Snowed in!

This is my first time ever being snowed in. The city has practically shut down-- emergency services only, all flights cancelled, and schools cancelled- making it an extra-long Christmas Break for us all! YAY!!!! My only concerns now are: 1. getting to the airport on Monday, and 2. actually taking off in the plane to Cali.

We have received about 2 feet of snow in the last 24 hours, which just so happens to be a record in this town. We have so much snow and nowhere to move it all to get it out of our way. I am watching the news as I write this, and it looks like there are more winter storms and an artic front from Canada on the way... snow for Sunday and Monday.

My roommate and I had to dig out her car in the parking lot of our apartment complex. We thought we would be smart and switch parking spaces so she can park closer to the apartment (where my car is), and I would move my car to the hard-to-reach space since I wouldn't need it while out of town (plus, I can't drive in this amount of snow, anyway). The task served as a good source of entertainment for a few hours. I thought I would post some pictures, but mind you, the pics don't do the situation justice!

Big truck pulling out another big truck that was stuck

That's my roommate by her car. DUDE, where's your car??

My neighborhood

Of course, I had to get a photo! I'm 5'2", so do the math!

The "monster" car we're digging out

Digging my car out from under the carport (notice the amount of snow on the hood)

That's right- TWO feet! No one can move in this mess!

So, we've resolved to the fact that we can't really get anywhere. The cars were getting stuck in the rest of the snow in the parking lot, so we finally gave up after two hours and came back inside. I'm still cold... Since Christmas shopping is mostly done, no worries there. It looks like we're left with watching our movie collection, Christmas baking, and BLOGGING! Enjoy what's to come.

S.N.O.W. STORM!

It took me 2 1/2 hours to get home from work tonight. Considering my normal commute time is about 25 minutes, GOOD GRIEF!! The Inland Northwest was hit by a big winter storm today causing a lot of folks to leave work early. Considering that I did leave early, and that there was ample snow and people on the road, I'm glad I finally got home... alive. The weather is so bad that the city has declared all roads technically closed- you can't go anywhere. I might not have to go to work tomorrow...

The saving grace tonight was the consideration and safe driving of others I shared the road with. The worst thing about winter weather is not the weather itself, it's the other drivers that don't drive safely. There were several instances on the way home when someone normally would have cut another person off or sped around someone, but there was A LOT of patient waiting. Of course, that doesn't mean that ALL people were courteous-- we still had those village idiots out driving.

Thank you, citizens of Spokane (especially those waiting with me on the Maple Street bridge), for your courtesy. Stay safe and warm out there! There's more to come!!

Ahhh, Saturday Morning!

I'm sitting here writing this as I'm drinking my homemade peppermint mocha and eating eggs and hash browns (yes, I know it's almost lunchtime but I love breakfast on Saturdays!). I am looking out the window and seeing white snow everywhere, covering the ground and trees- very pretty! The wind is blowing pretty hard so the snow is flying and swirling around. Brrrrr! Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to winter! Here's a photo of the current view out of my apartment window:

I haven't really blogged much in the past several weeks-- anything of major importance, anyway. I love, LOVE having down time in the evenings and on weekends. Having been in school for soooooooo (oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo) long, it's nice to finally have the ability to sit back and relax. My major projects have been Christmas gifts, making things for family, friends, and co-workers. In fact, I really feel that this Christmas should be more about simplicity, like homemade gifts, simple acts of service, and gratitude, instead of the usual tendancy to go for broke (literally) during the holiday season.

Life should be about acts of service and gratitude, anyway-- for the WHOLE year. C'mon, the whole reason why we even have a Christmas holiday is because Jesus Christ came to the world to serve His Father's children and show us how much they love us. At any rate, because of these thoughts, I'm seriously considering taking stuff back to the stores that I've purchased, and instead giving "meaningful" gifts.

What are your thoughts about Christmas giving this year?