Thinking Out Loud

Sometimes it helps to think out loud. I guess that is what this blogging thing is all about -people want other people to validate their thoughts, or at least hear their thoughts. They want the thoughts to be out of their head and real in the world. That sounds rather scary to me. I'm not quite so sure I want you to know what I think about, at least not all the time. But I have discovered in my short time around this planet that things seem so much more real when they are out in the open - out where others can hear them, see them, touch them, validate them.

We were out at Mother and Dad's place last week and for some reason, Mother drug out her huge 4" notebook that contains every single email I every sent home during our stay in Africa. I've known about the book for quite some time now, but hadn't bothered to look at it. The whole idea that every thought about Kenya I'd put on paper was kept in that book was a bit daunting. In fact, the reality that there was a permanent record of such things scared me a bit. But I got over it. I opened the book and casually read through some of the entries. It jogged my memory. I had flashbacks that took me back to the place or event I was describing - I could feel the muggy air, smell the body odor, see the shimmering ocean, touch the roughness of that mud hut wall. I was reminded of, and able to relive, the experience because it was written down. It was real - not a figment of my imagination, not something I thought existed but didn't. It actually happened and I can remember it, but only because I wrote it down.

Thinking out loud on a blog might be safe. Afterall, I'm not imposing my thoughts on anyone who doesn't want to know about them. If you are reading this, it is because you chose to. You have an interest in my thoughts and that is humbling. So, since you are here, you must not mind too much if I share. And maybe, just maybe, that will help us get to know one another just a little bit better.

It snowed AGAIN!

We had a blast making Avery's first snowgirltoday. It only snowed about 4", which was about 4-6" less than predicted. It did have a layer of ice in the middle, though. We all had a blast doing it, but there was a literal "blast" this afternoon and the beautiful pink cowboy hat blew away! Now the snowgirl has a weird looking round lump on her head that was packed into the hat to hold it on.

Last night after it started snowing, Avery kept opening the back door and getting handfuls of snow to eat. Only later did I look out the door to see footprints all over the backyard - footprints made by her little bare feet! So, we've discovered that Avery has a more multi-ethnic genetic make-up than we thought. She must be 1/3 Moudy, 1/3 Monkey and now 1/3 Eskimo!

Icy Chill

It's been a cold one here in Texas the past few days. I woke up yesterday morning to a temperature of 10 degrees. Windchill was around 0. It hasn't been that cold here in a long, long time. Along with the chill came ice. No snow, just solid sheets of ice everywhere you look. The streets and sidewalks look like an ice skating rink. (They walk and drive about as well!) Going to work yesterday morning, there were tracks across the medians about every 100 feet or so, all 30 miles. I witnessed a near head-on collision, many trucks jacknifed on the roads and lots of slip sliding away. One of the more humorous things was a truck parked on the up portion of an overpass. As we approached, we noticed his back wheels slowly turning in place - spinning just to keep him from sliding back down the hill because he sure wasn't going anywhere!

Avery enjoys the cold. She can't seem to keep socks on those little feet - even on our chilled wooden floor! Seems she inherited her daddy's temperature gauge and certainly not her mother's! (who is chilled when it drops below 90!)

The layers and layers of ice on everything are absolutely beautiful. I'm pretty sure my sister Robyn and my folks would disagree. The storm meant the closing of the airport, which meant the cancellation of the folk's trip to see said sister in Alabama. I've enjoyed the change and the landscape and trees in it are absolutely stunning. It reminds me of the majesty, and creativity, of God who is able to create such a magical, and temporary, masterpiece.