Quick Before I Get Sidetrack'd

At the beginning of last week they were predicting a “substantial” snowfall in our part of Tennessee for Friday. Now, we don’t get snow often, so when we hear this prediction, at least once a winter, we usually go on about our business and expect rain. But this time, as we neared the end of the week it looked as if the moisture and cold air would indeed be here at the same time and that we might get some of the white stuff.

Friday, the city was in panic mode – schools were closing early, streets were being salted, people were packing the grocery stores – before a single flake had been spotted. Oh yes, these are the ways of Southerners when threatened with winter weather; even if the prediction is only for a 1/2 inch this is how we react, but now they were saying we could get 4-6 inches.

About 1:00 Friday afternoon the snow began to fall. This wasn’t our usual half rain/half snow slushy accumulation type of winter weather, this was full-blown all-white, all-the-time snow. It snowed consistently for about 10 hours, and we woke up Saturday morning with approximately 4 inches of snow.

This was the scene in our backyard….

Later in the morning we took Little out to play in it. She was not overly impressed and even seemed a bit frightened at times; I guess that is only to be expected, though, since this was really her first experience with snow. She did walk into it when coerced, but for the most part she preferred to stay on the patio, driveway, and sidewalks where most of it had already melted. Her biggest concern was that the snow was getting on our shoes; she would point at her shoes (or mine or Matt’s) and say “shoes” with a very worried expression on her face and tone in her voice. It was like she thought the snow was eating our feet or something.

Here’s a picture of her “playing in the snow”...

(Please disregard the fact that she isn’t wearing mittens or a hat. I tried, but she kept taking the mittens off and her hood kept falling off her head. We weren’t out that long, and she never actually touched the stuff, so no fingers or ears were lost in the making of this post.)

I enjoy watching it fall and seeing it lay prettily on the ground, but I think Matt enjoyed it most of all. He was able to make snowballs (which Little thought were pretty funny), and even had plenty of snow to build a small snowman.

And today, the temps are in the mid-60s, and that is more than fine with this Southern girl. A bit of snow is fun every now and then, but now that I’ve seen some this year I’m ready to move on. Bring on Spring!

This weekend a group of 13 ladies (including me) were able to get away from everyday life and take a little retreat. It was a weekend filled with girlie activities, girlie food, girlie conversation, and staying up way past my bedtime.

We were fortunate enough to be able to stay in a lake house owned by the parents of one of the ladies. I wish I had pictures to share of this beautiful house, because my words will not do it justice. You entered into the main level of the house which included a living room, dining room, kitchen, and powder room. The floor throughout the area was gorgeous tile, a huge gas fireplace with stone hearth and chimney anchored the living area, and the kitchen was filled with granite, tile, and stainless. Upstairs to the right were 2 bedrooms and a full bath; upstairs to the left was a “grandkids bunkroom” with 4 sets of bunkbeds, a full bath, bookshelves, toy boxes, a game closet with about 150 board games, and lots of room to play. The downstairs (3 stories total) had a nice big television viewing area, a pool table, an air hockey table, and a theater room with a 400 disc DVD changer. Other amenities included beautiful views from the back deck, a hot tub, and lake access (though it was a bit chilly to be on the water this weekend). And one of the neatest things about the house was the scripture used throughout the decor; there were scripture tiles in the floor inside the front and back doors, scripture in the wall decorations, and scripture on knick-knacks all over the house. It was truly an amazing house and such a blessing that we were able to stay there.

We spent the weekend watching movies, gabbing as only a group of ladies can, and eating delicious food. On Saturday my friend Lindsey set up a “salon” area downstairs and did haircuts for several of us and practiced wedding hair with our soon-to-be-bride. A group of us stayed down there pretty much all day watching TLC (What Not to Wear and Miss America Reality Check), watching others get their hair done, and making bead crafts (the lady of the house makes bead jewelry and has a bead collection so big it overwhelmed me just to look at the boxes); others stayed upstairs and worked on scrapbooking; and still others just enjoyed good company. That evening about 10 of us piled into the theater room to watch the Miss America Pageant on the projection t.v. It was such fun to watch the pageant with other women – we talked about the contestants, we critiqued, and we laughed hysterically at the lipstick all over Miss America’s face when she was crowned.

It was so wonderful to have a weekend like this where we had no agenda, no plan, and no commitments. We were free to spend time together, spend time alone, and spend time with God. I am grateful to Matt that he was willing to stay home alone with Little and allow me to go. It was refreshing and relaxing; and even though I came back tired from the late nights, there is a feeling you have after a time like this that transcends the tiredness.

Sometimes it is good to have a break. And as Lindsey told her husband, “it was so girlie it would have made you gag.”