I’ve always been a dreamer. When I was younger, I’d think up ridiculous situations that would never in my life happen and loved the “what if’s” of life. Earlier this week, I had a dream about what might happen if the snow storm they predicted to head towards Chicago were to actually happen.
In my dream, I got to leave school early on Tuesday. In my dream, I would get home, put on my pajamas, and cook myself a delicious dinner.
In my dream, I would surf the web on CSN Stores for hours to find something to review: some bake ware? Some new cups? A silicone baking mat? Perhaps a wooden swing set? Whatever I find, I know I’ll find something great with over 200 stores to choose a product from. In my dream, I would also get at least one snow day. Because what are dreams without good things happening to the dreamer?
This week my mom was a dream squasher. She refers to herself as a “realist” when it comes to the weather — because apparently Tom Skillings isn’t always correct. I knew good old Tom wouldn’t let me down this time.
Let’s just say my mom lost a bet today. Let’s just say she’s buying me lunch once I can shovel my way out of my house someday.
My dream came true. All of it.
It had nothing to do with the fact that I track the weather like I’m a meteorologist on weather.com. It probably didn’t have anything to do with the giddiness I felt when I thought about the possibility of a blizzard hitting Chicago and shutting down the city for a few days. I, in fact, had nothing to do with the fact that my dream came true. But I’m so glad it did.
This afternoon my principal was kind enough to let all of the teachers who work out of town leave an hour early since our district was the only district in the entire state of Illinois that did not close down early today. I am so grateful for the other two fifth grade teachers who took over my class so I could make it home safely. By safely, I mean it took me over an hour to get home when it usually takes me twenty five. The snow had just started when I left school and by the time I got home, there was already an inch on the ground.
There is a point in my drive when I have to travel over a mile long bridge/overpass. It is always the scariest part of my drive, snow or not. I am surprised I didn’t wet myself going over that bridge today. The wind was so intense I thought I was going to smash into the car next to me. Thankfully, I’m home and safe with a snow day tomorrow.
(right after I got home — only 1-2 inches on the ground)
Right now there are fifty mile per hour winds gusting outside of my house and scaring Charlie into jumping onto my lap (which isn’t as easy as it sounds as I also have my laptop on my lap). All I can say is I’m glad I’m not out there — which I can’t say for all the members of my family tonight. Part of owning a landscape company means the Husband also does snow removal in the winter — which roughly translates into him braving this storm to make sure others are safe. Don’t mind me, I’ll just be scared out of my mind for the next 24 hours constantly worrying about him.
Other than worrying about the Husband, I only have two more fears.
Fear number one is that my power will go out. A blizzard is one thing — a powerless blizzard is another. My powers of persuasion were not so good the other night when I tried to get the Husband to buy a generator. Apparently $1,000 for the possibility of my freezing to death or all of our precious food going bad is not worth it.
My other fear is I won’t be able to get out of my house if I run out of peanut butter any time soon. I’m not joking — you know I wouldn’t kid around about peanut butter. That’s serious stuff.
Hopefully I’ll be back tomorrow after Snowmageddon 2011 hits me hard. If I’m not back because my power is out, and you see a girl in a bright blue ski coat shoveling her way to the local grocery store, that’s me — I ran out of peanut butter.
Question: What is the worst winter weather you’ve ever had? OR If you don’t experience winter weather, what is the worst weather situation you’ve ever been in?
{ 74 comments… read them below or add one }
So glad you got out early today — I did, too! And the office isn’t open tomorrow, thank goodness. These winds are scary!
On the PB… try to ration!
I thought of you today when I watched the weather on the news. I’m glad to hear you made it home safely.
We don’t have harsh winters out here in my neck of the woods (Northern CA), but there was ONE time in the 90′s when temps dropped into the teens and the pipes in our 100+ year old house burst. At Christmastime. A few rooms of our house flooded and we spent a couple weeks in a motel.
Oh my gosh!!! That sounds like a crazy time!
Worst winter weather was back in Minnesota when we would get hit hard with blizzards. I remember once the gov. finally cancelled all schools after temps reaches -40. I also remember standing at the bus stop freezing my fingers off when it was -30 out and the bus was running behind. I feel you on the snowstorm you guys are getting! If I could I’d fedex you some PB to tide you over! : )
Ahhhh…snowmageddon is just starting right now here in MI. As long as there’s at least 6 inches of snow my work will be canceled tommrow!!! While I hate cold and snow…I do love a free day off of work!
PS. I’m also afraid of losing power, ehhhhhhhhh!
I don’t think I have ever had to worry about bad winter weather, the worst has been a storm of rain that didn’t stop pouring for 3 days straight and left roads flooded and me sad cause I couldn’t leave my house!
Oh i understand about not being able to leave the house in case you run out of peanut butter, i would go crazy!!!!!!!! People just dont get it!
I remember my breaking point in Austin Texas when we got ice..everything stopped. They are not equipped to handle that and neither is a Florida girl like me. I remember at one point during the three days of not going anywhere just staring at my window.. “REALLY?” I just will never understand cold weather.
I am glad you got your groceries before the storm and super happy for your day off.
Haha I’m with you on shoveling your way to get peanut butter. When I was in 3rd grade my town had a massive ice/snow storm. I believe I was out of school for about a week. Thank goodness my mother loves me and walked to the grocery store down the road. It doesn’t seem so far when you can drive there, but walking is a whole other story, especially when you have to trudge through layers of snow only to slip on ice. Good luck with your snow storm! Think warm thoughts
In college we were hit with a major ice storm that caused the power to go out. When the power came back on, the thermostat on my space heater said it was below freezing in my room (I made the mistake of choosing a room in a converted attick that only had one little heat vent for the whole floor.) Not fun…and they still didn’t cancel classes!
Stay safe through this storm!
I am NOT going to lie, I am way excited for Snowmageddon! My district is already making closings for tomorrow, crossing my fingers!
p.s. I ALWAYS have nuts on hand so I can make my own nut butter if I run out:)
I was so pumped about this storm - and I have some almonds so I could always make almond butter if worse comes to worse.
We had a blizzard in Texas today too!!! We didn’t have school today and it has already been cancelled for tomorrow!! There are some happy 4th graders and some happy TEACHERS here:-) We have the lowest temps that I have experienced in my 26 years…below 0 wind chills…brrrr
Wow! I didn’t even know Texas got that cold!
Dreams really do come true! Now, can you please go back to sleep and dream that my work is closed tomorrow too!
We’re getting serious snow too, but apparently my college hasn’t given out a snow day in 5 or 6 years. That day was because there was like 3 new feet of snow. Maybe my professors will be nicer and cancel class.
Enjoy your snow day tomorrow! I’m so excited about mine I can’t hardly stand it! Ice storms are the scariest thing that I have been through….two years ago we had 1/2 inch of ice and were stuck in the house for like three days…it was a mess!
So glad you made it home safely!
).
I’ve been blessed with mild winters all my life (SC is good for something
The worst winter weather I’ve ever experienced was actually 2.5 weeks ago. We got 4-6 inches and everything was pretty much shut down for 4 days.
Back during my Freshman year of high school (2004), Florida was slammed with MULTIPLE hurricanes. I remember at one point we did not have power for 2 weeks! It was hot, stinky, and gross! It was awful but definitely brought me closer to my parents. Haha! At least I got a week and a half off of school.
Our worst winter was definitely this year. I’m in middle Georgia, and I had THREE snow days in a row. Instead of Snowmageddon, though, it was Snowpocalypse: http://happinesshereblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/snowpocalypse-2011.html.
glad you made it home safely - this is definitely the worst winter I’ve ever had right now - i’m in new england but am from chicago and have never seen anything like it!
I know, this weather is crazy! We had 80 degrees sunday and now its 20 degrees with 40 mph winds. No snow here though. Bummer! I’ll send you PB if you get snowed in.
When I was a senior in high school we got 5 feet in 3 days. Yes, you read that right. 5 FEET. School was shut down for a week! The national guard had to come and remove some snow because we had no where to put it. It was pretty incredible.
BTW-I lived in Upper Michigan back then, right on the border of Canada.
I was born during a really horrific hurricane in Houston! Wasn’t sure if the doc would make it to the hospital in time, but he did and all was well : )
An ice storm in Springfield, MO - NO SCHOOL for 17 consecutive days! Holy ice storm vacation! If you do go out and get that PB, you better frame the jar or something. That’s an impressive love.
Send some of that my way, won’t ya? They are calling for high 70′s and rain here tomorrow. Gross. I want a SNOW DAY!
Being born and raised in IL and living in Chicago, I keep up to date on the latest winter storms. Mostly because I know that I don’t have to endure the blizzards and the freezing temps anymore.
My sister lives in Arlington Heights and she is due to have a baby any day now! I am kind of worried she might be trapped!
I have to admit, I would LOVE to have a snow day to stay inside and drink hot cocoa and watch movies.
On the upside, it is in the high 60s here and will be back in the 70s by Friday.
oh, and I am the same way about my PB. I don’t go a day without it. It is one of my MANY addictions.
“since our district was the only district in the entire state of Illinois that did not close down early today. “-
WTF??! that is horrible luck but at least you got out early by the principal!
my sister (lives in lincoln park) texted me today. said it’s BRUTAL. My hubs and i left chicago in 2000 and thank god, i dont live there. I HATE snowstorms!
Tommy Skilling…what a blast from the past
That was a total exaggeration on my part, but it seemed like it!!!
The power thing is my concern, too. Especially since we lost it for a few hours last week, too. Makes me nervous. Since when did we get so old???
Other than that, enjoy your day off, girl!
Power outtages are the worst- I hope you don’t get one! And… no peanut butter is officially my worst nightmare.
I know you are going to think I am crazy but I wish we had snow
It doesn’t snow in Louisiana, we had 6 inches about two years ago. First “big snow” I had ever seen, usually if it sticks we only get enough to cover the ground. My sister-n-law lives in Chicago so we usually hear all about the weather there.
I don’t think you’re crazy because this is the best thing that’s happened to me for a while.
We used to have tornadoes in WI and I always thought that was sooo cool! The most interesting weather we get in NorCal is enough rain to cause mudslides.
Enjoy your day off!
hahahaha! You might have to start rationing your PB these next few days!
1/2 teaspoon per day Missy! JK
1/2 teaspoon!?!?!? That’s like 1/10 of a serving for me!
I am convinced we are soul mates! We are so much alike (besides that whole I eat steak and a crapload of dairy thing) and I am a HUGE dreamer!!
I was taking the laid back approach and letting you figure out that we’re soul mates - I’ve known it all along. Don’t worry, I still love you even though you eat steak and love cheese.
crazzzzzzzzzy storm right now! I’m scared the power is going to go out!
I know - I just talked to the husband. He’s having a really hard time plowing - making me nervous!!!
I live in North Carolina so I don’t really get weather like that… but I also HATE bridges. I cannot stand them. I am impressed that you made it over a bridge in the snow. I prob. would have just gotten a hotel! haha
It is SO cold!!! Especially those winds! Brrrrrrr.
Running out of peanut butter is definitely one of my fears.
That’s hilarious! Good luck shoveling out. I’m crossing my fingers my twin gets better and can do the shoveling tomorrow, if not, there’s going to be some major daddy-daughter bonding time going on.
Jess : )
The “worst winter weather” I’ve had is like high of 45 and maybe some wind. Yay Arizona! However, we get the full fury in summer. Lows of 90 and highs over 100 for about three and a half months straight. When that strikes again this year, I’ll just think of snowmageddon.
Illinois State is closed for the second day tomorrow! I hope this storm ends soon….I am running out of food!
Although I don’t remember it, my mom was just telling a story about a time there was a really bad blizzard here and she needed to go to the store but the car was snowed in so she had to go on foot. I had to come but on the way back I was so tired and could barely keep walking but my mom was pregnant and couldn’t carry me so she hit me with a grocery bag the whole way home. Did I mention I was 2? Thanks, Mom. Glad your dreams came true
I live in Michigan and we’re getting that same storm now. Snow day has already been announced me, yayyy! I’m excited to see what it’s going to look like outside tomorrow, this is my first blizzard
I’m here in Chicago like you! This is worst I’ve ever seen! Classes are canceled tomorrow though
YAY!
Stay warm!!! The worst weather situation I can remember is from back when I was growing up in RI. It had just snowed (kinda like it is right now), and after a couple of days, the snow started melting and our basement flooded. My parents had JUST recarpeted and repainted.
It was a huge mess!
I lived in Tahoe one winter where we got 17 FEET of snow in 10 days. In the 10 days between Christmas and New Years….you know, those 10 days when everyone is on vacation in places like that? Nightmare. It took me 4 hours to get home - normally a 20 min drive several days. MOst days I just slept at work.
Wow thank goodness you made it back safely! Sounds SCARY! It’s lovely that they let you go home early- I love when people show their kindness like that!
One time last year, I was shopping in a town about 5 miles from me, and then a blizzard suddenly came down! I had gotten the train there, but all the trains were soon cancelled and road conditions were awful. I ended up having to walk all the way home with my shopping! It took me 2 very cold hours, but thankfully there was a Starbucks en route! Their gingerbread latte saved my life!
I’m so jealous you get a snow day today! My school decided NOT to cancel classes today. I’m so bummed!
The worst weather we got was in early December when we got like 3 feet of snow and classes were cancelled for 3 days!
I hope you and the hubby stay safe!
Right now is probably the worst! Here in New England, we’ve already had 4 snow days and today’s the 5th! We could get up to 2 feet of snow today!
i would flip a major shittangle if i ran out of pb and couldn’t get more.. thats def why i currently have 10 jars open at the moment.. not kidding
worst weather.. welll i live in London so the weather is always CRAZY and unpredictable!
ahahaha I loved this.
When I lived in Arizona, my sister and I were home alone during one of the biggest monsoons of the season. The wind was insane and the windows were bending with the pressure. Our mom was supposed to be on her way home, but couldn’t drive in the rain and wind. We thought we heard her car pull up so we looked out the window and saw our giant trash can blow by! It was just like in Twister with the cow! So scary. Luckily everyone made it home safely about an hour later.
I would have been so so scared!!!
Last year I had to deal with the snomageddon in Maryland. It was no bueno.
So great that your dream came true, except for that whole peanut butter rationing thing. Most of my family lives in eastern Canada and I have been watching the weather network like a green eyed monster. We live in Vancouver and rarely get snow down in the city. I shouldn’t complain about our mild winters too much, but I definitely miss snow days.
It’s snowing so much here too! I hope your pancakes were excellent. I made a pear waffle today.
Yum! That sounds great!
We had a few inches of snow last week in the DC area. A few. Seriously. And it shut down everything. It took my dad TEN HOURS (3:30 PM to 1:30 AM) to get home from work, when it usually takes less than an hour. Traffic was in complete gridlock for dozens of miles out of the city. It was inexplicable. People were getting out of their cars to pee in the street. Moms had babies in the car without any diapers (who has ten hours worth of diapers?) or food. Parents couldn’t get to their childrens’ daycares and were having to call neighbors to help. It was madness.
That is absolutely insane!!
I’m jealous!! We never got as much snow as we were supposed to. The worst winter weather I’ve had is in Buffalo in 2006- the “october storm.” all the trees’ leaves froze overnight, causing literally all of them to break power lines and driving was impossible. i had 6 snow days!
Lots of snow!!
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Have a great Wednesday!! :0)
from one dreamer to another, i am glad someones snow day fantasy came true
And I’m sorry yours didn’t!!!
I live in Atlanta and we had our snowmageddon fiasco here a few weeks ago. The whole city was shut down for 4 days over 8 inches of snow!
Hoping you don’t loose power! That is when things really start to get bad!
Yikes! That’s a lot of snow!
Snow-zilla and Ice-zilla have arrived here too! We are iced in. The ice is so thick and treacherous. So today I’ve been baking all day: Chocolate lava cakes, Cherry Tapioca, Cherry Almond Angel Cupcakes and Nutella Mallow Hearts. Sugar overload! Gotta get out and go to work tomorrow though, blah!
Be safe! I would have a heart attack if my PB ran out. I hope yours lasts!
I am experiencing the worst winter weather ever right now! I live in Texas and have never really experienced very much snow, and I have been snowed in my house for 2 days. My husband was stuck in Kansas for a little while so I can relate to your hubby worrying. I have 1/2 a jar of peanut butter left so hopefully I can make it!
Stay safe and warm!!
You too Lauren! I’ve never heard of Texas having snow! I’m snowed in for one more day!
Wow! I’m not much of snow lover, but I can appreciate the beauty of a snow day where you get to stay warm and cozy in the house all day. I would totally freak out if I lost power! I need my electricity! When it gets bad here in TN, it’s usually a lot of ice and it’s really the stupid drivers that you have to watch out for!
Hope you enjoyed your snow day!
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