The snow capped mountains of Utah

One thing i was really looking forward to on my trip to Utah (aside from the main reason of going for my daughter's wedding) was I was hoping that Utah would still have snow on the mountains.  Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not a skier or snow boarder or anything like that.  In my life that is right next to daredevil.  No, I just love the snow.  I was looking forward to seeing the snow on the mountains and feeling the cool breezes down in the valley. 

Taken from inside the Harold B. Lee library on BYU campus. Note the snow covered mountain in the background.

As you can see there is still snow on the mountains.  My wife wondered if I would take a ride up to the mountains to frolic in the snow, but it was just enough to see it whenever I raised my sights to the mountains.  It is my understanding from talking to friends there in Utah that the snow pack was 200% of normal this year and the cooler temperatures of June have aided in keeping the snow in the mountains.  One friend who is a girl's camp stake director commented that the place they had scheduled to attend girls camp in June was snowed in with several feet of snow and they had to reschedule elsewhere.  The result was that they had to have ward girl's camps because they couldn't find another place on such short notice large enough to accommodate the whole stake. 

Of course the concern by many in Utah is with the potential for flooding when the snow does finally melt.  To add to it all they have had more rain in Utah than usual in recent weeks.  The weather for the wedding was great but we did see some rain as we were leaving for the airport.  In past years when I lived in Utah, rain was rather scarce, so it was a surprise to me.  We also returned to VA to rain which is neither unexpected nor unappreciated here. 

This picture added to give you the look of the cool nights.

As for the cool breezes in the valley: well it was very nice to have cool nights and mornings in the 50's but on some of the afternoons it did get rather warm and sunny.  I even managed to get sunburn, on my head of course. 

Pre Snow

Life in Virginia is fun in the winter.  That is because as many as five or six days in advance we get a warning from the weather people that there may be a chance of snow coming up.  That is a big deal here.  We know that snow in Virginia can be tricky.  Not only tricky to get it here but tricky when it is on the ground. 

There are lots of stories of how snow has been predicted and never came.  Or the "For Sure" snow storm of the century turned into a nice rain here in Virginia.  But on the times that the snow actually arrives it can really get tricky because of a combination of things.  First we don't put the resources into taking care of the snow like other more northern states.  We use our money for other stuff.  I'm not sure what but stuff that doesn't include snow removal.  Because we don't get much snow, most of the driver's here have minimal snow driving experience and are overly cautious to the point of being dangerous or not cautious enough.  Consequently there are lots of accidents and slipping and sliding.  Schools often close, work often starts late or closes and in the big storms the nearby military base will even close down.  It really is unique. 

So the past few days we've been hearing about this snow/ice storm coming our way.  In Virginia ice is dreaded much worse than snow.  A full-fledged ice storm can keep us housebound for a week, and it has in the past I might add.  Ask Grandma Loray about the Christmas ice storm where the electricity was out for several days while they were visiting.  Where the Christmas ham was cooked over a propane heater since that was the only heat we had in the house, while they were visiting.  Where the refrigerator in the house didn't work so we put all the stuff needing to be cold in Dad's truck to keep it cold.  Now that is a good story for another time.

So back to this week: every one is watching the weather.  The snow is supposed to come Tuesday, today as I write this.  Church announcements tell the weekly activities with the caveat of "if it snows it is cancelled".  At work everyone is wondering what they will do with the time at home.  Shoppers rush out to get enough milk, bread and fixing's to last through a storm.  Dread and or hope, depending on your point of view, is high.  Weather forecasts are watched closely on T.V. and the Internet for days in advance. 

Well sure enough, today we are getting sleet and snow.  A slippery mix.  The schools started with a two hour delay until the sleet started coming down, then they cancelled at the last minute with several teachers already on their way.  My work was an hour late.  We'll see if they stay the whole day since the T.V. news said the commute home would be worse than the one to work.  We'll see. 

So even though snow is meager and somewhat rare in southern Virginia, during the winter it takes up a lot of thought and tense anticipation!

As for me, I love the snow, bring it on! 

Snow on snow on snow

Well we haven't exactly gotten that much snow as you might imagine from my title but we have gotten two decent snows in Virginia in December.  Typically we get no snow in December and if we do it is the variety that falls through the air and then melts on the yard post haste.  But this year we have gotten two snows that have led to work closing and it has really been nice and pretty.

I must admit that it feels a little odd writing about snow because now most of the snow has melted with small patches in shadowy parts of some yards or in the large bulldozed piles in parking lots (those tend to be unrecognizable due to their dirty colors) but mostly it is gone.  Earlier this afternoon it was 54 degrees which is more normal for this part of the state.

Because I love snow so much I notice songs that have the word in them.  I came across this one that I really like and coincidentally it is entitled "December Snow" by Jason Tonioli.  I've been enjoying his Christmas album this year by the same name but because I classified this song as a non-Christmas song I just have discovered it and have been listening to it.  Maybe you will like it to:

I know my oldest daughter is living in Minnesota with her husband and they are getting lots of snow along with my mother and father-in-law there.  I don't think they appreciate it quite as much since they have to contend with it regularly to do regular daily things.  Plus it doesn't melt there very often until Spring.  And everything keeps running as usual since it is such a common occurrence and they are prepared to handle it.  Maybe even if they would listen to this song they might be able to appreciate it briefly.  As for me this song fits well with the opportunities I've had this year to watch the snow meander down and pile up on the ground, maybe it will calm and please you as well.

P.S.  yes I know the title comes from the song "In the Bleak Midwinter".

Surprise indoor frozen snow face

My wife had been telling me for a while that she had a surprise planned for me the Monday of the week before Christmas.  You have to understand that in our family surprises rein supreme.  We try hard to surprise members of the family.  This desire for surprises has led to a number of memorable things over the years  Since it is Christmas time I will share one family policy that this parent lives by.  If you tell me what you want for Christmas without my asking (which is hardly ever) then you won't get it for sure.  That policy has really helped over the years to minimize any 'Christmas lists' or asking for certain gifts.  Rather the art of surprise is at work and must be used to determine what someone wants or needs.  In it's perfect form this happens without them knowing that they wanted it themselves until they moment they unwrap it on Christmas morning or afternoon. 
This year my wife was working on a surprise to give me for a special celebration.  She had done well.  I don't try to figure out surprises because it is no fun to figure out a surprise in advance so when my natural curiosity wants to gear up I simply..."look the other way" or in this case think about something else.  ["Look the other way" is a famous quote in our family that comes from the book Henry's Terrible Mistake by Robert Quakenbush--it teaches some good lessons I recommend it to parents.] 

She took me to a place that I had never been before it is called the The Gaylord National hotel and convention center in Maryland.  It was probably the largest hotel I had ever seen and was really a neat place.  She took our family to the ICE! exhibit which is an exhibit of carved ice sculptures--this year celebrating the Grinch that stole Christmas.  The ice sculptures were nice--especially the bigger than life size nativity one at the end of the exhibit--but the real attraction for me was the COLD.  In order for the sculptures to keep from melting they keep the large room they are in cooled down to 9 degrees.  People come dressed in their winter attire and then before you enter the sealed room you are given a very large blue parka and that keeps you warm.  However since your face is out in the cold as you walk through the exhibit your face freezes!  It was great! 

After that we went into the Gaylord National hotel which was huge.  Hotel rooms go up several stories on each side and in between are streets from a small town village.  But the last part of the surprise was that at 6:15 it started snowing indoors!  Lisa knows I love the cold and love the snow.  I was thinking I new what the last part of the surprise was going to be, I thought there were going to be Christmas carolers coming down the streets but when it started snowing it was awesome!  So I enjoyed the surprise and we had a great time.  All the family seemed to enjoy it.  Wish you could have been there. 

A walk to remember

The snow did come!  By standards of those in the north and west it wasn't a lot but it covered everything right from the start.  Interestingly for our area it covered the roads, turning them white before the cars or grass.  Typically the roads are the last thing to be covered if that happens at all when it snows, indicating of course that the roads had been cooled down a lot over the last couple days before the snow came.  Only a couple inches but it allowed those driving to skid and run into each other as usual for VA.  Consequently schools closed and my work closed for the day as well.  It is enjoyable to have an unexpected day off and to be able to do things you didn't or wouldn't have time or make time for otherwise.

So Lisa and I decided to walk to the post-office to mail Jaime & Mike's Christmas package as we want it to arrive by Christmas and we didn't want the snow here to get in the way.  So there we were walking through the snow holding hands with the moderate sized package in a duffel bag slung over my shoulder. 

Naturally on the way back we had to stop at a store on the way home and of course we all know that leads to finding several things that we could not do without.  It may well have been back in college the last time we walked through the snow and did some shopping. 

It was an unexpected pleasure  or maybe serendipity my mother-in-law would say.  Nevertheless it was a good way to enjoy the snow and be together.  It is fun to have a respite from the normal day to day cares.  And hey, we didn't have to go on vacation any where to find it, but here it was right at home! 

If snow brings fun like this, well then, bring on some more!  I understand this weekend is a possibility.  We'll see.   

Snow in VA!

So Monday, I get up and it is snowing.  This is remarkable, exciting, what I hope for every year and many years never see.  This year getting snow in December is unusual but great.  It is not predicted to be much but it is sticking on the grass and cars.  Yeah! 

So I get ready and go to work driving through the snow.  It is great!  The snow isn't sticking on the road so the roads are just wet.  Smooth driving, no slipping or sliding.  I get to work and work all morning and get to lunch time and enjoy a nice peaceful lunch. 

The next thing I know there is a lot of activity and excitement in the clinic.  People talking excitedly and moving quickly.  We are closed down for the afternoon because of the snow.  I look outside. Iit has stopped snowing.  I look on the streets, they are wet just like when I came to work.  Odd.  But it doesn't keep me from enjoying the afternoon off! 

Only in Virginia! 

Now here it is Wednesday evening.  The local schools are closed tomorrow and work is two hours late and expected to close down.  Why you might ask?  Because more snow is predicted.  100% sure they say.  Several inches they say and it will start in the morning about the time people would be going to school and work.  There is still snow on the grass from earlier in the week (also an oddity in VA since the last snow is nearly always melted by the time another snow comes). 

I'm still a little skeptical because I've been in VA enough to have seen days like this.  Snow predicted, 100% sure.  Schools close.  Next day it rains all day.  I guess we'll see what happens tomorrow but I'll believe it and enjoy it when I see it. 

I do love the snow in VA. 

Move forward, proceed with caution

This morning after dropping Haleigh off at the high school I came to the light and saw something I had never seen before.  A solid green light (go) with a blinking yellow light, both going at the same time on each stop light facing me.  Unusual, I thought, what does this mean.  The light in the other directions I noticed was blinking red.

Well early this morning we had some wild weather apparently.  I know this because as I left the house to take Haleigh to Seminary I saw the porch chairs thrown to one side of the porch and noted that the entire porch had been drenched.  Since it is a covered porch that indicates some rain blowing side ways.  Well the weather hadn't awakened me but I have since learned that some people were awakened by it and that we had a tornado warning on the first day of December.  I would rather have some snow on the ground but that's not what we got.  Apparently that led to the light giving a different message today. 

Because I had never seen that combination of lights going at the same time on a stop light I initially was trying to figure out what my course of action was and quickly decided it was to move forward but to do so with caution, which I did through the intersection. 

That has been on my mind this morning as I compare it to life.  Isn't that the signal that we frequently get in life "move forward but proceed with caution".  I don't recall ever getting the message to move forward with wild abandon!  Of course the messages typically come from people who care about us like our parents, siblings, friends and God.  I guess the key is not to get so bogged down with caution that we stop our foreward motion, but to nevertheless be cautious to be prepared for the unexpected so we do not speed into danger. 

'Proceed with caution' might mean to look around us and notice what is going on then evaluate the effects of it on our life and make choices based on your best judgment.  Choices that you can both be pleased with and take responsibility for.  As I think about it 'wild abandon' which often leads to trouble is typically following someone else without engaging our own thinking process.  I suppose if we chose good leaders that might work out, but shouldn't we be making our decisions so that we can fully take responsibility for them?  I choose to follow this leader so if things go amiss I can take responsibility rather than blame him.  I need to be responsible so that I can do something when necessary to change things.  If I'm not responsible then there is nothing I can do, I'm stuck...forever.  That's discouraging and depressing. 

Sitting still in traffic or life is not often enjoyable but can be under certain circumstances I suppose.  Waiting or being unable to move or prohibited to move forword would likely create patience ... or insanity whichever came first!  "Moving forward with caution" seems to be just a resonable way to progress. (Which by the way does not imply to me that we don't have rapid spurts of progress or movement.)

In Psalms 46:10 (and D&C 101:16) it says "Be still and know that I am God".  So being still can have beneficial results and may be restoritive as well. 

Mosiah 4:27 says "And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order."  That kind of sounds like 'move forward proceed with caution' doesn't it? 

I guess our challenge in life is to move foreward with caution but to be sure to value the stillness when it is out of our control and to value it for the introspection and guidance as it directs us to God.  Hmmm, maybe we do turn to God more when we must be still then when moving forward.  Something to think about. 

So use caution when in drive and be patient and grow when we stall or get stuck in traffic, but what about reverse?  Just do U-turns?