A Winter to Remember

You may have noticed that it has snowed a lot this winter. I remember (growing up in Spokane) the temperature being very cold (-40 degrees Fahrenheit), but I can't remember this much snow. And it is going to snow even more!
I walked to and from the grocery store, and the snow was up to my knees. It was very difficult to walk where the sidewalk had not been plowed. Huge piles of snow cleared by the snow plows lined both sides of the street. It is still better than the Ice Storm of 1996. Many homes and businesses lost power for several days. Road conditions were very slick because of the ice that formed from the freezing rain. Should we consider ourselves lucky this year?
One thing that is fun to do in the snow is to go sledding. If anyone is interested, we are going to Mt. Spokane on February 16th (Saturday) at around 12:00 to go sledding. The cost is $10.00 dollars per person. Dani sent out an e-mail, so you should all have a message in your Inbox.
Speaking of Dani, I took a picture of her freezing in the cold outside. She is trying to look like she is having fun, but she is actually very uncomfortable (the camera never lies). What do you all like to do to have fun in the snow? That is what I would like to know. Does anyone ski? Snowboard? Ice skate? Ice fish? Build a snowman? Make a snow angel? Have a snowball fight? Or do you just sleep like a hibernating bear?

Good News Bloggers!!!

We made a mistake (impossible, but true)! You only need to write a blog entry on the weeks you come into the Writers' Center. That means...some of you are still behind. Get to writing, please; we want to read your comments!

Eagles Win in Overtime

A small (but significant) group of us went on Thursday night to see the Eagles play Northern Colorado in Reese Court. The basketball game was very exciting. At the end of the second half, the two teams were tied 71-71. In overtime, the Eagles outscored their opponents and managed an impressive win: 91-85. One player, Adris DeLeon (number 10) scored 42 points!

We had a fun time cheering from the stands. They handed out free EWU hand-towels, as well as red and white pom-poms, so we had something to wave everytime a big play was made. The cheerleaders led the crowd, but instead of following along, the crowd just yelled and clapped. The band also helped to get the excitement going and keep the environment loud.

During half-time, EWU students and EWU faculty played a game of dodgeball. Several small red balls were lined up in the middle of the court. From opposite sides the faculty and the students ran to the middle to get the balls. Then, they started throwing them at one another. If a person gets hit by a ball, they are "out" and have to stand at the back of the court. The last side with a player left who is not out, wins the game.

What kind of sports or activities do all of you like? Do you like to play, or just watch? Why do you like it?

Happy Holidays!

Tomoko, Jones, and Ai at the Coeur d'Alene Cruise

Just as finals were finishing, we decided to go play in the snow, We decided to go be kids! Gail, Neal, and the three smiling people you see above piled into a van. While I drove, we introduced Jones to the Beatles. It was an hour long drive to the Coeur d'Alene Resort where we were to catch a boat for the holiday light show.

We headed for Japanese food, but soon realized we had to be on the boat in fifteen minutes, so we left our menus and ran for the boat...hungry...only to stand in line for a good half-an-hour. But that's okay; there were treats on the boat. Yummy chocolate treats!

We saw some fun shaped light figures as we pulled away from the docks then sailed through the night to "The North Pole" where Santa and Mrs. Claus have a house. He talked to the kids on the boat, even called them by name and then the whole village lit up with a huge tree and all. The funniest part was that they were busy making fake snow, to help set the mood, but it was already snowing real flakes, big fat wet ones!

In fact, it snowed so much we had a little snowball fight in the parking lot as we waited for the car to warm up. I don't remember who won. (Maybe Neal can tell us.) After a fine meal at the restaurant in the resort we headed home through what felt like a blizzard and I got everyone home safe and sound. It was a good way to start the holidays.

What kinds of things did you do to celebrate the holidays and make it special? Did you travel to see family or friends? Did you do something silly and fun? Did you play outside in the snow? Watch Christmas movies? Sing songs? Tell us about something you enjoyed doing over the holiday break.