With the snow softly falling outside it seems a nice time to be inside. Today is February 2, 2008, and we have at least six inches of snow. It's been falling since early this morning and although Rick used the snow blower to clear the driveway before he left to go out of town, it's as if it never happened. The flakes are massive and I can now see neighbors out with their equipment trying to dig out before church. It's supposed to continue through the day so tomorrow's commute will be a challenge.

There have been some highs and some lows here at home since Rick and I made our trip to Germany. It was hard to get back into the groove of things once we arrived home. It was so much fun to be able to have such a casual schedule and just enjoy each other while in Germany. Being with Cory, Tricia, and Jeffrey was the best way to spend the holiday. Of all the things that we saw I was most impressed by Rotenburg, a community that still has a medieval wall surrounding it, about two hours away from Grafenwoher. Cory and I had the opportunity to walk around a portion of it in the still of a dark, cold night and it was stunning. I am so glad we had the chance to travel overseas. It was an experience I will long remember.

Upon our arrival home we found Rick's mother to have moved from an active 89 year old who was driving herself to the store to someone who wasn't recognizing day from night. She had taken a fall in the night that had left her quite battered and bruised and unable to function. Because of her fragile condition as a family we determined the best thing, beyond us going by on a daily basis for an hour or so, was to see if we could get her into a facility that could be available for her every need all the time. We found a lovely assisted living home in Alpine named River Meadows.

She was using a walker to get around her own home but in the last week or so we have had to provide her with a wheelchair. The steady decline is disheartening but we are doing our best to make her comfortable. Rick and I stop by as often as we can and she's always delighted to have company. In fact, for Rick's birthday as a family we had dinner at River Meadows with mom so we could all be together.

Last Saturday my cousin Judie (Grandpa Ira's sister is her mom) had a tragedy in her family. Her daughter Amy, who has ridden a roller coaster of highs and lows, took her own life. She leaves a husband and two young sons. My hope is that her young family can pull together and keep moving forward. There could be so much to tell, but it's not my story. I just know there has been great sadness, a lot of guilt, and an unwillingness to accept responsibility for the present by constantly looking at the past. Although we don't know what goes on the in mind of someone in that state, sadly suicide is something our family is familiar with.

I am glad to report that this past week someone has filled the position of "Payroll" at work. That means that instead of playing two major roles, Accounts Payable and Payroll, I can now concentrate on one. As the staff has increased from 50 people to 135 the job of tracking everything you need to in payroll became difficult and at the same time I have been trying to handle an increased work load in accounts payable. Relief! I am excited because Brandy seems to be willing to tackle the job and she is doing well. I will try and pass on as much information as I can to make the transition smooth. My work area was divided so we could accommodate two cubicles so we are pretty close together but I don't sense that will be a problem.

Because this will ease the workload I may now be able to focus (literally) on other things. I have been running so hard at work that when I get home I just want dinner and bed. Yeah for change.

Well, I guess I better shovel the sidewalk.