A full and busy path today.

What a pleasant day for me today. All gremlins took a back seat to just enjoying my day. My niece Cathy and her husband Tim and step daughter Liz were here visiting this weekend from Roanoke VA. Cindy certainly enjoyed a series of shopping escapades driven by the desire for that ultimate bargain that they all seemed to share. And somehow during that time, drove up to Perfect North Slopes to join me and 9 of our exchange students and friends enjoying the freshly made snow for the day. I think they enjoyed their 2 hour tubing experience and then quickly back on the road to shop again. It was a delightful day for me to just sit and enjoy watching some of my favorite young people have such a good time with each other on the slopes. From beginners to experts, skis to snowboards, they all seemed to have a wonderful time. I could see them all willing to try new things, push their own boundaries and just plain have fun. It was good to see Finn again, and his friend Jansen, Tina with her broken thumb, still able to go tubing, Kristine, Ole, Nina, and Sebastian seemed to have endless energy keeping up with Aaron and Zach, our resident experts. And the good part was, we left without any injuries at all except for Nina's favorite belt from Italy that didn't make it through Nina's fist attempt at snowboard jumping stunts. I sure was proud of her to try at least. The day ended with a nice quiet family dinner and visit at home with Carrie and Bill joining for the late night chit chat. I must tell you, Momma Tomte that Tim could not resist your incredibly delicious Black Raspberry Jam. I will probably have to search his luggage as he leaves tomorrow, but I did give him directions to Tnsberg, Norway. So you can see, my path was loaded with good friends, family and fun today. A combination that easily distracts me from those gremlins that don't want to stay away completely. I love and appreciate all of you for being a part of my path. You are all loved and I am so very blessed.