The ice started on Tuesday evening. I had to wait 5 minutes for my car to clear, before I could leave St. Clairsville. (Thank goodness for auto start in my car). It continued thru the night. Nice ice on the roads for Wednesday. We were on a level 3 emergency in the county and that means NO traffic unless you have an emergency. Well, of course, John went to work. The coal mine closes for nothing. It was a 'crunchy' ice so he didn't have too m any problems. Ice, rain and snow continued all day yesterday. More snow last night and this morning, and another inch or so expected today. It sure does make the roads and walking a hazard, but it is soooooooooo pretty. So far we have not last our power, which is unusual. It usually goes out if someone sneezes.

We are now down to a level 2 emergency. This means, stay off roads unless you really think it is necessary and call your employer to see if you need to report. I'm sure that Janet will tell me to stay home (lol). Thank goodness I only have to drive 3 miles. I'm sure today will be another busy day at the garage. People don't know how to slow down and drive, so of course they end up in the ditches and have to call for a tow truck.

Even though the roads can be horrible, what a beautiful sight. What a wonderful creation of our Heavenly Father.

Awoke this morning to a beautiful blanket of white fluffy stuff. OK, I like the snow, but I had an appointment. Got to town, OK, but I had cars and trucks coming at me sideways, uphill, downhill on turns. It was not fun. I had to go take my test to become a notary public. We need it at work so I figured why not. Super easy, open book test.

Well, we are preparing for a nasty storm. We had about 3 inches of snow last night, supposed to get 1-2 more this evening, mixed with sleet and freezing rain(yuk), with 1-2 more thur the night and tomorrow. John is making sure the generator is full of fuel and ready to go, if needed. Of course, the house is already stocked with food. What would you like yummy for dinner? I'm sure people are flocking to the store to get their needed supplies. How funny. I have never been one to have to do that and it makes me chuckle.

Hopefully all the nutty people will stay home, off the roads, so we don't have any emergency calls. It never fails, when the weather gets bad, they all start calling. Usually for nothing. But when duty calls, away we go.

Have a warm safe day.

In Relief Society today, we talked about unity. If we all work and stand together things are easier to handle. How true. If we are able to work united toward a goal, how much easier is it to achieve that goal.

We learned about service. Why do we render service? Is it for recognition, that pat on the back? Is it because someone else will see our goods works? It is because we were taught that it is the right thing to do? Is it because we have true charity and love for our neighbors? Think about this the next time you are asked to serve, or get that prompting to serve. What are my reasons. . . are they appropriate and good.

John is off to work, so this afternoon is free for me to read and relax and enjoy some quiet time. It is much more fun when he is home.

Family is what is all about.

I have spent the last 6 hours watching my nephew, Mitchell, in a wrestling tournament. They have been going strong for the last 3 days. This is a combination of more that (I think 30) schools. Mitch wrestles in the 140 weight class, and is very good. (I'm not partial) It was great to see him do his best and come out in 6th place out of 37 boys in his class. He is only a sophomore and still has two more years to improve. The best thing is that a large part of our family was there to cheer him on, win or lose. Our family has always been strong about supporting each other in whatever endeavor we may attempt.

How lucky we are to have been sent to this earth to live with families that love us, and support us.

Take the time to appreciate your family and let them know how you feel.

Well, after talking with my wonderful niece this morning, she convinced me that I needed to do this. Before starting, I will let you all know that I am not a computer person, but, I am going to give it a try.

A little about me.

I am married to the most wonderful man in the world (even after 30 years). John and I were married in the Washington DC LDS temple. We have two fantastic kids. John is married to Annie and they live a few miles from us. They are a great couple and enjoy tons of stuff together. Ask John about "Annie Oakley". Sarah is married to Brian and they live near also. She is also step-mom to McKayla. Sarah and Brian love to ski and travel.

More about me. . .
I volunteer with our local fire department as a firefighter/emt. I love being able to help the community. I work part-time (2 days a week). I am the Gospel Doctrine Teacher at church, I am also the enrichment counselor in Relief Society, and I am the food storage/emergency preparednesss leader. I love to be in the kitchen, baking, cooking, experimenting, canning, just whatever I can get my hands into. I love to read, cross-stitch, sew, crochet, and do genealogy. All of these depend on the time of year and the amount of time I have on hand.

The past year a lot of my time has been spent on emergency preparedness. Our church leaders (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) have counseled us for years to have food and supplies stored to last a year. They have urged us to be debt free. They have cautioned us to put our lives in order. Well, this last year, we have tried to do that. It feels good. It feels right. I feel comfortable in the fact, that even if I don't need the supplies, I have followed the counsel and obeyed. Wow. What a feeling of peace.

Hopefully by tomorrow I will figure out how to add the pictures I want.