In Case You Were Wondering

Well, the final tally on our snowfall was 14.5 inches.  This is what that much snow looks like a couple of days after it falls.  Plowed, it’s about waist high.  The kids were able to tunnel through the pile next to the lamp post in the middle picture.

This morning brought ridiculously cold temperatures.  It was minus eight degrees when Jeff got up, with predicted highs around nine degrees.  I went for a run this afternoon, and I don’t think it was quite that cold, but my face was pretty frozen when I got home. 

I think that the current danger is the ice underneath the snow that is still on the streets.  You can sort of tell from the pictures that, while the streets are plowed, they are not cleared.  Many of the patches of pavement that are peeking through are slick with ice.

Could make for a fun drive to our first spring co-op tomorrow.  Jeff has made it into work both yesterday and today, and he says one just has to take it easy and be careful.  Good advice.

In other news, I thought I’d give you an update on my New Year’s resolutions.  So far, so good.  I started the book of Job today, a bit over 30 days into my 90-days-through-the-Bible plan.  You definitely don’t have a chance to get bogged down anywhere when reading the Bible like this. 

I am also a month in to my half-marathon training.  We were scheduled to run six to eight miles last Saturday, and we managed to get in seven.  It was sleeting by the time we were finished.  This Saturday, we supposed to run six, and we’re struggling to figure out where it would be both safe from cars and mostly free from snow and ice.

I know that this weather will clear out eventually, but I think that it is the worst in which I have ever trained.  I started training in January in France the first time I ran a half-marathon, but I have never experienced this much snow, wind, and just plain cold.  I now understand why many runners here invest in treadmills.  Running in Illinois in the middle of winter is definitely a endurance contest!

But I am officially signed up to run the race, so train I will.  At least, most of the time!

Here’s one other update before I sign off.  Our 10-month-old little one has officially joined the world of walking.  He can’t figure out how to stand up without holding on to something yet, but he has definitely figured out how to let go, turn, and toddle over to wherever he wants to be.  He doesn’t even need someone to catch him anymore!

I’d forgotten how quickly babies get the hang of walking once they figure it out.  He still crawls some, but it’s no longer his preferred method of locomotion.  Wow!

Hope you’re staying warm and healthy!