Snow in Georgia

I am from upstate New York.  Land of wind, ice, snow, wind chill, negative temperatures, frozen eyelashes, lake effect ....you get the picture.  Fast forward 10 years....I live in North Georgia.  The Peach state...land of humidity, occasional droughts, air conditioning, heat waves, Indian summer....
But-today we are on day 2 of no school.  Tuesday, our district let out at half day.  What usually takes Josh and Keelin 15 minutes took them an hour.  Snow immediately turned to ice as it hit the pavement.  Cars left abandoned on the interstates as they ran out of gas after being on the road for hours.  Children stranded in schools and on buses.  Reminiscent of Buffalo...when it snows an inch an hour.  Here I think we got close to 3 inches.  The kids were in heaven.  They feel no cold or dampness.  They would have been outside all day. Our neighborhood is hilly and now hilly and icy.  Car tires spin trying to drive out.  So I walked to the store yesterday to gather provisions (mainly ingredients for Ella's birthday cake!) I loved it.  The walk in the snow. It was peaceful and beautiful and so out of place down here.  A little homesickness did settle in.  I am not a southerner yet....I am a northerner through and through.

xo~M

My walk on the way home from the store

Josh and I took a walk in our neighborhood Tuesday night

Store parking lot...a sheet of ice

The front yard!

One happy snow girl!

Happy New Year

"Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365-page book. Write a good one." ~Brad Paisley

I am quoting a country singer.  Am I considered a southerner now?  Stop it!  Once a northerner, always a northerner.  

As a family last night, we all filled out 2013 letters.  We put our names, ages, favorite colors, most memorable moments, what we want to work on, our goals....NOT resolutions....goals.  We sat around the chocolate fondue and read in age order (oldest to youngest). It was fun.  Then decided to put them in a safe place....and read them at this time next year.  I was moved by how introspective the girls were and giggled with Max's answers.  2013-ups and downs for sure.  I am making some internal and external changes (goals) for 2014.  I want to take better pictures.  I want to be present.  I want to be brave and patient and kind.  I want to be the kind of person my kids can be proud of and the kind of wife for whom my husband can be grateful to have.  Not too much to work on, is it? Here is to my first page....

xo~M