Gosh, it feels like a lifetime ago that we had snow here in Portland. In the two weeks since the snow let up enough for the kids to go back to school, I’ve had a near-miss teacher’s strike (glad I didn’t have to manage the logistics for that one), guests for a long, rainy weekend and then, this past weekend, photos at our school auction and a great Karaoke night. In the midst of it all the whole family attended a Zentangle class at the local library and made some wonderful artwork.

Sound random? How about a trip to San Francisco tomorrow to mix it up just a little bit more. Yes, life is flying by at an alarming rate.

So let’s step back to a day when we had no choice but to let it all go and focus on the moment – mostly because everything else was closed due to the snowstorm. I have to admit that I have a love/hate relationship with the snow. On the one hand it’s messy and annoying and, in Portland, a little treacherous, but on the other hand it forced us to let everything go for a few days. It was wonderful to see the entire neighborhood out enjoying the weather without the pressure of work or sports or even a trip to the grocery store. Sure, I was ready (REALLY ready) for the kids to go back to school on Tuesday, but a weekend of being snowed in may have been just what the doctor ordered.

This is not my child – just a friend who joined us in a very freaky hat.

Samuel is somewhere under that snow. The kid had a ball.

I know it’s blurry, but I love it.

And, finally, putting all vanity aside and to prove that I was really there, some video evidence. That word I’m saying at the end is “Pole!”