snowmageddon

We're in the middle of another winter storm and I'm home reflecting on how a few short weeks after Atlanta was totally crippled by an inch of snow.  Today we're facing ice, which could be much, much worse, but the snow of two weeks ago was an adventure...

.....

It was a Tuesday morning like any other, with Mr. F and I both driving into the city for work.  The skies were clear with the threat of clouds on the horizon.  On the radio, the meteorologists prophesied the storm of the century.  Sturdy Midwestern stock that we are, we did not believe such dooms-dayers.

At 10, after only a few hours of work, reports of snow trickled in and a few schools that had not closed yet announced early closings.  My boss quickly grabbed her belongings and told me to call Mr. F and vacate the city as soon as possible.  We left around noon, confident that we were beating traffic.

We got home at 5.

I kid you not.  The snow amassed to an inch or snow, but the real crisis emerged from every commuter, of which there are many, evacuating at the same time.  Our trip home from downtown should usually only take us an hour or so.  Max.  It took us that long just to get on the freeway.  It was crazy!

The snow was beautiful and a real treat after being without it while in Cyprus.  But after four and a half hours in the car, avoiding death and standstills, we felt a lot like this...

source

Last weekend it was warm and sunny.  Go figure! No more ice, no more snow...  Such a strange place this Atlanta...

(To all you Midwesterners, I know how ridiculous this story sounds as you are literally buried in snow.  Hang in there! Spring is coming!  Soon?)

leap day

You caught me.  I'm still on my sofa, where I've been for the past two hours.  Two hours of me feeling like I'm an eskimo as I identify all of the different kinds of snow falling from the sky.  Slush came first.  Hard, wet and heavy.  Then came the snow globe, with fat wafting flakes pirouetting across the sky.  Then sleet.  Who knows what will come next?  I don't, but I'm loving it.  My sources tell me that this is the first snow Nicosia has seen in 15 years.  With the excitement it is eliciting, I wholeheartedly believe it.  

I thought I was done with snow, that I had outgrown it after one season of mild temperatures and drizzly rain.  All it took was one afternoon of low hanging clouds sprinkling white flakes outside my window and my opinion was changed.  Snow is a wonderfully miraculous thing that does wonders for a panorama.

Sadly, my camera just doesn't do it justice, but I will have those memories of Leap Day 2012, when it snowed in Nicosia.

a room with a view

 

fall daze

While it has been chilly in Germanland during the bulk of our stay, the change of seasons has finally come, leaving a distinct impression on the landscape.  Fields are plowed, flowers are changing or gone, leaves are beginning their annual metamorphosis.  Oh, but it's intoxicating!  I went for a walk this late afternoon to soak up some sun and do a bit of pondering..  I have a feeling that this hill and I are going to be doing a lot of bonding in the upcoming week.

 

 

 

 

for ingrid

and myself.

I have slew of art projects waiting for me, but I feel like I can't get to them until I share some more about my wedding.

we were married in Manti, Utah on one day and partied like it was 1999 the next day. I really wanted to have our wedding day be about the temple and our sealing. I wanted to focus on family and get lost in the tiny moments before letting myself totally let go and mingle and dance.

though it was the end of March, it snowed on our wedding day. not just snowed. blizzarded. white out. could barely drive more than twenty-five miles-an-hour down the backroad Utah highways. it was the first time that day I really freaked out. I thought I was going to be late! it was one of the very rare occasions that Mr. F showed up somewhere before I did.

our reception and ring ceremony were held at the sundance resort. my wonderful family did all of the decorating. the vases (an assortment of canning jars) and vintage books were all contributed by my sweet grandmother, who also made the skirt of my wedding gown. it was such fun to watch family members read through the books and find scribbles written by aunts and uncles who once owned the volumes.

I really loved our two-day extravaganza because it allowed us the leisure to really enjoy our guests, and ourselves! Mr. F and I wandered through the tables greeting everyone as dinner dwindled down. I think we talked to nearly everyone! (to those we didn't, my sincerest apologies.)

because we were married in the temple, not all of our family members could join us for the sealing ceremony. one of my absolute favorite memories is making my way out of the dressing room and hearing all of my family in the waiting room. because of the snow, the temple workers invited everyone inside to wait in the dry warmth. I had to wait behind a wall until everyone went outside so we could take pictures. (picture taking is not allowed within the temple so as to preserve the sacred nature of the building.)

this is my mor mor and me moments after Mr. F and I made our big reveal. it meant the world to me to have her and all of my family drive to the middle of nowhere just to take pictures with us in the middle of a snowstorm.

because of the ring ceremony, we had a formal sit down dinner so as to have everyone in place. our escort cards were printed on library cards. there was a definite book theme to our celebrations. in fact, our save the date cards were also printed on library cards. the card was inside the sleeve with the words "check it out!" peeking at the viewer where the book title would customarily be found. for the escort cards, the guests' names were at the top and the table letter (not number) was one the body of the card when it was pulled out of the sleeve.

okay, this cake, was absolute embodiment of the cake I had been dreaming of. I am not a big sweet person, so the wedding cake was never really high on my priority list. (I am now living with Mr. Fs family and we eat cake and cupcakes on a nearly daily basis...I'm adjusting...) well, my wonderfully talented aunt inherited all (and I do mean ALL) of the domestic arts for our family. while the rest of us women can iron and clean from here till doomsday, none of us can cook, and absolutely can compete with auntie L's baking genius.

she flew in from Chicago toting half a dozen different kinds of cookies for our family dinner after the sealing. she then baked up a storm and produced this beautiful, beautiful cake! not only that, she made two of them! they looked stunning on the rustic wooden table in the mountain lodge.

confession: I never actually tasted this cake. we cut the cake, but were unable to get the piece out...so we fed each other berries.

my brother, the Stud. his hips don't lie. pretty sure the DJ wants to hire him to get the party going. Studly McStudlypants was on the dance floor the entire night.

my Liver went around the temple, the town, and the entire valley taking pictures of everything long after the crowds had departed. these flowers were lovingly supporting the base of the temple, even though snow threatened their very existence.

I got a sister! she's the best. and now we're even roommates for a short while. Sista Bear and Mr. F are close like the Stud and me. they were actually the extent of our bridal party.

during the ring ceremony, Stud and Sista walked up the rings so we could exchange them. now it just feels like the four of us are siblings. when one is missing from an outing, the cosmos seem horribly out of whack.

remember how I said table letters? well, here ya go! I found these papier mache letters for not a whole lotta money at jo-ann fabric and absolutely loved the overall aesthetic they provided. we used them again three weeks later for our shindig in Columbus.

chicken legs meets "what do I do with this sheet again?" a hilarious candid from our photos at Sundance. it was absolutely freezing when we got out of the temple so we didn't spend a tremendous amount of time taking photos. the next day my Liver showed up early and did the entire photo shoot all over again. he was absolutely amazing and turned out some incredible images.

why did we get married in Manti? because. because I like to do things differently. but mainly because that's where my grandparents were sealed. I learned from my Nana that our family helped build this temple. when we walked inside, we knew we had made the right choice. we were one of two sealings that day and the other couple were already leaving. the entire decor was unlike any other temple I have ever visited. a victorian parlor, tastefully adorned with embroideries, florals, and the most exquisite carpets. Mr. F and I were able to sit together in the Celestial room for a short period of time before the ceremony. we were coddled by the elderly temple workers and taught of the historical legacy of the structure as well as the spiritual.

lastly, these are my siblings. I mean cousins. when I started university in Provo, Clutsy on the left was ten years-old. she graduates from high school next week! they were my home away from home, and still are. my family and I stayed with them the week of the wedding and it just seemed fitting. it was like I was being sent off from my own childhood home.

and now.... go check out my Liver's website. he is one crazy talented photographer.

I'm going for a walk on the beach with my husband now.

dear mr. weather man

It was negative two this morning when I left for work.

NEGATIVE two.

That was before the windchill.

Yes, there was sun.

Yes, I live in Ohio and should be grateful for sun in the middle of January.

But negative two? Really? Does that even count as a temperature?