We're so free...

President Boyd K. Packer once described his views on weather. He had planned to paint his barn. And it rained. So he said, "...I declared my independence from the weather that day...I decided that I was not going to let the weather dictate what I was going to do that day or any day. I took the philosphy, let it rain, I got here first. I used to tell the missionaries in the New England States Mission that if they had nothing more than the weather to which to attach their dispositions, they were a yo-yo, going up and down all the time. I have been a lot happier since I declared my independence from the weather." (Church News, July 26, 1975, p.8)

Isn't that great? So, I have taken that attitude to heart. Here are some of the ways we've been independent from the weather this winter:

First there was this chilly hiking trip you might remember:

And then my crazy kids independently planned, packed, and ate a picnic (barefoot) in the front yard:

The lack of snow in the above picture is deceptive. So, I took another photo from the driveway:

It really was a beautiful winter day. This is the view from our front porch:

And this is Bethie after the picnic:

Winter crazies affect my whole family. My sisters, Rachel and Brynn, and I took our kids to the zoo in January. (It was free day!)

Ammon with 4 of the 5 Siberian tigers (3 are cubs--big cubs!). Well, there were 4 tigers in there, but I only see two in the photo:

Learning about a rescued peregrine falcon:

And having a picnic at the zoo (maybe the kids' winter crazies are inherited):

It was a pretty cold day. I think this picture proves that. (Our view from our picnic spot):

All the kids (yes, this was the best we could do):

Who says winter is inside weather? (Probably people with harsher winters than we have here.) We've been having lots of fun. :-)