Snow Day

We recently had the storm of the century in Chicago. Tuesday didn't look to stormish of the centuryish, so really Scott and I just rolled our eyes and kept on keeping on. However, at around 2:00 in the afternoon I happened to glance out my window. Okay, so it had turned into a blizard outside, and I didn't have any quarters for laundry. Sad that that was the first thought out of the little door in my mind. I jumped up and grabbed the car keys and headed to the bank. I kid you not, combined with the wind Chicago is known for a mild snowstorm can turn into a deadly one. I made it to the bank and home while narrowly missing several possible accidents.
The next thought out of the little door in my mind..."Oh no, what if the trains stop and I have to go get Scott!" For as much snow and cold as these Chicagoan's get you would think they could drive in it. Well, just like Utahn's they can't. Which in turn makes the two hour drive downtown into the stuff made out of nightmares.
I must back up for a second here. We went grocery shopping on Monday night, which is a usual ritual for us, and can I tell you, the grocery store was packed full of people planning for Armageddon. Scott and I snickered and threw an extra candy bar into the cart.
Chocolate saves people.
But in all seriousness, we later learned that several gas stations were all out of fuel, several stores had bare shelves and produce was at a nill. And I thought Utah was crazy....It looked like the local caselot sale after everyone gets their tax return in Utah.
Back to Tuesday... Scott called at 3:30 p.m. "I just barely got on the train" (Relief for me) "And I had to push to get there. I felt bad for the guy that I had to push out of the way, but he'll figure his life out. Oh, and this train is supposed to leave at 4:10, but they can't stick another person on, so they are not making any stops in the city and I should be straight home." Sometimes the beauty of mass transit can be a little rough on a very winter day.
Needless to say Mr. Bywater was soaking wet when he cam through the door, but otherwise all was well and good. We went to bed, because really, what else was there to do.... :)

We woke up to this....
That is right folks, notice that the snow is taller then my large dog. She was loving life, while we began digging out. Well, sorry, let's be honest here...Scott began digging out. Just because he got a day off work didn't mean that I did. :)
I need to mention here that the city was in a state of disbelief. We laughed a lot at the hype, and news reports on this blizzard. One very sad, idiotic thing that happened was the closure of a much used highway Tuesday night during the middle of rush hour. Folks sat on this freeway so long they ran out of gas, and many ended up abandoning their cars and walking to their homes. The emergency rooms were busy with frost bite and hypothermia, and then to add to the insult when it came time to clear the roads and cars were still buried in snowbanks, the city cleared the cars, and no one knew where to find said cars. I say, good form Chicago mayor.
Anyway, I am done boring you with my stories, here are some other good photo's...
The plow finally showed up around 1:00 in the afternoon, but the snow here is so heavy and wet, and again, they are not used to dealing with this much, the plow spent most of it's time being stuck in our parking lot. There was a group of men from our building that mostly included my hubby and a neighbor who were out helping the plow shovel and get unstuck for about four hours. It was crazy.
The snow drifts made things all the more interesting. Apparently the wind was stronger at the back of our building, the snow is almost up to Mr. Bywater's hips. This makes things hugely funny for the dog, and talking care of her business. We went out to get some dinner on Wednesday night and were met with a very closed city. McDonald's, Giadorno's (famous pizza) and a little Mexican restaurant were the only things open. And there was so much snow that there was no place for the plows to put it. We drove down Glen Ellyn Main street with a huge bank of snow in the middle of the two lanes. It has all been very interesting.
We had a little more snow on Sunday, but the plan now is just for negative degree temperature...JOY....Here was my game face for the Super Bowl.

The Boss, signing off.

The Goings On...

We have been somewhat busy lately. Okay, well I have, and I guess the Mister has been too! We had a terrific snow storm this week, so terrific in fact that it will get its own post later on. First I had some musings that I would like to muse. :)

I have been doing a lot of scrapbooking lately. Imagine that... :) But my only problem with this hobby is this...
I know, I have a heart attack every time I open the office door, literally. I have been on my hands and knees scrapbooking for several days, and I woke up yesterday with a hearty, happy back. I think it was done, I had to push through one more layout, but I am done for a while, so maybe now I will just have to beg cupid to bring me a table that I can fold out when I need it and then put away when I don't. With limited space it makes things all the more fun. Also, the cats and dogs have not been allowed in the office for a week, they were thrilled...
However, I have been having a riot lately with cork. I found these beauties from Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago. They are adhesive back cork sheets and are perfect for the Big Shot!
I will post more layouts a little later. I must muse now on the new addition to my kitchen cupboards. Meet the traveling post it note...

Okay, so this is the freezer, but here is the cupboard...

It is a very well suited job for Mr. Bywater to sell vacuums because he is one. I know his mother would agree with me wholeheartedly. If I purchase something for myself at the grocery store I will find the empty container on the bedside table the next day, or somehow that lovely treat that I was so looking forward too, has found itself into the "treat drawer" at work. The phrase "whats mine is mine and whats yours is mine" is the best description of the Bywater kitchen I can think of. While I don't mind sharing at all, I do mind not getting even a taste of the treat, and that has happened before. Now, however, we have the traveling post it note. All of our problems are solved.

Speaking to the Boss...

I got to speak with the Jones Boss last night. Well, I heard her tell her mother that she needed the phone. :) So, I am not sure that she was even going to give anyone a chance to escape...
"Are you coming to get me at the airport" She demanded (and I mean demanded, this three year old is a boss.) "Yes" I replied, I grew up with her mother, so I know it is just best to say yes all the time.
"Okay, I am going to get my purse, and my phone, and the keys, and then you haf to come to this new house of mine to get me and then we are going to the airport." Miss Aniston is very much the grown up.
The funny thing was I was on my way to the airport to get Mr. Bywater who had just gotten to fly to Kansas City for a day...wooo...hooo... he says. :)
So I tried to get Aniston to talk to me about dance class and her new house, but it was all in vain. "Okay, I'll see you at the airport, love you, bye!"
That was it. That was all I was getting.
Then when I logged onto Facebook this morning my brother in law had posted this...

my 3 year old threw her moms purse on her shoulder and said "see you later, I am off to the airport to fly to costco."

:) Happy Wednesday.

Dreaming of Sugar Cookies..

I am dreaming of Sugar Cookies today for some reason. I think that Valentines Day must be around the corner, or I just have a sweet tooth.


Either way, who can blame me? :)

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Scott and I were lucky enough to go to Minneapolis for our anniversary. Well the real story is that Scott had a vacuum show, and plane tickets were cheap, so that ment I got to go too!
We had so much fun! Well, I had fun anyway, Scott worked most of the time. Here are some things we did.
Shopped! Hello Mall of America! You are Scott's dream come true!

Ate and Ate! :) We had Bubba Gump the first night, and then my personal favorite Johny Rockets the second night.

One of our favorite stores was the Lego store. We probably could have spent hours looking at the cool figures that they had built out of Lego's. I am partial to Woody, Scott really liked the snake.

Well, the sales person shared with us that it takes about 50 guys, four months to build some of these characters. Holy cow, do you think that job would get boring?












My favorite part was going to see the Mill City Museum. No, it wasn't because of the cab ride that felt more like an amusement park ride on the way to and from. It was the most fabulous building! Minneapolis is known for it's history of flour mills, and this was an old flour mill that the city had made into a museum. I couldn't get enough, really, shopping holds no ground for me when there is a museum nearby! So, this mill was the old General Mills flour mill until they shut it down in 1965. I learned how they made flour, how they used the hydroelectric current of the St. Anthony falls to generate power for their mill, and where and how Betty Crocker became involved. My favorite part was the ninth floor of the museum, where I ran into a device that was used to circulate the explosive flour dust out of the air of the mill. Hello! It was a Cyclone. It was like being stuck inside of a Dyson! I was so excited I had to call Scott and tell him.
Funny enough the Pillsbury mill is on the other side of the river from the old General Mills flour mill, it is still in operation. Sorry, I am a nerd and forgot my camera, but I did get the best souvenir ever from the gift store. It is a dish towel that says "so I am not Betty Crocker"


Coming home was a lengthy process, one I am not thrilled to repeat but funny in its own way. So, Mr. Bywater thought it would be good to get an 8 man tent at the show...???....????
What???....?????
We dragged it everywhere, it was knocked off the suitcase a time or two, it wouldn't fit through some of the doors. Then we finally unloaded it at baggage claim. Thank Heavens... Now, note to all that this is at 5:00 in the morning...not really a time of the morning I aspire to be up at anymore, there once was a time, but alas, no more.
So, we then proceeded through the crowded security lines for our morning massage. Then to our gate. Well, let's just say our plane came in and they announced it had a flat tire and would need to be fixed. Long story short, the 10:00 A.M. flight to Chicago left before the 7:20 A.M. flight. We figured out we could have driven home faster then we flew.

When it snows, it's a blizzard...

We've all heard the phrase "When it rains, it pours." I believe I have said it myself a time or three, but since I now live in the "Windy City" I choose the snow. And yes, I am talking about the blizzard that dumped on us yesterday, and the blizzard of good things, and bad, that seems to be surrounding me.

I had the worst experience this morning trying to take my first test of my back to school life. I tried and tried to make sure that the necessary things were in place and working for said test to come to fruition. I was taking a Math test and I know Shelbi and Math don't mix. I also can admit that sometimes Shelbi and technology don't mix. Well, my advance thinking got me nowhere with people at school, but then I got somewhere with set up and thought all was well. Let's just say that Math, Technology and Shelbi are an explosive combination. After 30 minutes of trying and trying to take the test I finally typed up a frustrated e-mail to my mentor and hit send. I also in the meantime spoke to a rude representative who apologized that their technology couldn't support mine and asked if I had another computer. "oh, yes sir" I replied politely" and it is a MAC too." I then hung up on said representative, and then gave up trying to take said test.
Five minutes later I called Scott
Scott: "Hello"
Shelbi: "Tell me to calm down"
Scott:"Honey, calm down. What is going on?"
Shelbi: "Hang on I have to finish this Reese's Peanut Butter Cup"
Long story short, I freaked. Which I hate to admit, but I did. Call me a control freak, but when I can't control things I assume the worst and that there is no solution. Happily for me, and for everyone who talks to me in that 2 hour period, there is chocolate.
And, there is always a solution, I am taking the test on Friday at a testing center.

On two the second snowstorm...

Okay, so it is not a bad snow storm, but a good snow storm. I have been asked to be more of a part of the magazine I work for in writing blog posts, creating layouts, and having more of a face with the readers as well as the convention attendee's.
I am very excited about this, but of course, as is very typical for me, give that chocolate 10 minutes to wear off, and I am trembling.
Am I good enough to be a part of this?
Will I make the cut? Or will the editors think "What the heck is this?"
I love being a part of the convention attendee's experience, but there are stalwart readers, will they be as nice and forgive me when I say button without a "t"? Will they love me like the convention attendee's do? Or will they say "Who is this weirdo? "
Will I have time for this with school, and everything else I do?

Good thing that there is always a solution. :) I am headed to the kitchen for some more chocolate.

So, here are my snowstorms, all before noon. Wow, I think a nap is in order.

9:50 am

The dog is snoring, I am working, and missing these ladies. And these people....

One of the things I miss the most is being surrounded by my people.