Arctic Blasts from the North

Michelle & Bette Rae visiting at 'The Olive Garden'.

 On Tuesday, I met up with my good friend from Art class, Bette Rae.  She has not joined our classes this semester and I have missed her company.  I haven't seen her since before summer but we have been keeping in touch via email.  There are people that really touch your life, and Bette is one of those!  She is a sweet, and very talented artist with a huge, caring heart.  I really love our friendship.  We met up at 'The Olive Garden' and spent a leisurely couple of hours visiting.  We will continue to keep in touch for sure!!

Dropping Rick off at work,
this is an experience you don't get in Adelaide!

 It did indeed snow the following Thursday, much to our delight I must confess!!  We really were hoping to see snow again before returning to Australia.  Well, we got our wish with about 6" of snow on Thursday which was a grey, dreary day all day.  It was a day to stay inside and avoid driving anywhere if possible.  I of course, needed to take Sarah to school, driving slowly on roads covered in ice and thick slush.  Not my best stressfree activity!! 

Friday, the sun came out which is my favourite.  I love to see the blue expanse of sky contrasting the blanket of white, clean sparkling snow.  Everything looks so beautiful. The trees, the streams, the fields, everything is transformed!  I especially like it as the ice melts off the roads!!  I just cannot describe the cold and give it justice!  I want to, because I know when we leave here and are once again in the South Australian summer, it might be hard to remember what it was like here!  The cold is crisp and clear. Sharply  penetrating all layers of inappropriate clothing within a few seconds.  The cold permeates deep into your lungs and your breath can be clearly seen in large clouds of mist.  It's actually amazing to see how much air actually goes into our lungs with each breath!! The cold is invigorating if experienced for short intervals and fun if you are rugged up in 'snow clothes'.  For us, it's such a novelty still, I really, really like it when it snows.  I think because in Colorado you just get enough then it seems to melt off, and probably mostly because we come from a place where you just never see it at all!!

A quick pic, then a fast dash to the
 car to get out of the cold!!

Friday at Columbine HS was 'Pep Rally Day'.  The Cheerleaders all wore their uniforms to school for 'Game Day' and there was a huge assembly for the school community to honour the Varsity Football Team who had made the final playoff game against Lakewood High to be played Saturday afternoon.  This rally raised excitement, loyalty and demonstrated the deep founded school spirit that makes up Columbine.  What a wonderful experience for Sarah to be a part of.  However, she arrived home very teary, as leaving Columbine in one week impacted greatly on her.  She is completely settled in her school environment now, and the school year is still only half way through, and she knows what is coming next on the calendar.  It has been so great to experience High School in America, but heart wrenching to leave it too.. 

Bleak mornings, driving very carefully..

Saturday, 3 December, a very busy day, brought another blast from the Arctic, coming down through Canada, Montana and Wyoming to the north of us.  It came with feather like flurries on freezing gusts of air that put layers of soft 'powder' snow everywhere on top of the unmelted snow from 2 days before.  It was constant and persistant throughout the day making driving hazardous and the day very bleak. 

It was also the day of the funeral for dear Sister Baer, our Temple matron who died the previous Sunday evening in a head-on auto accident.  This was such sad news for all who knew her.  I barely did really, but she was the constant familiar, welcoming face each time I went to the Temple, especially when I didn't know anyone else.  What a sweet lady, she touched the lives of so many people and her loss is greatly felt.  What a miserable, freezing day to put her to rest..  My heart and thoughts are with her family at this time.

The morning for us began with a Ward Christmas breakfast which Rick was able to help out at.  We all just love our ward so much, but this is also the day for the last Cheerleading competition, the JV State Invitational which clashed, as mentioned, with the final game for the High School Varsity Football team. This conflict brought a huge conflict to our team as some of the girls had brothers or boyfriends playing in the game which was scheduled the same time as the competition final.
 

I love how homes are decorated for the seasons. 
Heather has a beautiful 'Christmassy' home,
 especially with the snow outside, and the lights
 and fireplace inside....

Sarah and I were around at Heather's place before 7am to assist with the braiding of the girls hair.  I don't think I really did much to assist, except to help a little with little Makenzie.  Heather's fingers flew, as she braided the whole team's hair!! Over 20 girls!  What a champion!  We then thankfully, caught a ride with her as we drove to Arvarda West High School for the competition which was about a 45-50 minute journey on the ice packed roads.

The competition was very large, with many teams.  The Poms were also competiting, their dance routines very spectacular.  Our girls performed very well, with just one spill in a tumble.  No drops and timing was very good.  However as the morning wore on, we as 'bleacher judges'  could tell that there were quite a few teams with a higher standard of team stunts and precision.  Cheerleading is an intense culture here, an integral part of High School life for those involved. 

Before the final teams were announced, Sarah's coach, Stephanie and the team made a special presentation to Sarah as a goodbye.  I know this has been a moment Sarah did not want to face, but this competition marked the last Cheerleading event for Sarah.  She has loved this experience and will remember it all her life.  She was presented with a lovely team photo autographed by all the girls.  This was really lovely and will be a treasured momentum for many years..

What a great experience to be a cheerleader in America!!

By the end of the preliminary sessions, our girls did not make the final round which was not too disappointing because they were then free to attend the Varsity Football Final which was being held at Invesco Field (recently renamed SportsAuthority Field), the main football arena in Denver!  Sarah shot off with some of the girls from the team and the rest of us headed home to get out of the cold and perhaps watch the game on TV.  Yes, the High School games are shown on TV, (Root Sports channel) especially the final!!

Varsity Football Final: Columbine vs Lakewood

I just have to explain a little about Football, not the technicalities of the game itself, (which I still fail to fully understand) but the conditions.  The game schedule is such that all football is over by the end of the first semester (December).  It generally doesn't snow until after Halloween, when most of the preliminary games are finished and the final rounds start to be played.  It is a winter sport, which means if it snows, the games are still going on!  The fields are ploughed of snow leaving large banks on either side of the field.  The game itself goes for 3 hours, so as a spectator on the sidelines, or for the Cheerleaders (or anyone present), it's a test of endurance in the cold!  It's probably a very good idea to follow the game so periods of intense excitement can warm you up!!  The Friday night games are so very cold, watching when the temperature is on or below zero for the duration.  And such was the case for the final.  Sarah was able to borrow a few extra layers of clothes, but it was a freezing experience, but born with as Columbine gained strength and went on to win the game becoming the Colorado State Champions for the 2011 football season.  The whole community, not just the current students, seemed to be very involved.  It was commented on in Facebook and analysed in the Sports show on the radio and reported on the TV news! A truely epic event for Columbine Rebels, so CONGRATULATIONS Columbine HS!!

Sunday, we awoke to more snow which had fallen overnight.  This was the most snow we had seen in one time.  The temperature is extremely cold, and thick patches of ice lay on roads and walkways.  Rick has been so good at diligently shovelling the paths to avoid those ice layers building.  It's a cold, cold task.  The snow eased off to flurries on Sunday, and after church we went to Juna Warriner's home for lunch.  We enjoyed a great time visiting with her and her family as she made us enchilada's and gave Sarah & I a lesson on how the Mexican's make them.  It really is simple and we'll have to definitely give that a go!

We are really enjoying hearing from our boys in the mission field!  Elder Jonathon Bennallack has dubbed himself Elder B1 and Elder Tom Bennallack is Elder B2, to avoid the confusion as they talk about each other.  They are both serving valiantly, and we love Sunday evenings and Mondays as we get to hear from them both.  What a wonderful experience this is for all of us. 

Early evening, looking up our street from the front door.  (You can Cheryl's car!)
It's so still and very beautiful..

We are now down to our final week here in Denver.  Rick finishes work on Wednesday, to assist in the final preparations to depart.  I have been doing alot of cleaning, but I keep blocking the thought of final goodbyes out, but know it's coming...