Winter Blues

Ever since we have been in our new home, our neighbors have been telling us, that the weather is not normally like this. Last February was very mild and there was minimal snow. This winter has been quite the opposite. We have not seen the grass in our yard since Christmas Eve! We have been pounded over and over with snow and unusually cold temperatures all winter long.

We are the only crazy ones in the neighborhood who don't own a snow blower. There are just too many things higher on our financial priority list, so we have been clearing snow the old-fashioned way. A few times, I have been caught in a real bind. Once, I had just one hour to clear the driveway so I could get Grace to school. There was eight inches in the driveway and an eighteen inch drift at the end of it where the snowplows had created a wall. I strapped Kathryn in the Bjorn, dressed the kids, and we all headed outside. Thirty minutes later, I barely made one swipe down the driveway, all three kids were crying, and my back was killing me! I was shoveling with our shovel which broke the night before. Then, my blessed neighbor came strolling down the sidewalk towards my house with his blower. He shewed me back into the house and had my whole driveway cleared and the snow drift at the end of it gone just in time for me to get Grace to school on time. Later that afternoon, a brand-new snow shovel showed up on our door step from the same neighbor. We have the NICEST neighbors! They have been known to do things like that for us several times this winter.

The mound of snow in front of our entryway just grew and grew! Even today, after the Spring thaw has started, we still can not see the street from the front door. It is blocking the view. Still.

The snow was actually a blessing. We experienced very cold temperatures caused by an inversion where warm air above traps cold air below. Not only does it make it very chilly, but it also traps in all the pollution and makes for very poor air quality. At one point, the air was three times the limit the EPA deems as safe. The only times the air was good enough to be outside was when it was snowing.

We got very creative to stay entertained. I'm not sure what we are doing here, but Grace sure had fun taking pictures with my camera.

While Grace was at school, Kade, Kathryn and I played ball in the basement. Can you see the camouflaged baby?

Now, can you see her...?

We made the snow piles fun by turning them into slides. The kids were entertained by this for hours, and it was so nice to get some fresh air.

One day, we even experienced an ice storm. The inversion caused a rain storm in the warm air above, but once it reached the ground where temps were below freezing, it turned to ice. That was a scary day for traffic! Luckily, Neil has the luxury of being able to work from home on days like that, so we stayed safe.

The next few days, the moisture was stuck beneath the inversion, and we experienced thick fog like the stuff pictured above. You should be able to see the valley below, but it is covered in a cloud.

Now, on to the blessings.

1. With this being the worst cold and flu season Utah has seen in 10 years, NONE of us got sick. This cute baby has made it to her two-month birthday without getting RSV!

2. We never got in a wreck on these treacherous road conditions. There was one Sunday that it took Neil two hours to get home from our church which is just around the corner, but nothing happened to the car. He just had to wait for a plow to come.
3. We never did spend the big bucks to get a bigger vehicle. Every time we were ready to head down to the dealership to buy our Sienna we have been snowed in and couldn't leave the house. We have saved that much more money for when we can actually get down the hill to buy one.
4. Neil can work from home almost whenever he wants/needs to. Sometimes, his boss tells the employees not to come in because of the weather. They are so caring. We love Health Catalyst!!!
5. The kids have learned to be very creative with our time and played together very well during these cold winter months. There's nothing better than overhearing them barking like puppies, calling each other sister, or dad as they play "house,"or pretending to be lions prowling the African desert.

We have been on the receiving end of so many acts of service by friends and family ever since Kathryn has been born. The list goes on and on. I am looking forward to giving back soon.