Not the catch up blog but an even better one!!!!!!

I shall refrain from chastising myself for letting 21 days of the new year pass by without blogging on the holidays and the Gambrell 'Going-Ons'.  This is not that blog either. Oops! Im gonna need a whole entire day to write that one. So much went on in the past weeks and I took so many pictures (like 10,000) that its gonna take major time to put a cognitive thought together. Anyway!

This morning we woke up to more snow and icy roads...sneaky black ice (apparently the worst kind.) The kiddos didnt have to be at school until 10:00 which equaled chocolate chip waffles for breakfast!!!! I have really enjoyed all the bonus time with the kids lately. It has been such a blessing. It was a relaxed morning full of waffles, book orders, check-writing, and then heading off to school for a short school day : )   I decided to zip by Wal-mart to return a Wii remote charger that I had bought and decided not to keep. I know, I know! If you know me at all, you know Im anti-videogame. Well, Santa apparently doesnt know that and a Wii showed up under the tree for Avy. Who knew we would LOVE playing Super Mario Brothers. More blogging about that later. Anyway zipping by Wal-mart was surprisingly a breeze. Driving home I took the scenic route....i.e. by the park....and was awestruck. It was indescribably glorious. I made up my mind.

If you have noticed lately, Ive been having some health issues which have resulted in some drastic weight loss. I pretty much am the size of a peanut and cant keep my body temp higher than the outside temp, so what I was about to do was absolutely the stupidest thing in the world. But hey I only live once and if Im going to die, shouldnt I die doing something I love and something so wonderful? What, you may ask, was I going to do? I decided I couldnt let all the glorious white beauty go unphotographed. I raced home, grabbed my camera and zoom lense, bundled up like a dough boy, called Philip to let him know to come look for my frozen stiff body if he hadnt heard from me in an hour, and headed out in the wild, cold park!!!!

I got to the park and was the only one there! Perfect....no shoe marks in the snow. I quickly realized I was not blundled up nearly enough, but I was undetered!!! Surely someone would notice a frozen lump in a white coat and pink hat later in the day when all the snow melted. And plus Philip was on standby for a call back! He's my hero!

I was not disappointed! It was quiet for a park in the city right next to a major road. I got some good shots while I was there. I lasted for about 45 minutes and had to wait for another 15 minutes in the car before my fingers could grip the steering wheel. My snapping finger was the only one that was working. All the others were frozen. My toes continue to thaw and Ive been home about 2 hours now. But it was so worth it. I just need to sell some of my photos so I can invest in some heated clothing!