Carpe Nix Diem

Winter Storm Jonas was the first significant snow we've had all season. As usual, I was skeptical that we'd actually get anything like what was being threatened. We were in the 24" band for a while! But I guessed 12" and that's all we ended up with after all. Maybe I'm in the wrong career!

I spent some time when we got the teaser snow on Wednesday just admiring the flakes. You forget they really look like the snowflakes you make with paper, up close. Geometric little miracles that instantly fall apart when you touch them. It was my favorite snow conditions that day, high 20s, very still, and gently snowing dry, fluffy flakes. So dreamy.

Jonas showed up on Friday morning. The university did something unprecedented in that they cancelled classes (a miracle in itself) and did so BEFORE THE SNOW STARTED.

They made the right call. This was 8am, 3 hours in:

It's been days of snow-play bliss for the kids. 4 snow days in a row. Jon's almost clinically insane.

Our sled is buried in the yard somewhere. Fortunately, the neighbor kids were more than willing to share!

We repaid them with hot cocoa:

I was in heaven. For my own reasons, I'm resolving to treasure every snow I get this year.

Good Tree (that's her name, remember), in the snow

I love the neighborhood thing. The kids run in an wild outdoor pack and we just have to feed them sometimes.

Miles & his next door bestie, also age 6:

Alas, Monday morning, though another snow day for the kids, was a work day for me. Fortunately I got this view to walk to work in:

I enjoyed the snowscape on campus:

While the kids got to creative work with their neighborhood team:

This battalion still stands strong and brave! though, alas, in the rain and above-freezing temps. Stalwart to the end. 

Season After Epiphany

In the church calendar, we are currently in the season after Epiphany, a season of light before Lent, with its intensity and its brooding. The figurative reason for this blog title, however, will have to be revealed in a future entry. It is an enlightening time!

Jon was out of town recently on yet another job interview. I was enormously proud of my management during that time, especially since he ended up having to be out of town an extra day due to a flight cancellation.

On Sunday afternoon, while Jon was probably still in the air, we did some painting.

It was clear the kids missed Papa already:

Adele works only in handprints.

I take a single-mom selfie:

Adele was thrilled to go to work with me after preschool Monday-Wednesday. On Tuesday, I actually convinced her to take her nap in my office, on the floor. Hoorah for multi-tasking!

Wednesday evening we were able to retrieve Jon, and I collapsed onto the couch while he made dinner. I'm so grateful this isn't my full-time gig!

Last weekend, for the holiday, we hit up the Blacksburg library and were happy to find that the therapy reading cat had an opening in her schedule. Miles picked the perfect book to read to Carrie!

She got pretty seriously loved while we were in there.

On Wednesday, we finally got to see some snow.

For Dr. King day, Monday, we took a family day at the Roanoke Science Museum. My favorite was the butterfly room! I do love a greenhouse in winter. One misses the humidity and the smell of growing things.

The Grunerts also (predictably) spent a long while in the vintage arcade section.

I loved the informative panels in this exhibit. 

#VideoGameWisdom

The view from the windows is one of my favorite things about the museum. I think Roanoke is so pretty.

This "Augmented Reality Sandbox" allowed the kids to change the form of the sand and watch how it would affect the flow and position of water. The machine reads the form of the land and makes the "water" move accordingly. So cool!

There had to be one more trip to the butterfly garden. We just soaked it up. I was soothed after a very trying week.

Miles continues to sneak selfies onto my phone. He really favors the black&white filter. 

Tuesday found me again on my commute, a bit colder than usual.

It was another hard week, as it was the first week of classes and I have an exceptionally full schedule this semester. My own class is "Mega Texts," all looooong novels, so it's delicious but a lot of reading (obviously). It's a time of many new projects. But just when my strength was at a low, we learned Virginia Tech was, against all precedent, cancelling school in advance of the snow! Seeing as we probably have about 8 inches and it's still snowing hard (totals anticipated to be between 18-24 inches), it was the right decision. 

Soon to come: pictures of snow! And, who knows, an Epiphany more or two. 

Epiphany and my One Word

This post contains a lot of stuff personal to me. If you're looking for lots of kid pictures, this is not your post. Hang in there. 

2016 is a beautiful year. I can tell. The number is just pretty to look at, for one thing. For another, I started it in a place of hope for positive changes for our family.

Some of these changes I can't control. But I'm starting with that which I can change. The journey toward care of my adult self, which my anxiety diagnosis began in 2012, keeps unfolding and exposing new tasks. The annoying digestive inconsistencies I've experienced for years worsened considerably in 2015, and I spent the last week of the year really struggling with food. I don't want to have to keep feeling bad, but I don't want to fear all food, either.

My NP has recommended, rather timidly, that I attempt a low-FODMAP diet, but as diets of any sort are generally my horror, and the patient work and discomfort of slowly re-introducing one food at a time to find determine my sensitivities sounded like more trouble than it was worth.

Funny how things can change. I'm no longer willing, I decided, to remain passively dreading a tummy ache or bout of nausea, etc. As of January 1, I am FODMOP free. So far? I'm feeling great.

I start each day with a couple of dances on Wii (today I started with Outkast, Boney M. and James Brown) to break a sweat (such positive mood benefits so far!) and then proceed to eat no gluten or other high FODMAP foods, instead eating simple stuff we made ourselves. 2012 me would not believe this. But my 2016 One Word is Health. I intend to focus on every kind of health I can, from psychological to physical to relationship health. I finally have the energy to switch to an offensive tactic, and I love it.

I ended 2015 a bit depressed about things I could not control. I'm beginning 2016 motivated to show up to the things I can control. I hope this inspiration lasts!

We said no to the 7pm Epiphany service last night. I love Epiphany, but that was the kids' first day back at school and we were all wiped. Instead, we did a good old Epiphany tree burning and carol sing in the backyard.

We threw in the last of the rainbow crystals for good measure!

That little tree really burned!

I hope we get plenty of use of this fire pit in 2016. It's been a joy.

We said goodbye to Christmas last night in a flourish of rainbow flame. Onward into 2016 and all the possibilities it contains!

I still love my commute. Even in winter. 

Empty campus at almost 8am

Bring it on, 2016.