Yesterday

I can't say the day started like any other, because it didn't. The kids had the day off for parent-teacher conferences and Kevin took the day off so we could all go up to the snow at Mount Charleston.

With a stop at Target for a few things, and Big 5 Sporting Goods for snow boots and sleds, we were off for the snow! It had been three days of weather forecasts predicting snow in our valley, and three days of disappointment. Each night, when the kids were in bed, I would peek out the window at the dark to see if snow was falling. Twice I got all excited mistaking white moonlight on the palm trees for fallen snow. So... if the snow won't come to us, we go to the snow!

About 11:00 a.m. we were headed for the freeway when we noticed teeny tiny snowflakes. Hooray! And the best part was, we didn't have to watch them NOT stick to the ground at our house, we were going where there would be PILES of snow and lots of places to sled and build a snowman. We even brought a "snowman kit" - a grocery bag with a carrot for a nose, raisins for a smile, and a corncob pipe. (I don't kid about the corncob pipe, Kevin's had it since he was a kid and it usually resides in our junk drawer.)

Once on the road up the mountain, we started to see little patches of snow. Then bigger patches. I always like the look of snow among cactus. I am amazed how well this turned out, seeing as how I snapped it from inside a moving car.


By the time we got high enough to start looking for places to stop, it was snowing pretty good. I hadn't pictured playing in the snow as it was actually falling, so this was an extra treat - especially when I can nearly count on one hand the number of times I've been in falling snow. We found a place we weren't afraid of getting stuck, suited everybody up, and hopped out of the van. It wasn't ideal snowman-building consistency, and our only sled-run was a snowplow pile, but we made the best of it.

Kevin scouting the man-made "hill":


Me and John. See how much snow was falling?


Joe sledding:


Bethie trying her best to get a snowman started:


Cayna making a snow angel:


After maybe half an hour, we decided to try to find a better place for sledding. I don't have photos of that stop, but it was action-packed. Cayna and Joe were expert sledders and we found two great runs. Bethanie found her own mid-size pile of snow that she repeatedly slid over on her tummy. Toward the end of our time there, Kevin decided to take John down. It all ended in calamity when they reached the bottom of the run and crashed into Joe, knocking him off his feet and toppling onto John. After that, everyone decided it was too cold and time to go home.

Driving back, I was trying to decide for myself if we'd gotten enough "snow time". The further we went, the more we started to notice the snow wasn't letting up. Kevin said, "I know it wasn't snowing this far down when we came up." All the way down the mountain, onto the highway, then into the city the snow never stopped. It was the most bizarre thing. We left a normal day in Vegas for the snow, then brought it back with us. On the cell phone, Kristi (who lives across the street) said it hadn't stopped snowing since before lunch and was starting to stick. I asked her to take a photo of our house so I could see it in the snow because I was convinced it wouldn't last long enough for us to see when we returned. Due to the storm, traffic was insane and it took us twice as long to get home as it would normally. The closer we got to our side of town, the more our jaws dropped. Everything was covered in white. I couldn't resist taking a few more photos from the passenger seat:

Palm trees and snow are almost as noteworthy as cactus and snow:


We pulled into our unrecognizable church parking lot. Here is a picture of our beautiful bell tower, covered with snow:


Turning onto our street:


For the next several hours, we reveled in the beautiful, unique outdoors around our house. We celebrated when our obligations for the night got canceled, and then when school for the next day was canceled. It was a winter wonderland, literally. It was so so so so so so beautiful! The kids built their snowman with help from Kevin and Rich, and the sleds worked perfectly when being towed by other kids or by Kevin, Rich, or Mike. There was so much laughter and joy!





I think snow is beautiful. Admittedly, I've never had to shovel it or been inconvenienced by it. To me, it is a rare, miraculous occurrence. It brings loveliness, peace, quiet, and neighbors together. Last night happened to be the annual neighborhood open house that the family at the top of our cul-de-sac hosts. We walked up the street with hot dishes in our hands to share at the potluck; kids in the sled being towed by Kevin; and surrounded by this otherworldly glow that I missed before it was even gone. That's the thing about rare, miraculous occurrences: you don't know when or if they'll happen again. So you have to hold tight and suck all the greatness out of them while they're happening. It was a fabulous day. I hope I never forget Bethanie tromping around in her mini snow-boots; John taking it all in; Cayna laughing with excitement on a fast-pulled sled; and Joe tackling anything and everything and everyone with snowballs. I loved getting photos e-mailed from Melissa F., Monica, and my Dad of scenes all around our area. I loved going to bed with the curtains and shutters open wide and then hearing the slide and "shug!" of huge glaciers falling from our roof. At 11:30 p.m., I put on my wool coat and Kevin's gigantic shoes since mine were cold and wet - and walked out front to behold the scene all by myself. That was the craziest late night I've ever seen. As another neighbor said this morning: it glowed. So did the whole day.