The Dirty Thirty

Prince Charming was extra charming this year. He came home with Godiva and threw me a party.

And that is me flashing my "30 is super cool" gang signs. But you can't really tell I am making a 30 because I am a crappy gangsta. Something to improve on this decade.

I got to spend the evening with the people that keep me sane and smiling.

(note: they all wore black to mourn me. punks)

They are my human necessities and they are a rad bunch.

Thanks for a fabulous evening friends!!

I felt celebrated and special and a little bit old.

I am ready to rock 30's socks. Or get Botoxed.

30 Eve

Allen and children thought it would be hilarious to throw me a last-day-in-your-twenties/last-day-of-all-that-was-good-in-your-life-because-when-you-turn-30-your-life-sucks party.

Complete with a poster and pie.

I am quite pleased to be the wise age of 30. The mister, on the hand, is completely depressed.

Trimming the Tree

After naps Sunday, it was time to bust out the decorations. I will probably never win the white light war. Or maybe someday I will determine the right bribe prior to the tree trimming.

Regardless, it is smelling and shining like Christmas around here.

Kicking Off Christmas

There was no BYU football game today, so I decided to catch the Christmas spirit instead. And happily, it was contagious. Sort of like that 18 week long cold we are all enjoying.

We filled our day with Christmas trees, hot cocoa, and a festival of lights (at Turtleback Zoo).

The temperature was as pleasant as the Christmas carols playing in the background.

The dad forced a pitstop at the tropical fish building. Buzz kill.

Staring in at the stable animals (or maybe it was a barn full of stinky animals and I elected to only photograph the ones that seemed nativityish in an effort to maintain my festiveness).

I am so charmed by the magic of Christmas. The kids' eyes are already twinkling.
 

Happy Thankful Day!!

My most crushed on holiday of the year. Oh how I adore Thanksgiving. And this year didn't disappoint.

My depiction of the event, however...a different story. But who has time to take pictures when gluttony is on the menu?

We went to a family in the ward for dinner, joined by two additional families. They kept us cracking up for 5 hours. Serious. Pure. Entertainment.

The food was fabulous as well. And warm. Which, honestly, is a bonus.

My children even behaved.

Mostly.

Best. Holiday. Of the Year.

The obligatory licking of the plate.

I seriously have a dog for a child. No joke.

Speaking of bonus...more Tessa. And me. With my bangs. Because my extra-large features on my tiny head didn't smoosh my face enough.

Happy Thanksgiving.

We really are just a bunch of lucky ducks, aren't we??

One Year Older and Wiser, Too

Mr. Dreamboat had another birthday. Making that 33 years of existence on this beautiful green earth.

I feel lucky he was born. Because I was born to love him.

And he is one loved dude.

Rightfully so.

Happy Birthday Husband!!!

A Perfect Ten

Yesterday marked ten years since kneeling across the altar, hand-in-hand, with the boy I picked to be mine for eternity.

To celebrate, I took the train into the city to meet up with The Mister. We ate a scrumptious dinner at Todd English's Ca Va then sat mesmerized as we watched Wicked (super shameful that it took us five years to get to the Gershwin).

Even in the pouring rain, the night couldn't be marred. It was perfect. Sort of like that boy I married ten years ago.

Halloween Happenings

Due to the havoc happening outdoors, Halloween was postponed, then cancelled, and now rescheduled for a specific hour on a specific street??? Doesn't matter. We have sufficiently celebrated this ridiculous holiday and I am calling a halt to all further Halloween hooplah. On November 3rd. Dumb.

Exactly one week prior to Snowmageddon, we had the ward trunk-or-treat. It was fun and festive.

Ryder won for scariest costume and Tessa won for prettiest princess.

Linley was a good sport. Even with her forced bottom-teeth-on-top-of-front-teeth-make-mommy-cringe smile.

Today I took the kids out for their final foray into trick-or-treating at the Turtle Back Zoo.

She's an icy cold-hearted angry princess. Obviously.

They acquired a gut-rottingly amount of candy.

And rode on the spooky train.

Tomorrow will be day 5 of no school. It will also be day 5 of a lot of other things. But I'll keep those to myself. Because I am trying extra hard to be pleasant.

The Apocalypse

There is something hugely wrong with these photos.

Pumpkins+Snow=Hell.

Because that means it is still Fall. And Fall means that there are still leaves on trees. And leaves are capable of causing utter destruction.

Remember this kids. It will help you throughout life.

Saturday morning we looked out the window to see snow. It was unsightly.

I layered up Ryder and Linley in their costumes and took them downtown to trick-or-treat. Within 40 minutes we were soaked, frozen, and and content with our candy quantity. We hurried home to thaw.

We lost power at 3pm. In an exercise of intelligence, we hurried over to the mall to stay warm, then excitedly sat down at the Cheesecake Factory to fill our tummies. Five minutes later the electricity went out there as well, and we were all asked to leave. And so, we returned. To our dark, cold home.

We ate macaroni and cheese by candlelight that night. Because romance is never lost on us.

We awoke the next morning to a 55 degree home. We bundled up and sipped hot cocoa. But to no avail. Our toes would not warm.

We escaped to a friends house that had lost power Sunday morning, and thus, had an elevated level of warmth within their walls. They fed us, entertained us, and kept us sane. Which, in case you are curious, is the best kind of friends to have.

Allen then drove down to Trenton to purchase the last generator to be found within a 2 hour radius. I have true genuine love for that machine.

We barricaded off the downstairs, hooked up the space heaters, and settled in for the next three days. We ate lots of candy, played lots of rock band (totally imperative use of the generator), and desperately searched for patience.

Luckily our hot water heater was still operating normally. The scalding showers were the highlight of every day.

Getting around required dodging and detours, but we did our best to escape to electricity daily. We sought out anywhere that would fill our bellies, expel our energy, and heat our hands; a change of scene was most necessary after crowded hours cuddled close.

After 75 hours of hunkering down, heat and happiness was restored to the Zimmerman household. It was a feeling of inexplicable joy. Akin to birthing a baby, or marrying the boy of dreams.

We are going on day 3 of no school. And tomorrow has been cancelled as well. Halloween was postponed until Friday.

Life seems to be stuck on pause, and each one of us is begging to just fast forward.

It is impossible to adequately capture the shockingly widespread destruction.
This was the largest limb that fell on our property. Luckily it's only victim was a shingle.

The snow was gone after a few days. The damage will take weeks to repair. And I may never recover. At the very least, I will never spend a night outdoors.

I have learned one important lesson from this: natural disasters are best served in the summer.

Stepping aside from the trauma out my window, November remains my favorite month of the year. The month of gratitude. And we are fully breathing it in.