Growing up in Ohio provided me with a healthy appreciation for snow. It's fun, it's beautiful and if we were lucky, it provided a day off of school. As time went on, snow no longer delivered it's same excitement, what with it's snowmen and angels and days to do nothing but bundle up for a an hour (Moooooom, where are my snow boots??? or I can't find my other mitten ... seriously every time) only to go outside for 10 minutes until our mittens were sufficiently soggy, followed up with drying out by the furnace while mom whipped us up some hot soup.

In college, it still provided some fun, but school went on with or without snow and working full time proved just the same! Commuting takes triple the time and no one at work offers to make you hot soup!

Then there's the car issue. Bless my good dad and brothers for always scraping off my windshield and warming up my car on those early, blustery days. They always shoveled the steps, and created a clear path down the driveway. Then they'd drive to grandma's house to do the very same. I always just thought they liked it, until I had to do it myself. Turns out it's HARD. Do you know how heavy snow is to move with just a shovel? Do you know how long it takes to shovel a driveway with 3 feet of snow? Yeah, approximately 6 hours.

Yes, the beauty of snowfall has somewhat been masked in recent history because it creates such a hassle.

But not this year. My appreciation for snow has returned, maybe even to a higher level than before. And gratefully so because the DC area has received record breaking amounts. It turns out that I really like being snowed in. It's so cozy and fun!! We've played outside, watched movies, cleaned the house, taken walks, played games and even had a slumber party, dance party included. It forces life to slow down, which is perfect because I hate to be rushed.

And as an added bonus, SNOW DAYS!

I thought I liked snow days as a student, but I find them even sweeter now that I'm a teacher (I feel the same way about weekends). Here I sit, enjoying the 4th snow day of the year. Nothing beats waking up at 5:30 only to find you can go right back to bed.

Oh snow, you glisten and sparkle in the sunshine out my window. You adorn the roof, the trees picturesque with your touch. You are lovely to me.