Snow, Sleet, Freezing Rain, Rain, Snow...

This was pretty much the weather pattern the entire time we were in Illinois...plus obviously, it was COLD!!! Last December, we had great weather with none of the above, but this year was a completely different story. I guess we couldn't luck out two years in a row.

Not driving much in over a year combined with the bad weather was not a good thing for us. We slid off of our parents' ice covered driveway into the ditch. S wasn't happy because he had to cancel a whole day of meetings. Of course, this had to happen on the day that my dad and brother were gone out of town working. Luckily, our neighbors came by, and we were able to push our vehicle out of the ditch. One other time, we were backing out of the garage and hit our parents' truck. This wasn't really weather related except for the fact that we were looking for the piles of snow and other obstacles that are always around my parents' house. No damage to the truck, but our Envoy needs a new bumper. Let's see, I also filled the car up with gas and drove about 30 miles with the gas cap off. Oh well, at least we didn't go off and not pay for our gas this time...that happened to us in May when we were back in Illinois. All of our car incidents were minor, but given the number we had in the few days we were back, I hope that when we do eventually move back to the U.S. (and have to start driving again) that it isn't in the middle of winter!

So, here are some winter related photos from our trip:

My brother plowing the driveway out. Does the truck have any tires???

The dogs like to play king of the snow pile. Before it started to melt, the snow pile was so high that they could barely make it to the top.

My brother's chocolate Lab, Riley, and my yellow Lab, Libby, actually sat still in the snow for about 2 seconds in order for me to snap this photo. They love playing in the snow!

S's first time on a snowmobile! Don't ask me how he grew up in central Illinois and has never been on a snowmobile before...he's such a city boy!

So, what do you do when you are snowed and iced in out in the middle of nowhere in central Illinois? Strip off wallpaper! My mom wanted the wallpaper off of her kitchen walls. Didn't have to say that twice as S hates wallpaper, so off it came. It actually wasn't too bad off a job with three of us working on it (plus our helper...our cat, Tobie). Tip for those of you who have never stripped wallpaper before...liquid fabric softener mixed with water. Just spritz it on the glued paper backing of the wallpaper, and it scrapes right off.

Anyway, the weather here in Chennai has been much better than the weather in Illinois. It has been getting into the low 80s every day, and even with the humidity making it feel like it is in the 90s, it is actually tolerable outside. Now, if it would only stay like this the rest of the year, I may never want to leave! I don't think we'll be so lucky, but one can only hope.