Hot Air Balloon Festival

Ever since my first October in Lubbock, four years ago, I have wanted to go to the Hot Air Balloon festival in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Each year something came up that we never went. Since we'll be leaving Lubbock in May I knew this was my last chance to go. Paul was in Dallas, so my buddy Kristina and her two kids joined us.

When we arrived, it was raining and super cold, so the balloon events were cancelled. So we went to the mall to hang out. At the Disney Store, Anna found her niche...this girl loves Minnie Mouse.

The next morning we woke up around 5:00, drove to a park and ride location and took a bus to the balloon launch site. This is when the trip took a bad turn. It was ridiculously cold outside...about 37 degrees. And I, when packing in Lubbock, didn't think about how we would be outside in the morning BEFORE the sun came up. I only looked at the high for the day and didn't plan for the low. So my girls had on two long sleeve shirts and an Old Navy sweatshirt...no hats, no gloves, no coat. They were freezing. To add to that, the balloons were supposed to launch at 7:00...then we would have only had to endure the cold for an hour or so before they were done. But, due to some wind at higher altitudes, the launch was postponed til 9:00. By that point my kids were done. We sat snuggling around a gas heater while they just cried and whimpered about being so cold. I felt like a horrible mother.

Can you tell that Anna is freezing? 

 Eventually 9:00 rolled around. We were still cold but at least there was something to look at. In the distance you can see the first balloon launching.

 This cow was an obvious favorite.

 Hattie eventually started to enjoy herself.

 Anna started having fun when we passed out suckers.

 Despite the cold, we had a good time.

 And the kids favorite part was riding the bus...notice Anna is still working on her sucker.

 We went back to our hotel, exhausted, ate lunch and forced our kids to take a nap. Then they lounged in front of the TV for a while.

There was also an evening event, where they blow up all the balloons and they glow in the dark, followed by a fireworks show. Considering our morning experience, we weren't too keen on dragging our kids all the way back to the launch site in the cold weather. So, we parked close by, got a pizza, and had a picnic. That way we could see the balloons and watch the fireworks from the comfort (and warmth) of the van.

All in all, a good trip, but next time I promise to be more prepared!

Random Lubbock Weather

Lubbock's weather is remarkably sporadic. Last Monday we went to the park...in shorts.
Then this morning, we woke up to the first snow. Hardly anything, I know, but the girls were anxious to go play.

Of course we have no real snow clothes, so they are bundled up in multiple layers of pants, socks, and shirts. Poor little Anna struggled to walk with so much on! And of course the snow is gone now. Maybe we'll hit the park again tomorrow - you never know!

Snow

Last Tuesday we got snow! This is probably the 4th or 5th time we've had snow this year. Of course it was gone by the end of the day - typical for Lubbock. So we knew we had to take advantage of it while it was there. Hattie's friend Juliet came over and they had a party out there. Sadly, neither of them have very good snow clothes since snow isn't super common here, but they certainly didn't care about their freezing feet and bums.

Hattie would have stayed out there all day if I would have let her. For the rest of the day, whenever she saw the snow she would shout, "It's snowing!"

A moment to vent

Here in Lubbock we get an occasional snowstorm. Typically, it snows an inch or two and by the end of the day it has melted away. Apparently during Christmas while we were in Oregon, they got about 7 inches, the most they had received in about 12 years. Because Lubbockites aren't used to snow, when it does snow, even just a few inches, it's like the world stops. Schools close, kids are sent home, worship services are canceled. For one thing, they don't have much snow removal equipment, so if the snow happens to stay overnight, the next day the roads are horrible. But since it is so ridiculously flat here, it's not like you are driving up and down any dangerous hills. It's just a little icy.

Today I am particularly frustrated because Paul was supposed to have a test this morning. But because of the snow, the Health Sciences Center is closed. There's maybe an inch and a half of snow out there! Now the test will be Monday, so instead of having a nice, relaxing, stress-free weekend, Paul will still be studying all day today and tomorrow. Lame. Paul was already at school this morning when they decided to cancel it, so it's not like the roads are so horrible that our little Mazda couldn't make it (especially considering the number of trucks and SUVs in Texas).

Now I know that icy roads are plenty dangerous, but it's just so extreme! I think I remember having 2 snow days in my entire lifetime, and that was when we had 2+ feet outside, not 2 inches. Grrr...I'm just sad that my weekend is ruined!

Snow fun in Ontario

Here are a few pictures missing from our trip to Ontario. I misplaced my camera for a few days, so these were taken on my mom's camera.

It snowed about 7 inches on New Years Eve. Hattie absolutely LOVED the snow. She was out there for a few hours, I'd guess. We first went outside to collect the chicken eggs, hence the ice cream bucket for carrying them back. My uncle Len and I spent at least an hour shoveling the driveway before Paul ever started building his masterpiece snowman.

Hattie kept calling him Frosty

And she loved getting buried. It was a lot of fun and we were glad to have a good amount of snow, since in Lubbock we usually only get an inch or two. And of course, here's our little Anna Banana. She's such a good babe.

Rain, rain, don't go away

Just to remind you of how anxious we are to move to our house, let me give you some highlights from the week:

- the water was shut off 4 times this week...a record so far.
- a man knocked on our door at 9:00 pm in the pouring rain with only shorts and a coat on to ask for a cigarette...quite the door approach. Paul said he was drunk.
- someone stole our laundry basket, of all things.

On another note, this morning it was foggy. I love the fog. I only remember 1 or 2 foggy days in all my years in Utah, but for those of you from Ontario (or who were on Study Abroad with me in London), fog is a normal thing. I have always loved it. It makes me want to bundle up in a blanket, grab some hot chocolate, and read poetry. Weird. So now that I've had a foggy day in Lubbock, it feels even more like home. Hattie and I went on a walk in it (at 7:30 am) and it was so peaceful and quiet (probably because it WAS 7:30 am). I hope it wasn't a fluke and that it happens regularly here.

Another thing I love about Lubbock is that when it rains, it RAINS. I've never lived in the Midwest, so it's new to me to be driving down the street in a foot of water. We haven't seen the sun here in about a week, I think. They even closed school yesterday because of the rain. Gratefully, no rivers are close, so no big chance of flooding.