Stepping Forward

Eric and I took a quick trip to the country on Saturday so we could spent some time with our parents. It was cold, but the sun was shining for a change! I spent the afternoon with my mom, helping her with some things, Eric spent the afternoon with his folks helping them too.

They've all given us so much through out our lives, it's nice to be able to give a little back once in a while.

We spent Sunday here at home. You can see from the picture below that the cat napped, and then napped some more...while Eric and I dug into a project that we've (I've) been putting off for too long. About 6 months ago my computer had started making some bad noises, it was old, it seemed to be on it's last legs. So I backed everything up and we bought a new computer. But I didn't make the switch at the time. I was busy doing stuff, I didn't want to deal with loading all the stuff I use, and sorting through files, and finding programs that didn't work anymore....you know...stuff. We were switching from a system that used XP to Windows 7, I was anticipating problems! My old computer has been hanging on, I've been keeping things backed up, it just didn't seem that urgent.

And it still wasn't urgent, but I put it on my list of things to focus on and get done...and now it is! Hello from Windows 7. So far, most things work....the scanner is iffy...but that's ok. It turns out, the hardest part of making the switch was untangling all of the wires. We have two computers in one room...a room with very few outlets...so there were a lot of wires in one spot. We shut everything down and started unplugging....and untangling.

We found a few cables that didn't attach to anything. Wires going through the battery back up to power strips to speakers and computers and printers and all that. Things added here and there. Wires going from keyboards and monitors and speakers into the computer. The majority of the wires go in and out of the wireless router...how does that work? Sheesh. Wires...all in a tangled up dusty nest. Well...things are now re-routed, re-plugged and organized...and everything works! Progress. Moving forward. On to the next thing on the list. Whew.

The boys had the day off from school today. I was out and about with Billy, on my way home I stopped by a local lake and snapped this gray picture. It had snowed again over night...it wasn't snowing today, but the skies were this gray all day. The super cold air is moving in for the rest of the week. We are certainly having an old fashioned winter. 54" of snow since November. Yikes. Winter. I might just hibernate.

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. day. What a difference one man made in our Country. So many quotes that can still touch us today. I like to think that he knows how much his words have meant to many of us. He had a dream. Do you? I think that we could all dream a little bit more...and take the steps to fulfill those dreams. You just never know how many others will be touched by it.

I'll end with one of MLK's that speaks to me. "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." Amen.