For the next several days I will be posting about the World Congress of Families. This year it is being held in Sydney, Australia.  Remember how we helped to raise funds for Angela to attend? She is sending daily reports of the presentations, interviews she is able to have, and more. I am excited to share with you what she is experiencing. There are so many around the world - politicians, religious leaders, community organizers, trained professionals, and others - who are dedicated to defending the family. I will try to post each day's events in order so you are not reading them backwards as you scroll down. I have broken up Angela's summaries into several posts so it isn't overwhelming to see a HUGE post. Remember, if you have any questions you would like her to ask when she gives her interviews, leave them in the comments and I will pass them along to her.

Winter Wonderland

IMG_5306 white world

Friday we woke up to one of my favorite things about winter here in Nevada

POGONIP

A Shoshone Indian word meaning white death. It is a freezing fog that covers everything in ice crystals. Think about it as a mix between snow and rock candy. Crystals form and build on top of each other, diamond coffins encasing everything in its path.

IMG_5305 pogonip on treesIMG_5304 pogonip on chirstmas lightsIMG_5307 pogonip branches silhouetted against skyIMG_5315 straw bale targetIMG_5311 icicle with pogonipIMG_5331 barbed wire fence copy

It is beautifully haunting to see.
And hear. There is eerie silence but if you listen carefully there is the slight cracking and creaking of crystals as they rub against each other and continue to build.

IMG_5346 water spigotIMG_5348 pogonip crystals copyIMG_5330 trees by house copyIMG_5339 beauty even in mud copy

By midday the fog finally lifted and the pogonip began to melt. Perfect weather for building an upside-down snowman and going sledding and tubing!

IMG_5434 mountains behind usIMG_5245 Gideon stuck in snowIMG_5243 playing in the snowIMG_5257 building an upside down snowmanIMG_5266 the upside down snowman

Yes, I felt just like I look in the picture below - a beached whale. But it was so much fun! Hearing the laughter and giggles of children soaring down the hill has to be one of the best sounds in the world.

IMG_5376 mom & dad going downIMG_5399 kids tubingIMG_5425 Sara sliding by copyIMG_5408 Sara & Eve copyIMG_5372 trekking up the hillIMG_5367 Joseph & Gideon

After all the fun we trekked back to the house to warm up with hot chocolate, snuggle under blankets and watch Ma & Pa Kettle movies. When the sun set we were awed by a perfectly moonlit snowscape.

IMG_5352 drinking hot chocolate from striped strawsIMG_5295 eerie moonlit night

What a way to end the year!

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10 comments:

  1. Love that upside down snowman! The valley certainly is a froze winter wonderland at this point!

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  2. You do NOT look like a beached whaled! Great snowman!!! Happy New Year's!

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  4. Beautiful photos and what a fun day. You are a blessed woman!

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  5. Gorgeous!!! Those photos are simply beautiful! How fun!! I love that snow happens very, very rarely at our house....is pogonip the same?? One of those, maybe once a year days? And I agree with Jocelyn, you do not look like a beached whale....in fact, I don't think you look whale-like at all! Congratulations on the happy and fun day!

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  6. ditto to the beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing!

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  7. The pictures are lovely and your imagery helped me hear it myself. What I love more than that, though, is how y'all are all wearing jeans rather than typical snow clothing. When it snows here (rarely!!!), my kids run into the snow in layered thermal p.j.'s, jeans, sweats, etc. It's funnier than watching them play. So beautiful to share a great day such as you did.

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  8. Your word is much better than what it is called here in Canada...Hoarfrost! We love those days, it warms up enough to freeze ice crystals to everything!

    And I noticed there that you are lacking proper snow clothes! :) You would be so cold up here. ha ha

    I will have you know you do NOT look like a beached whale! You look so very happy and beautiful.

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  9. Wow, that does look cold. I love the upside down snowman- what a clever idea! I'll have to show that one to my boys, we'll have to try that next time it snows...

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  10. What beautiful pictures! You make cold look inviting! Okay- I won't complain about my upper 30 degrees! But the snow does look like fun!

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Put "eat chocolate" at the top of your list of things to do today. That way, at least you'll get one thing done. ☺ There, don't you feel better?

Please leave a comment! I enjoy hearing your thoughts, whether you agree with me or not. If we all agreed on everything how boring would that be? Worse than eating white chocolate, because it's fake. So be real, be yourself.

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