Good morning! Brrrrr….
Yes, we are hitting arctic temperatures for the next two days. The last time we faced these low temperatures (negative teens with wind chills in the negative forties to fifties range), Jim and I were in our junior year at Wisconsin. I have never forgotten having to bundle up and walk as quickly as possible across campus to get to class. The kids have already received the announcement that there will not be school tomorrow. I guess people’s hardiness has changed in eighteen years. Or else Jim and I are just that kick-ass.
Our New Year’s Eve was wonderful. We hosted a small gathering of neighbors and finally got a chance to spend time with them outside of the obligatory hand waves and small chit-chat on walks. The kids managed to stay awake past midnight (although Holly passed out on the living room floor at 12:05 AM), and everyone enjoyed themselves thoroughly. Granted, I was expecting more to attend, so I had WAY too much food. I guess it is better than not having enough. Still, it was a wonderful way to usher in the new year.
Speaking of new year, Jim we can’t have a new year without a new car. After our trip to my parents’ house for Thanksgiving in which we had to take two cars to fit the dogs, kids, and luggage, we opted to go bigger. On Monday, we traded in my Honda Crosstour for a 2014 Toyota 4-Runner. I’ll admit that as much as I loved my Crosstour, the idea of being able to fit everyone and everything in one vehicle is too nice to ignore. Also? The 4WD definitely came in handy this week with all of the snow and ice we have.
Jim and I ended the week by having to go back to work. It’s amazing how little I was motivated to do anything once I arrived at the office. Next week with its first full week in the office is going to be rough. I’m not going to know what to do with myself!
Jennifer at The Relentless Reader had a fabulous idea last year in which she mapped everywhere she “went” via books. By the time I saw her map, I was already too many books into the year and could never have caught up. I never forgot the idea though, so this year I made sure I started out mapping my “travels” from day one. I’ll be updating the map as I read, but for now, I present to you “My Travels Through Books 2014”. Enjoy!
Reviewed last week:
- Belle Cora by Phillip Margulies
- The Godfather by Mario Puzo
- Hunting Hitler by Jerome R. Corsi
Speaking of books, I’m in the middle of yet another great one right now. I’ve got my blanket, a fireplace, lots of tea and coffee, and warm socks. Bring on the sub-zero temperatures. I am ready.
Love the book maps idea!! I just started one of my own, will be really interesting to see what it looks like at the end of the year.
Stay warm and enjoy your books 🙂
Thanks, Jenni! It doesn’t take long, especially if you select the right book, for your map to start looking amazing. 5 books in and I’ve already been around the globe!
Have a great week!
You and Jim probably were that kick-ass! I got rid of my mini-van a couple of years ago but I still couldn’t make myself drop down to a vehicle that wouldn’t be big enough for all five of us and our luggage. Although Miss H was adamant that the rear seat in my Pilot was not fit for long journeys! It is nice to know you can do it with only one vehicle!
Oh, I detest minivans. Thankfully, he learned his lesson on that and considers them completely off the market for available options. We’ve been playing around with cars since then, trying to find something that worked. Hopefully, this one will last for a while.
LOL! As my dad said, they grow them hardy here in Wisconsin. There isn’t much we won’t do when it is frigidly cold outside. It’s just what we do!
I kept track of where I read last year, too, with Sheila’s challenge. I wasn’t ambitious enough to actually do a map, but I kept a list of which states and countries I visited via book. It was fun at the end of the year to look back and see where I’d been!
I’m really enjoying putting everything on the map. I’ve kept track of everything else, so this was a natural progression!
I’m thinking the same thing myself about the cold temps. No school for us here either. However, when I step outside, it just doesn’t seem *that* cold!
I haven’t gone outside yet other than to open the back door to let the dogs out. That’s enough for me until I have to go to work tomorrow. That will be fun. Stay warm!
You guys are suffering, weather wise. It’s so freakishly weird to see so many people snowed in. Here, sooooo dry which means summer will be like Hades here.
The entire country is experiencing some weird weather patterns. The extreme weather is indicative of global warming, even though it does seem weird to type that when there are record lows outside. LOL!
Hopefully the weather will normalize for all of us sooner rather than later, and you can get some much-needed rain. I’ll just take a warm-up above freezing.
Congrats on your new car! We test drove one earlier in 2013, but got another car instead… We don’t have quite as many people, etc to transport so it wasn’t really a necessary thing…
Thanks, Kelly! I’m enjoying it, and that 4WD definitely has come in handy already. If the weather continues in the same vein throughout the rest of winter, I have a feeling I am really going to love it. If we didn’t have the dogs, I could see it being too big (although it is shorter than my Crosstour was). Still, it is a gorgeous ride, so quiet and tight. We’ve had a LOT of vehicles over the years, but this is our first Toyota. I can see why they are so popular now.
Congrats on the new car! I grew up and went to college in Missouri, and I too trudged across campus in all kinds of snow. My kids don’t realize how easy they have it.
Love the idea of a map of where book have taken you.
Looking forward to watching your books add up over 2014.
LOL! They do have it well, don’t they? My kids keep asking why we have to go to work tomorrow. There is no such thing as snow days or cold days in the real world!
Thanks, Anita! Have a great week!
Happy New Year! We got a new vehicle this past month, too. A Ford Explorer – I really REALLY miss my Armada, tho. Ford has none of the cool things I liked about Nissan and now I can’t get my Audible books to work. SO frustrating. Anyway, first world problems. STAY WARM!!! My husband is supposed to go to Chicago tomorrow but I want to insist he stay home. Brrrrrrr
Oh no! I wouldn’t be able to function on my commute without Audible. I hope you can get it to work for you.
It will be interesting to see if you husband’s flight is cancelled or not. The threat of ice building up on the wings has to be fairly large. Either way, good luck! There is not much you can do to protect yourself from this cold other than staying inside.
I also love Jennifer’s idea of mapping the reading. Definitely gonna try that in 2014. It sounds like you guys got off to a great start in the new year!
Isn’t it such a great idea?!?! I find myself paying closer attention to locations and love just seeing my little points around the globe!
Your parents survived UW-Eau Claire when the temp never reached +digits for two weeks in the early seventies (the lowest temp in excess of -20). Wisconsin grows hearty people but i still would not go to Lambeau today.
Exactly. You couldn’t pay me to sit at that game today. It doesn’t even look fun.