The weather outside is frightful!

Oh the weather outside is frightful... 

But the fire is so delightful...

Okay, corny... But I couldn't help it! 

Those pictures are from this evening. 

Laura's friend, Claire, got stuck in the ditch...

Or, more like ran completely off the road.

The picture was taken after my family extended family went to get her out,

(including 1st and 2nd cousins) 

but her car was in the ditch down there.

We were parked on the side of the road, and the cars that went by would get stuck,

it was a bad, cold, uncomfortable, yet very entertaining situation.

We ended up staying for a while pushing slipping behind the other cars that were getting stuck...

Anyways, Big Daddy has a new truck that he thought was a "sissy" truck because it is a Toyota.

He got it because his Fords and Chevys broke, but he wasn't really satisfied with a Toyota.

Today he took it out to go get Laura's friend and tried it out in the snow.

"Trying it out," meaning...

We live on the mountain with huge hills that get very slick in snow.

One of the biggest hills on the mountain is called Van Duesan and Dad has previously

 slid down it in the snow with Laura.

So, after waiting 5 minutes for a car to slide down backwards, 

we flew up it at 40 mph.

We helped Claire and various other people, 

then my uncles and friends all got back in their cars to go back home (and down the big hill)

They followed us, and we waited again for about 10 minutes for a car to slide backwards down Van Duesen. Then Dad drove his new Tundra down the hill, about halfway down.

He then put the truck in reverse and gassed it backwards up the hill. 

Then he punched it, and we flew down the ice-covered hill at about 30-40 mph. 

I really wasn't nervous because the truck took the ice so well, it surprised me!

And I trust my Big Daddy. 

Everyone in our family except Mary was in Dad's truck.

Mary was behind us in another truck and said that she was afraid she would be the only 

one left alive in our family. But we made it just fine...

And Dad's "trying it out" apparently impressed him. 

He's thinking that his Toyota might no really be a sissy truck.

He's been out driving around all the cars in ditches while we sledded.

And now we're all cuddled up in the living room watching a movie.

(Our whole family is not cuddled up together with each other, 

but our whole family is cuddled in blankets in the same room with a fire going.)

We have about 4 inches of snow and the schools are called off tomorrow...

A great first weekend of Christmas break for me! 

I'm sure we'll frolic in the snow all day for about an hour tomorrow

and then watch movies and read and visit Granddaddy.

I tried really, really hard this morning to talk Geoffrey to come to the mountain for the snow.

Because he loves snow!

And dad said he'd pick him up if the roads were bad...

And Uncle Paul said he would take him duck hunting in the morning...

And he could go sledding down the huge hill next door with us... 

And I would help him study for his exams tomorrow...

But he wouldn't come! 

Who can resist that?

It would have been perfect!

But... He just had to be a good student. 

Geo, if you read this, I'm not trying to rub it in, I just wish you were here! 

Anyways, hope you all are cozy and safe and enjoying the cold weather

and getting into the Christmas spirit! 

Merry Christmas y'all!