Let It Snow!!

We have finally had a little snow in the last couple weeks, maybe 2-4 inches overall. It's pretty to look at anyway. It's been really cold too, below 30 most days. Zoe loves the snow and cold. I would love it too if I had that lovely fur coat that she has. Tyler reports that his classes are going well and he's meeting lots of new and interesting people from all over the World. His roommate is from Saudia Arabia. Amber's first week at work went well but she has been adjusting to the rush hour traffic and gridlock. She's finding her way around at AOL and getting more to do every day. She has also found a house to rent. It's a 4 bedroom house with 4 girls. She'll have her own room and share a bath. The price and location are good too. She'll be moving in this coming weekend.

Howard and I are looking forward to leaving this cold weather behind for a few days. He will be attending a Hybrid Vehicle conference in San Diego next week and I'm going along for the ride. We can't wait to have a little warmth and sunshine. It helps you get through the cold, gray days, just a little bit. We are planning to go for a sail on the America's Cup sailboat, Stars and Stripes while we are there. We sailed on that boat last year while we were there and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. There's so much to do and see in that area it will be hard to decide what to do first. I'm sure those few days will only be enough to scratch the surface on all the activities that are available.

Tyler Made It To Hawaii!!

Well, Tyler is in Hawaii now and doing fine. He had a couple little problems but managed to get there and is now all moved in to his new apartment. There wasn't much in the apartment other than the bed and a desk. He's already gotten his Student ID and bus pass so he should be able to get around ok. He had to take the bus to Wal Mart to buy essentials and said the bus driver wasn't happy with all the bags he brought on the bus to take home! He is anxious to get to the beach and explore a little more but has business to take care of first. Tomorrow is his orientation and then school starts on Monday. Hopefully he will be able to find his way around by then. He says Honolulu is a big city and it's gonna take some time to find his way around. It sounds like a lot of the school buildings are just mixed in with other downtown buildings. I told him to send pictures soon and when he does I'll share them.

Icy!!

Check out this ice!! Even though it was here yesterday you couldn't really see it until the sun came out today. Yes, that's right, the SUN!! Haven't seen it in a long time it seems. When you can't remember the last time, you know it has to be a long time!! The temperature never got out of the 20's today but that sun makes it seem so much warmer!! Today everyone was back to work or school (or travelling like Tyler) except me. After being sick Thursday & Friday, off on the weekend, then Martin Luther King's Birthday, today was what we call a Developmental Day, a day when teacher's have to work, meetings, report cards, etc., but support staff has the day off. Usually I only work when kids are in school which makes sense since I'm an "instructional aide". No one to instruct when the kids aren't there!! I went out around noon to run some errands and the sun on the ice on the trees was really spectacular. These pictures don't do it justice. It's like diamonds on the branches, really something to see. Tyler and Howard got up around 4:30 to get ready for the drive to the airport. Tyler made it there on time and the only wrinkle was that he had to pay an extra $80 for his over sized suitcase. Guess that's not too bad when you consider he's moving everything he has there. He made it to Las Vegas and was waiting for the counter to open for his connecting flight so he could check in.

Guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow to be sure he got there as he won't get there until 1:30 a.m. our time and I'll be long asleep by then, hopefully. I just want to know he made it there ok and got in his apartment, etc. He has a couple days to look around and explore before orientation on Friday and then classes on Monday. Exciting times for both Tyler and Amber. She had no problems with her move or the drive to DC. She's trying to find her way around the City and find the best route to work so she's prepared next week when she starts her new job. The only exciting thing here at home (and it's not very exciting really) is that I better go dig out some more blankets because it sounds like we are going to need them tonight with single digit temps!!

Moving Day & More.....

Well, lots of things are happening with the Mitchells. Last Thursday I had to make another trip back to the Dr. The diagnosis was "strep throat" this week! I'm back on antibiotics again and trying to rest and get well soon. Thankfully I have a long weekend to try to recuperate. Lots of kids, especially in the kindergarten class, have been out with either the flu, strep and even a couple cases of head lice. I guess of the three I would choose strep!! Here's the new aquarium. I've already lost 2 of the 6 fish. The fish store tells me that can be part of the "process". Just hope I don't lose any more. Amber has been packing all week and should be driving to D.C. as I write this. She has a week until her new job starts to get acclimated to her new town. Tyler is busy packing. We went out last night and bought him a huge suitcase and some essentials for his move like shorts and t-shirts since he will be able to leave his sweats and coats behind. I was just looking at the Weather Channel's site and the record lowest temperature ever on Oahu is 52!! Imagine. It's supposed to be in the 80's there all next week whereas it's in the 20's here. It's also been very gray and I can't really remember when I last saw the sun. That's really the worst thing about living in Michigan. I don't mind the cold or the snow but I do hate the gray. It's just so depressing! Tyler will have quite the temperature shock but it will be a good one and he's looking forward to it. We woke up today with freezing rain and quite a bit of it. The roads were a mess when I ran out to the grocery store earlier today. Now it's mostly slush but there is a winter storm watch for tonight until tomorrow morning. If we were having school tomorrow we would probably have to have a snow day but luckily we are off because of MLK's Birthday. Thank you Dr. King!! Tyler leaves at 7:00 Tuesday morning. Since the airport is more than an hour away he will be up very early that day and with the time changes and all it will be a late night when he arrives there at 7:30 p.m. which will be 1:30 a.m. our time. He has a 6 hour layover in Vegas. Good thing he's a night owl. It's going to be very quiet around here with Tyler gone. :-(

Finally! A Little Winter is Here!!

Today we woke up to at least a little snow covering the ground. The roads were clear so it probably won't stick around long but it was pretty while it lasted. At one point this morning I looked out the window and huge flakes were falling. The kids get so excited you would think they had never seen snow before. Everyone has to stop and run to the windows to see what's happening out there! It takes a while to get everyone back on track and back to work!! This was another busy weekend for the Mitchell crew, both here and in Washington. Amber spent her weekend in Washington car shopping and I'm happy to report they found a car so that is a worry off Amber's mind and now she will have a way to get to her new job in a couple weeks. They bought a Saab 9-3, black, and Amber and Andrew seem happy with the deal! Next Saturday will be spent packing, loading and then driving to Washington on Sunday. Around the homefront in Michigan, the guys spent Sunday taking down the outside decorations and I spent the weekend setting up the new aquarium we purchased with the Christmas money my Dad and Ingrid sent us. I haven't taken any pictures yet but will soon. I bought our first 6 fish on Sunday and now have to wait a month before I add any more. I had forgotten what a science fishkeeping can be! It's been 20 years almost since I had a tank and had to take care of fish. Tyler is finalizing his plans for his big move to Hawaii. Hard to believe it's only a week away. He can't wait to leave this cold, gray climate and enjoy some sunshine. It's supposed to be 79 and sunny when he arrives next week. Scott is back in school and spending all his money on books! Man, they are expensive!! He's hoping to pick up a few more shifts to help pay for all this knowledge.