winter is here

We had a white Christmas.....kind-of.  When we woke up, there was snow covering the ground but by mid-afternoon, most of it had gone away.  It was a blessing for those traveling and it made everyone feel Christmassy.

Our Christmas was pretty much what it usually is.  We said good-bye the Zeke on Christmas Eve and put out treats for Santa and the reindeer.  Stockings hung and all that good stuff.  We all went to bed but in the middle of the night when I got up for no particular reason, I was met by Giada in the hallway.  She excitedly told me that she thought Santa had just come because she heard the "woosh" of his sleigh as he left. How can you not catch the contagious excitement of a five-year-old at Christmas?  Without her, I would likely skip the holiday all together.

We opened our stockings, exchanged gifts and watched as Giada discovered the things that Santa had chosen just for her.  After our lazy morning, we got dressed to go to my parent's house for gift exchange #2, dinner and dessert with the rest of my family. It was a simple, happy holiday with the littlest family member at the center of attention....just as it should be.

I had offered to drive my grandparents back to Rhode Island so the next day, I picked them up early and after a lost wallet incident ( it was located 25 min later) we were on out way.  The trip went incredibly smoothly and we made the required stop for late breakfast at the diner before finishing the last leg of our trip.  Once I was sure they were settled in at home, I got right back on the road.  There was a storm slated to hit the Northeast and I wanted to avoid it if at all possible.  After being delayed in traffic and the storm moving a bit quicker than originally forecast, I got stuck smack in the middle of it.  My three and a half hour return trip turned into five and a half but I made it home safely and was happy to cuddle up on the couch after a day spent in the car.

The snow was mostly cleaned up by the following morning and getting to work was no problem, as long as you didn't drive like you were invincible.  Next up was a storm on Saturday.

I had planned to get up early to run some errands but I was just too tired to motivate and once I dragged myself out of bed, I found 15 things to keep me from getting showered and dressed.  Once I did and Giada and I got on the road, it was snowing was too hard to leave town.  We opted for grocery shopping and returning home.  It was the safest bet and we had nothing pressing to do.  We returned home to make dinner and play in the snow for a bit.  I don't like cold and I don't particularly like winter but fresh snow is undeniably beautiful.  Camera time!

It was a cozy day ending with comfies and bowls of chili to warm our insides. I was as inspired by my little pookie as much as I was by the snow and was reminded, once again,  that sometimes just going with the flow is better than any plans you can make.