Winter Wonderland*

"Kindness is like snow - it beautifies everything it covers"

It snowed here yesterday... it never snows here. And, certainly not the first day of March. Last week, I was starting to wear spring clothes again. But it snowed and did it snow.

And yet, my little flowers were still standing... peeking through the white powder.

*This is my 200th post! I'm not giving myself full credit since about 1/3 of my posts are just Quotes of the Day but I'm going to modify my style to include the quote in my posts from now on.

Brrrrr....

It's cold up here. I've heard about the end of January/beginning of February as being the coldest part of winter in Chicago for six months now. And the time has finally arrived. My nose froze walking the one block to my bus stop yesterday morning. It snowed another half a foot last night. The city is so pretty when the snow is falling so I came home last night with a smile on m face. It does make the commute longer and a little precarious but I still love it. I'm sure come April, I'll be little tired of it, but right now it's still pretty to me.

Plus, in two weeks, I'm going on a cruise to the Carribbean with my entire family. It's my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary so we're going to celebrate and spend time together. I think it's be fun. Plus who is going to say no to a week in the sun!! I'll be sure to post pictures of my fun in the sun so you all can be jealous.

Life Goes On...

I was amazed today to discover they have snow days here in Illinois, I thought kids who grew up here never got to experience the joy, the amazing sweetness, the undescribable jubilation an 8 year old can feel when their mother utters the words, "snow day" to them when waking them up to play outside in the glorious whiteness.

Of course, in Georgia, we still had to get up at 7AM to actually experience the snow becuase it would all be gone by noon. But that's an entirely different story.

Although, the girls I work with at my volunteer position quickly explained snow days up here were days too dangerous to be outside. Storms, extremely low temperatures, etc. Scared me a little too - made me glad I had brought my down coat and hat with me. We're supposed to get about a foot of snow... I know this isn't a weather blog but it's what's fascinating me right now. So... well, it's what you're getting right now. Forgive my selfishness.

I am officially starting a countdown until I leave for Miami to meet my family for a 6 day cruise to the Virgin Islands. It's my grandparent's 60th wedding anniversary and the whole family will be together on a cruise ship... I hope it's big enough! So we are at 16 days until we sat sail! So exciting... now if I could only find my charger for my camera.

Welcome to the Mid-West!

I went out to the suburbs yesterday afternoon for a job interview (it went well, keep your fingers crossed) and it was just in time for the storm of the year to hit. I haven't driven in snow in a long time and I was glad I had remembered to get an all wheel drive car at the rental place. I was at the interview for around 2 hours and it snowed about 4 inches... the footprints I had made walking into the interview from my car were no where to be seen. As I was leaving, my interviewer said sarcasticly, "Welcome to the Mid-West!"
And the snow wasn't slowing down, these were the BIGGEST snowflakes I have ever seen. HUGE! But beautitul and as I inched along the highway, I enjoyed the beauty of the snow. The drive did take a while, door to door was 2 and half hours. But no one was rude and I felt safe on the highway. So it was easy going. At one point, I called my parents and they freaked telling me to get off the phone and concentrate on driving. I laughed because I was moving around 5 MPH so even if I slipped into a ditch, I would be okay.
The lake looks amazing... the sky has finally cleared up and I can see the lake and it's frozen over which is cool and it's white because of the snow. It's totally different and I love it. It's gorgeous. I love looking out onto the lake, I'm going to miss the views from my apartment, it's a great place to live.
I am glad that the snow has stopped for a while so I can run out to the grocery store (since I have a car!) and stock up. I'll be back!

11 Degrees

The current temperature for sip code 60614 is 11 degrees... That's my zip code. Today's high was 14 degrees. I walked into my volunteer position this morning and was asked if it was cold enough for me.

But, Wait, it gets better! Tomorrow's high is 22 degrees, we're doubling our temperature in just 24 hours. Amazing, isn't it? I know.

Now that I'm done bitching about the weather - which, in all reality isn't that bad. (I'm inside 98% of the time and the snow in the park is gorgeous.) But I'm going to elaborate on my love affair with the 'Real World/Road Rules Challenge' - MTV has started a new season and some of my old drama queen favorites are back as well as some new faces. Half of the cast is pink from the bright sun of Mexico so it reminds me of my own family on a beach vacation. This show is the ultimate guilty pleasure for me, forget "The Real Housewives" or "American Idol". The drama on this show kills me! I love it!

The other thing I thought of is that pretty soon we'll have a second generation of Real World/Road Rulers... I know the very first seasons should be parents by now. How weird would that be if one of their kids was on a future show? The things I think of since I have way too much time to think about nothing. Hopefully that will change soon...