There's a first time for everything!

Thankfully my sister Kysa called me early this morning asking if we had a snow day today. I told her that they never have snow days here, but decided that I should maybe get up and check! I think everyone else happened to be checking the KXMB web-site this morning as well, because I couldn't get it to load. I decided to try the television and I was shocked to see that all Bismarck Public Schools were cancelled today! There's a first time for everything! In the 6 years that we've lived here, I don't think there has been a day off due to weather? I know for sure in the past 3 years there haven't been! That's one of the great things about working at the school, when the kids are off, so am I! If Kysa hadn't called us this morning, we would have been dressed and ready for school and wondered where in the heck everyone was after we tromped through 9 inches of snow to get there! I never have the radio on and I rarely get on the computer before I take the kids to school and rarely watch television in the morning because we're usually too busy trying to get ready and out the door. Since I've never seen them cancel school before, I wouldn't have thought they would've today either! Thanks Kysa! Thanks to you I was even able to get a few extra minutes (45 of them) of peace and quiet since I hadn't gotten the kids out of bed before you called!

I was all prepared last night for a busy morning of getting all 3 of us ready for school. I had a list made of things not to forget and all of their snow clothes laid out on the couch to wear on our walk to school! Kysa told me that she was going to feel bad for Gage and Emma if I made them walk to school in that much snow! We would have walked this morning, but even if I had wanted to drive, I wouldn't have been able to get the car out of the garage. We had so much snow that had drifted in front of the garage door that I don't think I could have driven over it. I was thankful that I didn't have to worry about it and that we could spend the day at home.

Since Scott was gone, I figured I better get my butt outside and start attempting to shovel the snow from the driveway. I didn't run out to the grocery store like I'm sure every other Bismarck resident did to stock up on groceries because I didn't really believe we would get the blizzard they were talking about. Boy was I wrong! (There's a first time for everything! HA!)
I figured that I would have to be able to get to the store before our 5 day weekend was over, so I best get to work on the driveway. Around 9am, the kids and I bundled up to head outside to tackle the snow.


Gage and Emma were quite excited with how deep the snow was! I, on the other hand, wasn't that excited once I started shoveling it and realized how wet and HEAVY it was!

Oh, and I was quite thrilled that I had to trudge through the deep snow to the shed in the backyard to get the shovels because we hadn't gotten them out yet. I wasn't too happy when I realized that Scott had put the bicycles away for the winter and the shovels were clear to the back behind all of the bikes. I'm not sure why he didn't think to pull them out since it's pretty much inevitable that we will end up using the dumb things before the winter is over? NICE!



The snow had drifted up high enough in front of the front door that we couldn't open it from inside. Gage and Emma thought that was "COOL!"

The kids were having fun making snow angels while I was hard at work. I had my camera in my pocket just in case I needed it!

Emma wasn't out too long before she was freezing to death because she had gotten snow inside her mittens, inside her coat and inside her boots. I think we may have to get some bigger snow pants? Actually, it would probably be smarter to get Gage the new, bigger pants and let Emma have his, since his are about too small also!

After this snow angel, Emma headed indoors. She didn't last long.

I, on the other hand, was outside for 2 hours shoveling snow and only had a path big enough for the mailman and possibly wide enough to get the car out of the garage if I needed to. It was wet, heavy and there was ALOT of it! I actually enjoy shoveling snow, but not the "heart attack kind!!!" I'll bet there were many people in the emergency room today with chest pains! During those LONG 2 hours, I had a lot time to think. I was cussing Scott like there was no tomorrow, wondering why in the heck he wouldn't stay home in weather like this. I also thought it might have been nice of him to offer to get us a few groceries last night when he went to the store to get stuff to take to Tuttle. I guess I should just thank my lucky stars that he brought us home a pizza like I asked for supper last night. Thankfully we had enough milk and bread to make it through today and maybe tomorrow. There were many more ugly thoughts running through my head, but I guess I probably should keep them to myself.

It was a long day. It would have been easier had we gone to school!

I never did get back outside to finish shoveling the snow. My back is already sore and my deltoid muscles are killing me. It was quite a workout trying to launch that heavy crap up over the mountain I had created along the edge of the driveway.

Tonight when I was sitting on the couch watching television I thought I could hear a motor running. I was thinking that poor old man that shovels all of the older people's driveways on our street was still out working! I went to open the front door and look and it was my neighbor Dave, snowblowing MY DRIVEWAY! I put my jacket on and went outside to tell him THANK YOU! I told him I could almost kiss him for that! He got all of the driveway done and then started into the sloped area where the driveway meets the road. That was some nasty wet snow that kept plugging up his snowblower. He wasn't able to do much more and I told him that was okay because I was just grateful that he had done the rest of the driveway for me! I told him I would get it and then he said he would help me. I ran back inside to get my boots and gloves.

Dave hard at work at 9:30 tonight! I am SO THANKFUL he helped me out. I can always count on Dave. You know you have great neighbors when they're out snowblowing your driveway in the dark! I'm sure he has saved me a trip to the chiropractor! I shouldn't speak too soon because I'll probably be lucky if I can get my sore, sorry butt out of bed in the morning!