Wonderland

I've survived six Wisconsin winters--something that I did not expect I'd say after my first winter up here. We had a record-breaking 92" of snow that year. I wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Not really, but I was pretty ticked off at my new husband for blatantly LYING to me when he said, 'Oh, the winters in Wisconsin aren't that bad. In fact, they really aren't that different from Missouri's winters.'

Hahahahaha, dear husband. The joke was on me. I was forced to acclimate. And let it be known that I was a giant softie with a reputation for despising cold weather prior to my journey to the north. Yes, it's true. I was the one sprinting down my college campus in between classes, hood thrown over my head, scowl on my face, eyes on the prize of moving from building to building as quickly as possible---whenever it was less than about 40 degrees. I could not be bothered to stop and chat with friends in those 'frigid' conditions. I.hated.cold.

Not to say that I particularly enjoy it now. But I'm definitely used to it. My concept of 'cold' has changed from 'anything less than 40 degrees' to 'anything less than 20 degrees'. Because I've found that Milwaukee tends to be about 20 degrees colder than Mid-Missouri at any given time. Then you throw snow into the mix and you have an entirely DIFFERENT idea of winter, dear Nate of our newlywed years.

I do not often admit when I'm wrong, and even less when my husband is right. But;) Nate was right when he said that as long as you dress for the cold it's really not so bad. And winter can even be enjoyable when it comes to outdoor activities. It really helps when you don't have 92 inches of snow pummeling your driveway in one season, but overall I can say, 'Snow is freaking gorgeous and magical.' At least, the snow we had this week was particularly amazing.

On Instagram (are you following me yet? Because I'm obsessed. mrsjuliagoolia is the name), I said that a picture could never fully capture the beauty of snow on trees. There is something so breath-taking about having a fresh blanket of the white stuff covering the earth. It seems to make everything muffled, peaceful, soft, and a little bit diffused. Looking around and seeing snow stick to every little branch, seeing a ridiculous number of snow men built by very excited families happy to have a substantial amount of flakes as a medium, and watching my baby's eyes light up as she takes in the whiteness of the world around her----all of this could never happen if I lived in (my dream) climate of 70 degree weather year-round. I am thankful for our four seasons--as extreme as they sometimes may seem.

Thursday we got about 7 inches of snow at our house. And it was the wet, heavy, 'snow-ball' type of snow that floated down from the sky on top of a few existing inches. Friday night we built a giant fort in our backyard. And Saturday we walked to the big sledding hill. I tried my best to capture some of the winter wonderland magic with my camera (and plugged through the task even after Nate threw a misguided snow ball RIGHT at my lens---poor aim, but no problems from my Canon in response).













(did not want to take a picture. Needed to go to bed BADLY)


































It's probably one of those things that seems even sweeter when looking through my children's eyes. As I watch the kids build giant snow balls during recess of the elementary school near our house, I can feel their excitement. They may not get a lot of 'snow days' when school gets cancelled but they can simply pack their snow pants and go nuts during recess,  I guess. Maybe knowing that Truman and Cecelia are growing up in a climate where snow is the norm makes me more fond of winter. Because it can be really dreary and messy at times, but winter is also beautiful. I need to remember that in March when we are more than ready for Spring;)