The drive from Sacramento went without a hitch. My brother gave my dad his old Isuzu truck to use for a work truck. It needs some help. We werren't sure how well it'd do over the mountain, but we made it just fine. Mom and Beth were following behind, so it wasn't like we'd be left stranded in the Sierra in a blizzard. We stopped at Mels Diner in Placerville for dinner. Of course, I went for the heart attack burger with cheese, bacon, onion rings and BBQ sauce on it. But hey, I had a salad instead of fries with it. Had to be healthy somehow. Oh, and I was sure to fulfill my daily dairy and fruit requirements with a chocolate-banana milkshake.

It started to snow a little on the way to G-ville, but the roads were clear and the heavy snow fell later in the night and into yesterday. Somes areas in the higher elevations got nearly three feet of snow between Sunday and Monday night. It just rained here in the Valley yesterday, with a few snow flakes here and there.

Beth and I drove to Reno yesterday to visit with Brett, Sherry and William and Janniffer. Through Washoe Valley there was some pretty heavy snow falling, but the roads werent' too bad. On our way back to my parent's last night, the snow was still falling and there was more snow on the road, but still not too bad. Beth and I hung out with Brett and Sherry for a while, then went for dinner at what used to be Poncho and Willy's inside Western Village. It is now called the Vineyard. Instead of serving all Mexican food, they serve a variety, but still have a good south of the border offering. When I was in college, we used to go there on Thursday nights when the entire menu was half-off. Can't beat that. They don't have that any more, but they had six dinner specials last night for $4.95. Not bad either.

Janniffer met us there to have dinner with the gang. It was great that Jann and Sherry could meet again (they met once at my wedding). Jann is pregnant with her first, and Sherry her second. Jann got to ask lots of questions. Sherry is the perfect person to ask, too. She's very knowledgeable and a doula.

I've just finished checking road conditions between here and Las Vegas. It looks like we should have smooth sailing. Beth and I were prepared to shove off tomorrow instead of today if the roads were bad, but the path we take is currently open with no controls, and snow forcasted only in spots late tonight, well after we'll be home. We'll prolly begin the treck in the next two hours. We had a great time here and are sad to leave. It's never fun. Going home is fun, too. We can't wait to pick up our babies who have been staying with the vet for the past week. And Dan and Rene will be arriving early, tonight, so we're looking forward to spending some time with them, too.

Beth, mom, dad and I all drove to Sacramento yesterday to visit with Brian and Rene. I've only been to their new house once and Beth once while it was still under construction. It's nice to see it decorated for Christmas, and oh, by the way, the two new cars they got for Christmas sure looked nice in the garage. Santa was very good to them.

Brian and Rene stayed here in Sacramento on Christmas day because Rene's parents were in town, and Brian had to work Christmas day. It was nice to get over the hill from Garnderville to visit them. We're still here, but leaving this afternoon. It was nice and sunny here yesterday, albeit cold, and today it's cloudy. The Sierra mountains are supposed to get more snow tonight and tomorrow. That might make for an interesting trip home.

Beth and I will be heading back to Vegas on Tuesday, and Dan and Rene will be arriving there on Wednesday or Thursday for the new year. Dan and Rene are on a road trip that took them to Ely, then southeast into Utah and down to Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park. Dan called us from Ely to tell us there was a foot and a half of snow on the ground, and asked us to check road conditions. There's no doubt the "chains required for 103 miles" presented a daunting task ahead. Very slow going. We haven't heard from them since, so the roads must have cleared up and made for more swifter travel.

Jenn and I stayed up until 2:15-ish playing hand and foot while enjoying some coffee laced with Baileys! Can't beat that. It's so good to hang out like we did in the 'ol days, you know, when we were still in high school. Some things I do miss. Thanks Jenn.

For Christmas, my parent's got Beth and I an Olympus 5000 digital camera... can't wait to play more with it. I also recently set up a photo blog and hope to have it linked here soon. Will keep you posted. BTW, it's snowing here! It snowed on and off all Christmas Day and we ended up with about an inch on the ground in the end. It was a white Christmas after all!

Merry Christmas!

Beth and I made it up from Vegas yesterday without any hitches, well, maybe just one. We got a weather report from a friend who said it was snowing in Tonopah, the half way point between Vegas and Gardnerville. Beth and I decided we should stop and buy chains so we didn't have to worry about it. Finding chains in Vegas is no small task. Five stores later and $60, we had our chains. I don't think I've ever paid over $30 for them before, but I would have paid $100 just so I could get on the road. The whole ordeal took about an hour and forty minutes. With chains in the trunk, we finally got on 95 and headed north.

The snow stopped before we got to Tonopah and the roads were clear, although there were definite signs that it had snowed. The most weather we ran into was rain and wet roads, and just outside of Goldfield we were actually driving in the clouds and visibility got down to about 100 feet. That only lasted a couple of miles. We did find some heavy snow south of Gardnerville, after we turned on 395 for the home stretch. Although it was coming down pretty heavy, it must have just started because it wasn't sticking yet. We made it home, finally, around 6pm.

We had a simple dinner of Papa Murphey's pizza and some home made cookies for dessert. Yum! I haven't had Papa Murphey's pizza before... it sure is good. Dad needed to take one of his employees up to the lake last night. We loaded up in moms trusty Subaru and headed up the hill. It was snowing pretty heavy at the summit and the road was well covered. Driving through Stateline was simply beautiful... sad Bethany wasn't there to see it with me. She stayed home to nurse the flu, which, finally, is getting better.

I suppose you could call this a psuedo white Christmas here in town... there's a real light dusting of snow. I was hoping for more, but if the forecast holds true, I'll get it! There is a web weathercam at CC Meneley Elementary School in the Gardnerville Ranchos, not far from where Jenn and her family are. Check it out here to see the snow we do or don't have.

Merry Christmas!

I guess it's been a while since I've posted, but with good reason. My Fall semester ended this past Friday, and as usual, the last two weeks was a meltdown, not a countdown, to the end. Fortunately, however, I made it through unscathed again. Too bad school starts again on January 7! Ugh, no rest for the weary.

Bethany and I are headed to G-ville for the Holidays. Our original plan was to leave today, but Bethany has the flu and we decided to wait a day for her to get better. Sitting in a car for seven hours is not my idea of fun to begin with, add the flu on top of that and I'd hate it! So we're leaving tomorrow morning.

We hope to get in a day of skiing, but that probably won't happen since Beth is sick. Although she is getting better, yesterday was her worst day and she'll still be at less than par for a couple of days. We're headed to Sacramento on Sunday to see Brian and Rene. Monday we'll be spending time with my parents and some friends and will probably drive home next Tuesday. We're just playing it by ear. It's kind of nice to be leisure like that... I finished working on the 16th and don't return until January 5! And this isn't my vacation time. I worked my schedule out just right, and am still getting full pay. I had to pay the piper though, the beginning of December was rough, I worked a lot to compensate for having the end of the month off. But now that it's here, it was very well worth it.

Mad Libs on Diplomacy

Beth and I attended the Scholastic Warehouse twice annual half-price sale the other day. When I saw Mad Libs on the shelf, I just had to have one. I loved Mad Libs, and as it turns out, still love them! They are always a blast, especially when you get a little graphic with them. Below is such an example Beth and I created today sitting on the sofa. It made us laugh, and knowing the Shrub is in office made us laugh a little more. Get sucking, Jorge!

"One of the many chastity belts that the president wears, is that of the diplomat. Diplomacy requires sweet character and a delicious demeanor. Because the president will be meeting scrotums-of-state from many countries, it is important that he learns all there is to know about the huge cultrual differences between elbows. The president must observe the blue customs when sucking abroad. He may have to lick before kings and periniums; he may have to sit on the wet ground with his toes folded under him and eat with his balls; he may even have to speak in a foreign house. By observing the cars of other countries, the President sets a fast example for American ornaments who visit another star."

Endless happiness from Mad Libs! What fun. I've been very busy lately working on school stuff, as the semester is nearing an end... December 19. I have quite a bit to do, but it should be manageable. I am also working a lot through the beginning of this month as I am off December 17-31. That will be very nice! Beth and I plan to spend Christmas in Gardnerville with my parents... should be a lot of fun. We're looking forward to maybe squeezing in some skiing, too.

Going back to Bush, if any of you super left-wing democrats out there have not yet heard of MoveOn.org, you need to check them out. They are a fantastic group that is doing everything they can to oust Bush in the next election. There is just 11 months left until we vote for our next president, and I sure as hell hope it isn't Bush! I have not yet made a firm decision as to who I am voting for, but am studying the candidates carefully. One in particular is standing out so far, Howard Dean. If you'd like to learn more about him, click on his name. Also, click here to see Dean's blog, Dean Nation.