Homeowners!!!

We just got word the seller accepted our counteroffer for the house we have been looking at! As of today we are under contract for our first house! Check it out- not bad for a first home, completely redone inside, new kitchen appliances, new windows, new carpet and flooring, new bathroom. Ready for us to move in! Now just have to wait for financing. We have to wait til March 20th when the down-payment assistance for first-time homebuyers funds become available. But that's okay, and we'll be able to move most of our stuff all at the same time. I'll just have to keep a few things at my apartment til the wedding! Not a bad Valentine's Day present. The long stem red roses delivered to my office were a wonderful surprise this morning though! Thank you G for everything.

Blizzard 2007

I finally got pictures that I can post from the New Years' weekend Blizzard. Here they are! This first one was about 6:30 in the morning on Friday 12-29-2006. Notice the car off to the right. The "bump" in the snow is the same car on Sunday 12-31-2006 after the snow finally stopped.

These are the ones I like. This is the satellite dish on my neighbor's roof. These pictures really show the progression of the snow. The first two were taken on Friday, 12-29-2006, morning and afternoon. And the others are from Sat and/or Sun.

This is my Fiance G's little house that he rents. Look at all that snow!

The snow was even with the top step of his porch. There are three steps there under all that snow!!!

This last one is the one that best shows our "trench". We had to dig it that deep down half of the alley do that we could get our 4WD out to the street. Were we ever so sore!!!

We still have about half the snow left, it just isn't getting warm enough yet to melt much at a time.

I had to post one of Bug-a-boo and Tater-bug, who came to visit on Jan 1st. Look how high the snow was piled up here- the stop sign was right behind them!

Melting

We are finally melting some of the piles of snow away, slowly but surely! Its actually supposed to get into the forties here today. That's great for us since we haven't been above freezing more than a couple of times in the new year. But the higher temps do mean melting snow, which is good... and bad. Because the temps still fall back below freezing in the evenings, so now we have icy spots too. But it's not as bad as it was since most of our roads are now clear of snow. But the little farm community I live in is now quoting the Farmer's Almanac, which is predicting another big storm sometime next week. Its supposed to be worse that the Jan 1st one. Please be wrong!!! I don't want to miss my wedding shower in Fiance's hometown because we get stuck in 40+ inches of snow!!! Please, Lord let the Almanac be wrong!!

The Quilt

As I faced my Maker at the last judgment, I knelt before the Lord along with all the other souls. Before each of us laid our lives like the squares of a quilt in many piles.
An Angel sat before each of us sewing our quilt squares together into a tapestry that is our life. But as my angel took each piece of cloth off the pile, I noticed how ragged and empty each of my squares was. They were filled with giant holes, each square was labeled with a part of my life that had been difficult, the challenges and temptations I was faced with in everyday life. I saw hardships that I endured, which were the largest holes of all. I glanced around me. Nobody else had such squares. Other than a tiny hole here and there, the other tapestries were filled with rich color and the bright hues of worldly fortune. I gazed upon my own life and was disheartened. My angel was sewing the ragged pieces of cloth together, threadbare and empty, like binding air.
Finally the time came when each life was to be displayed, held up to the light, the scrutiny of truth. The others rose, each in turn, holding up their tapestries. So filled their lives had been. My angel looked upon me, and nodded for me to rise. My gaze dropped to the ground in shame. I hadn't had all the earthly fortunes. I had love in my life, and laughter. But there had also been trials of illness, and death, and false accusations that took from me my world, as I knew it. I had to start over many times. I often struggled with the temptation to quit, only to somehow muster the strength to pick up and begin again. I spent many nights on my knees in prayer, asking for help and guidance in my life. I had often been held up to ridicule, which I endured painfully, each time offering it up to the Father in hopes that I would not melt within my skin beneath the judgmental gaze of those who unfairly judged me.
And now, I had to face the truth. My life was what it was, and I had to accept it for what it was. I rose and slowly lifted the combined squares of my life to the light. An awe-filled gasp filled the air. I gazed around at the others who stared at me with wide eyes. Then, I looked upon the tapestry before me. Light flooded the many holes, creating an image, the face of Christ. Then our Lord stood before me, with warmth and love in His eyes. He said, "Every time you gave over your life to Me, it became My life, My hardships, and My struggles. Each point of light in your life is when you stepped aside and let Me shine through, until there was more of Me than there was of you."
May all our quilts be threadbare and worn, allowing Christ to shine through.

Thankful for snow

Isaiah 55:8-13:
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. "For you will go out with joy and be led forth with peace; the mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. "Instead of the thorn bush the cypress will come up, and instead of the nettle the myrtle will come up, and it will be a memorial to the LORD, for an everlasting sign which will not be cut off."
This was good for me to read last night. It reminded me that there is a purpose for the snow, and that the snow is accomplishing what it was sent for- to water the dry land that has been in drought for so many years now. And reminded me to be thankful for what it will produce later this year. I can now anticipate a wonderfully green and flowering spring, just in time for an April wedding... :-)

And yet again, More SNOW!!!

Aghhhhhhhh! More snow this weekend, we got another 4-6 inches. I am really starting to be bothered by all the snow. Don't get me wrong, all the moisture is nice and good for Colorado, but there is no where left to pile snow, we still have huge amounts of snow piled up from the storm three weeks ago( and two weeks ago, and last week...), and its going nowhere anytime soon. And now with it starting to melt there is ice everywhere. Its especially fun to walk down my steps in the morning, where the water has dripped off the roof all night, and the landlord didn't see fit to install a gutter in, and the roof ends halfway over the stairs (vertically). Yep- that's right. There is about two inches of ice all over my very narrow staircase! Fun... I have lived in Colorado all my life, but have never had winter blues like I have them now... I am so irritable and grumpy and lethargic. And those are not good things to be when you are trying to pull a wedding together to happen in 81 days... I am trying real hard to get it together. Please sunshine, come and stay a while...

New Office Chair

I got this cool new chair for work! Its called a Balanceball Chair. It has been really comfortable so far. I just got it in the mail last night, so today is the first day I've used it. Its been the talk of the office all morning, and several coworkers have had to sit in it. :-) It's supposed to be good for your posture, and helps you burn calories throughout the day, because you are constantly in motion, keeping your balance on the ball. I now know how bad my posture was before, because you really do have to sit straight and tall to stay on the thing. But if my back quits hurting it will be well worth it.