I know it has been for-ever (think Valley girl) since I last wrote an entry for my blog. Sometimes I would have a fleeting thought about something interesting to write, but mostly my brain is either so full of things to keep track of or tired from thinking, that I haven't had much left with which to muse and ponder. There has also been the issue of internet or computer accessibility for about half of our furlough which made posting an impossibility. It seems that when I had time, there was no access and when I had a bit of access there has been no time. Add to that what must surely be boring to read - how our furlough is going, so I have forgone posting. But since I have heard from several people about my neglect I have finally gotten enough nudge in the right direction to get myself at the keyboard and will tell a bit of what has been going on. We have now been in the States for five of the six months of our furlough. I thought that there would be more rest in this one with the extended time, recovery time from surgery and the last three months with less planned, but somehow the time has filled up and we have been pretty busy anyway. I actually brought a few projects to work on to stave off what I thought would be some idle time and to be sure I had what it took to stave off boredom. They remain in a drawer untouched and some other things which Jon and I expected to do have had to fall by the wayside. We did successfully have surgeries and have recovered fully for which we are very thankful. We did have Thanksgiving and Christmas with family which was a complete joy. I think this Christmas was the best I have had since the kids were little and each one of them was a treasure to me. I have maintained my reputation as one who possesses an anti-snow aura, though I am one of the very few who seems to really love the white stuff. It has snowed and snowed in Barneveld, which has hardly gotten a flurry in the four years we have lived there. And Muskegon, Michigan where we have spent most of the winter has received far less than its usual bounty. There was enough snow and ice on a hillside in a park nearby that Jon and I and three of our four kids got to go sledding near the end of January. It was really fun! We've been hearing about our Mitten's mischief while she has been hanging out with Christy and her cat, Sayori. She is such a little rascal and continues to make us laugh even from a distance. The Lord knew what He was doing when He brought her to us. She is so silly and we do need to laugh. It truly is good medicine. We've tried unsuccessfully to keep up with our usual routine - prayer together every day, exercise, walking, eating right. It has been hit and miss with most of those. I never feel quite right in the day without all those elements in place. I saw my Grandmother for the last time without knowing it in November when we celebrated her belated birthday. I attended her funeral with all my children in February. It still doesn't seem real that she is gone. I think there was a part of me that did not think she would ever die. The funeral did provide an opportunity to see cousins that I grew up with and I hadn't seen in about twenty-five years. It was good to meet their wives and children whom I had never seen at all. We've traveled a lot, rested a bit in between and seen some family. I will try to post some blogs about the specifics as time permits. We most recently returned from Colorado which was a really great trip. Hopefully there will be more posting before a further week has gone by.