Winter!

Hiya everyone,
Winter has arrived! I now have exactly 3 separate episodes of snow driving experience under my belt. Sam arrives Dec. 17th and I am crazy excited. I have big plans for his visit, a number of which involve snow. Sadly, the snow just melted, so fingers crossed we get a moderate amount, so we can go ice fishing and cross country skiing. The job is going well, volunteering is going well. Finally found a project that Minnesota Reading Corps is willing to support involving reaching out to ELL families. I am putting together videos of simple phrases in the Somali, Spanish, Hmong and hopefully Karen. Reading Corps tutors will have access to the videos and will be able to learn how to greet families in these languages. It's not much, but it is a small step towards making ELL families feel more connected to the school community. One of the primary complaints these families have is they feel disconnected and helpless, because English is dominate even at events for family outreach. I went to Christmas Fest at St. Olaf, for the 100th anniversary performance, which was really nice. It is also the final year for one of the conductors and the pastor who narrates, so it was the end of an era performance. I was also able to visit some of my professors and catch up with them! Serious drama happening at Olaf.
I just wanted to wish you all a very happy holiday season! It is wonderful to be somewhere that is actually cold for Christmas, it does add a certain something to the festive spirit! I hope all is well with everyone!