Today marks the 11th day we have NOT been in school because of the weather. YAY! for me, but alas tomorrow we have to return to a life of work and responsibility. Nash received an assignment from his teacher during our little snow-cation to write a poem about winter or snow. I just had to share his adorable thoughts on the subject.
We haven't been in school for six days and it is unlikely we will return tomorrow or possibly even the next day. Why? Because we were gifted 28 inches of snow and some around us were even blessed more graciously than that. I know everyone out West laughs at the way the city shuts down, but that is probably because they have never been to the East Coast. They probably don't understand the windy little streets with no shoulder. The lack of wide open spaces and the abundance of people. The thousands of miles of road and rail tracks. Just take my word, as a former Colorado-an myself, this much snow is really crippling and SO MUCH FUN!
Wednesday night Nash had a basketball game. When we went into the gym there was a little rain falling, but when we came out it was snowing pretty hard. There was only about 1/4 inch on the ground but the roads were treacherous. Scott and I were in separate vehicles and his truck could not make it up the hills and around the curves of the road near our home. So, the five mile trip from the gym to our door, took well over an hour and resulted in us ditching Scott's truck and him climbing in with me. Now, this little storm seemed to panic all of the DMV (DC, Maryland, & Virginia) because we knew something much larger was looming for our weekend. Bright and early Thursday morning, I set out for the grocery store. I wasn't the only one. There was no bread and only 3 half gallons of milk left in the store. I stocked up on our family's necessities, donuts and canned cheese, disappointed I was leaving sans bread. As I was walking to my car, a bread truck pulled into the parking lot. I can only describe the scene as bedlam. It felt like we were in a German breadline at the height of World War II. The bread truck driver just started tossing bread to the masses and women caressed it while weeping like they were truly on the brink of starvation and that loaf would sustain them for one more desperate day. Mind you, the storm hadn't even started. It was surreal. I got my loaf and convinced the driver to throw in a pack of hamburger buns to boot. Next stop, Home Depot, for paint. I needed something to keep me busy during the long storm. It was equally chaotic and sad as I watched grown men weeping over snow shovels and ice salt, just like their female counterparts.
Then the snow came and kept coming for 48 hours straight and it was beautiful and the world was so still and peaceful. I have never been so thankful for a cozy warm home, electricity that stayed on, junk food, fireplaces and Netflix. We dug out sometime on Sunday and a snowplow finally, semi-cleared our street sometime on Monday. The kids helped dig. They built snow men, had snow ball fights, made snow ice cream, did a lot of sledding and drank gallons of hot chocolate, and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows in the fireplace. They played together and fought with each other. There was lots of laughter and a few tears, especially when Atley started comparing Nash's body to that of a Teletubbie. I got my living room and dining room painted. I binged watched so many episodes of One Tree Hill, that I can't really remember where my life ends and character Brooke Davis' begins. Did I cheat on a Calculus test in high school or was that Brooke? I honestly don't know anymore.
Anyway, here are some pictures/videos of Winter Storm JONAS!
Hey, guess what? It is STILL winter. Yeah, I'm totally over it already. Even my most beloved sweaters and coats are starting to feel itchy. We have lost and replaced at least six pairs of gloves this winter and in demonstration against anymore cold days and snow storms I simply refuse to buy one more pair of gloves until next season. Apparently, Mother Nature doesn't care much about my protestations because my children are suffering from mild cases of frost bite on their fingers as we speak. It'll toughen them up right? (By the way, they really don't have frost bite, yet. So, don't get all crazy and call the authorities or send me a box of old mittens.) Of course, the kids love the snow. They love playing in it, skating in it, eating it, missing school for it and apparently don't mind freezing in it. Here is our reenactment of Robert Frost's, Into the Woods on a Snowy Evening
It is also mandated somewhere in the kid constitution that you must spend at least one day per winter ice skating. I remember loving this activity as a kid but it is so painful as an adult. Your ankles hurt, your back hurts and if you fall, well that could be the end of everything. This year was Harley's first year on skates. She adores watching figure skating on TV and I believe she was convinced she was going to be a young Tara Lipinski when she hit the ice. It was rough. She was forced to check her pride and use a penguin. But, when she discovered it impossible to spin a hundred miles an hour on one skate with our without her penguin, she was devastated.
By way of advice: The penguins are really an awesome tool to help young children and even adults learn to skate. As far as I know there are only two rinks in the D.C. area with penguins-Pentagon City and Washington Harbor.
I'm failing. Not only with keeping up on my blog but keeping up with my life. My house is in a state of disaster, as is my car, my responsibilities at church, my kids and my mental state. I am behind on everything and it isn't because I am over-booked or over-worked. I have had to restart the same load of laundry in my washing machine 4 times because I keep forgetting and the clothes get sour before I remember to put them in the dryer. The only thing I am motivated to do is binge watch Gossip Girl and eat chocolate chip cookies. What is wrong with me? Never fear! I know exactly what the cure is. I need a healthy dose of Vitamin D, and I don't mean the kind from a glass of milk. I NEED SUNSHINE! I need spring to get here in a hurry and I need this hellish winter to leave immediately. Unfortunately, I have no control over the weather so be warned and aware that until I get a string of 70 degree days, you can expect very little of me in terms of production. We have had 11 snow days this year and at least a dozen delayed starts. Missing school or starting late is more the rule than the exception. We cannot get into a groove and it is getting old. I might have to sell a kidney to pay our heating bill if it doesn't warm up soon. Consider your self warned groundhog, if you see your rodent shadow in Punxsutawney, PA next year I will murder you with my bare hands. Here are some of our most recent snow pictures and if any of my Arizona or California friends even think that it looks like fun just go ahead and get in line behind your furry friend Phil because you are NEXT!
(Can someone remind me of how miserably cold I have been all winter in July when I start complaining about the heat?)
