT AND STILL
      AND WE BOTH SAT AND SHIVERED FROM THE COLD NIGHTS CHILL.
      I DIDN’T WANT TO LEAVE, ON THAT COLD DARK NIGHT,
      THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR, SO WILLING TO FIGHT…

      THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE
      WHISPERED “CARRY ON SANTA, CHRISTMAS DAY IS SECURE”
      ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT
      “MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND – AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!”

(thanks for this Carla)

You will never guess.  I mean it is very surreal to me.  I definitely have become a “city” girl.  Well, this isn’t really the place for us “city” girls. 

When Lorri asked me if I wanted to go here for lunch.  I said.. ummmm…  ok.  I’ll try anything. 

I have to say the stinch was pretty bad.  It was a little hard eating my cheeseburger.  But, I managed. 

This is the Sale Barn

Yes, you heard me correctly.  A sale barn.  You city folks are probably thinking what the heck is a sale barn?

Well, a sale barn is a place where people go to sell or buy cattle, well on Thursdays anyway.

So here is a before picture.

Before, (these are Riley cattle)

I have to say those where some good lookin’ cattle.  Those Riley cattle where the best ones there that I saw!  This is the one time a year that they actually get to make their money!  So at this point you are very nervous at how much you are gonna get (per pound). 

Here is the after picture.

AFTER

O yeah, so tell me there is something kinda wrong about munching on a cheeseburger while watching the calves being sold to fatten up and make into hamburger. 

Honestly it was kinda interesting.  It’s funny how the rest of the country really has no idea (including me) how it works here in the “real” world.  Meaning, you don’t really think of how the hamburger, steaks and stuff get on the shelf.  Well it’s thanks to the hard workin’ ranchers. 

So here is a personal thank you to all those folks that work hard to provide us with good AMERICAN beef!