Suck it, winter

So there. I've been wanting to say it all day after the morning we had, but I've been trying to be positive. I'll continue that effort, but I'm going to say it again. Suck it, winter.

We had a typical morning, but for some snow/ice/sleet stuff. Roads were wet and there were the typical warnings about overpasses. I dropped the girls off and headed toward Lawrence. I was taking it easy and not being aggressive; I wasn't in a hurry or pushing it.

One second the road was wet, the next there was an overpass full with a few inches of snow/ice/slush. I made it over that one, eased off the gas and saw the same thing on the next overpass. As soon as I hit the overpass I started into a skid. I slid, spun, went around and ended up sliding down an embankment. I was prepping for the vehicle to roll when I hit some kind of metal pole on the driver's side and stopped. Tilted. With the front right tire off the ground.

And as I was waiting for my trusty hero, Brian, I watched another vehicle start the spin, hit a snow plow and end up barely managing to stay on the shoulder and not sliding down the embankment.

So now my car remains precariously perched, waiting for Bri and help to return to it later tonight to try to haul it out and assess the damage.

1. I'm fine.
2. The girls weren't with me.
3. I'm fine.
4. The girls weren't with me.

Repeat with me.  

Oh, and tell winter to suck it.

A unicyle and nostalgia

I now work where I went to college - and daily I'm reminded about what a lovely, wonderful experience I had x number of years ago. It's more years than I'd care to mention and that just kind of sneaked up on me.

I went to the University of Kansas and adored it. Simply loved it. I majored in journalism, so after two years of liberal arts I was accepted into the journalism school and began working for the university daily newspaper. I made some of the best friends of my life.

Now all these years later, I have a job on campus, in a building right across the street from the journalism school, and the newsroom where I spent countless hours - daytime hours, nighttime hours and unspeakable early morning hours. Ah, the energy of youth. Campus is about 40 minutes or so from my home in the KC metro 'burbs. Not only do I love KU, but I love its hometown of Lawrence.

Today when I pulled into Lawrence and headed down 11th Street toward the Hill,  I glanced over and saw something I never dreamed I'd see: a man, on a unicycle. He wasn't a clown or anything, just a guy, with curly black hair and jeans. Riding a unicycle.

See why I love Lawrence?

After work I walked across the street - it was a lovely 65-degree walk...lovely, lovely...and went into "my" old building. I knew they'd moved the newsroom to another building, but I wasn't prepared for what seeing the empty newsroom would do to me. I teared up. I stood and looked at this now-emtpy room where I spent countless hours as a reporter, assignment editor, wire editor and associate editorial editor, and choked up. Things change, I know. But I kind of wish I hadn't made myself look.  

Marching to our own beat

March! Goodbye January and February. No offense, but you're not my favorites. Any year.

March is lamb-ish and lion-ish and we're swinging in between 65 degree days and 25 degree days. The girls are quite confused about why we can't can't take Killian for a walk at the park every day.

This is what I'm listening to right now.

"You need to be quiet back there," is what Brian said to the supposed-to-be-sleeping girls.

"Why?" says Hope, who says that to everything these days.

"Because it's late," responds Papa.

"No, it's not late," Hope retorts.

And now we've returned to the quiet.

We've moved past 3 to 3.5 and from 4 to 4.5 Leah has her kindergarten roundup on April 1 and I just signed Hope up for preschool for next school year. They're starting to grow out of their current-sized clothes and I doubt much of last year's warm-weather stuff will fit when I get it back out!

Here are a few pics of some Hungry Hungry Hippos.

 I'm not sure if Brian was laughing or simply defeated.

Cuddling in just-out-of-the-drier blanket and duvet cover. Hope had a bloody nose this a.m. and they were all cuddling under the still-warm duvet and blanket before the bed was remade.