Winter, Round ... ?

So, it seems I'm getting what I asked for. As my dad is fond of saying, "You wanted winter, you got it." And boy, did I ever! We've had snow, sleet, ice, rain, wind, and severe thunderstorms, and once even, all at the same time!  It seems almost as if this whole winter has been one snowstorm after another. It's like one thick, white blanket has barely melted off, and we're already getting another. Like a broken record playing a scratched-up version of "Frosty the Snowman," all through December, January, February, and now March! It's been crazy, really. And the temperatures have been the coldest I can ever remember. There were even days when it was colder here than in the Rockies in Colorado. We're talking an average low of 0 degrees this winter. Not normal for around here. Don't get me wrong, I like snow, but I don't like being stuck. And it's making my life as a teacher exceptionally difficult due to all the days of cancelled classes. Even the students are tired of it, I think.  But here I sit, again, and again, on a Sunday (three of the major events happened on this day), watching snow pile up on the landscape and in the trees. Pretty to look at. But on March 16?? The newly budding trees are not going to like this.

But the first and most memorable winter wallop came around my birthday in early December. It was my 40th, and I was determined to not let it pass without at least an attempt at acknowledging its monumental place in my life. (Now, mind you, I had lived in denial for the year--or two--leading up to it, but after months of trying and failing miserably to internalize my friends' and family's consolations that it is "just a number," I put the shoe on the other foot and decided, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." So my husband and I set about planning the baddest 40th birthday party we could muster (within budgetary and logistical reason, of course). Themes and decor were thoughtfully chosen, fancy food was bought, professional sounding menus were planned, a towering cake was designed (to the tune of $140), supplies were ordered (complete with customized, foam, wisdom-bearing party cups--"You're not 40, you're 18 with 22 years of experience"), invitations were designed and mailed, and then, ....the weather forecast happened.

A week before the event, they issued a major winter weather advisory for our area, with all forecasters proclaiming the event would be "significant." What to do, what to do? We debated about rescheduling the party, but given the unpredictable nature of weather in Arkansas, I ultimately decided to gamble on it being a lark. I felt sure that nothing of any seriousness would come of it, and even if it did, the front, which would arrive on Thursday night and dump its contents of first rain, then sleet, then snow, would clear out by Saturday, the day of the fete. Roads would be salted and plowed, and life would go on as usual. I should have known better. Murphy, that bastard, tried to warn me, but I didn't listen.

Friday evening, 1 inch of sleet and 8 inches of snow later, the horrible reality sank in that my party was not going to happen. Roads all around NWA were a mess, and the regrets started pouring in. But we pressed on anyway. We cleaned, cooked, and prepped, all for a party that was not likely to happen; still, we clung stubbornly to the possibility that someone, anyone might be able to make it. But the later in the day it got that Saturday, the bleaker it looked. A few people said they were still going to try to make it, but when their sitters all began backing out, there we were with a party, but no guests. In desperation, I sent out texts to all our neighbors in hopes that they'd be stuck too and would welcome the chance to get out and socialize. No such luck--all had other plans. Our last hope was our partying friend/neighbors across the street (with 4 small children), whom we'd invited and who had planned a long night out away from the kids. We called them, told them to bring the kids if their sitter cancelled, and to bring their party hats. And they came through. They even brought a few of their friends with them. In the end, we had a pretty good group--15 or so--and the food that we had toiled over all day was greedily consumed by this horde of teens/twenty- and thirty-somethings, most of the alcohol was quaffed, and I even got to meet a local sports celeb. Later in the evening, after ample drink had sufficiently loosened the nerves, I even broke out my snowboard, and on a dare by the younger guys in the group, I hit the small jump we'd built in our backyard, landing a perfect frontside 180. Someone out there has it on video (if that's you, I want a copy!).  It was a ton of fun! And even though it wasn't the party I had planned, it was the one I wanted.