by Amy | Jan 9, 2014 | Blog, The Art of Adventure
As you may have noticed, it’s been cold. Really cold. Now, I’m not going to jump on my high horse and tell you that I’m better and more hard core than you because I live in Practically Canada and it’s been colder here than wherever you are.
That’s not my game.
They have called it a Polar Vortex. Which sounds ridiculous. Like a a sci-fi black hole that you get sucked into. On second thought, that’s kind of what it’s been like.
I’m just going to tell you what’s it’s been like living the past week in the coldest place in America. Compliments to a few of my friends who took a moment to take photos during this time. I’m using their images…because I have been too busy a) not leaving the house and b) madly dashing from house to car to destination at a pace that didn’t allow for photography.
The image above was taken north of Bismarck. Click the photo to go to its original home.
You see that cool ring around the sun? Up here it’s called a sun-dog. It happens when the sun’s {or moon’s} light reflects off of ice crystals in the atmosphere. ICE. In the atmosphere.
Derek, being every observant noted that one day it was “120 warmer in our house than the windchill outside.”
Take a moment to really think about the difference you feel between 0 degrees and 120. That’s the difference between “dead of winter” and “Texas wildfire hot.” That’s the extreme difference we were feeling this past week.
Now…for a segment I’ll call…Cold Enough…
First. Thank you to my friend Melanie, who took one for the team and snapped this photo. It proves that it has been cold enough to freeze wet hair solid after shaking it upside down outside for a moment. Her hair is frozen like that. Frozen.
While making supply run to Menard’s I lost a glove somewhere in the store. It was cold enough that the walk from store to car left my ungloved hand visibly cracked, bloody and chapped.
The extreme cold will make your eyes water. But it is cold enough that your tears immediately froze on your face. So don’t even think about shedding tears over the situation.
Cold enough that the air you breathed felt like sand paper rubbing the inside of your lungs. I guess really the temp wasn’t so bad if you held your breath and closed your eyes.
To really gauge the severity of the situation…the National Weather Service warned that it was cold enough that frostbite could occur on uncovered skin in less than five minutes.
Perhaps, most shocking…it was cold enough that North Dakota schools closed down because of the extreme cold. If you live here, you know this never happens. If they closed down because of cold, negative temperatures, there’d be no school from November to March.
And in case you don’t want to take my word for it, I posted to my personal Facebook page asking friends to describe the cold in their words. Here are some of the things they said.
A brainfreeze on the outside. All over your body.
Hard to breathe because your nose hairs freeze straight out.
When you inhale your nose hairs get stiff. When you exhale your glasses fog up and freeze over.
It feels like death.
“I can’t [describe it] without cursing.”
You get an ice cream headache from breathing.
You have to do the Minot Shuffle. {Where you run into stores instead of walking.}
It’s now 23 degrees. I guess I should go for a jog or something. Stay warm and toasty my friends.
Amy
by Amy | Jan 6, 2014 | Blog, The Art of Faith
I’ve been thinking about freedom. It started with a devotional I heard on New Year’s Eve. Since then the concept of freedom has been tumbling around my brain.
The NYE speaker pointed to the song “Young, Wild and Free” as a cultural reference to what can be perceived as freedom. Until recently I’d only ever heard the chorus, but before writing this post I read all the lyrics. It’s basically about smoking weed…which, as my 5th grad D.A.R.E. class’ strongest finisher, I can assure you I’m not into. But this isn’t a post about drugs. It’s about freedom. The chorus goes like this:
So what we get drunk?
So what we smoke weed?
We’re just having fun
We don’t care who sees
So what we go out?
That’s how it’s supposed to be
Living young and wild and free
Classy, right?
It’s got that whole do whatever you want, no attention to consequences kind of vibe about it.
So I started thinking about freedom. The thing about freedom is that it means you are free from something. Our country was founded on the concept of freedom. Folks came here looking to be free. Free from religious oppression, free from persecutions, free from famine. The modern concept of freedom seems to have taken on a much wider berth. While we used to seek freedom from a force that kept us from being the best versions of ourselves…freedom is quickly becoming the right to do anything at anytime. And that’s not a safe practice for a successful society.
I think it’s dangerous because those “wild” and unruly actions can quickly become habits and addictions. Then suddenly the things that made you feel so free, {smoking, drinking, shirking responsibilities to get lost in the vortex of Pinterest, binge watching Netflix in the middle of the day, cheating on your other half} can easily become the things that weigh you down. They can ensnare us, tangle us, and leave us seeking freedom. Getting lost in the liberty to do anything anytime can mean that we sacrifice our ability to be world changers, doers, movers. Most of our young and wild living is self-serving. And I’ve learned that people who are really living, really doing things are usually interested in the external: the needs of others, helping, making a change, solving problems. They use their freedom of choice to make things happen. And here’s a truth-flash…it’s us young folk that need to be working to make a positive difference. I assure you, it’s not the elderly who should be improving the world.
So my big question is…what has you ensnared? Maybe it’s something heavy. Maybe it’s a freedom that has spun out of control. It’s a new year and a great time to assess yourself. Are you being free in the wrong way? Are you using your freedoms for good? What is keeping you from being the best/most productive/amazing person you were created to be? Search your heart and take a step toward becoming the person you desire to be.
Amy
PS…The guys who sing Young Wild and Free are 27, 28 and 42. So, that’s two kind-of-young-but-really-it’s-time-to-grow-up…and one not-young-at-all.
by Amy | Jan 3, 2014 | Blog, The Art of Projects, the house
Excuse the mess.
This is embarrassing, but it’s real. This is real life. In my house. What you see before you is a 2013 project left unfinished. In its uncompleted state it festered into a catchall eye sore, a place for me to stash things without a home. My favorite gym bag packed with some items that need to be donated, lists of workouts of fitness classes gone by, printer paper, a curtain rod…When it got too ugly, I hung a curtain. To hide it until I found time to finish it.
This space is a closet. A really nice closet, even. It is the byproduct of my bedroom makeover I took on over the summer. In the original second floor layout the master bedroom and guest room had identical closets that backed up to one another. They were only separated by a flimsy sheet rock wall that was easy to knock out in an afternoon. {You can see that destruction here.}
When I finished the bedroom {see that here} I put a wall in front of the original closet opening and built in a brand new closet into the newly expanded space. It was a win-win. The master bedroom gained its own, larger closet–and the guest room closet doubled in size by taking on the original master closet.
I prioritized my projects, and to be honest, prettying up the closet in a room no one really uses wasn’t at the top. But, as you can see, things are getting out of hand. I’ve been asked a lot recently what the first project of 2014 will be. Well folks, you’re looking at it.
The grand plan is that 2014 will also bring us a finished basement {that’s a whole other story} as well. In the basement we will add a third bedroom and a second bathroom. That will turn into guest quarters and the current guest room will become my office. When I renovated in the summer, expanding the master bedroom meant that we lost our office space. So until all our construction is done, this over sized closet will serve as an office nook for me. Granted, it’s not as cozy as sitting under an electric blanket on the couch with Panda Kitty…but I think it’ll be much more efficient. Maybe something more like this…
The goal is to finish the cloffice {closet-office, get it?} by the end of the month.
by Amy | Jan 2, 2014 | Blog, The Art of Adventure, The Art of Faith, The Art of Gathering, The Art of Living, The Art of Projects, The Art of the Kitchen, The Art of the Moment, the house
Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe we have entered another year. If your life is anything like mine…it’s felt like a whirlwind ever since Thanksgiving. Yikes. But now the festivities are behind us and it’s time to learn from the past year and step into a fresh, new season.
The year goes by so fast that I often feel like it passed in a blur. {Any one second that?} I have to remind myself that a year is a long time. A lot can happen. One life can do a lot in one year. I really believe that and I hope you do too. For me 2013 could have been a very hard, negative year…but I think we chose how we spend our time and resources and energy. We can let negative circumstances weigh us down…or allow them to give us a chance to brush up on our hurdling skills. I may have banged my shins on hurdles a few times in the past 365, but I can confidently say that I cleared them all.
And if you don’t believe a lot can get done in a year…let’s look back at the biggest moments of a year with Amy Allender. (more…)
by Amy | Dec 18, 2013 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
On a day, not so long ago I was in one of the greatest places on earth: Elkhart, IN. While I was there, I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to do a few Christmas photos for my favorite {and only} Allender sibling. Newsflash. My sister is precious.
We debated staying indoors, but thought that temps in the 20’s would be warm enough to face. That was a mistake. They look beautiful, but I was behind the camera coat on, scarf tight, and hood up…shivering. Those pups, cute, right? Watch the big one’s eyes. She’s completely absorbed by the squirrel activity going on around her. The little one is in a sweater, but that didn’t stop her from being completely pathetic in the winter air. Sweet babies. Can you tell my sis likes her dogs?
by Amy | Dec 17, 2013 | Blog
Once upon a time it was the day before Thanksgiving in Practically Canada. And bitter cold. The night time lows were getting well below zero and the wind chill was simply brutal.
My parents were coming in from out of town later that evening, so I took a moment in the afternoon to get a few last minute supplies, groceries {and coffee} for the days ahead. I was only gone an hour. When I returned I did what I always do as I turn into the driveway: as the steering wheel guides the car over the curb I push the garage door opener. That way it’s open just enough to drive under by the time I roll up to the door.
But this day there was something different when the door opened. There was something furry on the saw table. It was small and dark. My first thought was that it was some kind of rodent. Then it turned its face toward me and I realized it was a kitten. But as fast as it looked at me, it hopped off the table and scurried off to hide in the depths of the garage.
Eventually I got my hands on a cold, squirmy kitten. She was so happy to be held and started purring right away. She nestled into my neck and put her face in my scarf. Precious. I sat her down to go inside and get something for the little one to eat and some warm milk to drink. However, when I came back moments later she was gone. I could hear her meowing. Somewhere distant. Somewhere muffled. I left the food on the table and headed back inside. After all, it was bitter cold. As I headed inside one question was still on my mind: How on earth did this kitten get into the garage? Who knows.
Hours later when Derek got home I asked him if he saw anything unusual in the garage when he parked. Nope. So I told him {not to be mad} to come outside with me. When we went outside the milk was gone, the food was gone…but there was no cat. Just muffled mews. We looked. Under the cars, behind the scrap wood, under the paint shelf. Nothing. Finally, we tracked the sound to my car. Derek popped the hood, thinking we might be able to see her if she had crawled up on the under body.
And there she was. Curled up, keeping warm on the engine. Her whiskers were shorter on one side than the other, a little fur seemed burned..which led us to believe that she came to be in the garage because she rode home. I think she crawled up to the warm hood in a cold parking lot and stowed away back to my house.
But I had a problem. A kitten with no home, a cat of my own who hates other cats, closed shelters for the long holiday weekend.
We popped both hoods and left the kitten over night. On Thanksgiving Day the one and only Katie {cat lover} came over to pick up a cinnamon roll after our morning run. I showed her the kitten. She held it. And just like that…BAM. Thanksgiving miracle. The kitten rode home with her that morning. Now she lives happily ever after with Katie, Sean, and of course…her big brother Bandit. Precious, right?
I love a happy ending.
Amy
by Amy | Dec 12, 2013 | Blog, The Art of the Moment
My how I’ve missed you. Let’s see…all kinds of things have gone on here since we last caught up. There was a Thanksgiving miracle–which I’ll tell you about in a couple days because I need a few extra photos. I went to Indiana for a wedding. I got trapped in a 5-alarm Chicago snow storm, which lead to a long night in the O’Hare Airport and a 24 hour commute back to Practically Canada. Whilst stuck en route my throat began feeling like it had been rubbed down with sand paper. Once I made it back home I was fully sick and the PraCan air welcomed me with a cozy -3 degrees {F}. That was nothing compared to this morning’s -18. So yes, I’m back and I’m diving into the jolliness of the holidays head first. Well, DayQuil first, but I’ll be there as soon as my nose lets me breathe again.
But I’m getting off topic. Let’s kick the Amy Allender Christmas Season with a look at my favorite shots from all of my chalkboard mini sessions. Golly that was a good investment of time and energy. It totally worked over time and I had a blast taking all these Christmas photos for so many precious families! Tonight I’m sharing my absolute favorite shot from each session. {Seriously, have you seen cuter kids??} Take a look.
{Recognize that last name? Yep, that adorable couple is my mom and dad.}
And if you thought I wasn’t using this for our Christmas card…you were sorely mistaken. Of course we posed for a few in front of the “wall.”
Have a jolly night. See you tomorrow.
Amy
PS–It wouldn’t be the Christmas season without a few melt downs from these cute kids. I had one cry when her daddy did a Santa impression. Another took a tumble off one of the props. Another was throwing poinsettias. Of all those moments the only one I caught on camera was this melt-down-moment. Classic.
by Amy | Dec 6, 2013 | Blog
I hope a whole load of you tuned in tonight to watch the adorable Carrie Underwood and a whole cast of talented folks performed “The Sound of Music” live on NBC. It’s good. I mean, it’s not Julie Andrews…but it’s really good nonetheless.
As I sat watching, I got thinking about the real Von Trapp family. If you’ve ever watched a movie with me, you know I have a specific routine. I pull up IMDB and read all the trivia. Then throughout the movie I spout off random facts. I like to think it enriches the viewing experience.
So tonight I did a little research and made this list of 10 thing you didn’t know about the Von Trapps {or the Sound of Music.}
1. You know that classic aerial shot of Julie Andrews {Maria} at the beginning of the original movie? It was shot from a helicopter. Ms. Andrews later stated that every take ended with her falling over due to the high wind produced by the helicopter.
2. Captain Von Trapp was not the stern, harsh man he seems to be in the musical and movie. His children describe him as a warm, musically inclined man who was a good parent. The actual Von Trapp family was upset by his portrayal, but writers insisted that it was a better character choice for him to be a stereotypical “military man.”
3. Maria Von Trapp was 33 when this whole thing went down.
4. The Von Trapp family didn’t actually walk out of the country. They walked to the train and the train took them away for an American tour. They did not leave in secrecy. However, they did make it just in time…only a day before Austria closed its borders.
5. You can stay at the Von Trapp home. The Von Trapp clan eventually migrated to the US. They settled in Stowe, Vermont. As early as 1950, the family began welcoming guests to stay at their large family lodge. After a fire, the lodge renovated into a beautiful 96 room lodge that is still open today!
6. The family toured in Europe then in America as a singing group. While most of the original gang have hung up their performing shoes…the great grandchildren of Captain and Maria Von Trapp are now in the business of making music. You can even see them in concert.
7. Georg Von Trapp really did get to be on thin ice with the Nazi party. He refused to fly the Nazi flag and even turned down an invitation to sing at Hitler’s birthday party.
8. This is the real Maria Von Trapp
9. In the original movie Charmian Carr, who played Liesl, was not 16 going on 17. Rather she was 22 and performed the iconic song and dance on an injured ankle.
10. The Sound of Music held the title of Most Popular Movie Musical until it was surpassed by Grease 13 years later. It was a good run, and if you ask me…it’s still number on in a lot of our hearts.
Amy
