I'm a Texas Girl...

            ...and we typically don't ever get more than a inch of snow collectively through the winter season. (although this year I think they've got a little bit more) But back to the reason behind this post. I'm still living in the South here in Tennessee but this is as far North that I've ever lived. Over the last month or so we've gotten some snow flurries here and there we even had a pretty good snow back in January (you can read about it here!) But it was melted away before mid-afternoon. So when the forecast kept calling for this crazy winter storm we were suppose to be getting I didn't so much shrug it off but I didn't believe all the hype. Sunday night a got a text that my work was closing for Monday, shorty after that my Monday night class got cancelled. One- work never closes like ever!!! So this had to mean something, they were calling for several inches of snow over the next two days.

I have to admit I was pretty bummed about work closing, when we close for for weather related reason's we don't get paid. (please, don't even get me started on that one) If it was any other week I wouldn't have really cared but I already had take Thursday and Friday off which were going to be unpaid. (I don't get paid vacation till I've been at my school a year, blah!!)

            I woke up Monday morning to a snow white covered neighborhood. I let the dogs out back and poor Bailey wouldn't even go off the deck. I had to bundle up and go out there with her. Mean while it was still snowing pretty good. Thank Goodness work was closed, I wouldn't have been able to get out of my garage. I had laid out some ground turkey the day before (just in case things did get bad) and spent the morning cooking up some yummy chili in the crock pot and taco stew on the stove. Nothing like having some quick frozen homemade meals ready to heat up on a cold winter day. There aren't many young kiddos in our neighborhood (its mainly young married kid-less couples, or couples with little babies) but the few kids that are were out enjoying the cold white fluffy stuff. Along with quite a few big kiddos as well. There are several people in our neighborhood that have 4-wheelers and even a few that have snowmobiles. I spent the better part of the morning into the afternoon lounging around watching Netflix and listening to them ride up and down the streets. The pups would bark at the door every time they heard them go by. It got so annoying. I finally decided to bundle up and venture out into the coldness with the pups. We walked out and several of our neighbors were out enjoying the snow. The couple to the left of us had shoveled their whole drive-way. No thanks, I'll just take a stroll around the block and let the pups run around at the bottom of the hill.

        I really can't think of a time that I've seen this much snow in person before. Remember I'm from Texas, lived in Hawaii and then South Carolina. I haven't had many opportunities to experience snow and I've been ok with that. I strongly dislike the cold weather and having to venture out in it simply terrifies me. They were calling for more snow over night and icy freeze temps as over the next several days. Before I knew it work was canceled for Tuesday as well aaaaahhhh. All I could think about was my up-coming road trip for in two days. I was suppose to be leaving for SC on Thursday morning. I was helping host a Baby Shower for one of my good friends and I needed desperately to get away for a while. I was in a rut and needed to clear my head. So Tuesday after the pups and I walked around the neighborhood a couple times and up to the main road to check out the streets I though I'd try to clear my driveway. I needed to make sure I could get my car out in case we opened on Wednesday and so I could head to SC the following day. Well we don't have a shovel not even a small garden one. But we do have a large push broom so I figured if I swept out a path for the tired to lead down to the street I would be good. About half way through I pulled the car out and well got it stuck right in the middle in of the driveway. I couldn't get it back in the garage or out on the street. Hello water works, I lost it. I sat in our garage and cried my eyes out. I hadn't talked to the hubbs since Sunday night and I wasn't sure when he'd be able to get on-line again. It was a bad bad moment, I was melting and had officially reached my breaking point with in the deployment. I gave up for a while and a few hours later when out to give it another try after asking a neighbors to borrow a shovel. I guess the girl across the street from me, who I hadn't met yet felt sorry for me because shortly after she finished her drive way she came over and offered to help with mine. Bless her heart. (We're now friends and she's a pretty awesome chick!) Thankfully I was able to get the car outta the drive way on to the street to finish clearing my drive way and back in the garage. I was determined to get out of TN one way or another. I was kinda freaking out though because I had work Wednesday morning we were suppose to get another 3-inches over night.

And you guessed it Wednesday morning I woke up to a drive way and street full of snow. UGH!!! Thankfully it was soft as powder and I was able to sweep it away.

OK OK enough with the chatting here's some of the pictures I snapped through the past two days with all the snow.

After I shoveled it Tuesday afternoon.

And then again had to shovel it Wednesday morning. 

SNOW DAY!!

It wasn't the first snow day of winter, but it was most definitely the first one that amounted to anything. Friday night I went to dinner with a girlfriend from work and we had a fabulous time. I knew the weather was suppose to be getting a little nasty so I was glad that our dinner date didn't last to late. As I was driving home it had already started snowing. It wasn't terribly bad but for this Texas girl, it was the most I'd ever driven in myself. (Thankfully last Jan. when we came back from NYC the hubbs drove through the awful snow storm.) I was just happy to make it home with out any issues. Surprisingly enough it wasn't to cold outside, I mean it was bearable. So I bundled up and took the pups out front to play. It was dark but with the street light in the corner of our yard there was plenty of light to see. Vs. the backyard was completely dark. The pups ran around and acted all silly trying to figure out what this cold white stuff was. They've played in snow and seen it once before when we lived in Cola. When we had a pretty good snow storm there. But it's obviously not something we have to deal with all that often. At least we haven't and I'm quite content with that. I couldn't help myself, I wrote a few little lovey notes on the hubbs truck to send to him!!! 

The next morning I woke up to a beautiful blanket of snow covering the front and back yard. Our neighborhood looked even prettier then it already did. I decided to take the pups out for their morning walk before it all melted away. I head down to the field at the bottom to let them run around and play. As we headed out the door I noticed Dingo slip on a slippery patch near the bottom of our porch steps but I didn't think anything of it. I stepped down and bam fell right on my butt, putting my wrist down to brace my fall. I was almost in tears, it hurt pretty bad. I had plans later that afternoon and I couldn't handle any bruises or pains :(. It took me a minute to gather my thoughts to check the streets and side walk to see if we could even make it down to the bottom. We took it slow and managed just fine, with only a few slippery spots here and there. It was well worth the slippery trip, the pups had so much fun running around and it was simply beautiful. 

I sometimes wonder what it would be like to live somewhere, where there was inches and inches of snow all through out the winter months. But then driving in it might be a nightmare. I'll stick with the little bit we get here and there! 

Southern Snow Day Take--2

The weather has been crazy in the South this winter, it will go from super nice out in the low 70's one day and then the next freezing cold. After our last snow day no one really saw another one coming. Not until the weather started predicting it that is. I was hoping praying and wishing it didn't happen. It was the hubbs last Graduation and I took Wednesday and Thursday off work so I could go to both of the Ceremonies on Family & Graduation Day. I was there for his first one when he got awarded and I wanted to be there for the last. Mother Nature had other plans though. Monday night our Battalion Commander made the call that Family day on Wed. was canceled. Bummer, but ok we still have Graduation. I emailed my director to cancel my off day, This way if school did get canceled I'd get paid for the snow day. We pretty much new going into work Tuesday morning that we weren't gonna be there all day. Parents even made comments that they knew they'd probably be getting a call to come pick up there kids soon. We were expecting sleet and freezing rain over the next 2+ days. Why even risk it and bring your kiddos in then, knowing your gonna be picking them up with in hours. Never the less everyone was at school that morning in my class. 9am rolled around, we heard that several of the school districts around us were having a early dismissal. We were just waiting it out to see if our district was gonna call it. What do you know right around 9:50am or so we got word that district one was calling early dismissal. Even being a day school we follow district one, when they close we close. Some parents don't like it but they know how the school works going into it. Everyone had to be picked up by 11:30. I thankfully only had 8 parents to call to come get there kiddos and everyone was gone just after 11:30 in my class. I stuck around making sure I wasn't needed any were else and that all the classes were covered before heading out myself. I wanted to beat the sleet getting home even though it had already started. Thankfully it wasn't to bad at all, not yet at least. Once I got home though it just kept coming down and didn't let up. All through the next day it was just freezing rain / sleet. By the end of the night the streets were frozen over solid. They had officially canceled the Graduation ceremony and were just allowing the PVT's another off post pass for Thursday with their families. Go figure this would happen on our last cycle. The parents were more heart broken than anything though, they came all this way to see a ceremony and it wasn't happening. There wasn't any way to post pone it due to travel and training that started the very next day. It happens, that's life in the army, they will get used to it. It might take them a while but they will figure it out. As hard as it is some times for me to wrap my head around the army does come first.
I spent all of Wednesday and Thursday at home deep cleaning the house and going through things getting ready for our upcoming move. I almost wish we could do our Final Out this week because the house is so clean. Then I wouldn't have to do it again, however we still have about a month or two before that happens.   SouthernSnowDay = Operation PCS Deep Clean!!! In Full Effect. Post was closed both days as well, but duty calls and the hubbs had to go in. Thursday night he had CQ, the roads were semi ok from what I'd heard and I contemplated taking him dinner. I always do, but tonight was different. I just didn't feel safe or comfortable driving and didn't want to take a chance of something happening just over dinner. Thankfully our sweet friends R & C had made dinner and C took some up to the hubbs. What a life saver, seriously they are the sweetest ever. I don't know what I'm gonna do when we have to leave them. Ok Ok let's not talk about that right now.
We all waited patently through Thursday to hear if we were going to be closed another day. District 2 closed, Post school's closed, then a couple hours later District 1 (that would be us) closed but we still hadn't heard if we were for sure following. The board of directors for the school still have to make the final call. Think about it, half our staff have kids in both of those districts, some staff aren't going to come in due to road conditions. Are we really going to have enough teachers to cover all the classrooms??? Chance's are very slim. And its a Friday, just call it one more day and let the roads and weather clear up over the weekend. Finally about 4pm-something I got a picture text from one of my assistants of the email that went out to the parents stating the school was once again closed and following District One. A 1.5 day work week talk about crazy, I still haven't worked a full work week since before Christmas break. Since we've had so much doing on. But I have a feeling that will all change the week after next. :-/ (Monday's a holiday- lol) We have had plans to take a mini road trip / vacay to our future new home state this weekend since the hubbs has a four day and I'm off Monday. Now we can get on the road earlier than we had planned. We want to do some looking around the area to see were we are wanting to live since we are going to be living off post this time around. But that's another story for another post. Late Thursday evening some of us girls got word that the 4 day for the Drill SGT's had been canceled because they were no longer shipping the PVT's out on Friday due to the road conditions. They needed everyone there to cover down. With Monday being a Federal Holiday that left Tuesday for ship day. I was on edge waiting all night he wouldn't know if his was getting taken back as well till Command came in the next morning. I was determined I was going one way or the other, with or with out him. Thankfully he had told his CO and 1st SGT where we were going a few days back just so he didn't get put on the CQ roster. This morning when he came home, he came up stairs to say good morning and let the pups out (because I was being to lazy to do it). The first thing I asked was do you still have your 4 day. Forget the Happy Valentines day, for the get I love you Baby, for get the Good Morning Love. I wanna know are we going or not. Thankfully he is good to go and they didn't take his 4 day. Now I only wish I could say that for everyone else but sadly enough I can not. It does suck because I'm sure many of those families had plans as well. I think the only thing that saved us is they know he's done and off the trail at the end of next month and he won't be here for the next full cycle due to training he is taking.
He's snoozing a bit before we hit the road and I'm of course doing some cleaning and going to run a few errands. I seriously contemplated going for a run this morning because I'm itching to get out there on the streets but I'll save it for when we get back. Fingers crossed the roads are fine and we won't have any issues this afternoon.

A Southern SnowDay

The Southern Snow Storm watch started Monday afternoon and it quickly turned into a warming by 2:30pm when I got back to work. By word of mouth we'd heard that several school districts had already canceled school for Tuesday. We were still sitting in limbo though waiting to see what district 1 was gonna do. The anticipation was killing everyone. 5 O'Clock rolled around and as I headed home we still hadn't heard weather or not we were canceling school for Tuesday. Watch the weather and I'll send out a text was what we heard. About 8pm that evening the call was made and school had been canceled and that  mint I got to have my very FIRST Snow Day. A Southern Snow Day at that. 

The hubbs still had to work, of course life as a Drill SGT. By 9:30-10:00am the entire posted issued a post wide shutdown. Only key essential personal was to continue with their day. I waited the morning out at home. Caught up with a few friends and did a bit of house work but I wasn't braving the roads. Around 2pm or so the hubbs was on his way home. I didn't see that one coming at all but I sure as heck wasn't complaining either. We spent the afternoon do a little randomness around town and went to lunch at Sandy's Hotdogs. I strongly dislike hotdogs but I like Sandy's for some reason. After a little sleet and a trip to the gun store we decided to call it a day and come home. We waited it out and still nothing. Weather forecast said the snow was suppose to start at 11am and here we were 6pm and they kept pushing it back. I'd given up, it wasn't gonna happen. About 8:30-9pm it STARTED there was officially snow on the ground and they had canceled school for Wednesday as well. I really didn't think it would stick or amount to anything seeings on Monday the temps got up to 67 degrees. We went to bed later that night and this is what our backyard looked like…….

….and this is what we woke up to the next morning. Hubbs still had to go to work earlier that morning, although he didn't have to be in till 7am it was still early. Because we live on post he had to go in earlier than everyone that lives off. 

I was kind enough to wake up at 6am and cook him breakfast before he left. German Sugar Pancakes courtesy of the fabulous Black Little Button they were so yummy and def. something we'd make again. 

It took the pups a few minutes to figure out the snow. Bailey realized it was cold on her little paws and didn't' wanna go out in the yard. She's so special sometimes but gosh we love her. 

I spent the morning chatting with a friend and finally got the nerve to get up and brave the cold snowy streets. No since in staying inside all day I suppose, I mean its not that often we get a Southern Snow Days. Right!! I bundled up as best I could and made out way out the door. At that point the pups didn't care about the cold, they were just happy to be outside. 

The snow covered fields and tree tops, were simply beautiful. There was still slush on the ground and parts of the streets frozen over but we managed just well. I was a bit nervous because the pups pull so hard when they go for a walk. I just knew I was going to fall right on my butt. Thankfully we managed just fine and made it up to our friend Sarah's house. 

There was one family at the dog park, I though about stopping on the way but didn't feel like fighting Bailey and another dog. 

Ft. Jackson and all its beauty. Oh I will NOT miss this place when we leave. 

We hung out and visited with Sarah and her two pups for a couple hours before heading back home. Its only about half a mile from my house to hers but when its cold outside it seem forever far away. On the way home we stopped by the soccer fields across from our neighborhood and I let them off their leash to run around a bit. They absolutely loved running around in the snow. 

These two sure do brighten my day and put a smile on my face. Even when Dingo does run straight at my and knocks me on my back in the cold snow, all while I'm trying to take a picture of him. We've been spending so much time together with out the hubbs at home, it was nice to get out of the house and run around and play with them. 

I made a few snowballs a would throw them and Dingo would try to chase after them. It was to funny because it would all fall apart mid air and he didn't understand it. I only wish the hubbs could have come out and joined in on the fun but duty calls and the PVT's need training. 

Finally heading back home after another hour of playing in the snow. These two were so tuckered out for the rest of the evening. 

Our Hawaiian pups finally got to experience their first snow day and I finally had my first Southern Snow day / School's closed for two days. It's def. been nice but next week when I actually have to work a full straight week of work, yeah that's gonna suck. I haven't worked a straight full week since before Christmas break bc of traveling / the cruise and then other holidays and now this. Its ok only one full week then a 3 day work week the following week ;) I can do it!!!!