White

As Michael and I drove to the pediatrician's office with Nora yesterday, it was raining. Driving through that type of weather, we marveled at how we couldn't believe that it was mid-January and we hadn't seen more than a dusting of snow. I wondered aloud whether we would actually have WINTER this year.

This, coming from a couple of people who apparently haven't seen a weather report in a while. What can I say? We've been distracted.

After taking Tessa outside to pee this morning, Michael came in to wake me up. He laughed, "So, we kind of got a lot of snow last night."

"REALLY??" I asked. I dragged my butt out of bed, showered, got dressed, got ready, and head downstairs before I even took a peek outside. Finally, I saw that overnight, winter had magically arrived. We had several inches of snow on our deck, everything in sight was white, the wind was blowing, and snow continued to fall.

I knew instantly that my commute was going to suck. And it did, but it wasn't as awful as it could have been. Lucky Michael got to stay home with Nora this morning, but I had to go in for a meeting. I did get to come back home around noon, and the roads were just as crappy then as they had been this morning. In fact, when I turned onto our street--it didn't even look like a street. The road was undetectable.

And it was beautiful.

Everyone was bitching today (even I was, when my fingers were frozen after scraping off my windshield), but we typically see this weather start in December, if not November. We're lucky to have gotten this far without it. Now, I'm just curious as to what will happen next. Is winter here to stay through March April? Or will we be back to the "new normal" before we know it?

Was anyone else surprised by some snowfall today? Experience crappy commutes? To this point, has this winter been as mild for everyone else as it has been for us?

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Snow Angel

We've been meaning to take Nora outside into the snow for a while now. After all, we have had A LOT of snow this year. But this winter has been especially frigid, and it was difficult to justify taking a teeny baby out into the cold.

This morning, however, things kind of fell into place and we took advantage. For one, Nora is a bit bigger now, and is almost sitting up. Secondly, we got some fresh, pretty snow last night. And finally, the temperatures were in the upper-30s, so it was relatively comfortable outside.

We bundled up Nora and ventured out into the yard to snap a few pictures before her morning nap.

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The Boy Who Cried Wolf

As I was leaving work yesterday, a few of my coworkers were discussing the weather forecast for today, saying we were supposed to get a good bit of snow (6-10 inches) and that conditions were going to be pretty bad.

I lightheartedly scoffed, "Oh, suuure. That's what they say. I'm sure we'll wake up to a dusting!"

You see, I have reasons for my skepticism. We've had a lot of false alarms this year. Frankly, our meteorologists don't know what the hell they're talking about.

Take the "Groundhog Day Storm," for instance. After a massive storm system essentially leveled Chicago and the midwest by blasting everyone with more than two feet of snow, our area was hustling and bustling, preparing for the "snowpocalypse" that had our weather forecasters practically guaranteeing 14-20 inches of snow.

It was all anybody talked about for days. Any real breaking news got pushed aside in favor of coverage of the impending storm.

The grocery stores were mobbed with people trying to buy milk, bread, and other staples to get them through should they be trapped in their houses for days. (I've never understood this. We live in New York, not Virginia. Even if we get two feet--I have not been literally "snowed in" in a good 10 years, and even then it lasted for less than 24 hours. Do people really not have enough food in their cupboards to survive for 24 hours?!)

All of the schools cancelled classes. Not only did they cancel them, but they cancelled them THE NIGHT BEFORE. That almost never happens here. Almost never.

Imagine everyone's surprise when we all woke up to find that we had maybe four inches of snow on the ground. In fact, when I made my commute into work, the roads were less treacherous than they had been on February 1. It turned out that the MASSIVE storm, the BIGGEST OF THE DECADE (or whatever they were calling it), that was sure not to miss us--missed us.

Jackasses.

So, all of this to explain why I may be a bit of a skeptic when it comes to weather forecasts. And why I so easily brushed off the idea that this morning would result in anything other than a typical snowfall.

Upon first glance this morning, it appeared that I was right. It had snowed, and was snowing, but it was just a few inches. No big deal, at least not yet.

BUT THEN I GOT ON THE ROADS.

And holy hell. It was easily the worst commute I've had all winter (and my commute is short, people). My anti-lock brakes kicked in pretty much every time I engaged them, and my highest speed was probably 20 miles an hour. I fish-tailed nearly every time I made a turn, and there were a few times that I know I would've slammed into surrounding cars--if there had been any. This week is "February Break" for all of the schools in our area (they get a week off in February; I don't really know why, but it was awesome when I was growing up!), and it appears that our towns and cities believe that if kids aren't in school, roads aren't worth plowing. Lovely.

To top it all off, when I finally arrived at work and was pulling through the parking lot, I completely RAN OVER a curb with the tires on my driver's side. It was totally covered in snow and I didn't see it. In addition to the 6-10 additional inches of snow they are saying will fall today (snow brush FTW), I fear that my tires could be flat when I go to leave work today.

When I walked into the office, I had a few coworkers say, "HEATHER! This is all your fault!" (You know, because out of the millions of people in the world, Mother Nature apparently listens to me when I trash-talk the local meteorologists. Obviously.)

As I trudged to the kitchen in my snow boots, in search of the water cooler, my only response was, "You know what they say about the boy who cried wolf!"

P.S. Is it spring yet?

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Impromptu

Winter has always been pretty depressing for me in terms of photography--indoors, natural light can be difficult to come by, and it's often too cold to spend time taking pics outside (especially of babies and kids, who are my favorite subjects).

One of my greatest disappointments in myself as a mother so far is that I have not taken enough "good" pictures of Nora. Sure, I pull out the camera and take lots of what I call "snaps," but I have not spent a lot of time really photographing my daughter.

But after Nora's afternoon nap today, I took out the camera and on a whim, decided to place her in some natural light for pics. I opened all the blinds and still needed crank up my ISO, but I managed to get a few I could work with.

And I know I'm biased, but check out those eyes! :)

I think I need to do impromptu photo shoots more often!

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Sayonara, March

When the clock strikes midnight tonight, it will be official: I'll have made it through winter.

:::huge sigh::: Oh, thank GOD.

These winter months have felt exceptionally long this year. In fact, I even bitched about it a few times on here! But I was also in the early stages of pregnancy and experiencing the exhaustion that comes with that, so it's hard to say what was really to blame for my funk. I still think the weather is a major culprit, though. I just really do not like winter.

After the holidays were over, I set my sights on April. To get there, I had to take each month at a time--sometimes one day at a time. It was daunting. It seemed endless.

But now? Now, April is here. :::happy dance:::

We'll likely still experience some cold, dreary days, but the nice days will be more abundant, so I can handle it. In fact, we're welcoming April with a bang--80 degree weather is forecasted for Friday and Saturday! The weather report has been making me giddy every night this week.

See you next year, March. I'm through with you.

Here comes the sun.

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SNOW DAY

Yesterday, there were rumors going around at work that maybe, possibly, we'd close today due to the incoming snow storm. This very rarely happens, so I was kind of taking the attitude, I'll believe it when I see it. I just didn't want to be disappointed.

I typically don't get up until around 7:30 a.m., but I woke up at 6:00 this morning. Instead of rolling over and going back to sleep until the alarm, I couldn't help but take a peek to see if my company was closed. Sure enough--CLOSED. I got to experience that glorious feeling of waking up, thinking you have to go to work, only to realize that you get to stay home, sleep in, and stay in your pajamas all day. It just doesn't get much better than that.

Here is a photo Michael took at around 6:00, after he shoveled a path for poor little Tess.

It was already pretty deep, and it continued to snow ALL DAY. Plus, it was windy and there were problems with blowing snow. Needless to say, the roads were pretty terrible so I was thankful that I was able to stay home. Unfortunately, Michael was not as lucky and had to head out eventually. Our street didn't get plowed until around noon, so his car kept getting stuck when he was trying to leave. Eventually, our neighbor happened to come out and helped him by literally PUSHING his car down the road as Michael accelerated. Lovely.

This afternoon, I snapped these photos when I took Tessa outside:

Poor Tessa never knows what to think when the snow is taller than she is.

Bushes? What bushes?

I stayed inside most of the day. Marie came over in the afternoon and we watched The Time Traveler's Wife. For a movie based on a book, it wasn't too bad. They were limited with what they could do in the timeframe for a movie, so there were a lot of things cut out, but they didn't completely destroy the story. I still love, love, LOVE the book, though.

Tonight, we ventured out and met my whole family for dinner. It was good to get out of the house for a bit. Looking around, everything is so beautiful covered in snow. But I can't help but think--it's going to take FOREVER for this to all go away now.

How many more weeks until spring?

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Scraping By

January was my worst blogging month EVER. (Well, the worst since I really committed to blogging in March 2008.) I just barely kept up with my 101 in 1001 goal to make sure to blog at least 20 times every month.

:::sigh:::

Really, I just have the winter blues. I'm sick of being stuck indoors. I'm sick of not feeling 100%. I'm sick of TV and of the computer and of the same ol' stuff.

I want to be outside. I want to see green leaves on the trees and feel green grass beneath my feet. I want to enjoy warm weather and sunshine. I want to go to barbecues and weddings and graduation parties.

The other thing that is not helping is having to continue to wait to see whether the changes I referred to last week are, in fact, going to take place. Without knowing what's going to happen, it makes it difficult to plan anything. And I'm nothing without a plan.

I am a PLANNER. I look forward. I concentrate on the future. I love to focus on what's ahead.

So this state of limbo--this state of not knowing--it's sooo not my thing. It's an uncomfortable way of living for me. Still, I know it's good for me. It's good to have to spend some time outside of your comfort zone every once in a while. I just hope to be back in the "nice and comfy" area soon.

The bright side: We are in February. Yes, FEBRUARY!

Though I have to admit--I'm really not a fan of February. Although it is a short month, it always seems to be one of the longest. In my mind, February's only redeeming qualities are my husband's birthday, Tessa's birthday, and the fact that it's one month closer to April. And alright, I guess I could give it the Super Bowl in the "plus" column. But damn, that is it.

I think I need to find a way to keep myself busier. I'm not taking many photos these days because it's cold and it's dark and I like outdoors and natural light. I go to work, I go home. I (maybe) go to the gym. It's boring. But my other problem is that winter just makes me feel lazy. I don't want to do anything right now. All of this makes for a slow winter, that's for sure.

Anyone else suffering from the winter blues? What are you doing to combat the depressing feelings that make it seem like spring will NEVER get here?

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Ketchup Day

It's Ketchup Day: January 2010 Edition. Enjoy!
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Life has been busy and keeping us on our toes. Blogging has been difficult this month, but I'm trying to keep my head above water. I'm happy that January is almost over, because February is a short month (even though it always feels long), and once March hits, it's almost spring.

Every year that I live through winter, I hate it more and more. Don't get me wrong; I like having four seasons. It's just that I wish winter only lasted through Christmas. Really, I'm starting to believe I'm not meant for the cold. I dream of picking up everyone we know and love, and moving (all together!) to a warmer climate. Wouldn't that be nice?

As much as I'm bitching about the cold, we really had a nice weekend. Yesterday was sunny and relatively warm, so we took Tessa for a really long walk. Today wasn't as nice (it rained), but the temperatures were in the 40s so it is hard to complain. Although I always appreciate the warm days that are a reprieve, I'm always a little bit bitter about them because I know they're just a tease. This week, we're back into the 20s and snow, snow, snow. BLAH BLAH BLAH.
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Remember the heart-wrenching story about little Maddie? Her mommy, Heather, had a new baby on Friday. I couldn't be happier for an internet stranger. The child she lost cannot, of course, ever be replaced, but I feel like love is so tremendously healing, and that darling little Annabel is the best thing that could have happened for her parents.

Ironically, someone else had a baby this weekend, too. Jenny, who I've written about before because her blog was the first I ever saw and read, welcomed her third daughter on Saturday. Like Heather, Jenny lost her first daughter much too soon. Allie died of leukemia in 2004 at just 9 months of age. Today, her second daughter, Maggie, is 4 years old, and the family is now complete with the addition of little Katie.

Happiness all around!
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A few of you have asked (in the comments of other posts) about our upcoming vacation plans. Well, the truth is that we don't have any. Yet. But we're working on it.

We have several ideas, but we have quite a few balls up in the air right now and we need to get everything straightened out before we start making decisions about any vacations. We're hoping that our next trip will happen around the end of April, but we'll see. I'll be sure to keep you all posted about where we're going next! :)

I think that by the time our next one rolls around, this will have been the longest stretch we've gone between vacations since before we were married... so I'm sure I'm going to be really ready!
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I've made quite a bit of progress on my 101 in 1001 list lately! I went in on Friday and crossed off and updated a bunch of things. Woohoo! Check it out, if you want.
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We've been watching football all day. Earlier, we went to Champps for the Jets vs. Colts game. I didn't really know who to root for, as I hate Peyton Manning, and I couldn't in good conscience root for the Jets (they are division rivals for the Bills). By the end, however, I realized that I would have preferred the Jets. I think. I guess I'll never really know. But I found myself scowling when I realized that Peyton and the Colts would be going to the Super Bowl again!

The second game, Vikings vs. Saints, is still going on now, and it's a pretty interesting game so far. I'd really like to see the Saints pull this one out! I like Drew Brees, and let's face it--I've made no secret of how I feel about Brett Favre. We'll see what happens. No matter the outcome, we'll be gathering a small group at our house for the Super Bowl again this year. I always look forward to that!
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And with that, another weekend comes to a close. I am not looking forward to going back to work this week. It seems like the work weeks are continuously getting longer, while the weekends are getting shorter. *sigh*

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Sneezy

We are getting ourselves back into the swing of things at home. I am getting myself caught up.

Well, I would be. Except for the fact that for the first time in well over a year, and for probably only the second time in two years... I am sick.

Blechhh.

It started with a lot of sneezing while we were in Texas. Nothing bothersome, really. Just a lot of sneezing.

Now, it has taken over my poor nasal passages and I can barely breathe. I came into work this morning with a box of tissues tucked under my arm. My coworkers promptly ran in the other direction.

And to think that just yesterday, I was debating about whether I should get a free H1N1 vaccine being offered at work. (I didn't get it.) Not that it would have prevented my cold. I'm just saying that if I'm this miserable with a stuffy nose, H1N1 would be... well, not fun. To say the least.

Add to that the WEATHER--which is snowy and freezing--and there is nowhere else I'd rather be than on my couch under a cozy blanket with my personal heater (whose name happens to be "Tessa"). And my kleenex.

To bed. To bed, I said.

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Dust

I suppose it is fitting, given it is December 1.

We woke up to our first traces of snow this morning. A dusting, if you will.

I suppose I should feel grateful that it is so late in the season, and until now, I hadn't yet seen a single snowflake. And I guess it looks pretty. I can appreciate that.

But man, oh man... where did summer go? It is unbelievable how time flies. I know we just had Thanksgiving, but it's December? Whaaat? Really?

How?

In the land of four seasons, we have fall to prepare us for winter, but still, I have trouble coming to terms with the fact that it's time for winter coats, gloves, boots, and snow shovels. Bitter winds, icy sidewalks, salty roads. Leafless trees, lifeless grass, gray skies.

The few hours of precious daylight afforded to us are spent inside offices, artificially lit by fluorescent lights. Perhaps what is most daunting is knowing that now that snow and cold are here, they are here to stay... all the way through March.
But it is pretty.

I can appreciate that.

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April (Snow) Showers

**rubbing eyes**

When I look at the date at the top of this post, I could swear it says April 7. And HA! That's just funny.

What?

Oh. So, wait... it does say April 7?

How can that be? Surely, if it was really April 7, I wouldn't have seen all of this when I was going into work this morning:

I mean, look at that. It can't be April. Plus, I was rudely awakened by the sounds of a neighbor scraping ice off of his windshield this morning. That doesn't happen in April.

Alright, alright... so it IS April, and we DID have snow and blustery cold this morning. I'm just choosing to live in denial half of the time, and the other half of the time, I'm being a bitter betty. Because frankly? This sucks. Unfortunately, it's a reality here in Western New York.

People around these parts often talk about a legendary Mother's Day snowstorm. (Yes, Mother's Day. You know, that holiday that happens to take place in the middle of MAY.) I have no memory of such a thing, but they swear it happened. It's possible that it was so traumatic, my brain has suppressed the memory to protect my sanity.

This past winter was particularly awful, so I'm trying not to complain about the seemingly-moody spring we are having. Anything is better than the winter we just had. But I'm having trouble here. I want warm weather so badly, it's hard to focus on anything BUT the weather.

We've enjoyed occasional 60 degree, beautiful, sunny days for which I have been tremendously grateful. The problem is that more often than not, that weather is gone in an instant (literally overnight in some cases), and then we are blasted with another 30 degree, dreary, rainy/snowy day. NOT COOL, Mother Nature. NOT COOL.

Years ago, I was forwarded an e-mail titled, "You Know You're in Western New York When..." One of the items that--according to the list--lets you know you're in Western New York?

You can get sunburn and frostbite in the same day.

And I'm here to let you know that it's true. SO true.

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Feeling Blue, Seeing Gray

I have a love/hate relationship with Daylight Savings Time.

I love the light in the evenings; I hate the dark in the mornings.

I love how it indicates that we are one step closer to spring and summer (even though we're not as close as usual since they changed the DST schedule).

I hate how losing the hour totally kicks my ass for at least a week, maybe two. I feel like a zombie, and it sucks.

Also not helping the situation? I have not seen a single glimpse of the sun since Saturday morning. It has been so tremendously gray and dreary here, and I just cannot take it any longer. Winter has been absolutely brutal this year, and frankly, it's starting to get the best of me. I'm not sure I can handle this anymore. I want spring! SPRING, damnit! Mother Nature, do you think you can get on that? I promise, it's urgent. I'm going nuts over here.

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Frigid

Oh, Mother Nature. Have mercy on us. Please.

It's our third full day of living in the arctic tundra. It is so cold, I don't even know how to describe how it feels to be outside in it. Let's take a look at the current numbers, shall we?


Um, yeah. "Feels like" -14 degrees. I'll tell you one thing: I believe it. When I walked from the parking lot into my office this morning, I pretty much wanted to cry. It was just that cold. Adding to the misery is the fact that we're experiencing 20-30 mph winds, with wind chills reaching down around -20 degrees.

If you've never experienced cold like this, I can tell you right now--YOU DON'T WANT TO. It is cruel, it is bitter, it is frigid. You can't take deep breaths. The smallest gusts of wind take your breath away. Larger gusts of wind? Suffocating. It's just miserable. Completely and utterly wretched.

I can't wait to get home again tonight. Bundle up in some pajamas and slippers, and bake! Then curl up with the space heater, a blanket, and a cuddly little dog. And hibernate until this cold snap is over. I'm not asking for much; just hitting 20-30 degrees would be a huge relief.

There is just one thing left to say: Brrrrrrrrrrrr!

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More Snow Photos

Last night, it continued to snow. And snow. And snow.

When Michael came home from work, he actually couldn't even get down our street. The plow had finally come, and he was working on getting the street cleaned up. In the process, however, he was making huge snow piles that no car could possibly drive over. So he (and some of our neighbors) had to wait at the end of our street until the snow was cleared. Annoying.

While Michael was waiting at the end of the street, I took Tess out for the second time of the day. She was not happy. The snow was now as tall as she was, and I had to clear a spot for her to pee. Then, she immediately wanted to go back inside. She was obviously freezing; poor thing was shaking.

We were happy to retreat back inside, where it was decidedly warm and cozy. Before dinner, we heard a second, bigger plow come around. Michael decided to take the camera outside and snap a few more photos.

Later, Tessa munched on a dropped ice cube.

And played with her toys.

Then we settled into the couch and snuggled.

Good snow day, for sure. Only thing that would have made it better would have been if I didn't have to go out in it at all!

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Snow Day!

Last night, they were forecasting a snowstorm for today. We woke up this morning and everything looked the same as it has the last few days. No new snow to speak of.

As I was walking into work, little flakes started to come down. By 9:00 a.m., it was really coming down. Rumors started circulating at work that we were going to be sent home early.

Sure enough, at 10:30, we received an e-mail saying that my company would be closing at noon. Very exciting.

When noon hit, everyone rushed out to their cars to start wiping them off. The snow was already a few inches deep and it was quite the production. Once in my car, I was off... and I couldn't believe how crappy the roads were. It was as if nothing had even been plowed.

Not sure if these pics accurately display the crappy weather, but they hopefully give an idea. (I was at a red light, people. I wouldn't take pictures while driving in this stuff!)

Once home, I was pissed to find out that our neighborhood had not been plowed, either. Umm, hello, homeowner's association. What exactly are we paying you for?

I actually got stuck trying to get into the garage. I gave it a couple of attempts but it was clear I was not going to get in without getting out and doing some work. I had to run into the house to get the snow shovel out of our front hallway. Meanwhile, my shoes were now filled with snow, my socks were wet, and I was freezing. Perhaps I should have had the foresight to wear boots today?

Anyway, I was able to push enough of the snow out of the way to fight my way into the garage.

I went inside and grabbed Tessa to take her outside. She was not happy. She peed right in the middle of the sidewalk (in one of my footprints, to be exact), and it was clear she wanted to go back inside immediately. Who can blame her? Look, her stomach drags in the snow. Poor baby.

The only way I could get pics of her was to pick her up and take some self portraits. I was pissed the flash went off, but it actually turned out kind of cool because it reflected off of the falling flakes.

And then one without the flash... haha, look at Tessa's head. Awww.

So now I am snowed in! I was so happy to put my pajamas back on, with some warm fuzzy socks and a sweatshirt. I watched Made of Honor (sooo bad), and got dinner into the crockpot. Now I'm just waiting for Michael to get home. I've been sitting here listening to people getting stuck in the middle of the street (still no plows!), and I'm worried he'll get stuck, too. Should be fun.

At least we know we'll have a white Christmas!

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Winter

It's too early for this. I'm not ready.


(Photos taken en route to work this morning.)

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