Still cold, but not as cold

It's supposed to get above freezing today (before temperatures drop again over the weekend). I don't think a lot of snow will melt, but it should help clear some of the stubborn ice off driveways and sidewalks.

Anyway, here's some photos of icicles I saw when dropping by church this morning:

Snow snow snow snow SNOW!

I forget exactly which day the snow started falling, but I recall working most of the weekend (Jan. 9-11) to keep the driveway and sidewalks clear. It was interesting to watch the snow build up on the tables on our deck. Here's what the dining room table looked like on January 11:
We got a bunch more snow during the week. I'm very thankful that we have a snowblower now. Piles got higher and higher as I ran out of places to put the snow. There was so much that it nearly covered the fire hydrant nearest our house:
Even though the temperatures were bitterly cold, I took the time to dig it out:
Another interesting sight is our mailbox. Every part of it is covered except the door!
Here's the whole snow photo album on Shutterfly. Enjoy!

New Year's Day 2009

We went to Liz and Randy's place on New Year's Day. Liz had my name for the annual Christmas gift exchange, and since I was gone on Christmas Eve, she gave her present to me on New Year's Day. She got me season 3 of The Muppet Show on DVD. Very nice.

There were a few other more interesting gift exchanges that occurred. Jenelle and Holly bought Randy a Dirty Dancing calendar, superimposing Liz and Randy's faces over the main characters. The gift was hilarious, but not as hilarious as what Randy bought for Jenelle and Holly. Also somewhat hilarious was what Andrew bought for Liz.

There's a photo album that shows the gifts and some other moments from the party.

I happened to catch a couple of the gifts on video, and I'm happy to direct you to the movies page to check that out.

We also celebrated Grandpa Nick's birthday. Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

New Year's Eve, just before '09

We celebrated New Year's by having dinner at our house with four other couples. Jenelle and I were thrilled to host Andrew & Holly, Mark & Heather, Jamie & Janet, and Steve & Mary. After feasting on chicken saltimbocca, we played games and chatted constantly, and the new year was here before we knew it. We celebrated once at 11 p.m. and once at midnight. We were hoping for a Conan O'Brien "Happy New Year Central Time Zone" event, but we settled for a local broadcast.

Here we are shortly after the start of 2009:
Ben, Jenelle, Andrew, Holly, Mark, Heather, Steve, Mary, Janet, Jamie

Family Christmas Album

The latest photo album!

After we got back from Oregon, Jenelle and I spent a lot of time with our parents and Andrew, Holly, Ella, and Lily, who flew in from Minnesota to spend part of their holiday with us. Ella and Lily are growing up so fast, and it seems like I have more fun with them with each successive visit. From hide and seek to a SpongeBob Square Pants version of the board game Operation, every moment was priceless.

Next time on BenandJenelle.com: New Year's photos!

Christmas in Oregon

Time flies when you're having fun with friends and family. I'll have a bunch more photo albums to share in the days ahead, but for now, here's the first one:

Oregon Christmas 2008 Photos

We were originally going to arrive in Portland on the night of Sunday, December 21, but the worst snowstorm in 40 years canceled our flight (and many others). Thankfully, we were able to get there on the night of the 24th. To limit our time on the unplowed and unsalted roads, we took the train (known as "The Max") from the airport to Beaverton. From there, it was a short and bumpy ride to Dave & Pam's house.

Christmas Day was wonderful. We didn't go anywhere, but Jenelle's brothers and their families came over to celebrate with us. Lots of presents, a great meal, and plenty of conversation was shared between us.

As the days went on, the roads thawed out little by little. By the weekend, we were able to do pretty much everything we'd normally do during a visit to Oregon. We visited Jenelle's grandparents, who weren't able to make it to Dave & Pam's house on Christmas Day. We completed the usual amount of shopping (no sales tax in Oregon). Another highlight was when Jeff, Josie, and Lucas came over so that we could all play Lucas' new Wii, which he got for Christmas. I fought Lucas in Wii boxing, and Lucas won.

Jenelle: "Did you lose on purpose?"
Me: (disappointed in myself) "No."
:)

We look forward to our next trip out west!