Cross Country Skiing

This week, this girl

came to Montana.

And we went cross country skiing.

Here.

With these ladies.

And this guy, of course.

John's family packed a picnic.

And then went back to pet sit this girl.

Hell

"Where does the word hell come from?" a client asked me the other day.

"I think it comes from helium," he said, answering himself. "Helium is cold. Its the coldest gas. Hell is being cold and lonely."

A JV Christmas

How to have a JV Christmas:

Ornament on our very scrawny, free tree.

Our house, plus a Christmas wreath recreated from someone's throw away Christmas decorations. Plus Jen's snowflakes.

Snow! We had more earlier but it melted. There was a dusting today though.

Christmas Cards

Snow

Advent wreath with greens we "borrowed" from a local park.

Peppermint Mochas with John

Yum.

Christmas is coming

Last week, when the temperatures thankfully and finally rose out of the single digits, and we had our first true winter snow, we also had our Christmas party! The theme was "Ugly Christmas Decoration," so we told people they had decorations they would like to get rid of (eg singing Santas) we would take them. Surprisingly few people gave us "ugly" decorations, and instead gave us beautiful ornaments that they were no longer using. Which we used to decorate our truly Charlie Brown tree. (I'll put up a picture soon). We had chili and cider, plus many delicious goodies people brought. We ate like queens for the rest of the week!

In other Christmas party news, the Salcido held its first anniversary party last Friday. We had volunteers come decorate, during which a fight broke out and law enforcement arrived. Luckily for them they had just stepped out for a few and were gone till after the police left. But the party went off with out a hitch. It had been a long week, what with the fight, a man trying to commit suicide, other dramatic events and much party preparation. But the place looked lovely with Christmas lights and trees. Plus the Poverello cooked a delicious lunch!

This past weekend I took a break from Christmas parties and went to Great Falls with John. It was great to see his family, relax, and (of course) eat well. It'll be sad to be away from my home on Christmas, so it was nice to get some(one's) family time in.

This is what my holiday will look like:
12/22: Work
12/23: Off! Cleaning, relaxing, and no baking because our house is full of treats.
12/24: Work, Christmas Eve dinner at a retired couple's house who we are friends with.
12/25: Work, half day. Probably lunch at the Pov, then Christmas movies, dinner, wine, and chocolate with my roommates.
12/26: Work
12/27: Liana, a friend from college comes in to town! We will probably go cross country skiing.

So yes, I'm working, but I think I will have a perfectly lovely time.

My Lunch, or JVs don't starve

My lunch:

Orange shrimp fried rice

Ingredients:

Rice (leftover from dinner last week)
Shrimp (left over from our Christmas party yesterday)
Celery/Carrots/Broccoli (leftover from a veggie tray yesterday)
Orange (gift from a friend of ours)
Soy sauce (bought)
Red pepper flakes (bought)
Egg (bought)

Not that what I eat on a daily basis fascinating, but I thought y'all (cough, Mom, cough) might like to know that even on a tiny budget, I can eat quite well.

Ha!

In defense of Christmas

Wrapping paper, bows. The jingling of Salvation Army's bells and there bright red pots. Christmas is a time of generosity.

It's also the time of year non-profits receive the bulk of the donations they will for the year. And for most people, it's the time cash is the tightest.

So if you want to contribute to good will to all, here's a few things I've seen you can do without breaking the bank.

* Donate items instead of cash. Homeless shelters can always use hats, gloves, scarves, blankets. Women's shelters that allow children can always use art supplies and children's books.
* Call to ask if there are any items on the agencies wish list. Something simple like a new coffee pot for $30 is probably way down on the priority list to buy if someone donates $30, but would be much appreciated.
* Donate gift cards. Gas gift cards are great for agencies whose workers drive a lot. Or a Starbucks card to a college student minister who takes people out for coffee often.
* Donate to JVC Northwest. Okay, so this isn't a shameless plug for JVC. Really, the money you donate there will go far. Through recruiting and placing volunteers, they save agencies throughout the northwest thousands of dollars each year. It's one way for a few bucks to make an even bigger difference.

www.adventconspiracy.org for more inspiration.

Forecast

Weather for Missoula, MT

Current Temperature: -1
High: 8
Low: -9

Thanksgiving

1 car, 3 planes, and 2 buses I made it from Virginia back to Missoula in less than 15 hours. Beats the heck out of a covered wagon.

Thanksgiving was a nice reprieve from work, as well as the cold. It was in the upper 60s in Virginia, and now its a high in the teens. It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. A little too much like Christmas. I don't mind the cold too much, to be honest. And it's tough to mind keeping the house at 62 when I know I have clients sleeping outside. You do have to get creative with ways to stay warm when you are in JVC Northwest. Tips we've learned:

Tea. It warms inside out. Eskimos actually drink lots of tea to stay warm.
Microwave a bag of beans or rice in a pillow case or something like that. It's great to sleep with at night.
Flannel sheets are WAY warmer than regular cotton.