Shoveling Time!

Julia was hard at work shoveling the driveway.

Then it was time for Julia (left) and Emily to do Bridget and Jon's sidewalks.

Emily (left) and Julia were well-bundled.

Lauren (right) was happy to pose for a photo, but not so excited about helping.

Found On My Camera

Photos like this were found on my camera. Good thing I wasn't paying by print.

Showing Off Their Support

Olivia (left), Julia (center) and Veronica posed with their hockey jerseys on for a Twitter contest.

It Is Cold!

Can you tell it's pretty cold outside?

That's ice on the inside of the glass door.

The Making Of Our Christmas Letter

While Julia (right) folded, Veronica (left) handled the stamps and Lauren did the stuffing.

Producing our annual Christmas letter has become a several-weeks-in-the-making production. We started on this year's letter a few days before Thanksgiving. The process begins with Sean asking the girls questions for their bio sections. Next comes the first review of photos. From several hundred pictures, we narrow the choices down to about 10 for each girl, then start considering which ones will actually fit either the context of the letter or even the space requirements (it has to be vertical to make the back section).

There's also the selection of group photos. This year, we had more than 40 to choose from, which was nice. Next up is the layout. The 2011 Christmas letter was one we liked, so we used that template for starters. Finally, there was the writing of the front page stories. Then editing, production, folding, addressing of envelopes, placing of stamps and return address labels, message-writing, closing and mailing. Whew. Fortunately, the girls are very much into helping with every stage of the process.

You can download a color version (PDF) of our Christmas letter here. Please note that it is a huge (175 MB) file, so it might take awhile for it to download.

Olivia was the queen of addressing again this year.

Veronica (right) wore the same shirt as Lauren did for school pictures a few years ago.

Here's what the front page looked like as Sean worked on it in the airport in Paris.

Sunset in Spain

A nice sunset here at the Denia Mariott this evening.

Breakfast

Yes, that is chocolate cake. In the Air France Lounge.

Off To Spain

Only two days after returning from Utah, I am back on the road again. This time, Spain is my destination. Omaha mired in sub-freezing temperatures, so it's a good time to get away.

Travel Time

So I am back on the road after more than a month away. Here is what it looked like in Denver while I was waiting out a delay.

I am on my way to Salt Lake City for meetings in Park City. As you can see, I am flying Frontier. It feels a bit strange not to be on Delta. And I am missing some of the perks of being one of their frequent fliers. But sometimes it is good to see what "the other guy" is doing.

Prediction Contest: Nebraska vs. Penn State

It has been a few weeks since we have done a Nebraska football prediction contest with the girls.

We had a bit of a failure when it came to some of the categories from the last time we did this. So we're changing things up. For instance, the "Cornheads" category guess is gone. It would be a much to imagine a lot of shots of fans in the crowd wearing corncobs on their head in Happy Valley. So we've changed it to shots of "Bo Blowups." Specifically, how many times will they show Nebraska Coach Bo Pelini blowing his top on the sideline? See the chart below for the other categories.

Name	Winner, Score	Temperature at Kickoff	Bo Blowups	Penn St. Cheerleader Shots
Emily	Penn State, 32-23	38 degrees	13	3
Lauren	Penn State, 46-30	38 degrees	50	50
Julia	Penn State, 31-27	38 degrees	5	15
Olivia	Nebraska, 36-28	36 degrees	6	3
Veronica	Nebraska, 36-30	40 degrees	17	13
Sean	Nebraska, 28-24	40 degrees	7	11

First Snowfall: 2014

I take these photos every year. Here's the initial evidence of our first snowfall this fall.

YD Yard Work

How's this for quick work of the front yard?

Back To The Future: Hyatt Place

(From left): Emily, Veronica and Julia pose in front of the new Hyatt Place.

And the same trio, in March of 2010, when the site was advertised as a "Residence Inn by Mariott."

The latest picture in our "Back to the Future" photo series harkens back more than three years ago.

Veronica says she doesn't even remember taking the photo (see the original post here). Emily was already sprouting up like a bean pole. Julia wore her St. Mary's school uniform and Olivia and Lauren didn't want to be in the photo. So it was too bad for those two when it came time to pose for the "finished product" picture.

You can see from the photo at right that the building itself didn't turn out exactly as portrayed in the artist's rendering that was originally on display.

If you would like to see for yourself, the Hyatt Place is across the street from Ted and Wally's ice cream shop, near the corner of 11th & Jackson.

If you like our "Back to the Future" photo ideas, check out this one of the DJ's Dugout in Aksarben Village and this still-in-progress shot at Hillcrest Estates. 

Olivia walked across the street to capture a broader view of the building.

Everyone got to be a part of this photo.

Classroom Visit

It was nice to be back in the classroom tonight, sharing advice with students at Grace University.