a month of Winter

January 2013 in review:

• More than anything, this was a month of winter. Here in Utah we had record-breaking lows for 18 days, the worst smog inversion ever, and plenty of snow. The snow and even the cold temps were exactly right in my book. The smog, on the other hand, plays dirty tricks on me. I don't like it one bit.
• Also the month of dental work. Haley, Jake, and Nathan each had cavities (Jake's was his very first!). I went in for what I desperately hoped was only an old, cracked filling but was, in fact, a deeply cracked tooth. I didn't want a crown but I got one anyway. While they were in there already they fixed another cracked filling right next to the crown and then discovered that the tooth next to that one needed a filling. The plus side: all of my silver filings except one have been replaced with white ones. The down side: my lower left teeth still hurt. (Cue tooth dreams.)
• The Bigs all got straight As on their report cards. Go Bigs! (Cue a trip to Krispy Kreme.)
• Haley started working as an intern at a pharmacy. 180 hours later (sometime in March or April) she'll be able to take the pharmacy technician exam and then hopefully find a job. Also: she has a boyfriend. And for all the moms who have asked me in concerned voices if I am OK with that, let me just say: I am OK with that. I am actually thrilled with it. It is OK, in my mind, for teenagers to be in relationships.
• One morning, Jake ended up being late to school because we were fighting with the printer. (We desperately need a new laser printer, but I can't decide which one to get.) I ran the carpool in to the elementary school and then came back to pick him up—and I couldn't get my van up the driveway! It was a sheet of ice. So I left it on the street and went inside to put actual clothes on (one cannot check one's junior high student in at the office when one is still wearing pajamas and slippers, although one can drive the carpool in such attire!), giving Jake five gleeful moments of sliding down the driveway. He thought it was the best day ever!
• Nathan was totally excited for his Klondike. I don't get camping in the snow, but I will happily send him out! (Well, not really happily. I worry every second when either boy is gone to a scout campout as there are no women involved to keep things safe & practical.) Despite single digits, the anticipation was richly rewarded. He came home entirely wet!
• Kaleb hates coats more than anyone I've ever known. So our cold snap was tough for him. We had quite a few "I hate coats!" grumpy mornings.
• I read The Fault in Our Stars, When Katie Wakes, the Best American Poetry 2011, Charity Girls and some essays. I made progress on Kaleb and Jake's quilts; I made 12 layouts. I ran a dismal 24 miles and managed to make it to my sculpting class only twice. (On the other side of that equation, I think I drank about 5 gallons of hot chocolate.) I took almost no photos. I wrote the WRITE Saturday post for WCS and I'm thinking about doing a follow-up post  here about my scrapbooking process.

How was your January?

Comments

[Jenna]

Cracked tooth & crown & it still hurts... this is on the agenda for my near future. Is the pain supposed to go away???? When the dentist told me that my tooth was cracked in three places, I started SoBbInG uncontrollably in the chair.

[Jenna]

I have a Brother laser printer and love it. It even prints double-sided.