Liz, Hubby and I went for a walk tonight and Liz taught me some tricks for nighttime photography! It was cold and wet but it made my heart happy.

Here are a few pictures I took today.

My Christmas Wishes!

Three things I wished for:
*extra time off to make up for last year
*good health
*lots of snow

I got them all! I even went to the doctor to get my first ever comprehensive physical. Even though I still have the weird heart arrhythmia, I'm in pretty good shape. And since we had the entirety of last week called off from school due to weather, I got an extra 50% Winter Break! That's a great deal. (It's not free, however - in mid-June I will be cursing the snow when we have five extra days, I'm sure.)

It's been many years since I've seen this much glorious snow. Most of you know I'm an Idaho girl so winter isn't winter without a nice thick layer of it. That's one of the few things I actually miss from Idaho/Utah. I really really love the snow. Really. So the last few years I've put up with the rain and appreciated the dusting we've gotten. But this week! Right now, there's a good 6+ inches on the ground - in Newberg. There's much more in McMinnville. I'm tempted to fetch a sled and head down there but I'm afraid Hubby will chain me to the house if I try to drive out there. My argument is always that I got my driver's license in December in northern Idaho, so I'm a pro, right?

Unfortunately, Newberg does lie in a valley and the only way out to civilization (i.e., away from Newberg or McMinnville) is up a big hill and that thing is pretty icy and I don't trust other drivers, so we've been pretty much holed up down here.

In other news, the skunkies have been delighted to have James and I at home this week. This is Toby sleeping in. He's a bedhog.

And Aroma likes to squeeze herself down the front of our shirts. She just dives in there and she'll wiggle her way in regardless if you want her there or not. One time I tried to give her to James and she dived inbetween the buttons on the front of my shirt, and clung on when I tried to pull her out. It's hilarious and adorable.

And since it's been snowing nonstop, I haven't taken my camera out for fear of it getting wet. So these were taken from the stoop this afternoon, when we still only had about 3-4 inches.

Oh, I put my paintings up at 3rd Street Pizza, and the manager bought one on the spot for $130. Sweet! I is happy. Oh and also there are only six days of school left until Christmas break! And one of my students brought in his python. It's still a baby, so it's just about two feet long, but he was adorable.

This week is our art auction to fund raise for the New York Trip - which, coincidentally, I have put on indefinite hold, as I was doing 10 times as much work as the kids, who have totally dropped the ball. At any rate, we already had announced the art auction, and I'd already painted four paintings and printed 60 pictures for it, so we're doing it anyway, and holding on to the money for another year or so until the kids decide that they'll do the fundraising.

I was out dropping fliers by businesses on 3rd street in McMinnville, and I ran into one of our most fantastic parents. She was going the same place I was - 3rd street pizza. (3rd St Pizza is a fah-bulous pizzaria that has a movie theater with tables so you can take your food in there. LOVE it.) She got the manager out, who happens to be a friend of hers, and the manager said she could put the fliers out, and then mentioned how her walls were bare because the artist who was supposed to drop paintings by flaked on her. "Oh, you need paintings?" I asked. "Yes!" she exclaimed. "I will bring some paintings by!" I replied. And so, tomorrow after school I'll be taking her some of my work, and some of Liz's work (hopefully), and I'll be praying that the other artist doesn't drop off his paintings too soon. How much should I put them up for? Just last week, James and I were pondering the ridiculously high price some of them were asking for. $275 for a painting of a clown holding a pig? Scary! Wish me luck.