We bought some chains for our first winter here, but I never installed them...never had to use them; we returned them that spring for a full refund (per the program conditions). We did without the next winter; only possibly needing a set when they were no longer required. For some upcoming travel this winter, though, I thought it best to get a set, this time to keep. I tried installing them; very quick and easy once all of the tangles are discovered and undone.

We have had all of these wind storms lately. Well, just after 3am, the power went out. We still have phones. Pacific Power estimates they'll have power restored by 6:30. The wind is still howling pretty good right now, though; that might be an optimistic estimation.

Yesterday was Mikaela's birthday. We filmed her opening gifts. Then, we filmed her opening her cards. The gift video was about 17 minutes long. The card video was about 6 and 3/4 minutes. So, I've included the card video below.

Be warned that if you have a slow connection or limited bandwidth (for instance, at work), that the "attached" video is a large file (18 MB), so click through at your own discretion.

This weekend, we had some family down to celebrate an early thanksgiving. It also happened to be a time when we could celebrate four birthdays, all occurring within a month's span. So, as we gathered around the table after a delicious turkey dinner, we sang the birthday song to all of the birthday people in order of the birthdays. Then Robert and I had the song sung to us, too...for good measure, I guess.

I said I was going to do this, so here's the promised list. So far, it's only the house of representatives, as the Senate hasn't done anything.

All you have to do is decide to walk a little closer to God, and you'll be criticized more in the church than in the tavern down the street.

If it weren't for the word decide, I would add it to my quote database in a heartbeat. As it is, I'm undecided about doing so.

Where we live, thunderstorms are very rare. However, in the last few days (the last four, I'd say), we've had storms that have included thunder and lightning. Now, these weren't like the thunderstorms I'm used to from the southeast and midwest; while each storm lasted several hours, and included what is typical to storms up here—strong winds—they each included a few flashes of lightning and several claps of thunder.

It's been pleasant as thunderstorms are one of the things I've missed living where we do right now.

Perhaps the church of coming ages will be the first to understand what service the church of the Lutheran Reformation has performed for the whole of Christendom by this untiring testimony in doctrine and life: The Sacrament can be rightly administered only when the Gospel is purely taught, and the proclamation of the Gospel can remain pure only where Christ's Sacrament is rightly celebrated.

Here's an interesting little video. There's a documentary coming out about the tax code. Of course, anything with a political theme is bound to have some bias, so take what you see (especially if you see the whole documentary) with a grain of salt.

Just a quick shot of the kids trick-or-treating at the mall.