My Favorite President is Lincoln

Generic, I know, but probably nothing more fascinating than being the leader of the country during the Civil War.

So last Thursday, Harper and I tried to soak up the nice weather. I'm starting to shop for her spring clothes so we went to an outdoor shopping center and ran around, ate lunch at the T-Rex Cafe, and bought a couple of swimsuits, hoping to magically coax summer into existence through the mere power of consumerism.

Harper had a great time, although she was a little frightened of the dinosaur animatronics. She kept her eyes focused on the pterodactyl hanging from the ceiling in case it swooped down to steal her Dino Dogs.

We both loved being outside and I must say that I am braving the cold front much easier this time around having had a little bit of a break from the snow and sludge.

Speaking of warm weather--Mike Smith, an old family friend of my mother-in-law, just published a book last year called, "Warnings: the True Story of How Science Tamed the Weather." Mike is a meteorologist who happened to be on one of the local Wichita channels when I was a kid. His book is a pretty fascinating account of how technology has developed since the 1940's to accurately predict severe weather. You don't have to be a weather dork like me to enjoy the book.

Anyway, I talked to Mike today and he is going to take me storm chasing in April (that is if there are any storms in the midwest that week). Storm chasing is something I've always wanted to do but never really had the opportunity to go. Mike offered to take me and my mother-in-law a couple of years ago but this is the first time I've really had the flexibility to get away on short notice. I'm really excited!!

That's about all for this week. Hope you've had a lovely President's Day!