The Snow Bunnies are back home

Joe and the girls got home Saturday evening late. They left Colorado Friday afternoon and drove to somewhere in Kansas. They slept late and got up to come home on Saturday but had car trouble outside of Salina. The fuel pump went out in the Yukon and they had to call AAA to tow them into town and take them to a service place. They were extremely lucky for several reasons: 1) it didn't happen the night before out on a desolate part of the highway in Kansas where it started snowing, 2) they were close to a semi-largely populated area where there was service, 3) the garage they were taken to was AAA affiliated and were very nice. They even took the girls and Joe to a local shopping mall and dropped them off (for 4 hours) while they fixed the car and then went and picked them up and brought them back. 4) the workers at the garage voluntarily stayed late that day to work on the car (they normally left at 2 PM). What should have been a 5-hour drive home from Kansas that day turned into about 9 hours. But they arrived unscathed and with their nails done! They had to do something to burn up time while in the mall, right? Hopefully, I'll have some pictures to post from their trip. Joe said the girls reluctantly let him get 1 or 2 pictures while they were gone.

Christmas Eve

Today I'm working for half a day, then tonight I'm going to Joe's Aunt Cindy's house for dinner and mingling with her family and friends. Then I'm going to the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at my church which I really love going to. I remember last year I was at mom and dad's and we went to their church together. I enjoyed that so much. Joe and the girls are in Winter Park, CO on their annual Christmas ski trip. I spoke to them yesterday morning and they said it had snowed a foot overnight. They were eager to ski in some deep powder. They will be home sometime Saturday and we will celebrate Christmas when they return. Hopefully, Joe will bring back some great pictures I can post. I hope all of you have a wonderful Christmas.

Pictures from State Dance Team Competition

Here are a couple of pictures that were taken by an action photographer last weekend at the State Dance Team (Pom) competition. This is from the Jazz routine.
This is from the hip-hop routine. Kaitlyn is the one standing up on the right.

And the last one is also from the Jazz routine. She definitely has the split leap down to perfection. Of course it helps when you're used to doing it on ice with heavy ice skates on your feet. You can REALLY leap when you don't have that extra weight on.

Feelings of Empty Nest Coming On

The other day we received two brochures from OU. One was for Kaitlyn and one was for the "Parents of Kaitlyn Jondahl." I glanced over the one for the parents and then I opened up the one for Kaitlyn. For some strange reason, I busted out crying. I think the reality hit me, right then, that my "baby" will be going to college next fall. I'm glad no one was at home at that moment so I could get it all out with no one there to point their fingers and say, "Mom, that's so gay!!!!" I had one of these moments when Kristen was a senior and it was when I placed her senior picture in the picture frame where there is a slot for all 12 years. The frame was complete and it really got to me. I know all mothers go thru this, I just thought I was immune and because Kaitlyn is going to college up the street (literally, up the street!) I would sort of phase myself into this without a scene. The funny part is, the very next day, we had a rare moment when I cooked dinner and Kaitlyn was the only one home to eat it so she and I got to eat at the table by ourselves. SHE said to me, "It hit me today, I've only got one semester to go and I'll be graduating. Time is going by so fast. I can't believe I'm a senior and will be at college next year." So, I guess we're both thinking about it. Time does fly when you're having fun!

Decorating the Tree

I finally finished putting up my tree and decorating it. I didn't put as many ornaments on it as I usually do and I think I like it better. I like to put ornaments on the tree that remind me of something, like a trip or an activity the girls were involved in.

This is a little cheerleader I found a couple of years ago. Now I call it an OU Pom girl because of the red & white uniform.

Here is a little girl playing soccer (Kristen and Kaitlyn both played) along with one of the many pairs of ice skates I have on the tree.

Here is the most expensive pair (and most realistic pair) of ice skates I have. They are heavy and they have actual toe picks, too.

And, of course, we have a Nutcracker. (see my comment a few posts back)

One of the three little ice skating girls I have on the tree. This one looks like Kaitlyn when she was little.

This one is a Junior Girl Scout carrying a box of cookies (which Kristen, Kaitlyn, and myself when I was a girl, all did) along with another pair of ice skates.

An ornament I purchased one year when we went to Crested Butte, CO. It's a chair lift with a pair of skis behind it. It says Crested Butte on it.

I purchased this next ornament at Silver Dollar City in their Christmas shoppe. It's a tiny violin carved from wood. It's beautiful and it reminds me of all the concerts I've gone to when Kristen and Kaitlyn were playing their violins in the orchestra.

BRRR!! It's Freaking Cold!

Today the high is 19 degrees as compared to yesterday when it was 73. But it feels much colder since the wind is blowing. It's supposed to stay this way for several days.

Update on the State Dance Team Competition: Kaitlyn's group got 4th place in Jazz and runner-up in Hip-Hop. Oh well. It's practice, practice, practice until Nationals in Fort Worth in February. Kaitlyn will be doing a solo there in addition to the two routines.

State Competition #2

This is the Norman High Varsity Pom Squad's hip-hop routine for the State Competition this weekend. (which I won't get to attend, thanks, Kohl's) Kaitlyn is farthest blonde on the right for a lot of the dance, then she sort of moves in toward the middle. This was as far in as I could zoom to follow her. They are wearing white tux-type shirts, a black vest with diamonds on the pockets and a red tie with red diamonds on it, black bootie shorts and black fake-UGGs.

The next routine is the jazz routine (which some of you have seen on here before). She is out in front of the group for the whole dance on the left side (the skinny blonde) after they walk out and get in their formation. They are wearing pleather black dresses with some fake jewels on the criss-cross part in front with black fishnets and black dance shoes.

Decorating for Christmas

Last Friday night, Joe and I went to Cracker Barrel to eat dinner and as usual had to browse in the gift shop. We found this lovely nativity scene for 40% off so we bought it. We brought it home and covered a board with burlap so the figurines would set on the hearth without falling over on the uneven brick. Then it made us want to decorate the rest of the house. We're just beginning.....

Here's the outside, partially done.

A closeup of the things we like to do best at Christmas, ski, skate, wish for snow, sled and go the Nutcracker (but only if they have a live orchestra!).

I visited Kohl's and got some cute placemats for the table.

Along with a new runner for the Hoosier cabinet and a new pillow for the chair.

I replaced the mums in the planter on the hearth and put in poinsettias. Along with another nutcracker. For those of you who have seen the infamous "The Nutcracker - Jondahl Style" video, you know why we cherish nutcrackers.

And Joe got the tree down from the attic and it's still sitting in the living room floor. Just waiting for someone to put it up. Of course there are about 15 more Christmas boxes up in the attic just waiting for someone to go up there and bring them down so we can finish decorating. Maybe this weekend....

Flashback Friday - 1998

This morning I was digging through the drawers getting all my Christmas card stuff out and I found this picture. It was sent in our Christmas cards in 1998. Kristen was 10 and Kaitlyn was 7. That previous summer we took a vacation and went to Dubois, Wyoming to stay with some friends that Joe had worked with years before. The cabins are part of land that the man's grandfather had homesteaded a long time ago. It is on the only privately owned lake in Wyoming. On the way home, we went to Yellowstone, Devil's tower, Mount Rushmore and to the Cabela's flagship store in Kearney, Nebraska. Kristen and Kaitlyn caught their first rainbow trouts (they were about 20 inches long). This was "back in the day" when I could still get the girls to occasionally dress alike. Fun times!

Saltimbanco!

Last night we went to see Cirque de Soleil's Saltimbanco show. It was good, some parts of it kind of dragged, especially the mime/clown who made the noises. He was funny, I just think they drug it out too long. The music was outstanding and all the acrobatic stuff was wonderful. Most of the stuff they did was riveting; I couldn't take my eyes off of them. That was the first Cirque show I've ever seen live. When we went to Las Vegas last year, we didn't go to any shows and I think they have 3 or 4 there.