I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Years!

   After some family drama my Christmas plans were changed, so I visited friends and family in Pueblo and then went to Denver to spend Christmas with my sister.  I was away for over a week all together, living out of my little black suitcase.
   During the drive to Pueblo the first of our two massive snowstorms started hitting, the roads were beginning to be covered in a layer of snow as I entered Colorado Springs but we made it safely to my sister and her husband's house.
   That day we went out ice skating, did a little shopping, and saw the movie Eragon.  My little sister was insistent on seeing it as it's one of her favorite books ever.
   Our other days there were spent visiting with friends, going to the mall and stores buying gifts or making cookies at the house.
   The night before we headed to Denver the Pueblo group of friends had a Christmas party which was great fun.  Everyone got a gift and my sister cooked a delicious turkey with all the trimmings.
   Due to the snowstorm Denver was basically shut down (DIA didn't move for two days), so I was concerned about trying to make it up there...  I was on the phone with my sister and she was telling me that she was snowed in, but the roads were probably as clear as they were going to get before another snowstorm moved in.  So it was do or go home or get stranded in Pueblo.  I made the decision to run for Denver.  Usually driving times between Pueblo and Denver is around 2 1/2 hours.  Well not this time.  Since I-25 had just reopened the traffic was bumper to bumper all the way, many times dropping to a crawl of 15 mph or so...  I felt like I was in California!  All total the trip took 5 hours.  That's right, 5 hours!
    The road crews had done a good job getting the interstates cleared off, but the lanes sometimes abruptly ended in a drift many times larger than my mom's car!
   Once in Denver I pulled off I-25 and headed inwards on Hampden.  Never in my life have I seen so many cars!  The roads were all snow packed and beginning to turn icy.  When I began to get close to my sister's home I could feel the car's tire starting to loose traction on the snow, so I pulled in just in time.  Her parking lot, however, hadn't been cleared yet and there was no place to park...  I eased it into a gap in the snow and ran in, and then we went back out to figure out what to do.  She had spent all day shoveling out one side of her garage, but it was 6 or so inches shy of being wide enough for the car, so I carefully, but quickly rammed it into the space.  Once that was done I realized I really didn't have a way to get out of the car!  Lol!  Luckily I could open the door just a tad, and then I shoved it open, enough to squeeze out, with my feet.  I had finally made it, I was exhausted and frazzled!
   My other sister was coming to Denver as well, but she was an hour behind me.  She had a bit more trouble with the ice but also made it safely.  We both declared that that drive was the worst ever.
   Our days before Christmas in a snow covered Denver were fun, spent seeing some movies, playing games, eating out, walking the downtown mall area and looking at the lights.  It was a great time.

Some pics from Denver.

   All the side roads were still a mess even by the time I left Denver, so navigating those in a car was not exactly easy!  I really missed my 4WD at home...  Oh well.
   Once we got home a couple days after Christmas there were a million things to catch up on.  My web host (BliksemHost) had disappeared, not answered my emails, their phone was disconnected... I have to admit I was a bit panicky.  All of our website were down for 2 weeks...  So I worked hurriedly on getting them transferred to a new host, which as those of you who do that know is a bit frustrating.  Finally all was well again and I turned my attention on New Years.
   Then I got some flu-like bug and was down and out for 2 days.  Yucky.
   And then, it gets better!
   We were hit with a HUGE snowstorm, basically a little over a week after that first one.  For two days we were in a complete white-out blizzard.  When the snow finally settled and the winds died down we looked out to see a world of white.
   In places there are 6 foot drifts (and we didn't get the worst of it out here).  We were completely snowed in, no way to get a vehicle in or out.  The county came and dug us out (much love to ya boys!), but we only have the use, right now, of 2 of our 8 vehicles.  But, it's actually not been that bad.  Sure it's an inconvenience, but we never lost power, we had plenty of heat and food (though chili and hamburger is getting a bit old), and look at all the moisture!!  We've gone sledding, snowball fights, etc.  Why cry about it?

   So my New Years was stuck at home this time, but I had a great one, and I hope you did too!
   As far as resolutions?  Nothing I can exactly point at right now, but I have a few. *wink*