Snow

Monday I woke up to this:





One of my favorite things about snow is how its always something you wake up too.

There is something so magical about waking up in the morning and looking out the window and seeing everything covered in white.

Especially when you have no reason to leave the house that day.

Snow is still kind of a novelty to me.

Growing up in California I rarely saw snow.

It never snowed where I lived.

Once it hailed and it was slushy and covered the deck so we shoveled some up and put it in the bathtub and made a tiny snowman.

I know, Californians right.

A couple times we drove up to the mountains for a day trip to go sledding but that is nothing like living in a place where it snows.

My first winter in New Jersey during Grad school was quite an experience.

There are so many little things about snow that I love.

At the time, I worked at Starbucks at 4:30 am every morning.

So when I would get up it would be completely silent outside and the snow completely undisturbed.

I love the sound of the snow falling.

That wonderful crunch sound when you step in it.

The beauty of a pure white landscape and the snow "highlighting" the tree limbs.

It was magical.

That being said, I hate how cold it is when it snows, I hate the gross dirty snow on the side of the road and I hate trying to get the ice and snow off my car.

I have decided I want to live in a place where there is one good snow a year.

Not a place where you get snowed in.

Or there is snow on the ground from November to March.

Just one good snow.

Because someday I want to see Stephen play with our kids like he does with the dogs.

Well maybe not the exact same way...

Stephen throws snow in Lilo's face and she tries to catch it by biting at it.



Then there is this fun sequence:







Stephen holding on to Willow about to toss snow all over her.

If you look closely at this picture (if you click on it you can see it bigger), there is a pleading look in her eyes that say "Please, have mercy! I'm a Hawaii dog and I don't do cold and snow!"



Then she runs to me for protection.



Lilo, on the other hand, was made for the snow.



This picture makes me laugh, it looks like Stephen's about to tackle her and wrestle her to the ground.





Snow or no snow, Willow loves to run.