it's gonna be a loooooooooong winter

when this utah-turned-california girl turned on the news and heard the weather man say, "there's a slight chance of snow in the upper valley" i pretty much shrugged it off. after all, i've seen snow before. i lived in it for 25+ years. weather man said it wouldn't stick. we'd barely notice it at all. 

so when i noticed it and it stuck for more than a day, i may or may not have panicked. i kind of laughed at myself, though, reminiscing about the week i moved from utah to california. it was 20 or so degrees in utah when we left that january. and a chilly 50-60 in the bay area. i saw people wearing mittens, scarves and heavy winter coats and i kind of wanted to laugh. i felt like unpacking my flip flops!

well here i am, just shy of 5 years later, wearing my winter boots, coats and scarves. 

this isn't to say i didn't enjoy it. i love my winter coats, boots and scarves. i actually loved seeing the hills covered in a crisp, white blanket with the brilliance of fall poking out from underneath. and i really loved seeing my skinny miss ribbons plumped up in a puffy winter coat*. 

but i did get a little nervous. nervous that this was just the first of many storms. nervous that, although these flakes did melt, the others won't for a long, long time. as in, i probably won't see grass until ryan's out of school for the year. i missed the four seasons in california. but i might really like the lack of them in a few months.

i'm prepared now. and i'm beginning to understand the reason that new hampshire leads the 50 states in online shopping. yes, i added to those statistics. leah's dresser is now stocked with long socks, ski gloves {that will go up to her elbows} and fleece lined jeans. it's gonna be a long winter, but we're ready. 

*try to not remind leah of her coat. we're hoping to hold off until christmas. we give cool gifts like that.