Winter in Des Moines

This Winter has been fun. We got our first major snow in early December and there has been snow on the ground ever since. Our kids are doing really well playing in the snow and have come a long way in learning to deal with snow in the face and in between the mitten and the coat.

For a while it was so cold that it was hard to enjoy the snow, but it has warmed up in the past week and we have made our way outside for some hiking and sledding. In Cincinnati there were hills everywhere, but in Des Moines good sledding hills are harder to come by. The past weekend we tried out Waveland Golf course and had a great time. The hills are probably about as big as the kids can handle at this point. We have also spent some time at the hill behind Susan's parents' house.

Thoughts from Myself

Susan was cleaning up the attic and she found a note that said 'Open May 10, 2008.' After some thinking, I came to the conclusion that I had written myself this letter on Senior Retreat, when I was in college. Here is what I wrote:

• Staying up late is always worth it
• Sometimes is is good to be late
• We are all different
• The phone is never as good as the face
• Sometimes it is good to be uncomfortable
• Sometimes computers do more harm than good
• Lines aren't always necessary
• Some sleep is
• Outside is always better than inside
• We are always in a bubble
• The weather always changes
• Don't get too comfortable
• Music is good
• Pretty House is about more than just a good view
• Communication always makes things better
• Sometimes old is better than new
• Look at it again
• Don't settle
• Don't get greedy
• It is all relative
• My time for myself
• Be who you are
• Be who you want to be
• Keep trying
• Keep looking
• Enjoy it
• Take time to walk
• Take your time
• Bring your own bags to the store
• Be not afraid
• Desafios son oportunidades
• There are people everywhere
• The cheese doesn't stand alone
• Sometimes people talk out of turn.

2009 Pictures

I updated our online photo galleries to include our photos from the second half of 2009.

The end of the year finished in a hurry for us, with Christmas and New Year's. We had a great 2009 and have some fun things planned for 2010.