You would never believe what we did today....

We went swimming outdoors in WV today in a pool.  You heard that right....swimming....in a pool....outdoors...WV.....temperature in the 30's.  Yep, we are crazy! 

Actually, it was quite the awesome affair!  We have a nice couple in our church who has a very nice outdoor pool & hot tub.  They heated the water in the pool up to about 83 degrees & we were able to go outside and swim in relative comfort.  There was steam coming up out of the water and snow falling!  Crazy!  It felt very good except for the occasional breeze.  If the cold wind would hit your face & it was wet...welll......it was a bit brisk, facially speaking.  But anything under the water was all good.  The kids and I had a great time.  Rich stood by the edge wearing a parka and tobogan shaking his head.   Picture lighted neon palm trees adorning the edge of the pool with snow in the background.  Insane!

They even had a cookout!  Hamburgers and hotdogs were being grilled by men in heavy winter attire.  Contrast that picture with dripping wet people dashing to the house, quickly, with a towel wrapped around them and you have a surreal event.  It went against everything in me to participate in this "First Annual Tropical Christmas Party" but it was unique and I loved it.  Even the Reverend & his wife got in the pool, hahahaa!

Once inside, they had a roaring fire in the fireplace, a beautiful tree that had to be at least 20 feet high, and football on the big screen TV.  Yummy summertime cookout food & lots of socializing with friends made this afternoon one to remember for a long time.   

I have to tell you all something funny that happened earlier at church.  We had just got into our Sunday school class & it was rather full this morning.  So I sat in a chair in the back in a corner.  One of the men in the class pulled a fold-up chair beside him and said, "hey come over here and sit by me."  So, I got up and went over, sat down & the chair literally disintegrated and crashed to the ground!  With me in it!  I felt like Mary Catherine Gallagher from Saturday Night Live when she falls backwards and crashes into tables and stuff.  As I sat in the floor upon the rubble that had been a folding chair, I didn't know what to do.  Everyone was looking at me, eyes wide, mouthes hanging open.  For a second, everything was quiet and tense. 

Then, out of nowhere, I began cackling and laughing like a freak.  I couldn't help it!  I wasn't hurt and what else was I going to do?  Cry?  Neh....  I just laughed and laughed and laughed until I had tears running down my face.  When everyone saw that I was ok, they began laughing...mostly at ME laughing!  We all laughed for probably five minutes or more before I could even climb out of the floor and compose myself.  As it turns out, the previous week someone in the teen Sunday school broke the chair partially and folded it up and put it off to the side.  I just finished it off!  It was too funny...

Last night, my sister-in-law thankfullyme (Stacie), came over and stayed with our kids so we could go to Rich's work's annual Christmas soiree.  I'm here to tell you, there aren't many employers out there that throw a party quite like that.  Rich won a $100 gift card!  He was so excited!  They give everyone a certain amount of play money and they have casinos you can "gamble" in with your play money.  At the end of the night they have an auction and you can use your play money to buy prizes.  They had a DJ and dancing, food, & an open bar. 

Now, Rich and I seldom ever drink.  But do you know how amusing drunk fellow coworkers are around midnight on a dance floor with a D.J. playing all kinds of great music?  Personally, we have more fun staying sober and watching people put on a freak show.  It was...ummm...interesting.  Middle aged men going around thinking they were sexy, big heavy fat guys dirty dancing with each other, & normally well-mannered wives acting like teenagers again.  Alas, we had to leave around midnight.  And right when it was getting super interesting, too!  Oh well.  The cool thing is that the employer secures all the rooms upstairs in this place so that the drunks can spend the night and not kill anyone.  Excellent!

Well, I am going to wrap it up for the night.  I hope everyone's Monday is a good one!  Talk at y'all later!