Snowy Sunday in Kansas City

Four days out from my gallbladder surgery I made it out of the house for the first time to go to church on Sunday morning.  When we left, it was extremely cold and snow was starting to fall.  By the time we got out of the service, the snow had covered our car, the parking lot and the roads.  The drive home was a bit treacherous, but we drove slowly and made it safely.

Skiing and Fun in the Snow

The ski weather was much better the second day and Jon even arrived in time to ski in the afternoon.  Stephen, Shannon and I spent the day at the lodge; we had plenty of time to watch our grandkids ski and play in the snow.  It was also great to watch our two sons enjoy skiing together.  It was a great day!

Cold in Kansas City

Although our family and friends say it's not that bad, it feels really cold to us!  On top of the cold weather I have a terrible "cold" which has resulted in both of my ears being completely stopped up.  I knew that I would have trouble with the flights yesterday and by the time we landed in KC last night at 10:00 p.m. I could have cried from the pain/pressure in my left ear.  I went to clinic today and the nurse practitioner told me I had the worst ears she'd seen this year--oh, good!  I always want to have the "best" something.  She also predicted that if I hadn't come in today that my left eardrum would have ruptured by tomorrow--it was that full of fluid.  Praying that the one dose of antibiotic I took tonight will start the turn around so that it doesn't get any worse.  

In spite of everything, we managed to go to lunch with my dad and then out for dinner with our friends, John and Sarah Yallaly.   They also brought six months of mail and 4-5 packages from our PO box.  Guess that will be my job before the dentist appointment in the morning.

Well, going to try to get to bed early and give my tired, sick body a good night's rest.  More from cold Kansas City another day.

Fun in the Sun (and Wind)

Jon picked us up yesterday and we drove to our home-away-from-home on Stinson Beach about 5:00 p.m.  We stopped to buy groceries on the way out of town so we were ready to settle in.  First stop, a walk along the beach and our first impression of the beaches in northern California--windy and cold, but beautiful.  Grilled chicken, fresh asparagus and corn-on-the-cob made an excellent dinner and a nice change to eating out every day since Saturday.   

We walked to the little town a few blocks away this morning and had a late breakfast.  Then drove up Highway 1 for about 10 miles and then south in to Bolinas--a quaint little town that loves it's privacy.  The townspeople are so intent on keeping their town hidden that they have been known to take down the highway signs at the intersection of Highway 1 and the main road into town.  Stephen read that fact on a website about the town and, sure enough, we missed the turn the first time because there wasn't a sign.  

We got back to the house about 1:30 and within less than 30 minutes, Daniel, Maleia and Josiah arrived.  Hurray for grandkids!  The temperature of the ocean didn't matter to them--there's nothing more fun than running along the beach and having the water sweep over your feet.

We took a walk to the park and while they played, Daniel and I stopped at the little market to buy a few pizza toppings.  Jon made his special homemade pizza dough and with everyone helping with the slicing and dicing, we had two delicious homemade, gourmet pizzas for dinner.  

The kids took another walk on the beach while I baked up a couple dozen Snickerdoodles.  Warm cookies before bed . . . . perfect.  The kids are settled in and the four of us are starting a card game.  

Just like that, WARMTH

Sorry that several of my posts have been so one dimensional (creature comforts) lately. I promise not to talk about being cold for months and months. Of course, that will be easy because we flew home to El Salvador yesterday! But, no promises not to talk about being hot! Just kidding.

Our rent is due on the 9^th of the month and we made the conscious decision not to pay January a month early, hoping that we would make it back to the city in time to get to the bank. It turned out to be the right decision; the bank wasn't even very busy—think I got in and out in less than 15 minutes. We also made a quick trip to the grocery store to stock up.

As always, it's great to be home. We only have today to put things back in order because our first campaign of the year starts on Saturday. Yep, back in the saddle again!

How low will it go?

There's one thing about the winter weather--it sure can mess with the best laid plans.  We tried two different times to visit Jeff and Paula's new church in Topeka, but in December it was the ice that came in on Saturday night and today it was last night's snow.  Tonight they are calling for a "real" low of -11 with wind chills around -25 or -30.    

Here's a friendly comparison of the weather here and the weather at "home."

Where would you rather be?

Baby, it's cold outside

This is our fourth morning in the states (already.)  Stephen left about 7:30 this morning (yes, I was still in bed) to (a) run or (b) go to Starbucks.  Neither of the two choices are of particular interest to me; of course, if I had to choose between the two, B would would win.

I'm sitting by the fireplace with gas logs burning trying to get warm.  The adjustment to the cold weather is continuing.  I think that a life of constant flip flop weather has left both of us with "thinner" blood.  At least, that's what I thought before my research on the issue revealed this:

Thinner blood, however, "is absolutely a myth," said Dr. Bruce Lenes, medical director of Community Blood Centers of South Florida, noting that blood thickness isn't influenced by temperature. He said people simply adjust — mentally and physically — to a new climate.

Read more: http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/how-does-south-florida's-warm-climate-affect-your-health%3F#ixzz2nSctKTui

I guess we just need to change our attitude and wear more clothes.  Which, of course, is another problem, as our supply of winter clothes is very low and everything is quite old and out of style.  Not to mention, we're not very motivated to spend money on clothes we only need for a couple of weeks a year.  

Case in point on how our coldness manifests itself to others--last night we picked up Steve and Terisa to go to dinner.  It wasn't until we got to the restaurant and ran into to some people we all knew, that Steve and Terisa admitted that were roasting in the back seat of the car.  We had the heat cranked and the fan on max!

The past three days have been busy with lots of errands--grocery shopping to restock the pantry of the mission house where we are staying, picking up and going through five months of mail, doctor's appointments, etc.  Today I'm hoping to get started on several Christmas projects, before it gets too late.

Tomorrow morning we will be at Abundant Life Baptist to worship with our church family and then have dinner with some dear friends.  Even if we're not physically as warm as we'd like, we've received a warm welcome and are so blessed to be able to be with family and friends for the holidays.