Hurry up and get here snow. The build up is killing me!!!My husband and kids go crazy for this stuff. They ask me the forecast every few minutes and wait by the windows to see a first flake. In Georgia we usually get one decent snow a year. It is fun for an hour or so and then becomes slushy and gross. The kids track in water and dirt all day, say they are bored and want you to feed them...constantly 😂😂😂❄️❄️❄️. I don't complain or get grumpy about much in life but I loath it all. I love to snow ski and play in "real snow" so just take me to Breckenridge or somewhere like that ASAP. And I get tired of the Northerners making fun of us Southerners and how we can't handle driving in the snow. It gets soooo annoying. They cause all the problems here because they think they are so cool and can drive in snow. They get out and slide all over our amazing snow/ice streets. This is what causes most all of the chaos. Smart Southerners know better. We build a fire, put our feet up, drink some hot cocoa (or wine or bourbon) and literally chill. They also have to be the ones behind all the bread, egg and milk nonsense. How much French toast can a person eat?!?You can live off of pantry food for a few days. I promise you. But you really won't have to, the roads are only dangerous for a day or two-tops. In our house we live off of pantry food weekly. The only reason I seriously went to the store was for the cats. They needed to eat. I care about their survival😏 Waiting for snow reminds me of Mary. She loved it too like all kids. It is such a rarity here and something the kids wait for with anticipation. I am first reminded of one big snow in particular. The Christmas it snowed all Christmas Day. It was truly gorgeous and I remember the cardinals surrounding the feeder. It was magical. But Mary and Steve had the flu and sadly watched out the window as we all played. It was pitiful. Then the big snow that hit right before Mary got sick. It was the one that shut down Atlanta. Steve was out of town (of course) and I was teaching preschool. Parents would not come pick up their children because I am sure they were those same stubborn Northerners and the school systems had not officially closed. I finally asked if I could leave early because I had a bad feeling and felt I needed to get home. I was only about 15 miles from home but it took me over 9 hours to get there. I was so worried about the kids but I was getting updates along the way that all was well. The bus had trouble getting them home even though their school is only a few miles away. Thankfully they were well protected my the amazing "Miss G", bus driver extraordinaire. They made it to the entrance and then great neighbors met the kids and walked them home. It had been quite the adventure. They took care of the ones whose parents had not made it back home yet like us. I finally made it to the hood around midnight when my neighbor met me so I didn't have to drive the hills. As we were walking back a bus of middle schoolers had crashed into the entrance of our street. Wow, what a day. I was so happy to see my babies. I leaned more of their adventure as soon as I saw them. Poor Mary had peed her pants and Maddy protected her. She gave her a jacket to tie around her waist and told everyone she just spilled her water. We laughed about that for a long time. The next few days the snow lasted and the kids wanted to get out and ride the hills of the golf course for the first time. Mary walked the course and rode down one hill then cried and said she was tired. This was so unlike her and the first moment I think we realized something wasn't quite right.
Update: Today was fun. I always have Mary memories in the back of my mind and it sometimes makes it hard to stay present and enjoy good moments with my family. It is easy to get sucked back and be sad. I wish she was here experiencing life and I feel sad for our friends also missing one or who have sick children in the hospital missing these fun experiences. But we all got up and going this morning and had a great day. But I will admit Whit and I wimped out pretty early. Cold is not my friend. I enjoyed the beauty of the snow and watching the kids have fun in it with their friends. We had our first fire of the season and all seemed so peaceful and right. I think there is a lesson in all of this and it is to force yourself to do things you dread and look for the beauty and the goodness in those moments. I absolutely know Mary wants this and I just try to feel her with me as I go. I think if I can carry her with me instead of feeling like I am leaving her behind then moving forward won't seem so sad. Maybe.
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