thousands of words

ICE ICE BABY!!!

boom boom BOOM!!!

mon nite - sleet & snow

tue all day - freezing rain

tue nite - light snow

wed - COMPLETE DISASTER!!! tree limbs all over the place and breaking every minute

wed am - more sleet & snow to compound the mess

the falling branches and trees knocked out TONS of power lines throughout the city - our street included- and blocked streets everywhere! it was beautifully deadly! when the light hit the trees it would shine like christmas lights! every individual twig branch and blade of grass were encased in 1/2" of SOLID ICE!!!

we lost power tue night til tue morning the next week. so wed morning we built a fire in the fireplace while we packed and got ready to leave before the house dropped to below freezing and the roads became worse. we went to matt's family's house since they still hda power and heat. it was a full house at the huss' since the boy's apt also lost power, but we all loved it!

deadly beauty!!!

vegan BROWNIE recipe

YUM YUM!!! guilt-free dessert

VEGAN BROWNIE RECIPE

ingredients:

1 1/2 cup walnuts

8 large medjool dates, pitted

1/4 cup cocoa powder

combine all ingredients in food processor. blend well. place in pan and press together. can garnish with berries, fruit, etc.

enjoy!

california vacation

MORE PICS WILL COME SOON! THEY'RE BEING DEVELOPED!

left jan 8th, 0900 from SDF to PHX and finally OAK. silly me though b/c i booked a hotel near the SFO instead of the OAK. what a drag to have to pay a $4 toll every time we went to san francisco. oh well, the hotel was a steal!

@ ghirardelli square we had dinner at McCORMICK'S sea food grill and it was awesome!!! i had swordfish and matt had the scallops. and of course will was totally out for the night since he was 3 hours ahead on eastern time!

we went to we visited some family friends and some friends from my mission in oakland. FENTON'S ice creame was awesome!!! nothing like it! jason and michelle mcconnell - they got married at the oakland temple while i was on my mission there - left with smiles and their cute litte girl who's 2 days younger than will.

Alcatraz was a great experience cut short by a little boy that needed a nap. and fisherman's warf was tasty!!! we went to butterfly and matt had edamame for the first time. he learned not to eat the shell just the beans. it was great food! if you couldn't tell, I LOVE FOOD!!!

then we went all the way out to ANTIOCH to see Frankie, Mara and Pete and their 3 mastiff dogs, and the Larson family!!! Frankie gave me some of her california avocaods - 1st time i'd tried them and love them. Mara and Pete took us to the Olive Garden for lunch and will's first encounter w/dogs happened here w/mastifs. HE LOVED THE DOGS!!! he just kept looking at them and reaching out for them. and the Larson's had us over for dinner, COD4, and some great conversations! again, will was out cold around 1830. the trip back to san fran wasn't so bad this time since traffic was't bad. then we left the next day, sun the 11th @ 1400, to return to SDF. it was a great trip and we wished it were longer!

the only thing that keeps us from moving to cali is the TRAFFIC!!! there's nothing that we hate more than traffic and there's too much of it in cali. we love the weather, the people, the culture, the history and the plethera of things to do, but we just can't live w/all the traffic.

DECEMBER UPDATE

dec is the month for RECEPTIONS!!! i had my visiting teachers help me bring down and put up most of the decorations on mon morning and by sat night the 6th the house was ready for a reception!!! the tree was up, the lights were shining bright, and i was in the Xmas mood w/carols and singing!

karen and dad drove from UT to KY w/karen's daughter and 2 sons - amanda, peter, and owen. they came and visited the louisville slugger bat museum and got their mini bats from the tour. peter and owen were so happy to have mini bats and play out on the farm in the little kid's jeep. it was a joy to have them visit. monday they headed out to visit some relatives in OH and the house was a little quieter. i missed having those little boys in the house and other ppl to talk with.

then XMAS came!!! i worked hard to make steph a pair of animal print pajama pants for Xmas eve. mom always got us pajamas and let us open them on Xmas eve, so i decided to carry on the tradition for steph!!! for V i made her a moby baby wrap carrier for her little baby that's gonna be born this summer!!! i'm so excited! for dad i am clearing out the old Ensigns and making room for all of his DVDs that are over running the shelves. that's right, i'm gonna do some cleaning and organizing. and for karen steph and i bought her a simple broach, perfect since she doesn't wear much jewelry.

and for new year's we had a blast!!! dad, karen, bill, susan, all the huss kids, and our little fam got together at the huss' house for games, bubblie, treats and movies! kung fu panda was a hit!!! i love it and just can't laugh enough it's so FUNNY!!! karen showed susan and i how to make a vegan "brownie" with walnuts, medjool dates, and cocoa powder . . . AWESOME!!! no baking necessary, healthy, and gets you that sweet fix. will had fun and woke up for a few seconds at the new year while we were making lots of noise and shouting. then he went right back to sleeping, no problem.

NOVEMBER UPDATE

this is how the COX family started out the month of nov[minus karen]. so my dad went online a couple months ago to check out what LDSsingles.com is all about. he met a wonderful lady - KAREN KINDRICK- and they were setup by the Lord is the only way that i can describe everything. too many spiritual experiences and confirmations to deny that she is the wife for my dad.

we left thur morning and friday morning they were sealed in the Redlands, CA temple. everybody attended, all 3 or dad's kids and spouses and grandkids and all 6 of karen's kids and spouses and grandkids. it was special to be at the temple with my family. ironically i lost my voice from the cold i had when i was visiting and getting to know my new family. hahaha

we traveled to anaheim sat to visit knott's berry farm, but smoke from a nearby fire was too thick for will and i to handle. we went and saw quantum of solace instead. we were bummed out, but that's life. it'll still be there when we decide to visit again.




we went home on sun the 16th and almost missed our flight b/c the gate changed and there weren't any announcements on the intercom. hahaha. so at the end of the month the COX-KENDRICK family ended up like this, tons of ppl!!!



THANXGIVING was a smash too! we visited w/the Huss part of our family and had a great time!!! food was amazing, the games were fun - especially Xmas Kombat and PIT - and the company was great. and once again i was sick! twice for nov. twice!

XMAS ???s

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
anything that wraps a gift - newspaper and comics work well.

2. Real tree or Artificial?
love the smell of real but hate the maintainance and cleanup, so i'll choose 6' artificials - cheaper in the long run.

3. When do you put up the tree?
AFTER - and only after- Thanxgiving

4. When do you take the tree down?
just after new years, no later than the 6th

5. Do you like egg nog?
absoutely not!

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
bike?

7. Do you have a nativity scene?
personally, one. since i live at my mom's house and she has tons, i have tons.

8. Hardest person to buy for?
my dad. what do you buy a man that has everything? i've resorted to services and manua labor as girfts since i've run out of options.

9. Easiest person to buy for?
will, he doesn't care.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
i try to mail b/c real cards are awesome!!!

11.Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
purple crocketted blanket b/c it was itchy. but i loved it b/c my grandma Paul made it for me!

12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
elf!!!

13.Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
no

14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
breakfast casserol mom made Xmas morning

15.Clear lights or colored on the tree?
WHITE!!! colored ones just look cheap.

16. Favorite Christmas song?
doesn't matter just as long as they're not over played

17. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
home. unless i want some snow, then i have to travel

18. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
never could. never tried.

19. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
Xmas EVE so the entire day can be spent in rememberance of the birth of the Savior and w/family

20. Most annoying thing about this time of year?
crotchidy ppl

21. Favorite ornament theme or color?
??? ppl do themes ??? i just decorate w/what i've got


22. Favorite food for Christmas dinner?
mashed potatoes

23. What do you want for Christmas this year?
serger sewing machine, but i kinda already bought my present when i bought P90X. serger will have to wait for my bday.

24. Who is most likely to respond to this?
nobody in their right mind

25. Who is least likely to respond to this?
everybody