Please, Don't Judge.

The season of Easter came and went this year.  I hate how little time I spent focusing on it this year.  It would be easy for me to make excuses about how moving into a new house, trying to raise a new puppy, or trying to get my students to pass their state reading tests got in the way.  But I know better than to do that.  And I know that next year I must do better.

I went home to Superior for the weekend, just as I always do.  When we got home (on Good Friday), this basket was waiting for Harper on the living room floor:

It was full with toys and treats.  Harper was elated!

She must be something special, because it is against my parents' fashion to offer gifts before the actual day of the holiday.  Andrew and I had to wait until Sunday for ours.

Yes, I'm a 23-year-old, and my parents still give my brother and I Easter baskets.  Please don't judge.

Usually, we try to take a nice family photo on each holiday, but this one was a fail.

Please don't judge my family's lack of tidiness.  Harper tore up my dad's newspaper, and spread it all over the floor.  Normally, the place is spotless.

Also, please don't judge my hair.  I was very tired and didn't wake up in time to shower.  Ick.

Finally, please don't judge my brother.  He removes dress clothes as soon after church as possible, regardless of whether or not his sister would like to take a family photo.  Also, he knows how much it irks me when he chooses not to smile for a picture.  Dang it.

I gave up altogether on taking pictures before my dad even got home.  I know a lost cause when I see one.

But, after these [hideous] photographs, a lovely Easter lunch ensued, and our family was able to spend a delightful afternoon together.  And that, more than tidy houses, clean hair, and cute photos, is what really matters.

Because Olivia Says It's Been Awhile Since I've Blogged

Last night, as I was watching my team get defeated in the Holiday Bowl, my friend Olivia asked why I hadn't blogged in a while.  It's only been little more than a week, but I suppose, for most people, the last week of the year is pretty eventful, and therefore, blogworthy.  So, Olivia, here is my attempt at catching up:

The day after my kidney stones showed up was the last day of school before Winter Break.  I contemplated whether or not to just take the day off, but I ultimately decided against it.  I wanted to be there to wish my students a happy holiday, to thank them in person for the gifts they brought, and to let them know that I was OK.  Also, my co-worker Steph had the idea for all of us to bring a food to share that our family traditionally eats at Christmas.

So, although I was in a little bit of pain, I woke up early to make monkey bread.  It was the first time I made it by myself, but I'm told it turned out to be pretty good.

Although everything looked really good, I was feeling nauseous, so I didn't eat lunch that day.  Maybe next year.

On Thursday, I finished some last-minute shopping and then headed for my hometown.  My family went out for dinner at a new Mexican restaurant in town.

I would like to insert that one of my most favorite parts about going home is that I eat for free.  Food, in my opinion, always tastes better when you don't have to cook it yourself or pay somebody else to cook it for you.

For the rest of my stay at home, I basically did nothing.  I was still not feeling up-to-par, and my overly concerned mother waited on me hand and foot.  While I realize that I am an adult and completely capable of taking care of myself, it was nice to be pampered a bit.  And I think my mom secretly enjoyed it.

On Christmas Eve, I got myself out of the recliner and ready for church.  Afterwards, my mom prepared a nice steak dinner for my immediate family plus my aunt and my cousin, Chloe.  I, of course, don't eat steak, so it was chicken fingers and macaroni and cheese for me.  We opened presents with Chloe and my aunt, watched National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and went to bed.

On Christmas morning, we opened our Santa presents with my immediate family.  Among my favorite gifts of the day were:

An electric mattress pad

A heated throw blanket

a stand-up mixer

and a new camera.

Santa was good to me this year, as he always is.

As much as I love getting presents, I enjoy giving them much more.  This year, I gave my mom an iPod nano, an iHome, and an iTunes gift card, which she loved.  My mom isn't exactly technologically proficient, so it took some time to get her to figure out how to use everything.  I got my dad one of those bracelets that claims to make your body more balanced (he wanted one), a framed picture of Memorial Stadium, and earwarmers.  I got my brother a bunch of clothes that he wanted.  I spent way too much, as usual, but I really like gift-giving.

We then went to my grandma's house to have Christmas with my mom's side of the family.  We ate a big lunch and then opened presents.  My grandma has a cat, which I am allergic to, and the medicine I took was not non-drowsy.  So, after opening presents, I laid down in the recliner and fell asleep for a few hours.  When I got back to my house, I slept for several more.

This soon became the theme of my break.  All I did for the remainder of my time at home was sleep, play solitaire, nap, eat, and watch football.  And it was kind of nice.

On Wednesday, with speculations of a snow storm to come, I headed back to Lincoln.  It took me the rest of the day to get caught up on my recorded television shows take down my Christmas decorations and put away all of my new things.

On Thursday, I drug myself out of bed so that I could go to school and get some work done.  When I left for work, it was 60 degrees outside, which is unheard of for this time of year in Nebraska.  When I left school three hours later, it was  30 degrees, and we were in a winter storm warning.

When I got home, I made these:

This picture and this recipe came from this blog, which I adore almost as much as I adore these cupcakes.  I have taken them to work a few times, and they went over famously.  My co-worker, Steph, even called them "life-changing."  So, I thought I'd make them to take to Ashley and Jeremy's house while we watched the game.

The game during which Olivia told me that I needed to blog.

So, Olivia (and the rest of blogworld), that is what I have been up to as of late.

A Much-Needed Perspective

Yesterday was Father's Day, and today is my parents' 30th wedding anniversary.  These events happen near the same time every year, and we typically do a joint celebration.  This year, my parents and brother came to Lincoln to have lunch and spend some time together.

Mom and Dad stayed later than they normally do, heading home at around 5:30.  I was watching the weather and watching the clock, waiting for them to call and tell me they had arrived safely.  Superior was covered in red on the radar on the weather channel.  The television told me that Superior was in a tornado warning and that people needed to seek shelter in their basement.

My parents weren't yet home, but were driving straight toward the storm.  When I called, they were a few miles north of town and were speeding (literally) to get home.  Then, the sirens started going off.  My mom said she would call when they were safe.

Thankfully, the call came a few minutes later.  They were in the basement, but from what they had seen, things weren't good.  Cell phone lines weren't working, so we had to communicate via land line.

Here's a video of what was happening during the storm:



My mom was called for an emergency City Council meeting last night, where they met with the Emergency Management Team and made a game plan.  She along with the city electric crew worked into the night and returned to work early this morning.

It was confirmed this morning that the tornado was an F2 and had wind speeds reaching 120 miles per hour.  Here are some pictures courtesy of my friend Whitney at Whitney Huynh Photography.

This is in our City Park.  A tree fell on top of the band shell.

Many cars were damaged.

MANY trees fell down.

Some were uprooted.

Train cars were removed from the tracks.

Many roads are now blocked by trees.

Lots of roofs were damaged.

And yards are covered in debris.

Power lines were damaged... many are still without power.

This shed was completely turned upside down.

Here are some more pictures from my friend Brooke at Hi-Light Studios Photography:

More trees...

Destroyed swingset

 My friend Brady's house

 Then there is the flooding issue.

This last one is from my friend Houston:

This was her caption:  "the entire church sign was shattered...but the one thing left in tact was the cross on top."
 
That speaks volumes of truth.

When I talked to my mom over the lunch hour, she said that their plan is going well.  The American Red Cross has arrived and are serving lunch to the people who are working to clean up the town.  Only 25% of people are without power, and it is expected to return by the end of today.

We are so very fortunate that the only damage was structural... as far as we know, nobody was hurt in the storm.  In times like this I am reminded to count my blessings and be grateful for what I have, especially after being reminded that so much can quickly be taken away.

Thanks to everyone back home who is working hard to get things cleaned up and back to normal!