time and space

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Welcoming...Winter Wonderland!

WHEN: Winter 2010-2011
WHERE: a frosted winter wonderland near you!

As I promised, I would not let myself (at least my blog) embrace winter until at least Thanksgiving this year. Well, it's Thanksgiving and it's hard not to embrace winter and the Christmas season at this point. From Christmas tree lots, to Christmas music stations, to snowstorms, to holiday traditions, foods, and decorations...winter is all around!

Stace and I woke up at 9 this morning, just in time for the 84th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in NYC. Stacie laid in bed watching the parade for two hours while I've been designing my Seasons page for winter. We've been tag-teaming the kitchen prep all afternoon and the house is filled with Thanksgiving aromas. I've helped with each dish we're making today and it's made me appreciate all the work involved (thank you mom and mother-in-law, for your selfless and delicious cooking). We're sticking to our favorites: turkey (11lbs.), mashed potatoes (5lbs.), stuffing, and rolls. With only two of us eating, we don't need a lot of food and we get to choose exactly what we make (and don't make). Even still, with just two people and a couple dishes, it's been a little stressful at times (and plenty hot). With the heat outside and the heat in the kitchen, we've seriously been considering turning on the A/C! Nobody's cut or burned themselves (yet) so we're still healthy :)

Watching the 84th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade this morning

The beautiful chef!

Waiting... :)

We'll probably watch some football while we digest, set up Christmas decorations after we eat, and top it all off with some pumpkin pie and Disney's A Christmas Carol tonight - my new favorite Christmas movie since we saw it in (3D) theaters last November. Tomorrow we plan on going out to hopefully find a sale or two as well as pick up our Christmas tree. With only a few weeks before we head home for Christmas, we have a limited amount of time to enjoy our tree and decorations at our house.

Yet somehow with all these festivities and scenes of Christmas, we're still struggling to embrace the weather here. It's been in the upper 70's this week and we're at 80° already today and it's even humid outside. It was already 73° at ten this morning. I'm not going to complain about t-shirt weather during the winter but I find it hard to completely enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas movies in tank tops and flip flops.

Temps at 2:45 today

To help get me in a little colder mood, I have "decorated" my Seasons page for the winter season. It was harder to find pictures of winter that I've taken, since we've spent the past three winters where there is no snow and while we lived in Iowa I was still developing my interest in photography. Most of the winter pictures I've added are from our trips home for Christmas the past three years. Gathering and readying these pictures have only made me more impatient for Christmas vacation and going home.

I am thankful for our wonderful families and that we get to see them at Christmas. I know we are blessed for that and that many families are broken and/or cannot spend the holidays together. Although Stace and I are alone this Thanksgiving, we have a roof over our heads, food on our plates, good health, each other, loving families, and most importantly, eternal salvation through Christ Jesus. Our needs, earthly and eternal, are well taken care of and we are selfish to think we are without "x". We have so much to be thankful for everyday.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Cedar Falls, Iowa

February 24, 2007

Minnesota-Iowa border

December 31, 2007

Eden Prairie, Minnesota

January 1, 2008

Albert Lea, Minnesota

December 20, 2009

Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina

December 16, 2007

Northwest Iowa

December 28, 2009

Cedar Falls, Iowa

December 1, 2005

Shakopee, Minnesota

December 28, 2009

Cedar Falls, Iowa

February 24, 2007

Oregon Inlet, North Carolina

December 16, 2007

Mason City, Iowa

December 31, 2007

Minneapolis, Minnesota

January 1, 2008

Norfolk, Virginia

November 21, 2009

Bloomington, Minnesota

January 1, 2008

Northwest Iowa

December 28, 2009

Sunday, November 21, 2010

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...Fall?

WHEN: November 20, 2010
WHERE: Dorchester County, SC

Yep, it has finally started looking like fall around here this past week. The previous two weekends dropped into the 30's overnight and helped change the colors of the leaves on the trees. When we moved to Charleston, which has a noticeably different climate than where we lived in Virginia or North Carolina, we wondered what kind of fall colors (if any) we'd see here. Once November hit and the leaves were still green, we had generally given up on having much of a "fall experience". Now fall has unmistakably arrived and we ventured out to soak it up yesterday in nearby Summerville.

Perhaps what's mistimed is the Christmas mood we have been in this past week. Our minds had skipped fall and went straight to winter. We went out shopping last Friday night and were surprised at the sheer volume of Christmas decor and merchandise in the stores. Since it was a cold night and our first exposure to the "Christmas season" this year, we were easily sucked in. We didn't buy anything that night but we were all talk that night about plans for Thanksgiving and setting up Christmas decor in our house and have been in that mindset since.

Compounding that spirit, we also watched last weekend as Minnesota was being buried in its first snowstorm of the year. The first snowfall is always exciting, especially where snow is rare. I like to live vicariously through other locales that are being inundated with snow (especially when it's before Christmas). Of course Stace and I miss the snow but we absolutely do not miss the 6 months of winter, hazardous driving, 5 layers of clothes, and chapped lips that accompany it. We go home for one week at Christmas, get our fill of snow and cold, and we're back to and content with our mild winters.

And the fact that the snow storm last weekend was in the Twin Cities was especially exciting. Stacie's sister and several relatives live in the Twin Cities, which received over 10" of snow. We usually fly in to the Twin Cities at Christmas, as we are this year. We also spent a few Christmas vacations in the Twin Cities with Stacie's family when we were dating and still lived in Iowa. The Twin Cities (and their weather) have become a part of our Christmas memories and hold a special place in our hearts for that reason. Although we are far away, watching the snow fall in Minnesota somehow feels like we're part of it and we look forward to seeing snow drifts, white fields, snow-laden pine trees, and blizzards when we come home in 5 weeks.

Since last weekend's snow storm, I have been monitoring that snow almost on an hourly basis. I have the Minnesota DOT webcams for the Twin Cities and interactive snow maps at the ready, observing the snow cover every day. The colder it is and the deeper the snow there, the better in my opinion. I want sub-zero temps and 3 feet of the snow on the ground when we come home at Christmas (and every Christmas). And it looks like the Twin Cities off to a good start, with more snow and some single-digit temps in the forecast. Oh, goody! :) Sorry, Minnesota. Your "loss" is my gain!

Here in Charleston it's just about the opposite. Not only has fall just begun but our Thanksgiving forecast is full of sunshine and temps are flirting with 80° all week. It does make it hard to believe December is right around the corner and we feel a little out of place. But as long as we get that white, frigid week at home over Christmas, then by all means bring on these warm, sunny days. That makes it bearable, when we will likely never have a first snowfall this winter. Yesterday we took advantage of the colors, put on some fall outfits, and headed out for pictures. Our sweaters were much too warm but it was cloudy, which made it more comfortable. We did miss the peak of the fall colors, which hit around mid-week, and half of the tree species here stay green year-around. So, our fall shots seemed a little misplaced but it was still fun to get out and enjoy the smells and sights of fall; late or not.

One is hard-pressed to find a tree in Charleston that isn't enveloped in Spanish moss, which only makes the trees (whether green or colorful) more dramatic and beautiful.

We spent a lot of time just driving through the historic and quaint neighborhoods in Summerville. Every home, with expansive southern porches, blankets of leaves in the yard, and dense tree canopies, was beautiful to see. I only managed to snap a few shots, amongst onlooking residents working or playing in their yards, but we drove through neighborhood after neighborhood, wanting to take pictures of and go in almost every house.

For only the second time this season, our Iowa Hawkeyes were on TV here; which means we get to watch it on TV instead of low-quality internet sites, or even worse, online radio. Stacie was on the road and in Minnesota the first time the Hawks were on TV here last month, so yesterday was her first time being able to get comfortable on her couch and watch a (frustrating) game. Sadly, it was not a game to remember.

Stacie has now set her sights on the Thanksgiving meal she is planning. It is the first time we have spent Thanksgiving together, alone, and the first time she has been in charge of the meal. She loves to cook, she's great at it, and I am a simple guy (I had a $1 Totino's pizza by myself the first Thanksgiving we were married, when Stace was home in Iowa without me). Only improvements can happen from there!

Jesse's POW (November 21, 2010)

WHEN: November 20, 2010
WHERE: Simmons Ave., Summerville, SC

See where this picture was taken, here!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Back in Charleston

WHEN: November 18, 2007
WHERE: Charleston, SC

Three years ago tonight I was rolling into Charleston; the first time I had ever been here. I had spent the past two days doing "beach research" (as my mother-in-law would say :) at Carolina Beach in North Carolina with a couple of my professors and a fellow grad student. We drove the rest of the way down to Charleston for the annual SEDAAG conference. For a $35 admission fee, we spent three days at one of the nicest hotels in downtown Charleston, The Francis Marion Hotel,with transportation and meals provided.

The Francis Marion Hotel in downtown Charleston

Stacie & I had heard from our friends and coworkers in North Carolina that they all loved Charleston. I had high hopes for this place. After that trip, I came away less than impressed with the city. The most prominent reason was that some of the areas surrounding downtown were not what you'd call "quaint" or "homey". I really enjoyed downtown Charleston and that was all I saw of the city during the three days I was there. We only went as far as our feet would take us in between conference sessions or out for dinner.

I came back with a poor report card for the city that I shared with Stace and those that asked what I thought of it. Stacie's opinion was not swayed and when our friends Emily & Keith came to stay with us in April 2009, Stace had planned a 3-day getaway to Charleston for us. I was not as excited as she was but I was willing. I'm glad I returned because my second experience was completely different. I was with my wife, we were with our friends, we had transportation, and we saw many other parts of the city. We all fell under the spell of Charleston's charm and have loved the city since.

First, God took us to Virginia Beach on a vacation whim in July 2008, when we had never been there before (subsequently to move there 14 months later). Then He led us to Charleston in April 2009 for another vacation, never having been there together (and then we moved here 18 months later). You better believe I'm paying attention to where we visit for the first time while we are in Charleston because if God keeps this plan going in our lives (though I know He is anything but linear and predictable), that's where we'll end up next!

The view of Charleston from our room in the morning and afternoon (looking east)

And looking south

Some man getting in touch with his "inner self" apparently.

Looking down King St. from the hotel's 2nd floor balcony.

I don't really have a point to this post, other than counteracting my absence the past couple weeks. I figured today's anniversary was a mediocre excuse to write a "catch-up" post about. And on another anniversary note, 9 years ago today I had my first and only first kiss. What can I say, November 18 has a romantic and symbolic place on our nostalgic calendars. (Don't worry, I got Stacie's permission to broadcast our kissing history to the world) :)

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Jesse's POW (November 14, 2010)

WHEN: November 11, 2010
WHERE: Azalea Park, Summerville, SC

See where this picture was taken, here!

Sunday, November 7, 2010

From Crunching Leaves to Crunching Flakes

WHEN: Winter 2010
WHERE: United States of America

I am perturbed to say that winter appears to have been taking a foothold on the country recently and even in South Carolina this week. After a warm October here, November has started out on a very bad (cold) note. The average high the past six days was 62° and yesterday's high of 59° was the first time the high has not reached 60° in Charleston since March 5.

I had the air on in our condo all last week. Yesterday it was snowing in the mountains of North Carolina. Where did the gentle transition formerly known as "fall" go?

I suppose the only saving grace is next week's forecast, expected to be in the mid-70's. I know it's November, Halloween's passed, and the days are getting shorter, but I cannot bring myself to accept winter when I've only recently come to accept fall.

Nevertheless, I am aware of the calendar and that several states have already dealt with at least one snow storm this season. While I am not ready to bail on fall, I am preparing my blog for winter. I have added a few "winter links" (below) on my Seasons page in anticipation of the winter months ahead. By no means am I committing to winter and will not turn the Seasons page in to a winter landscape just yet. I have to at least get to Thanksgiving before I can start thinking about winter!

US Snow Cover

US Snow Cover (Interactive Map)

US Snowfall Forecast

US Wind Chills

US Frost Dates (2009-2010)

Amidst a very cold day here (57°), I managed to get Stace to go on a walk with me before the sun got too low this afternoon. Her conditions: 1) wear one of my scarves, and 2) sport as much Hawkeyes gear as possible. Deal. Isn't she just adorable?