Things That Get Me Through Winter

1) My birthday. I had a pretty nice one. I got flowers from Baleigh, a homemade cake with 37 stinkin' candles in it (that baby was putting out some heat!) from Krista and Baleigh, my own copy of a year of "Bob and Big Lou - Livin' the Dream" from my favorite sister, dinner with Dan, a basket of goodies from Mom, and dinner, a movie and a book from my friend Michelle! Pretty good haul! I felt loved :)

2) The NFL Playoffs. I love it! And I won't bore you with all the reasons that I do.

3) Boys and Girls High School Basketball. When the week is long, and cold, and dark, and boring...there's always a high school basketball game to look forward to.

4) Baleigh's Birthday! This major event always keeps me occupied for awhile. I think of and then list the options, await the decision, plan for the day, endure (oops, I mean enjoy) the day, and recover. The past 9 celebrations have been a success. I'm goin' for 10. There is quite a party planned for the landmark welcome to double-digits. Pictures and post-party comments to come.

5) The Super Bowl. It's a big day around here no matter who is playing, but this year is another SUPA Super Bowl as the Steelers try for #6. We will be watching on our 8' X 8' projection. We have an LCD projector that provides a clear, life-size image on our wall. It is awesome to watch movies with, play Wii with, and of course to watch football with. We should sell tickets.

6) Big Ten Conference and NCAA Tournaments. After the birthdays and football are over, I/we focus on college basketball. I pay a little attention in December and January. But in February and March, I am very aware of the Illini schedule and make an concerted effort to watch them play.

7) Netflix. On the cold, dark, and boring nights that there isn't any basketball to be seen (I detest the NBA), I/we will be watching movies from Netflix.

8) The Anticipation of a Snow Day. I had to add this one. We haven't really had any weather to speak of down here yet, but supposedly we could get enough sleet, ice, freezing rain, and/or snow to get Tuesday off. Watching. Waiting. Aniticpating. I will check weather.com 20 times before I go to bed Monday night :) I don't really care if we are off or not, but I like watching the weather to see if maybe... I wouldn't mind one snow day, but I don't care for school in June. Nope. It be time to play in June.

Baleigh has been having Sadie Photo Shoots lately.

Sadie tolerates it. She's quite fluffy right now.

We always refer to her as Fluffa Pup when

her hair is this long.

Have a good week everyone! Safe travels to those who have to.