White Christmas ... I'm Living the Dream!!!
Traditionally, I would be busy preparing to leave for early Christmas Eve service and then heading over to Grandma's for our annual family celebration.
However, all plans have been canceled, so I actually have a few minutes free and I'm sneaking in to post this.
Why have all plans been canceled, you ask?
That would be because the ENTIRE CITY is snowed in!!!!
Yes, the greater Oklahoma City area (and, in fact, most of the state) is experiencing "blizzard-like conditions"
What this means is there is currently 4-to-6 inches of snow on the ground (areas under trees are a little patchier) and it's still coming down!
So much so that from my window I can only vaguely determine the houses across the street! It's like there is a white veil between us!
It's supposed to continue coming down all day and into the night, with the temperature remaining below freezing until Sunday!
Translation: We're getting a White Christmas!!!
I know some of you Canadians (and other people from points North) may think it's silly to have a big reaction, but you must understand. This will only be the 13th White Christmas in Oklahoma City since the LANDRUN!
That's an average of about once every ten years. However, I've spent most of my nearly THREE decades of life in Oklahoma and it's never happened before! (There was a massive ice storm in the month of December the year I was 6 and we lost all power, but I believe that hit a day or two AFTER Christmas, because I remember being excited about the possibility of a White Christmas, but nada. - EDIT: I just checked with my mom. Yes, it hit on the 26th. "About 5pm" She remembers because we were cooking dinner and then all the lights and power just shut down.)
I'm due for a White Christmas, people!
I have yet to brave the elements to attempt photos, but here's some other sources to provide you with an idea of what it's like.
This was filmed this morning - conditions are FAR worse now - Like I said, several inches of snow on the ground, big drifts beginning to develop, and a swirling veil of blowing snow continuing to come down.
Here is the weather radar - see those swirly white patches? Covering THE ENTIRE STATE???
We're all thrilled. We never go anywhere for like two, three days anyway (except the aforementioned trips to church and Grandma's house on Christmas Eve) and so we're just hanging out, baking (Momma's Awesome Homemade Sweet Rolls, a favorite tradition), playing games, listening to Christmas music (Michael Buble's and Andrea Bocelli's Christmas albums, among others), handing out a few early presents,...it's awesome!
All of us are thrilled with this development, but Older-Younger Sister is absolutely ecstatic!!!
For the last two MONTHS, all she has talked about is wanting it to snow before she leaves (her plane departs Monday and she'll spend the next 6 months in Africa ...so not a lot of chances for snow again for a long time)
When she awoke to find everything covered in a blanket of white, she was like "I *told* you I was praying for it to snow! - I *KNEW* this would happen! Don't mess with me when I'm asking God to do something!" (She was halfway joking, but, honestly, it's amazing the answers to prayer she has had during this time of preparing for the trip. Snowfall on Christmas Eve was just the cherry on top of a whole pile of mini-miracles.)
And with the current forecast, it looks like by Sunday the roads will clear out and she'll have no delays or complications for her flight.
Tomorrow is supposed to be cold, but sunny and clear, which equals an afternoon of family snow-fun after a morning of present-opening.
Yay!
A very blessed holidays to you and your family, whatever weather you may be having.
However, all plans have been canceled, so I actually have a few minutes free and I'm sneaking in to post this.
Why have all plans been canceled, you ask?
That would be because the ENTIRE CITY is snowed in!!!!
Yes, the greater Oklahoma City area (and, in fact, most of the state) is experiencing "blizzard-like conditions"
What this means is there is currently 4-to-6 inches of snow on the ground (areas under trees are a little patchier) and it's still coming down!
So much so that from my window I can only vaguely determine the houses across the street! It's like there is a white veil between us!
It's supposed to continue coming down all day and into the night, with the temperature remaining below freezing until Sunday!
Translation: We're getting a White Christmas!!!
I know some of you Canadians (and other people from points North) may think it's silly to have a big reaction, but you must understand. This will only be the 13th White Christmas in Oklahoma City since the LANDRUN!
That's an average of about once every ten years. However, I've spent most of my nearly THREE decades of life in Oklahoma and it's never happened before! (There was a massive ice storm in the month of December the year I was 6 and we lost all power, but I believe that hit a day or two AFTER Christmas, because I remember being excited about the possibility of a White Christmas, but nada. - EDIT: I just checked with my mom. Yes, it hit on the 26th. "About 5pm" She remembers because we were cooking dinner and then all the lights and power just shut down.)
I'm due for a White Christmas, people!
I have yet to brave the elements to attempt photos, but here's some other sources to provide you with an idea of what it's like.
This was filmed this morning - conditions are FAR worse now - Like I said, several inches of snow on the ground, big drifts beginning to develop, and a swirling veil of blowing snow continuing to come down.
Here is the weather radar - see those swirly white patches? Covering THE ENTIRE STATE???
We're all thrilled. We never go anywhere for like two, three days anyway (except the aforementioned trips to church and Grandma's house on Christmas Eve) and so we're just hanging out, baking (Momma's Awesome Homemade Sweet Rolls, a favorite tradition), playing games, listening to Christmas music (Michael Buble's and Andrea Bocelli's Christmas albums, among others), handing out a few early presents,...it's awesome!
All of us are thrilled with this development, but Older-Younger Sister is absolutely ecstatic!!!
For the last two MONTHS, all she has talked about is wanting it to snow before she leaves (her plane departs Monday and she'll spend the next 6 months in Africa ...so not a lot of chances for snow again for a long time)
When she awoke to find everything covered in a blanket of white, she was like "I *told* you I was praying for it to snow! - I *KNEW* this would happen! Don't mess with me when I'm asking God to do something!" (She was halfway joking, but, honestly, it's amazing the answers to prayer she has had during this time of preparing for the trip. Snowfall on Christmas Eve was just the cherry on top of a whole pile of mini-miracles.)
And with the current forecast, it looks like by Sunday the roads will clear out and she'll have no delays or complications for her flight.
Tomorrow is supposed to be cold, but sunny and clear, which equals an afternoon of family snow-fun after a morning of present-opening.
Yay!
A very blessed holidays to you and your family, whatever weather you may be having.