Back into the swing of things

It's business as usual at the Bradshaw house again. We've taken down our Christmas decorations and reorganized our closets to find space for the extra Christmas things we ended up with this season. The snow is finally melting: temperatures surpassed freezing for the first time this year two days after our last post.

the Shaklee house

We realized the other day that it has been two full years since we began dating! We both fondly recall those early days in our relationship, and we are glad to be where we are today! Being married suits us well. We both agree that it is simply wonderful to share dreams and goals together, and to come home to each other every night.

Early in our dating days, 2009

In non-mushy news, last Thursday we had the pleasure of attending a special forum at BYU where former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice addressed students, faculty, and community members. She spoke to a full house: the Marriott Center was more or less full from top to bottom. She talked about playing piano, being raised in a household that prized education, and finding passion for her major as a college student.

View 1, about 10 minutes before the forum began

View 2, Condoleezza Rice enters Marriott Center

View 3, that's Condi herself to the left of the podium, turning to sit on the stand (no pun intended)

Condoleezza Rice's personality and carriage were impressive; we were seated where we could even see she was not using the teleprompter! Additionally, I was impressed by much of what she had to say. Ms. Rice defended Democracy and many of the deeply held values that have made our nation what it is today. If she is truly what she presented herself to be in that forum, she has my respect. Condi Rice has it all - well - almost. I am truly shocked that she is not married. Interestingly, check out this video that came out today, broaching that very subject:

Last weekend, we made some yummy sugar cookies using my new cookie cutters. We decorated them and took some to our Sunday School class and a few other friends in the ward.

Can you find the 9 shapes we used in our cookies below?

We got creative with our decorating...

This week has been a pretty good one. The warmer weather (although not really warm, mind you) has lifted my spirits. I've been working on my resolutions and school has been alright so far. Other people are feeling it too, apparently, as evidenced by the man who burst out in singing Mr. Rogers' "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood" from his porch yesterday morning (while his friend literally skipped off down the street, smoking his cigarette, to buy a donut for him) as we walked past on our way to school (no joke).

Here's wishing our readers a happy week, too!

oxox

In the Dead of Winter

Sadly, the break is over. We got a fair amount of snow upon our return, followed by clear yet chilly weather for the past week. The ice on the ground is dangerously thick and cannot melt because it hasn't reached freezing this year. On New Year's Day, the low was 2°F. Thomas claims this is grounds for keeping up the Christmas decorations...

On New Year's Eve Lisa received some Peruvian lilies, which are at last blooming.

On the eve of New Year's Eve, we were joined by some friends. We watched Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events and ate popcorn and crêpes and sipped hot chocolate.

The next day, we headed north, as Thomas' brother and his family were in town. We spent time relaxing and eating. We hadn't seen them since we were on the other side of the continent for Thanksgiving, and they continue to grow (the kids, that is) rapidly.

We are still teaching Sunday School, tho' we inherited some youth and graduated a few others.

On Tuesday, classes began anew. Too early to tell if we like them, we'll withhold judgment thus far.

Slowdowns...

Apologies for any slowness in accessing any of our blogs/sites. Our server is in the process of moving to a new home (literally, the home was completed last month). Content hosted on Blogger will still be available but some other links and content may be slow or broken for the next day or two. Thanks for your support and we hope your new year has begun splendidly!

P.S. We'll also probably post sometime in the next few days...