Snow in Denver for the NEW YEAR!

This past week started early on Rick's birthday, with Tom waking us about 3am with a violent migraine.  Rick went in search of a 24hr chemist we had seen and found some medication which did the trick.  A few days later, we realised that our local supermarket is also open 24hrs and has a 'vast' choice of pain relief!  Well, thanks Rick and Happy Birthday! which also included a 5 min phone call from our missionary son in the Provo MTC.  It was really nice to talk to you Jonathon! 

Happy Birthday Rick!

We spent a reasonably quiet relaxing week which included the movies and for me, driving!!!  This is quite the experience I have to say!  The car we have to drive is also a manual, so no problem there, except the gears are on the right hand and not the left and I kept going for the door knob to change the gear and put the hand brake on!!! And ok, reaching across my right shoulder to put on my seat belt to find me grasping air in the middle of the two front seats!! Round-abouts go in the opposite direction as do drive thru's.  Think, brain!!! 

Sarah and Tom were shown a lake that was frozen on the surface.  They had fun trying to break the ice with rocks. The temperature still has been hovering around 8-10C.

By Thursday a very large low pressure system came across the Rockies from California dropping the temp dramatically and dumping huge amounts of snow on Utah and Colorado.  It started snowing about 10.30am and snowed all day.  Its amazing stuff.  Our last 2 encounters with snow were only appertisers!  This was the real thing!  It is so quiet, and cold!!!  Everything looks very amazing covered in white, very beautiful.  The world looks like its been given a generous covering of royal icing.  Driving in it was very sobering however, the roads are slippery.  We passed a couple of accidents and the news was full of mishaps.  The main roads are cleared but not so much the back streets.  By Friday I think we had about 6" (thats inches!! about 15cm) Depending where you were, anyway a very generous covering that only started to melt on Sunday, but is still in abundance today in the shaded areas. 


It's been snowing for about an hour, and Sarah and friend Noel are taking Cocoa for a walk!!



I've always disliked driving on a dark wet night since you can't see the lanes.  This tops it!!

Tom with new friends Conlin and Calland

It's soft, cold and wet after it melts! Where is my coat??

This is our back yard from the back door

Tom & Sarah have been very busy with the neighbourhood kids sledding.  First down our short but reasonably steep drive, then onto a hill not far from our house. 

By Friday, the snow had stopped and the roads and car parks are covered with slush.  Thats the stuff, a mud slushy!!  Not so pretty to look at and very wet to walk in -  its the patches of black ice you have to watch for!  We have warm clothes but not footwear suitable for the snow.  We found a Goodwill store and bought a couple of ladies boots for Sarah and me to share for $11.50!  (Not the same luck for the boys though)Very happy with that bargain.  They feel like comfy waterproof uggboots!

Thick, wet slush..  The trolly boys really have their work cut out!

Mud slushy, you really don't want a hole in your shoe!!

We live in 'Governors Ranch' which is a covenanted area of housing, where there are a couple of expectations for residents, one of which is to keep the front 'walk' shovelled clear of snow.  So Friday found Rick & I having a go at that.  The air is so cold, ordinary woolly mittens do not cut it.  Thankfully, heavy jackets and gloves have been left for our use!  Its quite a task, especially trying to get the ice off. We met our neighbour doing this job - People are very very nice. 

There is a footpath here somewhere!

A novelty job at first, but was quite hard work!

Friday was also New Years Eve.. We were invited to DJ's and Russell's home who live around the corner to see in the New Year while the kids went to a church dance.  Sarah didn't dress for the weather, but looked very glamourous and georgeous.  They were picked up by a couple of Tom's new friends. Unfortunately for Sarah, walking down our front path, she started to wobble and slide on her pretty barbie pink stillettos, couldn't quite keep her balance on some ice and down she went flat on her knees and face, then jumped up quickly, "I'm ok! 'I'm ok!"  Poor girl, a tad embarrassing, but it was a good laugh.  They had a great time, apparently there were about 600 kids there!  I was nice to ring Karlie and talk to her and Nathan when we got home, to hear about their day on the river and how HOT it has been in Adelaide.  It is such a far far cry from our strange world where overnight temperatures drop to -15C!

On Saturday, we went ice skating with DJ's family out at 'Evergreen' which is a township in the foothills surrounded completely by evergreen firs.  Its very pretty, especially with the snow.  I could imagine it to be a scene from Hansel & Gretal or Heidi!!  We went skating on a frozen lake the size of about 2 footy ovals. Parts of it were sectioned off with snow to form ice hockey fields.  I have only ever been ice skating in an ice rink in Adelaide, first at 'DownTown' (in Hindley St, remember that?) and at the Ice Arena, both have rails around the edge which the lake doesn't!!  I felt completely like a beginner, but warmed up and found my skate legs!!  I was doing so beautifully, picking up quite a speed when the toe of my right skate found a large surface crack and down I went landing on my hip and wrist in spectacular form.  Frozen ice is very unforgiving and I have a couple of nice bruises which won't see the light of day...  Besides that one mishap, we all had alot of fun, but an hour was enough.  Although we were well rugged up, our faces were frozen, literally.  I couldn't move my lips they were so stiff.  The air temperature was 12F (-11C) zzzzzzzz!!  We warmed up with large hot chocolates!!  We are adjusting to the weather and are thankful for central heating which comes on about 4am,  mmm lovely..

I'm ok, I'm ok!!

Sarah, freezing but doing well on the ice

Rick next to an ice sculpture of a bear

Tom very impressed with the ice sculptures

Today we received a nice long hand written letter from Jonathon along with some photo's.  There is nothing quite like getting a letter in the mailbox! Very nice, and he is doing well learning his French ..

We are enjoying our ward at church.  There are 3 wards meeting in our building and we have just changed meeting times from 1.30pm to 8.30am.  Gone are the Sunday morning sleep ins for the next year and and gone are the holidays.  Today (Monday) Rick started at work.  Tomorrow I go with the kids to go through the enrolment process at Columbine High School.  I have had to chase up their 'transcripts' (school reports which I didn't bring with me) and their immunisation records.  Thank goodness for the internet!!  Sarah is already trying to work out what to wear for the Winter Ball on the 5 Feb!  (I'm sure she will study something this year!!) Both Tom & Sarah are excited to start school on Wednesday.

As for me, today I signed up for a 6 week water colour class and bought myself some sketch and watercolour paper.  Tomorrow I'll hunt up some brushes and paints.  Now this really is living the dream. 

I do miss my family and garden though, and spent some time this afternoon watching little video clips of Chloe & Zayla I had on my camera.. (There's something to be said for not uploading your camera!)