I've lived in Michigan my whole life, and as a child I remember the winter's being frigid cold with lots of SNOW. My brother and I would spend hours outside sledding, ice skating on the frozen pond across the street from our house, and building snowman and snow forts never got old. When we could no longer feel our fingers and toes, we would race inside, strip off our winter clothes and thaw out by the heat vents in our kitchen. My toes would tingle from the warmth, as my mom made us real hot chocolate with milk, sugar, and cocoa. Ahhh, those were the days! Now, fast forward about 20 years, and you just never know what kind of winter you will get here in good ole Michigan. It could be a winter like last year where it was so mild we only got one good snow fall, and I have pictures of Brett outside in a t-shirt in February. OR, it could be one like this year where Mother Nature decided it was time for a
real winter again, the brown and grey days often disguised with a blanket of white crisp snow to brighten up your soul. Of course, because it is 2013 and Global Warming is in full affect, there have also been a few gloomy, wet days where the temperatures reach a high that is unexpected (or at least once was) for this time of year. But overall, this winter will be remembered like the one's when I was a child - with snow and all the fun activities that come along with it. Even as an adult, there is
still something special about a fresh blanket of snow outside your window, just waiting to be played in...a refreshment of the spirit that energizes you like no other. The smiles and laughter I have seem on Brett's face this winter are priceless. Really, this is the first snow filled winter he has gotten to experience to the fullest, and I have loved being along for the ride as he embraces what a good ole Michigan winter should be all about :-)
By next month, I am sure I will be ready for the snow to melt and spring to come, but in the meantime, we will continue making winter memories for our family to hold on to, despite what Mother Nature throws at us in the future :-)
