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I had just finished my first year at BYU-Idaho, and was home for my semester off. A lovely Christmas had passed and a brand-spankin' new year was coming up. And I was peacefully sleeping. Which was a natural thing to do around 3 in the morning.
But I awoke when I heard my door slowly opening. My mother—in her robe—mischievously glided in my bedroom and excitedly whispered: "Season—wake up!" Her tone was that of a giddy beehive at a sleep over.
*One thing you should know about my mother: Wandering around the wee hours of morning in her nightgown isn't really an activity she is commonly known for. And by that, of course I mean never known for. Were it not for her bubbly manner I might have thought she'd come to relay a tragedy.
Then things got even stranger when I noticed my dad—also not known for gallivanting through the house at 3 a.m.—had meandered into my room behind her.
I groggily sat up and probably mumbled something along the lines of "huh?"
"It's snowing!" She triumphantly announced. And indeed it was. Big, fluffy flakes landing right on our Las Vegas valley. And my mom had awakened both my dad and me so we could play in it. In my barely conscious state, I couldn't figure out which was more baffling: snow in Vegas (which I hadn't seen since I was 12), OR the fact that my mom wanted to run around in it in the middle of the night.
So—outside we went. Our little terrain had been transformed:
For desert folk, this was a pretty amazing sight. Magical, even. After awhile we filed back into the house and ended up at the kitchen table, sipping hot chocolate and munching on Special K Bars as we enjoyed a scene of continued snowfall. Eventually my dad put his foot down and made us all go back to bed.
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Next we go to my junior year of college. One winter's evening it came to my attention that one of my room mates, Rachel, had never been sledding. How anyone makes it to their junior year of college having never sled down a hill, beats me. It was promptly decided between me and other friends that it was up to us to put an end to such a sledding drought.
*One thing, perhaps the only thing, you should know about Rexburg, ID: It's a cold place. In my professional opinion, I'd say it's right up there with Russia and Antarctica. But since three of the four sledders originated from Las Vegas and weren't really "snow bunnies"—warm snow gear was a bit scarce.
So we did what any astute college students would do: Headed to D.I. Unfortunately snow suits in adult sizes were hard to come by. And more unfortunate, I got stuck with one that was probably better suited for a 10-year-old.
I think our ultimate goal in this picture was to simulate models from an L.L. Bean catalog. Feel free to validate our efforts.
I'm not sure which was more fun—the actual sledding, or the preparation for such:
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Perhaps I've been dwelling on these memories lately because it finally snowed here. And I've been a little put out. ...Having to cart myself back and forth to work while the roads are a mess has made me grumbly. And my feet won't warm up—no matter how many pairs of socks I wear at the same time. However, these two events serve a wonderful purpose to remind me that snow—sometimes—can be precisely what you need.
7 comments:
Love the pictures and the memories. I am a firm believer that I have no circulation in my feet due to my days of delivering newspapers in flats -- rather than moon boots. Oh what I would give for those boots now.
Aww, I love that picture of you and your mom. And I would probably get up at 3 in the morning if only for a nibble (ok, a 9x13" pan) of your mom's Special K bars. Man, those things are good!
Sidenote: The snow here in Rexburg (that's been here for many weeks now) says hi, and appreciates that you were thinking of it today.
Thank you for not letting the whole blogging world know that the actual reason I was up at 3 a.m. was because my bladder was calling. Ah...but what a wonderful night! Oh the memories! You have to take advantage of any snow in Vegas whenever you can get it.
Last year we got ten minutes of snow in the middle of preschool. All curriculum came to a screeching halt as we sprinted outside and wildly caught snowflakes on our tongues, made slushy snow angels on the ground, and had a rip-roaring snowball fight. It was the cause for great excitement and happiness. Then back inside to warm frozen toes and fingers........
Mom—I thought about bringing up the bathroom. But then I figured the reason you were up at that time would be obvious for anyone who knows the Purcell clan well enough. I didn't want to risk being redundant. :)
Seaz... Love the walk down memory lane. I recall that snow day in vegas as well. I did not get to enjoy it until the morning came, wish I had a mother who needed to take a bathroom break to tell me about it. And the snow suits. Man I wish I kept mine.
Seaz, I love walking down memory lane with you! I remember those photos of the snow day and I remember those bibs so well. We had such a fun time!
ahhh the memories! and that probably was the last time i went sledding...hmmm.
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