Happy Advent!

(The late edition)

We are back from a cold (for some of us) but cozy (for others) weekend of goose hunting.

Did you even miss us? : )

Blogger has stingily let me publish one photo from our outing. We spent the weekend in Rochester, Minnesota, home to the world-famous Mayo Clinic and–at least this weekend–a lot of snow, a ton of ice, and plenty of rowdy hockey players.

The guys spent most of their time in a duck blind in some field. The ladies, stalwart pioneer women that we are, chose to stay close to the hotel and guard the young’uns.

So anyway. Here is the one photo. It is of my husband and my son holding their feathered trophies. I call it “Death by Strangulation”.

I also have photos of all the snow that got dumped on us with a vengeance…

…and some of the pool where the girls and I hung out while feeling totally grateful for the utter timeliness of our hotel stay and while (sssh!) thumbing our collective nose at the freezing winds outside the building. (Pride goes before a slip on the ice, I am certain.)

In the end it doesn’t matter. Blogger won’t let me post ‘em.

Not a one.

Well, okay. Just one. I hope you like it, because it took me forever to get it published. What is up with Blogger?

So today I am off to buy pink and purple candles for our wreath. A weekend away at the advent of Advent does not an organized mommy make! (We used a big old cinnamon-scented Yankee Candle jobbie for the opening blessing and prayers last night. The kids did not seem to mind this aberration as much as their picky mother did.)

Have a blessed first week of Advent, everyone!

Ad Jesum per Mariam,