You're Hired!

Brad, Sarah, Linc and Nash came to visit while I was at my parents' house.

Nash displayed all the right skills to work in an office. He could type...

And use the mouse...

Answer phones...

...and even screen voicemail messages!

The boys had the cutest penguin hats.

Thanks for coming!

Ms. Fix It

The evening started like any other. I pulled the car into the garage and closed the garage door behind me. I was taking off my coat when I heard a horrible crash.

Lo and behold, the spring that opens the garage door had gone ka-zoing! Last year, the loop on the stationary end broke. Then tonight the loop on the other end broke.

Take a look at the carnage. The force of the breakage must have pulled the nails out of the ceiling and bent the stabilizer board backwards. Or perhaps the detached board caused the breakage. The good news is that the spring appears to have hit the dirt sifter instead of the car. Whew!

Anyway, I had to remove the flailing board, pry out the nails, and then reinstall the board with 3" screws. I think I'll examine this whole setup again in the spring. Oh, yeah, did I mention it's the coldest night so far this winter?? Brr! At least most of the work could be done with the garage door closed.

Yay! All that hard work paid off. I got the cable restrung and the spring back in place. The door opens and closes normally now. Let's hope it holds.

Each day I am more and more grateful to have tools and materials, and the best part is I know how to use them!

Has it really been TEN YEARS?

Yes, it has been exactly ten years since my first day of my semester abroad.

Here's a picture of me at the train station in Lyon on January 11, 1999. There was a snowstorm that day, too. We even missed our connection to Dijon.

Well, I haven't changed much. I even still wear the same COAT!!

This picture was taken today, January 11, 2009, next to the huge piles of snow at the end of my driveway.

I've been doing a lot of shoveling, so much so that I wore off the front edge of the shovel.

Happy Winter!