After the big snowstorm

After the big snowstorm, the sun was strong enough to melt the whole driveway by 4:30 PM.

03/19/2005 - A STORM FOR THE RECORD BOOKS Kim David/KROC AM News Yesterday’s storm was a record setter as it dumped heavy amounts of snow across the region. Rochester’s official 24-hour total at the airport was 19.8 inches, nearly 3 times the previous record for the date set in 1971. According to National Weather Service figures, that was also the largest amount ever recorded during a 24-hour period. The previous record was 15.4 inches set on January 2nd, 1982. The storm total for the city was just over 20 inches. Byron recorded 22 ½ inches, Saint Charles had 22 inches while Spring Valley recorded 20 inches. The Weather Service says downtown Rochester had a storm total of 19 ½ inches. The Twin Cities recorded just over 5 inches but it was enough for a record…

Big March snowstorm

It started snowing last night about 9:00PM and hasn't stopped since. It's hard to tell how much we've had because of the drifting- at least 10 inches. The wind is just right so that it blew up against my garage door and when I opened it this morning there was a 4 foot drift in front of me. It was at least three feet in the rest of the driveway. It took me two and a half hours to shovel in two shifts. Then this afternoon, I went out with the little snowblower I have and blew off another couple of inches.

Virtually all the schools closed and Ben and I stayed home from work. Because I didn't wake him up he slept in a little. Nancy didn't have school today, but the Home Show is still scheduled tonight and tomorrowl. She still might go over and help set up a booth for her program. I doubt that many people will be there and they still might cancel it.


During the Snowstorm

03/18/2005 - STORM OF TWO CENTURIES Andy Brownell, KROC-AM News Today's storm has easily earned the "Storm of the Century" title, but it also appears it will end up the being the biggest snowstorm to hit the Rochester area since local citizens began tracking weather records in the late 1800s. The snowfall total at the Rochester is already around 15 inches and forecasters are predicting another 3 to 6 inches of accumulation tonight, which would easily top the previous 24 hour snowfall record of 15.4 inches set in 1982. The snowfall total is already double the previous record for March 18th and has pushed the total for the month to a new all-time record. The National Weather Service says the storm is now expected to dump 18 to 20 inches in a band that runs from Austin through Winona and into west-central Wisconsin, but accumulations could hit two feet in some areas. Snowfall totals in the region this afternoon range from around a foot to over 16 inches and the snow has been falling at a rate of 1 or 2 inches an hour in many areas. Authorities are recommending against any travel in southern Minnesota and a section of I-90 is now closed from Highway 169 in Blue Earth County west to Luverne. Rochester Police are urging everyone to stay off the roads, which are snow and ice covered, and local towing companies are now being told to refrain from pulling vehicles from ditches until conditions improve. The winter storm has resulted in hundreds of flight cancellations at the Twin Cities Airport and forced Northwest Airlines to scrub all of its flights between Rochester and the Twin Cities.

Amy's Peace Corps Interview

Things are moving ahead for Amy and her interest in the Peace Corps (website). She got her application and recommendations done recently. Last week she called and they set up an interview with her on Wednesday.

In preparation for her Peace Corps interview, Amy actually did some things she hasn't done before. On Tuesday, she drove to a store and bought interview clothes: a blazer, slacks and nylons. Then she went into the career center at Wheaton to ask for help with interviewing. They offered to do a mock interview, videotaped her and gave her some tips.

Then on Wednesday, she took the train into Chicago for the actual interview. It was in an office building near the downtown train station and she arrived 40 minutes early.

They asked her all kinds of questions about her interests, background, how she felt about being gone a long time, even how she thought we might feel about it. She said it went well and it must have because she got a call back Thursday telling her that they would be nominating her for a position.

Based on her background, skills and interests, she was given a few choices of where and when she would go. She hadn't expected to have any choice in the location so this was a surprise. She is to call them back today and tell them her first and second preferences. The choices are:

English Language teaching leaving November 11 to a Sub-Saharan African country

English Language teaching leaving March 2006 to Eastern Europe, Asia or Pacific Islands

Special Education/Speech Therapy leaving October 11 to Pacific Islands

Special Education/Speech Therapy leaving in July

She says she is leaning toward the first one because of the date and the job. Africa is also an interest of hers. She wants to stay until November because she really wants to be here when Jewell has her baby in October. Yes, her friend, Jewell, is pregnant! She told us while she was staying here during spring break.

She sounded excited and all of a sudden it seems very real to her. The next step is for them to do a thorough background check of her medically and legally. She would then get an offer with specifics of the job including a particular location and job.

I guess it is also becoming more real to me too. I am happy for her to be following her dreams, but I'm just not sure what those two years away will mean for her or for us. Yes, we will miss her and we will probably visit wherever she goes. We don't control much of what can happen to our kids, but the distance makes us seem even more helpless.