Happy Independence Day!!

Happy 4th of July to all! I am off to St. Charles tonight to hang out w/ one of my favorite brothers, Erin, and see some fireworks!! Enjoy our nations birthday and see some fireworks tonight!! Happy Independence Day!!

Random

Okay so I haven't blogged in a while (yes I am well aware that it has been a long while froggiegirl), so here's whats up with me:
EMAA- We had our second annual EMAA BBQ on June 7th, and it was a great success! We had chicken and beef kabobs, plus veggies, chips, fruit, brownies, cookies, and much more! JKO was the grill master, with Marlene and Courtney prepping the Kabobs. Tonight we are meeting up again at the Missouri Botanical Gardens for a concert. Tonight we'll be hearing some jazz, funk and motown! We are also having a little picnic. We are going to a Cards game on August 22nd (my dad is joining us for this one). I am officially registered for the National Volunteer Conference!! I am soo excited; I can't wait to see all my alumni brothers again!!
Cardinals: So far I have been to 4 games; 2 wins and 2 losses. I will be going again w/ the family on July 1st to see the Birds on the Bat take on the Mets. Since mom is origninaly from NYC and a reformed Mets fan, this will be an interesting game. Cards won the series against the Boston Red Sox, and smashed the Detroit Tigers last night 8-4. Cheating pitcher Kenny Rogers (think the tar incident). Aaron Miles is on fire; he has the highest batting average in interleague play. Yadier Molina is back behind the plate after missing a few games after a scary collision at home plate. Albert Pujols is looking to start tonight after being on the 15 day disabled list for a left calf strain on June 10th. Mark Mulder is making some progress: he might be pitching for us soon!!!
Let's Go Cards!!
Loki: Loki is back to her hyper puppy self. Poor baby suffered from severe spring allergies that put her on steriods for 3 weeks. Poor baby was sluggish and wasn't her playful self. She is back to stealing things, playing with her toys (she now has a stuffed fox), and swimming in the lake. She continues to provide us with daily entertainment.
General: I picked up a new swimsuit from Sports Authority on Sat, a two piece I could do laps in and still get a tan (that is if I don't burn first, suprise, surprise). I also got a sleeveless top to work out it, I am going to start getting serious about working out again. My knees are in bad shape and I'm seeing a knee doc soon, so I want to get my legs strong. Plus I want to be more in shape and healthier. I am finally comfortable with the way I look again, and want to keep it that way and still enjoy fatty foods (ie ice cream, chocolate and other stuff that is bad for you but sooo good). The summer is flying by soo quickly, its almost July!! That's crazy! I am going to try to hit the pool as often as I can, as I love swimming. Froggiegirl and I have already made one trip to Chesterfield pool, the first of many I'm sure. It was so refreshing to be in the water and relax! That is all for now. I hope do to a guest blog by my dad soon!

New Camera!!

I have a new camera!! My old one had been acting up and I could no longer take a decent picture. So I upgraded. Big time. I got a Blue Nikon Coopix 10.0 Megapixel camera. However, getting a new camera was not as easy as it seems:
April 30th: The camera goes on sale at Best Buy online; so I order it.

May 8th: I order a 2 GB memory card online (yet another good price-technically paid same amount for 1GB for a 2 GB), try tracking my camera order- can't do it so I call Best Buy help; apparently my particular camera (I wanted a blue coolpix) is sold out and they do not know when they will get it in. I am told I might have to wait until June 7th to get my camera! Ack! However, I got a good price on the camera and I want the blue one, so I extend my order.

May 9th: I recieve an email stating my camera is on its way!! The email also provides a link to UPS where I can track the progress of my camera. I also get an email stating that my memory card is at best buy. I pick up my memory card.

May 10th: My camera arrives in Hodgkins, IL where it will sit for two days....

May 12th: My camera arrives in Earth City. My economic suprlus check (which is providing most of the means to get this camera) comes in the mail!

May 13th: My camera arrives to my house!!! I have taken some pics with it, and am enjoying my new toy.

Birthday Recap

So on May 5th, JBear turned 26. Yikes, I'm getting up there in years. Well since my bday was on a Monday (I'm rather like Garfield in hating Mondays), I decided to celebrate my birthday all weekend. Saturday night I went to dinner at Chevy's. I was joined by Froggiegirl, Gimlet, Liz and her son Andy, and my friend Adam (who I hadn't seen in almost 5 years!). Of course, I recieved a sombrero and an ice cream treat as the restaurant waiters sang Happy Birthday to me. Adam suprised me by giving me not only a card but a bag of chocolate (yay!), and a gift certificate to Best Buy (I got a nice camera case for my new camera- more on that later). After Chevy's we decided to go to Fritz's for ice cream (and so I could spend more time w/ Adam b/c he showed up late). I had a delicious Strawberry Cheesecake Sundae (ty Froggiegirl). Sunday night the family and I went out to Outback where I enjoyed a nice ceasar salad, steak and baked potato w/ butter and cheese. I had the Chocolate Thunder from Down Under (Brownie w/ ice cream and choc sauce) for dessert. When we got home, we played "birthday" b/c mom is spending the week at 6th grade camp. I got a docking station stereo for my ipod w/ a remote control and a iTunes card from the parents. From my brother I recieved a teapot. I hate coffee, so I drink tea. Originally, I thought I wanted a crazy daisy teapot from Harney and Sons. However, upon discovering the brown betty at World Market, I changed my mind. However, mom had already ordered the teapot along with some Spiced Plum tea (which is quite yummy). So I got to choose which teapot I liked best. Ultimately the brown betty won. Today, I went to World Market to buy some tea strainers and a tin of Paradise Mate tea (another yummy tea I discovered). On my actualy bday, Monday, May 5th, my brother and I went to the zoo. It was a beautiful day, and we had a great time. That night, dad and I went to Cold Stone Creamery for my free ice cream (I signed up for their bday ice cream club). It was Dad's first time there, and he enjoyed it. Oh and to cap it off, the Cardinals defeated the Rockies 6-5. All in all my birthday was very good. What made it even better was all the people wishing me "Happy Birthday". Oh, and Froggiegirl (and I suppose Gimlet) got me a card, bottle of Vanilla Bean Lotion (a seasonal fave of mine), and an iTunes Card. Much love to all of my friends and I loved all the well wishes and presents!! Now I am typing this and enjoying my first cup of Spiced Plum tea w/ honey. I am quite pleased w/ the outcome. My new teapot works great!

Weight Loss 2008

As many of you were unaware, I went on a diet starting in January of the new year. First off let me state that no one pushed me to diet. It was my choice. Not because I wanted to be pin thin like Hollywood seems to think is so great. I went on a diet to feel better about myself and my health; my knee doctor told me to keep my weight down to keep my knees in good shape. Plus some of my clothes for work were not fitting me, so it was either get a new warddrobe or diet. I chose the less expensive route. So I started dieting and exercising. The first 15 pounds came off easily. So far I have lost 20 lbs!! I am now eating better, exercising regularly, and am generally healthier. My clothes fit much better and I am comfortable with the way I look again. My curves are back (real curves not the curves created by clothes), a very important thing to me. I am happy with my appearance and that is the important part. I dieted because I needed to change the way I felt about my self and the way I was eating. I am still losing weight, its just more of a maitenence mode now.

Santana, Santana, Santana!!!

On Wednesday, April 23rd, my mother and I had the opportunity to see Carlos Santana (my fave artist) in concert! It was awesome!!! The music was incredible. Santana really knows how to play that guitar! The level of playing the instruments was out of this world; the bongo players had a duel and at one time one of them was using his elbows to play! The keyboarder was in a world of his own, the drummer was awesome. The vocalists (besides Santana) were really good; good, clear, stong voices. I knew the majority of the songs, only a few I didn't recognize but enjoyed. Songs played were: Black Magic Woman, Maria Maria, Oye Como Va, Smooth, (De Le)Yalleo, Foo Foo, Corazon Espinado, and the night was finished with one of my new favorites: Into the Night!! I was salsa and merengue dancing in the aisles; we were on the floor, row 22, seats 11 and 12 (right on the aisle). We had great seats!!! Mom and I enjoyed ourselves. Dad was oringally going to go w/ me but he had a boyscout event that he had to attend. So dad's loss was mom's gain. I picked up a Santana shirt that had the concert cities on the back and a CD called Food for Thought. Mom and I enjoyed dinner at Hard Rock Cafe at Union Station prior to the concert. This was by far the best concert I have ever been to! Carlos Santana really knows how to put on a good show!!

200th Post!!!

Like the title says this is my 200th post, so I thought I would do something. So here are some general updates on JBear's life:
Flood 2008: The water receeded and 141 was open Monday morning, mere hours after it was completely underwater. The new levee in Valley Park held and officials were pleased. A bar in Fenton was saved from the rising waters.
The tax man cometh: Daddy finished the family taxes the weekend before April 15th, even tho we were grnated an extra month to do taxes. Why? B/c we live in St. Louis county and St. Louis County was declared a federal disaster area (even tho the water never touched our home), so we got extra time. Amazingly I am getting some money back! I am getting $300 for the Economic Stimulus thing- that is going towards a new digital camera! I also get some money from State and Federal (whoohoo).
APO: I attended my 5th Section 49 Sectionas (what can I say? I'm addicted) which was held at Wash U on April 3rd -5th. Andy and I taught our 4th (and possible last) Salsa class. It went great. We added some new moves and did some more freestyle. Sectionals were awesome and I got to hang out w/ my fave brothers from Lindenwood and E Pi. Not to mention other brothers from Beta Psi and Epsilon. Two weekends later I attended E Pi's Spring Service Day- April 19th. The service event was at the YWCA in Alton, IL. It was a youth service project. E Pi had a full day planned for the youngers. I assisted brother Sloane in the pool, so I got to float in the pool most of the day :). That of course made me happy. That night I was present as new brothers were welcomed into the E Pi chapter, and then danced the night away. I got to meet some fab new brothers and had an awesome time! I of course got to spend some time with one of my favorite favorite favorite brothers, Erin K. I love that girl! :)
Loki: Loki continues to do well and find new ways to stir up mischeif. Currently the poor baby is suffering from spring allergies. So we are constantly washing her face and paws, putting lotion on her face and giving her benadryl every 6 hours. As a result, she is sleeping a lot. As the weather turns warmer, Loki will be getting more exercise via walks, swimming, retrieving and general Lokiness.
Home: As a result from the last big snowstorm, our mailbox and post had to be replaced. However, mom is picky on her mailbox so the post was replaced first and we tried to salvage our barn house mailbox. Alas, we were unable to save it. So we have a new cedar mailbox that sort of resembles a barn. New numbers are on the post and all in all it looks good.

The Great Flood of 2008

Okay so everyone knows (or should know) that the rivers are cresting. The Meramec River near my house has risen so high that the intersection of 141 & 44 is completely underwater! Yesterday I went around and took lots of pictures of the flooding. I have uploaded those photos and you can view the pics from my back road here. Also click here and here for pics of 141 at 44 and downtown Fenton. I played "mountain goat" yesterday, hiking all over to get pictures and am now paying the price. I went back earlier this afternoon to get more pictures. I will probaly be going out again around 4ish to take more pictures and see how high the water has gotten. This is crazy! It is like 1993 all over again! Just getting to the other side of 141 took me a half an hour where as it usually takes me like 2 minutes or less. Traffic on Westbound 44 is bumper to bumper b/c 109 at Eureka is now closed in both directions. Weathermen are forcasting that this flood is going to be worse than 1993. Luckily I live on really elevated ground, so I don't have to worry about being flooded myself. If I do, then somebody had better build an ark! I will upload my video on here as soon as it uploads on facebook.

10"+ Snow

Well, today St. Louis and other nearby cities got hit by a BIG snow storm. As of 45 minutes ago, we had 10 inches in our front yard. It took me an hour to get from The Saint Louis Art Museum (work) to home. I dont' think I did over 30 mph the entire way. It was an interesting, hair-raising journey home; I almost got stuck going up a hill, I fish tailed a lot, I ended up going sideways while going down Smizer Mill to enter my street. Thank goodness there were no other cars nearby. I made it up our hill to our house by encouraging my car (I kid you not), I down shifted and prayed I'd make it. I made it into our driveway (thankfully it was shoveled), and noticed that our mailbox was crooked (apparently dad took it out trying to get into the driveway himself. Dad and Golum (hermanito) were down a few houses helping a neighbor get unstuck so they too could get into their driveway. So now I am safely ensconsed in my warm house, watching the snow continue to fall heavily. Snow is supposed to tapper off around 6ish or so the weatherman says. Loki has already played in the snow once, and I'm sure she'll play in it some more before the day is done.

New Features

Okay so I have decided to add a new feature to my blog: Guest Blogging. I have spoken to my dad (my hero, baseball guru, and all around great and knowledgable guy), and he has agreed to do some guest blogging here. This has be in the works for a few months now. Mainly he will be contributing to my baseball blogging, but he may blog about other things. So stay tuned, I don't know when I'll get him to blog but it will be soon.

A Blog from Froggiegirl

Okay so I regularly read my friend froggiegirl's blog, and today I found the following blog and decided to copy it. Special thanks to froggiegirl for sharing this. Froggiegirl recieved the following in an email:

All you animal lovers-this is pretty simple... Please tell ten friends to tell ten today! The Animal Rescue Site is having trouble getting enough people to click on it daily to meet their quota of getting free food donated every day to abused and neglected animals.It takes less than a minute (How about 20 seconds) to go to their site and click on the purple box 'fund food for animals' for free. This doesn't cost you a thing.Their corporate sponsors/advertisers use the number of daily visits to donate food to abandoned/neglected animals in exchange for advertising.Here's the web site!
www.theanimalrescuesite.com
*I have visited the site and clicked. It will be added to my faves and will become one of my daily websites that I visit.

Tragedy in Kirkwood

Thursday night, tragedy struck Kirkwood, Missouri. A man Charles Lee "Cookie" Thorton, walked into a city council meeting with a loaded gun and killed 5 people before he was killed too. Thorton walked in, killed a cop- took his gun and then started shooting. The five victims of Thorton's rampage are Kirkwood City Council members Connie Karr (apparently she worked at Maritz- one floor beneath my dad) and Michael H.T. Lynch, Kirkwood Public Works Director Kenneth Yost, and Kirkwood Police Officer Tom Ballman and Sgt. William Biggs. Thorton shot the town's mayor twice in the head. Mayor Mike Swoboda is currently in critical condition at St. Johns Hospital. He aslo shot Suburban Journals reporter Todd Smith in the hand. Smith was covering the meeting. One person managed to get out of city hall unhurt; City Attorney John Hessel. Hessel had both guns pointed at him, and thought he was dead. Then he threw a chair at him, and the guns aimed to the right, he then threw 2 more chairs. So he started running. He saw Thorton coming after him, then Thorton tripped over one of the dead bodies. He managed to get out after cops, responding to the gunfire, entered the building and shot the gunman dead. According the the survivor, Thorton was aiming specifically at Councilman Yost, Mayor Swoboda, and himself. Click here to read his story. Apparently a fued had been going on between Thorton and Kirkwood for years. It all started off with parking tickets for his parking of his trucks on the street for his construction business. A total of 150 tickets, Kirkwood let these tickets slide- forgetting about them. These tickets escalted to several lawsuits, resulting in denials, going to appeals. Thorton felt his rights were being denied. Though what made him snap is a mystery. One of Thorton's brothers said that Thortons actions were justified and that "he went to war". Justified! How can you justify the murders of 5, maybe 6 (hopefully not) innocent people! Sick, thats what that is. There is no justification for the actions of Thorton. What he did was wrong, evil, and unjust. Everyone on the news and people interviewed keep refering to Thorton as "Cookie", a nickname of his. Don't call him "Cookie", hes not a cookie, hes an insane murderer, a jerk, a destroyer of lives, etc...
Some people are calling this a "race" issue. It's not a race issue or a black vs white issue. It has nothing to do with race! Get over it! One reverend in Kirkwood said it best "This is not a race issue, this is a people issue". This was a horrible event. It was not a race issue.
My thoughts and prayers are with the victims families as well as Mayor Swoboda and his family.

Cleaning house

So on my off day I was quiet busy. I took Loki to the groomer, gave Phantom a bath (he is not mad at me-suprisingly), had lunch with dad, and then started cleaning. I cleaned my bathroom, dusted the living room, vaccumed the living room, cleaned the fireplace, placed Climber's cat statue on his grave, picked up the big branchs the crazy wind knocked down in our yard (some bigger than me), did laundry, dejunked some, and FINALLY got enrolled for my company's insurance!!! I called again today, after calling last week, and finally got a resolution. I have been trying to enroll since January 6th. Now I will have insurance again...good thing to, after this pair, I'll be down to my last pair of contacts, I need some of my prescriptions refilled, and I need to go to the knee doctor and get them fixed (be it physical therapy, surgery, or a shot). Loki is home from the groomer, and she is all fluffy(her tail is fluffier than usual!) and sweet smelling! She is soo happy, she got to play w/ all those other dogs, and then she got home and I washed all her squeaky toys and blankets and they taste different!! All in all it was a good day, busy but successful.

New Birds on the Bat

Here are the New Cardinals:
Troy Glaus- 3rd Base- from Toronto Blue Jays
Jason LaRue- Catcher- from Kasas City Royals
Matt Clement- Starting Pitcher- from Boston Red Sox- he had shoulder surgery and subsequently did not pitch in 2007- welcome to the National League (the real league), now learn to bat.
Cesar Izturis- Shortstop- from the Chicago Cubs (booo!)- welcome to a winning team.
There were some call ups from the minor leagues. Spring Training Starts soon (February!!!) and the end of that will finalize the active roster. Who knows, maybe there will be some more players to leave or to become a Cardinal. Maybe some good starting pitchers! That's what we need!
*Por Siempre: Let's Go Cardinals!!

And Playing for the Cardinals is....?

These days its hard to know who is playing for the Cardinals what with all the line up changes. First there was David Eckstien (mom's favortite player) who was released. He has signed on with the Toronto BLue Jays. Why: Cards want younger players, less of a paycheck. Then Jim Edmonds (the best center fielder ever!) was traded to the San Diego Padres. So Taguchi was let go. Also departing the Birds on the Bat; backup catcher Gary Bennet, infielder Miguel , infielder/offensive player Russel Branyan, pitcher Mike Maroth, pitcher Troy Percival, catcher Kelly Stinett, pitcher Kip Wells (should have traded him long time ago), and offensive player Preston Wilson. Now Scott Rolen has been traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for 3rd Baseman Troy Glaus. Why did Rolen leave; differences with manager Tony LaRussa. The departure of General Manager Walt Jocketty should have been a sign of the changes to come. Why they let Jocketty go, I don't know. Right now, the Cards are cleaning house. Getting rid of vetrans, opting for younger players (who get much smaller paychecks). Personally, I think they are nuts. But who knows, maybe this is what we need.
At least Pujols (signed until 2010), Molina (there until at least 2011), and Chris Carpetner (at least another year or two left on his contract) are staying.
*Por Siempre: Let's Go Cardinals!!

Labrador Retrievers #1 Dog in US- again!!

Further proof that Loki is the best dog in the world:
According to The American Kennel Club, the Labrador Retriever is the most popular dog in the United States! Is this a suprise, hardly. You can't beat a Lab's temperment; I used to use my old dog Shadow as a pillow all the time and as long as you petted her she was fine. They are great with kids; endless amount of patience. And the picture if you click on the link is of a White/Blonde Lab. This color is the most popular color now. When we got our Black Lab Shadow, black was the "in" color, then Chocolate. The AKC recoginzes 3 colors of labs; Black, Chocolate, or Yellow. There are some "silver" labs, but AKC does not acknowledge that color. Golden Retrievers came in 4th. The German Shepard came in 3rd. Suprisingly, the Yorkshire Terrier came in 2nd. I woudn't have thought they would even make the top ten. They are the most anoying dogs ever. There are two that live accross the street and all they do all day is bark! And their owners never do a darn thing to shut them up! Personally I would put them on a list of worst dogs. I would have placed Golden Retrievers as 2nd or 3rd and German Shepards in 2nd or 3rd. Both breeds are great dogs.

Good-bye 2007, Hello 2008!!

It is New Year's Eve and I am patiently waiting for 2007 to go byebye! 2007 wasn't the greatest year for me...I was unemployed most of the time, I lost my cat Climber (he led a great life for 20 years), and there were other low points. However, I currently happily employed (Wolfgang Pucks at St. Louis Art Museum- come visit me and have lunch!!), I have money in my back account :), everybody is healthy, and so far 2008 looks to start off w/ a bang. Granted I'm not feeling too hot at the moment(nothing major), so I will be lounging around for New Year's Eve, but hey other than that 2008 is looking good from this side! For those of you who are healthy and have plans for tonight, drink something for me, and have lots of fun (but be safe) and I'll see ya in 2008!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Changes for 2008

New in 2008
*A change of address. This will be the biggest change for me (that I know of-however I would love for some bigger and better changes to happen too). Now that I have a job and money, I am on the search for an Apartment!! I am looking for a 1 or 2 bedroom place in Kirkwood or some place close to 44, as I take 44 to work everyday. I am looking online at the moment, I am going to start going to places and touring soon. I am thinking February as my moving month; get a coupla more paychecks in my bank account. Phantom (my scardey cat) will be moving with me, other than him I don't think I will be looking for a roommate. It will be nice having a place of my own, even tho I will miss Loki. I look forward to the new independence. Any tips on apartment searching, living or any other relevant tips will be appreciated.
*New editions (the furry kind!) to my family: After a month or so of Phantom being the king of the roost, I will be adopting another cat or two. One will be a black kitten (they are not bad luck and need love too) and then the other will be a mix of Maine Coon or Norweigen Forest (they supposedly like water), plus I like their long fur. I will be looking at the Humane Society for my new furry friends.
*I am also going to start working out more; I need to drop a few pounds. Don't start; I need to do this for my knees- the less weight on them the better (This comes from my knee doctor). Plus I'm not happy with my weight; it has increased waaay to much for me. I also want to get in better shape.
*Possibly starting on my Masters. I have always said that I would go back for my masters and I fully intend to do that. However, I am paying for it this time around. So I have to consider other financial responsibilities first; regular bills and rent. So we'll see how things go and possibly enroll in the Spring Semester. If not then, the Fall Semester. Only a few classes, have to balance work with school.
*That's all that I know of. However, I'm sure God has plans for me. Whatever they may be. I hope that he continues to bless me and my family with good health. 2007 hasn't been the greatest of years for me; being unemployed- in a constant search for a job, broke most of the time, not to mention my negative attitude based on my situation. I am hopeful that 2008 will be better, not only for me but for everyone else; family and friends. I have absolutely no clue how I'm going to be ringing in the new year (typical but whatever).
So Merry Christmas too all and Happy New Year!!

Christmas 2007

Merry Christmas to all!! Santa was very good to the Noel family this Christmas. The happiest it seems is my dad. Mom and I went in together and got an ipod nano (4 GB silver) for him. He is estatic! He has been downloading songs from albums all day. As I type he is dancing around the house, literally. I think he is extremly happy with his gift. Even Loki is happy with her present from Santa Dog; a new squeaky cow (aka Frankenmoo b/c the old one was too beat up). She was making us throw it while we were unwrapping presents. I have already had to stitch Frankenmoo up, his neck ripped.

We opened presents around 9ish, Mark played his new Wii game (I watched my new movie Bring It On: In it to Win it- I don't like video games), Mom and I set up my new Jewelery Armoire (its really big!), then we watched Hairspray (finally, our DVD player doesn't like it so we hooked another DVD player so Dad and Mark could see it), then we finished March of The Wooden Soldiers (started it last night but parents went to bed before finishing it). There is a Marathon of Stargate SG1 today on SciFi. Whoohoo!

Mom has started to cook Christmas dinner. The ham isn't in the oven yet b/c my little turkey is in there. Mom is prepping it tho. I hate Ham, so I get a mini turkey and everyone eats ham and everybody is happy. I had yesterday off (yay!) as well as today. T/m is back to work, shouldn't be too bad. Going a bit stir crazy here.

Let it Snow and Snow and Snow!!

This weekend we got our first snowstorm for the first time in years!! I doubted the newscasters up until I woke up Saturday morning and discovered the front lawn blanketed with the fluffy white stuff and more coming down. Thankfully, my parents had the foresight to park my car in the driveway so that my car wouldn't get trapped. However, since I didn't move my car until Sunday afternoon, I got both doses of the snow storm on my car. We got a total of 7 inches!!!!! Whoohooo!! And my car was under it all....not fun uncovering it. This is the earliest we have been hit with snow in a long time, and the most snow we have gotten in years! I am hoping this is a preview of what's to come. I would love a white Christmas and a white New Years!! I am absolutly loving this snow!! I am not enjoying the ice underneath tho. But for the most part I am loving this weather! So Bring on The Snow! As the song goes, Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow!!!