Anna Grows

After weeks of staring at endless piles of snow and freezing cold weather, we decided it was time to shovel something else ....like sand. After researching caribbean islands that met our requirements (the only requirement was no snow and temperatures above freezing), we decided to head to Jamaica for a sun and snow break. It was definitely a welcome break. The highlights included: A room that was steps from both the beach and the bar A playground for Anna Not wearing socks (a nice break for Mom and Dad in trying to put socks on Anna with perfectly aligned seams) A seemingly unlimited supply of hot dogs and french fries - also for Anna (Theresa still cringes when she things about it) A hobie cat ride for Joe with 30 mph winds, which turned into a real thrill ride Theresa's first snorkeling adventure Building sandcastles Feeding tropical fish off the reef surrounding our beach A moving sidewalk at the airport, which resulted in a solid hour of entertainment for Anna (and 3 hours of

We finally enjoyed a snow free weekend (meaning it did not snow any more....there is plenty of snow on the ground that will likely remain until roughly July). Friday was suppose to be the first day back to work for many workers, including Theresa; however, the commute was a nightmare. First, Metro was not running above ground resulting in even more cars on the road. Second, a metro train derailed. Third, many major routes were not completely cleared of snow, resulting in three lanes of traffic becoming two. Fortunately the route to Ms. Be's was clear and Anna enjoyed seeing her friends again and sharing her valentine's cookies that she made with Mom. Obviously Washington is not equiped to handle major snowstorms, which is no suprise to those of us that live here. Anna celebrated Valentine's Day with a yellow rose from Dad along with a special valentine card. She also received a heart of M&Ms, which Mom mistakenly gave her right after breakfast. Negotiations ensued and A

Snoverkill - that is what the Washington Post has dubbed the latest snowstorm which left us with another foot of snow and blizzard conditions to the 30-40 mph winds. The Federal Government in DC remains closed for a record 4 days in a row due to weather (rest easy taxpayers...at least 85% of the federal workforce is outside DC). Fortunately Joe was at home this time to help shovel out. The biggest challenge was where to put the snow as the piles at the end of our driveway are almost as tall as Joe and Theresa. The brightspot for the day was the fleet of earthmovers that were dispatched by VDOT to our neighborhood after the majority of the storm passed to clear our streets (now that is something you never see in this area....earth movers for snow removal). Anna joined in the snow removal for all of 20 minutes before announcing that she wanted to go inside (who could blame her...the winds were knocking her over). She watched Toy Story while Joe and Theresa chipped away at the snow at

It was a harrowing trip, but at long last Joe returned from Las Vegas to the winter wonderland that is the Greater Washington DC area. This proved to be a challenge, with several canceled flights thanks to closed airports. At last, Dulles re-opened for limited flights at 3 PM on Sunday and Joe managed to make it in. Getting from the airport was another challenge. Public transit was not running, cabs were sparse, and lines were long. At last, Joe managed to hop a cab with 3 other passengers bound for Vienna, VA. The ride proved dramatic with an Indian cab driver (not experienced in snow driving) and passengers that lived off a snowy, windy country road (Joe had to help push the cab out of the snow at one point). At 10 PM, he arrived to a family that was very happy to see him. He missed the Super Bowl, but decided to make the sacrifice. Joe was able to try his hand at some shoveling today and survey the piles of snow thorughout the neighborhood. Theresa decided to strap on the cross coun

We awoke this morning to 20+ inches of snow on the ground and it was still snowing. Theresa didn't even make an attempt to keep with the snow during the night, so the snow was piled up in its all its glory waiting to be shoveled. Theresa and Anna suited up to battle the elements around 10 AM - about the time the other neighbors emerged to begin the snow battle, even though it was still snowing. Anna nearly got lost in the snow. There were some big piles. Fortunately Ted the neighbor and his son showed up with a snowblower and spent well over an hour clearing our driveway. Anna was upset with the s now blowing in her face and retreated inside to watch the Wiggles while Ted cleared the driveway with Theresa assisting with shoveling. The rest of the day was spent baking chocolate chip cookies, finishing removing wallpaper from the kitchen (done) and concluded with dinner at the neighbors. Anna enjoyed playing at Sara and Owen's house, where she and Sara dressed up like ballerinas

Snowmageddon. Snowpolcolypse. A REALLY big storm. What a winter it has been for the normally snow deprived metro DC area. This is one we will be talking about for a long time. This will be added to family lore for several reasons. The snow fun began last Saturday with a "dusting" of snow that turned into seven inches. On Monday, Joe departed for sunny (and snow-free) Las Vegas for what he claims is a work trip with a planned return on Friday. Anna and Theresa got enjoy another seven inches of snow that took place Tuesday night. Then the predictions for a "significant" storm for the weekend began. By the time forecaster began predicting a Friday storm, it was too late. Flights to DC were canceled for Friday afternoon and Saturday, thus Joe will be spending a couple of extra days in his luxury suite at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Theresa and Anna will watch the 2-3 feet of snow accumulate. In the meantime, Theresa is finding things to occupy Anna. Since everything w