Wednesday, January 29, 2014

it snowed an inch and the world ended: life in georgia

Thanks to (at least in part, I'm sure) the devoted praying and hoping of millions of residents of the South, our dreams of snow became a reality yesterday. First snow since 2011, baby-- woo!!!! I am thankful that my personal snow experience has been all positive so far, but I don't want to be disrespectful to the thousands of people in Atlanta for whom that is not the case. In case you haven't heard, it was/is a mess there. As in...it's 11:20 on Wednesday and people are still stuck in YESTERDAY'S after-work (which began about 1:00 p.m. for most folks/schools) traffic jams. It's crazy. Check out the Atlanta paper online or basically any major news outlet...it's insanity. Kids and teachers stuck overnight at schools. Friends of mine stuck on interstates for 12 hours, eventually just abandoning their cars when they ran out of gas and walking to stores/strangers' homes/churches to sleep. It is insanity. None of that happened in Athens, a far, far smaller city...but since we're so close to Atlanta, with many friends living there and through this...man. Just bizarre.

Yesterday at work, before a single flake of snow had fallen, we were discussing when to make 'the call' about closing work, etc. Some of us were joking about all of the school systems that had already canceled school...even when it was still 60 degrees outside. "No wonder everyone in the country makes fun of us!!!" we were commiserating. But our boss-man said something very wise and it's stuck with me: When you overreact [to the threat of severe weather], you get mocked. When you underreact, you get sued.

Pretty sure we all have a new appreciation for that truth now. Props to the people silly enough to cancel stuff way early and not have their people out stuck in the madness overnight.

Anyway!! With all due respect to the people that are NOT enjoying this Snowpocalypse...it's been pretty great for me.

I spent the morning at work compulsively running to windows (and out doors) to see if it had started snowing yet. Finally finally fiiiinally, around noon, it started. Matt and I ate a quick lunch and then decided to take a 'snow walk' to a coffee shop a few blocks away. Since we had no idea whether the snow would actually stick or not, we wanted to at least enjoy it while we could.

It was so fun with the flurries gently swirling around us!! We could see the flakes in the air and on our dark coats, but nothing was sticking. We tried to take pictures anyway...

...annnnnd you can't see anything. But I promise it was snowing. I wouldn't lie about such a monumental thing.

Shortly after this failed snow photo shoot, it started really coming down and sticking. My work decided to let us leave at 2:00. This was awesome, except that Matt's work WASN'T letting them leave early...and we only had one car. Very thankfully, my mother-in-law and brother-in-law came to the rescue by volunteering to come fetch me and drive me home. I was SUPER happy about that, since sitting in the lobby of Matt's bank seemed like a really boring way to spend 3 hours of a snow day. (My other option was going to be having my coworker/friend drop me off at the gym and waiting out the time there. Three hours at the gym. Sounds great!!! Or not.) 

I got home around 3 and spent the afternoon monitoring the snow progress, watching Lola 'discover' the snow, and taking selfies with the snow to send to Matt, who was stuck in jail work and obviously needed to be updated about life on the outside.



Look at the snow progress!!
Matt eventually got to leave work and come home-- thankfully, the roads were still totally fine and he got home without any problems. Once he got home, we came to the scary realization that our supply of Adult Beverages was running low, which is obviously an unacceptable situation under these conditions. We took a quick trip up the street to replenish our supplies and admire the snowy landscape.



Those poor cows looked so cold!!! You should know that approximately 200 yards away from that tree they're all huddled under is a big huge open barn. One cow managed to think things through and go stand in the dry, presumably warmer barn. The rest of them...bless their hearts. It must suck to be not smart.

We made it back home and settled in for the night with plenty of snacks, a fire, and Netflix.
Lola knows what's up. She'd be the smart cow in the barn.
Around 8:00 I received the happy news that my work was canceled for today. We went to bed hoping that Matt would receive similar news in the morning. Around 7:00 a.m., he did. He didn't have to report til noon! There are two ways to respond to the news that you don't have to go in to work until late:

A) Yay, we can sleep in!
B) Yay, we can play in the snow!

Matt goes with A. I'm a B. 

Unfortunately for Matt, I'm also kind of a big jerk. And I'm easily entertained. And I like pranks. Therefore, this happened:




Please don't judge the tiny bit of snow I managed to grab. First of all, it was cold. Who knew. Secondly, I was having to hold/record with my phone in the other hand, PLUS open doors...and finally, I really didn't want to make a huge mess that I'd have to clean up. Or like...actually make Matt really, really mad. :) 

Luckily, even after my 'mean and terrible' prank, as Matt called it, we managed to have a great morning. Coffee and waffles fueled us for a lovely walk around our neighborhood. We sported the traditional snow gear of native Georgians: All The Clothes In Your Closet At Once.


Lola wasn't big on posing for the camera. Silly dog.

You might think that the most exciting thing we saw on our walk around the neighborhood would have been snow. Or ice. Or perhaps children sledding (on pool floats and trashcan lids, of course. Don't nobody actually own sleds).

You would be wrong.



Exactly my thoughts. Of course there are Halloweenish creepy dentures on the street in January. Welcome to the sticks.

Matt just arrived safely at work-- he said that the roads between our small town and Athens were 'treacherous' but roads in Athens are fine. So he'll be working while I'm holding down the couch and watching my snow attack video on repeat a couple dozen more times. I hope that you are all managing to stay safe and warm, and I highly recommend you take advantage of any opportunity to sneak attack your loved ones with indoor snowballs. It's as awesome as you are probably imagining it is.


27 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh- that video! Your laugh makes me laugh!! Poor Matt! And honestly - poor people of GA! I can't even imagine! Thank goodness we get enough snow here that when it comes down we're all generally safe for the most part!!

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  2. 1. Your snow day looks like such fun! Glad you and Matt are safe, too.
    2. LOVE the red scarf. Love it.
    3. The pictures of Atlanta are crazy. Where is Rick Grimes on his horse when you need him?

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  3. School got cancelled for me today, but I'm crossing my fingers it gets cancelled tomorrow as well!

    I'm probably just dreaming and will most likely be setting my alarm tonight.

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  4. I wish I still loved to see the snow. Although that prank is great and I may have to do the same thing to my Matt!

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  5. boss man is right - better to get laughed at than sued. Iowa learned that one year when they didnt close school and 20 people got into major accidents on the way to work - they were more cautious next storm! What are you watching on Netflix these days?

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  6. Your video made me laugh out loud!! "Hey Mattie.... SNOWINYOURFACE!!!!!" lol. Hilarious. He didn't look to happy. I am guessing he was fine though since you took snow pics outside after. :)

    I have heard about all the craziness in GA! Oh my goodness! My sister's husband's sister (got that?) lives in Atlanta & she shared an update from her son's school on FB where every parents was yelling at the school for not closing. I couldn't blame them! There were a lot of complaints from people down here in my FB newsfeed & it was really getting old - all complaining about their kid's schools being closed. In light of what is going on in Georgia (& apparently Alabama?), i think they have shut their complaining!

    It never snowed here. i am very saddy. Although we still got 2 days off (3 for us b/c my iui is tomorrow), so i am glad about that! And i have to tell you - i have never seen SLEET stick to the ground like it has here!! Ha! People are making sleetmen & sleet angels! Haha!

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  7. I feel for those people in Atlanta! I had to go in to work last night at 11. It took me an hour and a half to go what normally takes me 25 minutes. Enjoy your day off! :)

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  8. Hahahaha! I LOVE the video ☺ You are the best!
    I hope everyone in the south stays safe and warm!

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  9. I don't understand! How the heck do people get stuck overnight in traffic? I'm baffled. Enjoy your snow day at home! That's the sad part about being in Denver. We very rarely get snow days, because it would take like 12 inches before they would actually consider canceling anything.

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    1. Everybody left work, school, EVERYTHING at the same time. Roads were icy, people got stuck, trucks were sideways, wrecks galore, so people starting just abandoning their cars which caused the traffic to get worse and basically the interstates were all parking lots! It was a DISASTER!!!

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  10. I just LOVE how excited you are for the snow!!

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  11. My favorite part of the video is your revelation at how cold the snow is! For real, I laughed out loud.

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  12. So I had to go to the dentist this morning, and while they were abusing my teeth, they had CNN on the t.v. in the background, and I'm pretty sure they were covering the big mess in Atlanta for the entirety of my 60 minutes spent there. I can't believe kids had to sleep at school! That is nuts. Glad y'all are safe and enjoying the snow rather than being punished by it!

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  13. I had some friends that had to leave their baby girl at daycare over night. They started walking to get to her and didn't make it until this morning. Then they got a hotel to wait for the roads to get better.

    My commute is normally 25 mins (not on interstates) and it took me 3 hours. Not NEARLY as bad as the 24+ hours that some people are still going through, but just shows how bad it was!

    I like your bosses comment "When you overreact [to the threat of severe weather], you get mocked. When you underreact, you get sued." Tru dat!! Our private school didn't close and some parents were PRETTY heated at our admins!!!

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  14. 1. I need that pink/red scarf in my life. like NOW! Where is it from??!

    2. you have way nicer gloves and winter apparel than I do. i don't even own ear muffs.

    3. i totally have an it is well with my soul canvas above my piano in my studio! twinkies!

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  15. Glad you both got home safe yesterday. Ya'll were on my mind! Praying for Matt's safety as he travels home this afternoon. R and Little K are play in the snow people; I'm hide under the covers. But I do turn the fireplace on for them to warm up, I swear!

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  16. Too fun! I'm in Tennessee. We received a mere dusting yesterday and went into a panic! It doesn't take much snow to excite us in the South, does it?

    *Enjoy your snow day! You're absolutely the cutest in your snow gear btw.*

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  17. Oh my gosh! We just heard about this on the way home from our FET and we started busting up laughing! I'm so sorry that it has been rough for you guys, but YAY for being off of work! ;)

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  18. Haha I love this video...but I'm totally judging the amount of snow you picked up! I had more snow than that stuck to my pants after walking my dog this morning! Haha, but it was super cute and I love you all dressed up in your snow gear.

    I really feel sorry for the southern states getting hit with snow like this, because what everyone seems to forget is that even though it's just an inch - you're not used to it. Us Canadians (or Northern U.Sians...sorry northern Americans just didn't sound right) have to learn to drive through the snow, it's not just something you know how to do and even then - accidents still happen.

    I have to admit though, I'm looking out my window at the 3.5 feet of snow blocking my front door and wishing it were only an inch! Enjoy your snow day and keep warm!

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  19. great pics!!!! Was just reading CNN about the craziness and then decided to see if you had posted ;) Can't believe what a mess!! Much like Texas where no one knows how to handle it!! Love that you got the day off and hope you are taking a nap right now! PS. Matt's beard - whoa!

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  20. I love your snow day! We got about 8 inches here- but we have snow plows so we can handle it a little differently. I heard a report that for all of New Orleans there is one plow!

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  21. Brian gets upset if I touch him with my "cold, dead hands" so he would have killed me if I had done this!

    Also, can't wait to hear that accent in person in one week!!!

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  22. It's a bit hard for me to relate to snow out side the front door, it did look beautiful . . . . I didn't even wear socks to work tdy . . . there is a 30% chance of rain this weekend. aka living in SoCal

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  23. Brandon would have KILLED me. Anything above a whisper in the morning and he's like "Oh my gosh WHY ARE YOU BEING SO LOUD?" Haha. Anyways, love the prank on Mr. Matt! And I am very thankful you were not stuck in any of that insane traffic madness!

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  24. People around here were making fun of y'all for the city shutting down with an inch of snow, but we shut down for not much more, and we get it much more frequently than you guys do. I hope I never have to sleep in my school with my students because of weather. I'm glad you are enjoying it!

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  25. funny post, Erika. Oi, this has been a bad week for weather here in Minnesota, as well. I'm so glad it's Friday. The schools were closed two days this week and traffic has been insane. Hang in there, soon I expect we'll all be complaining about the heat.

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  26. The situation in Atlanta was so crazy it made news here! My friends were talking about it last night at church. I'm glad you and Matt were not a part of the insanity and had a good chance to create your own. PS. Rachel still asks to watch the "Lazy bum *cue evil laugh* video!" It might be her new favourite :)

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