snow day.

i broke out the flops yesterday & today.  

opi's cajun shrimp adorns my toes. 

 i've been driving with the sunroof open.  

our windows are open.  

and, yes, i've been wearing capris.  

we've had some amazing spring-like weather recently which makes it hard to believe that this was what it was like just a week ago:

dear mother nature,

please keep the warm temperatures and the bright sunshine.  you can keep the snow.

love, a girl yearning for spring

beantown.

aidan: "mom, christmas day is jesus' birthday."

me: "sure is! do you know where he was born? 

i'll give you a hint...it starts with a b."

aidan: "boston."

{1st row: dim sum on day 1, boston as we drove in}
{2nd row: snowy chinatown, boston common}
{3rd row: the view of downtown boston from our hotel room, dim sum on day 2}
{4th row: malia & aidan with their new bogs boots, a random chinatown pic}

with an impending blizzard creeping up the east coast, we decided to go full-speed with our post-christmas vacation plans and visit my sister who lives in boston, massachusetts.  originally, we were going to leave on sunday, december 26th, but after hearing that boston was expecting up to two feet of snow we decided to get on the road.  the kids & i packed up and loaded up my parents' van.  the five of us were on the road by 8:30pm on christmas day.  adam & frisco stayed behind.

it was already starting to snow as we were leaving virginia {virginia beach got over a foot of snow while we were gone!}.  fortunately, there was no traffic...i mean, who would be road trippin' on christmas?  only us.  we stopped for the night somewhere in new jersey after driving on the jersey turnpike for a while.  we all needed sleep.  sleep & a yummy cracker barrel breakfast.

although the drive was fairly uneventful, the weather quickly deteriorated once we hit the new york-connecticut line on sunday.  as we approached the city limits of hartford, we knew the rest of our journey would be slow & pretty damn difficult {in a front wheel drive vehicle}.  there's nothing like having a two hour commute {the normal distance between hartford & boston} turn into a five hour fiasco that involved:
1. unplowed highways {the plows were out but they were barely keeping up with the snow!}
2. numerous stops to beat ice off of the windshield wipers
3. driving at the top speed of 30mph on a stretch of road that has a normal speed limit of 65mph
4. witnessing several cars on the side of the road with their front ends totaled because they thought they could go 65mph
5. answering the question "are we there yet?" about fifty gazillion times

but, we made it. and boston was so beautiful as we drove across the charles river.  the city was quiet.  there was no traffic.  just snow.  praise the lord there was a whole foods behind our hotel because we were starving!  my sister met us at our hotel on her way home from work {she is a pathologist at boston children's hospital*}.  and, so, our three day adventure in boston had begun!

we spent our time eating dim sum in chinatown, riding the t, walking in blizzard-like conditions, wearing dirty jeans thanks to slushy snow, shopping at copley place & prudential center, chillaxin' in my sister's apartment in fenway & just loving every minute of each other's company.

aidan told me that he wanted to move to boston.  he is in love with riding the t.  he also said he wants to be closer to his auntie monica.  bless his heart.

after three days in boston, we loaded my sister in the van and drove to andover, new hampshire to visit with her husband, do a little more shopping, eat more food & play in the snow.

{tomorrow's installment will be about our time in new hampshire...}

---

*remember how i mentioned that my sissy works at boston children's hospital?  well, a few days before christmas we were g-chattin' and she said, "i just heard joey mcintyre singing with the boston pops here at work!"

seriously.

check it:


{source}

cold & soggy.

last weekend, we had a bunch of this:

and this:

and this:

it's not supposed to snow like that here. no sir. not in the mid-atlantic. not when i live ten minutes from the atlantic ocean. i think we got about 10" total...some parts of our yard had more due to the drifting snow.

schools were out until wednesday. wednesday, y'all. i didn't go to work for most of this week because of the weather & my kiddos being out of school. oh, who am i kidding, i only missed one day {duh, i only work three days a week}. but, still. i was seriously on the verge of a nervous breakdown {well, i could blame more than snow & restless kids for that}.

this morning, we still had a nice patch of snow in our yard. there are still piles of {icky, dirty} snow around town.

well, maybe not anymore because i'm sure it's all gone now.

washed away.

while the rest of the state and the upper portions of the mid-atlantic are being hit by snowmageddon, we are being pelted with rain. rain that is pouring out of the sky in sheets. sideways. seriously, isn't this like the 340934067982734th nor'easter so far this winter?
i was out in our laundry room and the rain was coming in the cat door. the. cat. door.

ridiculous.

i don't know about you, but i am so ready for some summer weather. bring on the heat & humidity. i'm over this roller coaster weather. crazy snowy forecasts. 20 to 30 degree temperature changes. frigid air. dry skin. red noses.

i want sunshine. sweaty skin. bare feet. tank tops. summer nights. oh, i'll even take 'skeeter bites over this crummy weather. well, maybe i'll draw the line at 'skeeter bites.

silly groundhog. thanks for nothing.

of course.

{map image courtesy of The Weather Channel...I added the circle, arrow & chicken scratch}

of course.

what was i expecting?

did i REALLY think we were going to get any of the white stuff?

well, i suppose there IS a slight possibility that we could, but the chance isn't nearly as good as it is where my parents live {about 50 miles south of washington, d.c.}.

adam is going hunting tomorrow about 40 minutes from our state capital, richmond. i told him to take our 'old' camera & snap some pics. i'm actually kind of jealous that he'll get to see the snow. but, then again, i think i'm really just more concerned about him getting home at a decent hour so the w{h}ine festivities with my friend, katie, can still take place.

Is this week really over??

You don't know how badly I am ready for this week to be over with. It's been ridiculous.

First of all, I cannot seem to shake the fatigue. That's mostly due to the fact that this stupid head cold has me up all night either coughing up a lung or shooting what I'm convinced is my brain out of my nose. My poor nose. So much skin has fallen off of it this past week that I'm surprised that I even have a nose left...ah, well, I guess it's just good and exfoliated. Of course, the drowsiness could also stem from the fact that I've been eating the Tussicaps prescribed to me like candy. Well, no, not really, but the codeine makes me feel all warm & fuzzy on the inside and really K.O.'s my cough.

Of course, this cold could just be some twisted punishment from God for picking up my sick child from school last week, but still keeping my wax appointment and vacation plans. Yeah. Daycare called (son only does half-day kindergarten) and said he was running a fever. I picked him up, drove back to work, put him in the care of the receptionist (who is also our cousin...thank goodness I work for a wonderful, family-oriented company!) and the proceeded to speed to my appointment at Spa Phoenix to get my brows waxed. Don't worry...all of you parents out there who are tsk, tsk, tsking me right now can rest assured that I called our pediatrician when I got back to the office (after a side trip to Arby's for my FREE lunch...hello!) and got him an appointment with the nurse practitioner that very same afternoon. The prognosis? Strep throat. What did I end up doing? I called my mother to warn her, picked up the antibiotic and then still got on an airplane the very next morning for Cancun.

This is why I feel as if I'm being punished.

But, the cold could stem from the fact that it was, oh, in the 40s when we left Virginia, in the 80s while we were in Cancun and then in the freaking 20s and snowing when we got to Atlanta. Nah. I was sick as a dog before we even got on the airplane...or at least close to it. I guess I'll stick with the punishment from God theory.

Anyway, as if being sick wasn't bad enough, how about having your five hour layover turn into a two & a half day layover? Yep. There was no way in hell we were going to get out of Atlanta. Not with the crippling snowstorm and all (how funny is it that the sun was shining just an hour after we landed in Atlanta...and our flight had already been cancelled). When we were finally able to get on a flight headed for home, I was:

• t-i-r-e-d -- I did not sleep at all while we were in Atlanta. No matter what I took or how hard I tried, sleep was not going to be my friend while we stayed at the Red Roof Inn.
• o-v-e-r it -- By Tuesday I was ready to be home. Heck, I should have been home. But, no, it had to go and snow BEFORE we even left Cancun.
• d-o-n-e -- Going back to work the very same day that you've returned from being out of town is never a good idea. Especially when you're sick, haven't had a shower and have been in the same pair of jeans for three days. Ew.

The only good thing is that once we got home the rest of the week did go by fast. And, now that I've seen my doctor I'm starting to feel a bit better. But, I'm still tired.

Who knew two days would do this to me? I'm turning into a weenie. Of course, whenever the quantity of alcoholic beverages consumed is greater than the total number of hours that you've slept, well, I guess it's to be assumed that you'll need some recuperation once the fun is all said & done. :)

Desperately seeking summer...

I am over the cold weather.
I am over the colds.
I am over wearing a jacket & wool socks.
I am over the dry skin & runny noses.
I am over cranking up the heat.
I am over my gas bill.
I am over warming up my car.
I am over the howling winds.
I am over the wishy-washy weather forecasts.
I am over it being dark by the time I'm home from work.


I am ready for some warmth of a different kind.
I am ready for road trips to Hatteras.
I am ready for barbeques & horseshoes.
I am ready for humidity (I think).
I am ready for long, summer nights
I am ready for flip flops & pedicured toes.
I am ready for fireflies.
I am ready for sleeping with the windows open.
I am ready for tulips & daisies.
I am ready for seashells & sand.


I am desperately seeking summer.

Snow Day! (Take 3)

There's snow on the ground today. Really. There is SNOW on the ground in Hampton Roads.

S-N-O-W

Of course, by the time I walked out of my house this morning to warm up the car, it was already melting and falling out of the pine trees. I was being pelted in the head by melting snow. Not fun.

But, anyway...

There's snow in southeastern Virginia and it's about damn time. Of course, it's nothing to warrant any closings in our area (which is a big surprise), but it's still exciting nonetheless considering this is the third time we've been told we would get some snow and, finally, the weather forecasters were right.

What I find to be most amusing is the fact that today is a school make-up day for my children. They are making up the snowless snow day from last month...and there's actually snow on the ground today. Go figure.

Snow?

Seriously? They are forecasting snow for our area? 1-3 inches of the white stuff? Really? I'll believe it when I see it. My children have already had one snowless snow day...what's another? Of course, watch, this time the sky will just dump on us and we'll get MORE than the forecasted amount. That would be my luck.

Well, I guess I should get the kids prepared for a possible day at the office. Oh, joy. (can you tell I'm thrilled??)

What snow?!

They are still saying it's going to snow, but I will only believe it IF I see it. And, I'm begging right now, please God let school happen tomorrow...on time. No delays. No cancellations. Please. I know I haven't been the best person lately because I have been so hateful, but really, ease up and just let the schools open. You and I both need this. Forever and ever, Amen.

It's still not snowing...

...what a big surprise. It's funny how we get all pumped up for some snow and then nothing happens. Don't get me wrong, the forecasters are STILL calling for 1-3 inches of the white stuff, but the weather certainly hasn't panned out like they said it would yesterday.

But, in good ole Tidewater fashion, schools are closed today. It's quite amusing to think that we haven't even seen one flake of snow, but the schools (as well as courts, certain office, etc.) are closed. I suppose this shows proper planning and consideration for the children and employees. I remember all too well being in school and having to go home early due to inclement weather. I'm sure that it can turn into quite the cluster fuck when you are trying to coordinate the safe transfer of students in high school, middle school AND elementary school from school to home. That's not an easy task. And, I'm sure working parents, while school closings are inconvenient at times, are appreciative of the heads up on the closing rather than having to deal with childcare arrangements during the work day when their children are sent home early.

Thank goodness for VBCPS's new alert system. Our phone rang this morning just after 6am and the telephone recording notified us that Virginia Beach City schools and administrative offices were closed. Soon after, my cell phone rang and I got the same recording. Then, while checking my email this morning I noticed a similar message. Let me tell ya...their new notification system is a God send...it's a pain in the ass to try and read the list of closings at the bottom of the television screen on the different local news channels. I remember doing it as a kid growing up and I remember having to rely on that list on the news even as recently as last year! I sooooo prefer a phone call at 6am over having to squint my eyes and read fast that early in the morning...this chica doesn't function well at the crack of dawn especially if there is no caffeine involved.

Well, with that being said the kids are with me today at the office. My stress level is already through the roof and it's only just after 9am. God help me. If they keep bickering over the damn portable DVD player I'm going to, as Adam tells Aidan from time to time, "turn green and grow big muscles."

Please, please, please snow.....the weather needs to do something in order to justify this day off from school!

Snow day!

So I may be jumping the gun a bit, but from the looks of the weather forecast, I think it is safe to assume that tomorrow is going to be a snow day for the kids. Even the Weather Channel is talking about it!
Snow days are rare in our neck of Virginia. Very rare. I can probably count on one had how many times we've had a significant snowfall here in Virginia Beach and I've lived here since 1986.

Of course, as excited as I am for the kids and the prospect of missing school because of the snowy weather (because Lord knows that back in the day I used to watch Don Slater on Wavy TV 10 like a HAWK whenever he talked about snow during the school year).......I'm semi-disappointed that tomorrow just might not be the first day back to school after the long winter break. I know, I know...it's silly of me to feel that way, but if your kids had a month off for the holidays and had been coming to work with you for the last couple of weeks you would be feeling the same way as I do. Trust me.

Nonetheless, it's still exciting to know that tomorrow morning there just might be a blanket of the white stuff covering the ground...I guess I'll just send the kids out into the parking lot to play when I bring them to work with me tomorrow. :)

Decking the halls...

Well, just Christmas trees...this year I decided to make ornaments for friends, teachers, etc. After 12, yes TWELVE, failed attempts, I finally got it right and did NOT forget the key step of cleaning the glass (duh!). These pictures don't do the ornaments justice and this is only a small sampling of what I've done. But, I'm proud to say that the kids' teachers have all received one and I'm making more this weekend...handpainting ornaments my way (thank you, Google!) is a lot of fun. The pictures are not the best...I used my cell phone since both of my digital cameras were D-E-A-D...guess I need to plug in the charger for the batteries, huh??

Enjoy!

First snow

It snowed yesterday for the first time this year. Nothing stuck...not here in Virginia Beach...but it was still neat and pretty to watch falling down from the sky. Of course, in true Virginia Beach (or maybe it's Hampton Roads overall) fashion, the drive to work was horrible. Absolutely horrible.

And, me being the highly organized and always ready mother than I am (bwahahaha) did NOT take a picture of the fluffy white stuff as it was coming down. Oh, well...next time.