Winter Walk in Odiorne State Park!

 On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, after the first big snowstorm of the season, David and I drove up to Odiorne State Park in New Hampshire for a winter walk. I'd been told that snowy owls nest there for the season and that they can be easy to spot, so that was my main motivation in wanting to go there. We didn't see any owls, but we did enjoy our walk in the snow with the ocean on one side and WWII bunkers and the woods on the other. It felt like a magical winter wonderland in spots. Winter really can be so lovely! I appreciate it so much more now than I used to.

There was a nice mix of sun and clouds that day. Good for pictures!

The combination of clouds, sunlight, snow, and ocean here is so cool to me!

😍

Lighthouse

Jetty

American history

Family history

Someday I want to try cross-country skiing. It's the only kind of skiing I'm interested in.

It was a fun way to get outside and enjoy the fresh air and snow in a new (to us) place!

1 Year Together, Three Months Married

 January 10th was the first anniversary of our first date and the three-month mark of our marriage. It's still a little surreal to me all that the first date led to! It's been wonderful and unexpected and a true blessing to both of us, all of it. 

To celebrate our one-year mark, we went out to dinner at 110 Grill, where we had our first date. Our table was almost in the same spot where we ate on our first date. And we used wedding present gift cards to pay for it—even better! We also took a selfie in the same spot as last year. I think we've both aged well over the last year. A good, healthy relationship can do that for you! 

Now and then...

It did indeed all start here!

The anniversary roses from David bloomed beautifully. 

😍

Another fun thing we did in January was we went to the theatrical production of Clue in Providence. It was funny and well done, and it's a must-see for fans of the movie (which I have been for decades—it's been one of my favorites since my teen years!).

It was a fun evening, and a special month for us. One year together and three months married was a good place to be. And here's to many more! 

Finally, A Classic New England Winter Once Again!

 It's ironic that I'm writing this on a late winter day that feels like spring—it may get up to almost 70 today! But then there's a freezing mix in the forecast later this week, along with colder temperatures. Ah, the variable moods of March!

 It's been many years since the classic New England winters of my teenagerhood. (That's not a poke about my age, by the way!) I'm so glad that we had a snowier, colder, more classic winter this year. I really enjoyed it. It felt like winter is supposed to feel in New England, with snow on the ground most of the time and snow in the forecast much of the time, with a few good storms mixed in. 

These are some of my winter pictures from January.

I like looking out at the snowy woods behind the apartment. I've never lived so close to the woods, and I'm finding that I love it in all of the seasons.

Ice-encrusted branches

Wintertime prettiness on the town common

It was snowing. Can you see the snow in the air?

You can see it better here.

Snow-covered branches. So pretty! 😍

An exciting news headline!

An exciting weather forecast!

And then later that week, the forecast for the snow amounts went up! 🙌

📚

😄

David spotted this cardinal in the snowy trees. The contrast of red and white is unique and beautiful in winter. 

Here was the deck after the storm. Compare it to the same scene a few pictures above, and you can see the visible difference a storm makes!

Walls of snow in parking lots are part of a classic New England winter.

The snowy temple

I had to shovel for the first time in years when I got to the Cape house and the driveway was buried under around two feet of snow! 

I did all that clearing out in about 45 minutes with the shovel in the back of my car! I was (and still am 😄) pretty proud of myself for that particular feat.

I love classic snowy New England winters!

John's Mission Pics in January + He Turns 21!

 Today is John's 21st birthday! He's finally an adult! It took a while, but he got there! 😆

His birthday is always a special, sacred day to me because it's the day I became a mother and beheld the most beautiful baby I'd ever seen. Every year, I have many tender memories and thoughts as I think back to that special day and time. I'm so thankful to be a mother, and to be John's mother. He was definitely challenging at times growing up, but he's turning out really well, and I'm very proud of him.

 Even though it's hard to be away from him for so long and to not be able to celebrate holidays and birthdays together, I'm thankful that he is where he is, honorably serving a mission for the Lord and teaching His gospel in Colorado. He is exactly where he should be. (And then he'll be home in five months!!)

Here are pictures of John from the January-ish timeframe. He was transferred from Denver's inner city to a more rural mountain setting outside the city in January, and these pictures include some of both areas. 

John has been part of other conversions, but this was the first time he baptized someone. I'd been praying for this sweet woman for weeks, and I'm so glad it worked out for her. 

Missionary joy 😑 LOL

Cute little ponies(?) munching on a Christmas tree.

With his new companion, Elder Jones, who he was friends with in the MTC. 

Take a wild guess where they're eating...

They have a pick-up truck since they're basically living in the mountains, and John backed into a tree stump that he didn't see, thereby damaging the truck. He would have lost his "DPs" (driving privileges) because that was one violation too many, but Elder Jones doesn't have his license yet, so John gets to keep driving, at least for now. Phew?

Hopefully, his driving will improve in his adult years! 😄

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOHN/ELDER CARLSON!