Winter Bliss

So today? We are completely snowed in. White everywhere. Drifts on the roof of our car and pristine snow as far as the eye can see. Even the road is covered in undisturbed splendor. And the best part? I can't make it out of my driveway to go to work! So today will be spent inside with this great book that I am reading and my little family minus Savana who has decided to brave skiing with her boy and company, and all kinds of goodness.

Yesterday morning at 8:30 Savana called from Southern and said, Hey, Mom? School has been cancelled. Darian and I are coming home. My first thought was to say, Absolutely NOT! Stay put! It's bad here! But then... I decided, why not. The storm wasn't slated to hit with a vengeance until 1:00, leaving the girls just enough time to arrive home before its fury. And so, with a bit of anxiety, we admonished the girls to pack a blanket and water bottles and enough snacks to get them through the day in case they got stranded and come on home. Darian kept me posted at regular intervals...No snow yet, Mom! ... Just hit snow but the roads are clear! ... Still good ... Savana just did a donut in the road but no worries! We're fine!... Almost home! ...And finally they were here, the little red pickup parked at the bottom of the hill as our driveway was simply impossible. My heart did a little dance of thankfulness that they were home, safe and sound. They piled in, hauling laundry baskets and suitcases and backpacks and laptops and laughter and five days of blissful fun.

This mom is one happy girl.

Roy and I ventured to the grocery store earlier yesterday morning to stock up before the storm hit. We slipped and slid right past the Food Lion entrance, forcing us to pull into a side parking lot and turn around. Food Lion was bursting with people who had the same thing in mind as us. Everybody was laughing and in good spirits, the cashier proclaiming Be safe going home! to every one she checked out. And so I made Rotel spaghetti for lunch, Darian's favorite--she has lots of favorites, as I had to zip out for class about the time the girls arrived. And then later in the afternoon, Guerin and Drew came over, tracking in snow and proclaiming Let's go sledding! And so everyone bundled up in the craziest gear. Savana wore Roy's waterproof motorcycle pants and my ski jacket. She looked obese, her tiny frame swallowed by her parents' clothing. Darian wore ski pants that were about twenty sizes too big and Roy's snowboots that came off with every step. Jace wore his onesie pajamas and then layered it with sweatpants and a coat and gloves for a regular size person as we couldn't find his. But despite their silly appearances, they were warm and filled with laughter and giddiness, ready for a day in the snow.

And so they headed out, leaving Roy and I at home to hold down the fort while they trekked two miles in the snow to Guerin's house to go sledding and snowboarding. When they finally arrived back home several hours later, Jace proclaimed that he stayed totally warm. Wearing my onesie pajamas was my best idea ever, Mom! He was so excited and filled with stories from his fun day in the snow.

Last night Darian and I planned to watch a movie. But instead we stayed in the living room talking and talking and talking until 10:30 when we both decided it was time for bed.

A couple of days ago I bemoaned winter and all of its effects. But today? I am so thankful for its bounty. Winter brought me the girls two days earlier than I'd anticipated. Winter brought me a whole day of family in a warm home where beauty bursts just outside the window. Winter brought two whole days of snowballs and laughter and sledding and piles of boots and coats on the entryway floor--telltale signs of hours of fun outside in wintertime bliss.