I stand corrected...

My previous post about how I love winter and whatnot? Written a WEE bit prematurely. If I thought last Tuesday night was bad getting home from work, then Wednesday was much worse. First, we actually got the 16 inches of snow forecast (and that NEVER happens). I woke up at 6:30 a.m. to make it to work by 8:30-9 (and those who know me know that I am not a morning person). At 7:30 I was ready to leave, however, my car wasn't. It took Craig and I both 45 minutes to shovel ourselves out of the drive. Then the roads weren't salted or plowed (salt trucks and plows couldn't keep up with the snow) so the roads were HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE. Did I mention that they were horrible? I got stuck 3 times on my way to Auto Zone to try and replace my wiper. Only to find out that I needed a new wiper arm and not blade, and Auto Zone doesn't carry those. So I called the shop I go to only to find out that they were closed due to the weather. To shorten my long story, I never made it to work (I wasn't taking a bus. After being on a bus that started fishtailing in bad weather made me resolve not to go on them in snowstorms again), Craig's work was closed (unpaid), I couldn't do anything since I couldn't see out of my car, and then we lost our electricity for a couple of hours so I couldn't even clean. *sigh* The joys of living in Cleveland. Although I can now tell people that I lived through "The Blizzard of '07". It was funny to hear the newscasters talk about it in such dire tones. Yeah, it was dangerous outside but if you've lived in Cleveland for a few years you learn to expect the unexpected and take precautions. Although I must say I haven't seen snow that deep in at least 10 years.


I have never seen snow almost cover my foundation, or pile up over the top of my front stoop..







And on a drier note, here are some pics from the Home & Garden show that I went to with my mom and Angie. I must be getting old, but I used to HATE gardening. Now I'm totally addicted to those home improvement shows and am getting all geeked out about re-landscaping my front yard. Although when faced with re-doing our bedroom ceiling (slight water damage from leaky roof) I'm not as excited. :)

My mom at the Stonehenge-looking structure. It was pretty funny when she used her arms to look like she was pushing it up.








My mom and Angie in front of an indoor waterfall...
















Me and Angie (and Baby Max). I call it my "I didn't feel like doing my hair today" look. And funnily enough, that's the sweater I'm wearing right now. :)









Me and my mommy.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

So that abnormally warm winter we were having? You know, when it was like 60 degrees in December and it hardly snowed? Yeah, those days are looong gone. First we had the frigidly arctic weather, where the high was around 7 degrees and the low was under zero. Good times. Now we are getting PUMMELED with snow...right now there's spots in my backyard where it almost comes up to my knees. It took me 2 hours to get home from work (normally a 20 minute drive) and then my driver's-side wiper broke halfway home. Man, it was a blast. Oh, and they're calling for even more snow tonight, for a total up to 16 inches. Yippee!

Seriously, even though I'm complaining I do love winter. I love how beautiful it looks outside (yes, even when I am shoveling) and how calm and peaceful everything looks. Also because it reminds me of when Angie, Rachel and I were kids and we'd go sledding on Tiedeman hill and then we'd go home and fight over who gets to sit by the heater (we usually ended up sharing it). Those are some of my all-time favorite memories.

But I digress. I was out back with Milo tonight, just running around and watching him play. He LOVES LOVES snow. And it felt good to just be somewhere where you didn't have to worry about anything (like how my new roof is already leaking from the weight of all this snow) and just enjoy the moment. I'm already looking forward to when baby Max will be old enough to make snowmen, go sledding, and make snowballs to throw at Daddy. :) In short, I love all of winter except the driving when it's REALLY bad. I learned to drive in the middle of one of the worst winters I remember so it really doesn't bother me a lot. I don't mind the cold that much, I don't mind shoveling/snowblowing, and I definitely don't mind how snow has a way of blanketing noise and sounds so everything is still and peaceful. If I wouldn't freeze my ass off (well, that might be a good idea) I would sit outside and just watch it snow.

Anyhoo I have some pics from my time outside so some people (like my cousin Monica in California) can see what a real winter looks like. :) Take care everyone and stay warm!

P.S. Happy Valentine's Day, and a special Happy Valentine to my first Valentine, my mom. I love you!!


Milo is on a misson...



Getting close...

YES!!! JACKPOT!!!!

FYI, that fence is 6 feet high.

In 2 hours the snow was halfway up my tires...

Snowflakes illuminated by camera flash

My street. Looks like a postcard...