OK, so it's been a while since my last post. I actually forgot about my blog, and my sister emailed me and asked if I was ever going to post again. So here it is. I'm still working a TON of overtime, but that will change with the new year. We're still not hiring a nurse, but I have discovered that I am a very unhappy person when I work so much. So one of my New Year's resolutions is to cut back my overtime. I'm pretty excited about it, actually. I was blessed to have a lot of time off over Christmas and New Years, and I was able to rediscover my hobbies. So I'm going to try to keep up on them. I was released as the 2nd counselor in the Young Women's in my ward, and called to be 1st counselor. I was sooooooooo excited since a couple of my Beehives were turning 14 in the next couple months. So now I get to work with them again. One of them is very excited, and the other one keeps going "Oh, no!" I told them that some day they will have their own Young Women to torture, and I expected them to do a good job. They said they're learning from the best. I don't think they could have paid me a better compliment, to tell the truth. The weather up here has been painfully cold. It has been minus 20 for over a week now. We had a beautiful snow storm on Christmas, and 2 days later the temperature DROPPED!!!! I'm posting some pictures so you can see what it looks like up here at minus 20. The snow does NOT crunch under your feet, it squeaks and sound like nails on a chalkboard. So, as if the cold isn't enough to give you goosebumps, the squeaking snow will do it. The icicles on my house have a ton of frost on them, and there are people in my ward that can't get their cars started. Their gas lines are frozen, and their cars need to thaw. My car is the best car EVER and hasn't given me that kind of problem. It may complain about starting after work every day, but it does start. I keep my car plugged in at night. I bought a block heater a couple of years ago to keep the engine block warm. It's been a lifesaver! Or a car saver as the case may be :). Thankfully, though, it's supposed to warm up over the course of the week. It already has, actually. As I was taking my garbage out I noticed that it felt warmer that this morning. So I looked at the thermometer in my carport, and it said minus 10 instead of minus 20. It's amazing how much warmer 10 degrees feels!!!! Christmas was fabulous, although I miss my family a lot. I found out my oldest brother is moving to Kansas. Sometimes I think I should move back to the "Lower 48" so that I can see my family easier. But I love it up here, and I still feel like this is where I'm supposed to be right now. However, sometimes I feel like I will be moving back some day. Who knows? Weirder things have happened! Until then, I'm trying my hardest to stay warm! March 2009 marks 11 years living in Alaska. Sometimes it seems like the time has flown by, and it can't have been that long. Other times it feels like a lifetime. My mom gets to come up for 3 weeks this summer, and I'm soooooooo excited! I LOVE it when people come see me. It allows me to see Alaska, too. I'm usually so busy working and working on my house that I don't take time to travel around this beautiful state. I love planning my visitors' trip so I can do a lot of fun things, too. I'm looking forward to this summer. I'm really hoping for better weather than last year! I feel like I need to thaw! Well, that brings me up to date, I believe. Work is busy...still, but what can I do? My calling still keeps me busy, but that's a good thing! I've really grown to love the Young Women in my ward. They are an amazing bunch. If we can just get above zero, life will almost be perfect!