Winter Escapades

We recently met some other missionaries who hail from far-flung places like Honduras and Argentina and West Africa.  We met them here in Michigan, meaning that they're freezing their tails off right now and saying things like, "I need to wear four more pairs of pants!"  I can't blame them.  We'd probably be feeling the same way if we didn't have such hardy Midwestern blood in us.

And let's be honest, living in Duluth for four years has a way of preparing a body for winter's worst.  Whenever we think it's bad, we remember those winters in Duluth...

Here was a recent escapade out in the cold: Frankenmuth, for SnowFest.  Dang, it was cold!  But man, it was cool.

front loader and the Bubba

I had to wonder how many other people could identify 

this basilisk lizard - thank you, Wild Kratts, 

for keeping our animal knowledge top notch

forest scene

this giant spider reminded us of Tolkien...

so cool and so creepy

Elsa and Anna need a pair of these

And no trip to Frankenmuth is complete without a stroll through Bronner's, the world's largest Christmas store!  My friend Steph was visiting us for the weekend and she was quite impressed, as well she should be, at the enormity of this store.  So much Christmas, all year round.  It's a Michigan gem :)

Before the "polar vortex" hit, we had a fabulous snowstorm that shut everything down but was perfect for playing outside.  The boys could not have been happier.  We haven't had a lot of snow this winter, so we couldn't miss the chance to get out while the temps were warm enough and the snow was falling fast.  The only sad part was missing Eli who was gone for the week to work.

Thanks, Winter, for finally showing up and letting us Midwesterners enjoy your visit.  Even the polar vortex wasn't so bad - we like excuses to snuggle up and watch movies and eat popcorn in the middle of the day.  I know it sounds crazy to a lot of people, but we like you, Winter, and we're gonna miss you next year.