Saturday, March 12, 2011

Spring is in the Air


As much as I enjoy winter, I’m done with it. We had the biggest blizzard in years (see my previous post), and it was the snowiest February in recorded Chicago history. I think we’ve all had enough, don’t you?

But don’t worry, there’s light at the end of the tunnel. And yesterday, that light appeared—sunlight, that is.

It’s Friday afternoon, a liberating feeling. Earlier in the day, I was set on taking a nap as soon as I got home, but as I step off the bus, I find my mood instantly uplifted. Why? Because it’s sunny—and warm! I take my jacket off and just let my skin absorb the warmth, not convinced it’s real. I had forgotten how glorious it feels to have the sun shining on my face… I close my eyes and envision blissful moments of summer, so close now, it seems. As I open my eyes, I am pleased to see that this delightful weather is still here, not merely a dream. I glance around and notice a few green sprouts trying to break free of the winter soil, one of the first signs of spring.

Though today was cold and windy, yesterday’s brief glimpse at spring has given me hope that this excruciatingly long winter will soon be over. However, I have come to the realization that, without a long, cold winter, I wouldn’t appreciate the coming of spring as much; I wouldn’t be able to take in the sunshine or nature blooming everywhere, either. After all, spring is my favorite season!

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Blizzard 2011!


Who would have thought that the first days of February 2011 would bring one of the biggest blizzards in Chicago history? Certainly not me! Our parents remember the historic blizzard of ’67. There was one in ’99, too, but I’m sure most of us teenagers were too young to remember. So, to be part of this “snowmageddon” is exciting, to say the least.

I heard about how bad the snow was—it was all over the news—stranded drivers, power outages, etc. My mom and my neighbors shoveled our driveway for FOUR HOURS! (With some help from my sister and me.) This would be my driveway after all the snow was cleared:

This may not look like much, but it's actually about up to my shoulders...

However, I think the good outweighed the bad (mind you, this is coming from a teenager!). A snow day was declared before school got out on Tuesday afternoon—I can’t even remember the last time we even had one, let alone TWO! Before being plowed and shoveled, the snowy landscape looked so white, so serene. It was truly pleasant to look at. Then, my sister and I geared up and trekked through the snow in the backyard, where we had snowball fights and built a snowman with the plentiful snow! The snow was up to my knees, and I’m 5’7”, so that’s saying something… But that was just the initial layer—if I dug down more, the snow was even deeper. I found out the hard way… I jumped into the snow, and as I tried to push myself out, I just sunk deeper. And deeper. After a good two hours enjoying the weather, my sister and I went back inside and sipped some steaming hot chocolate, which is one of my favorite things about winter.

On the other hand, it was disappointing that we couldn’t go sledding because it was too dangerous to drive to the sledding hill. In any case, this blizzard will be an incredible event that I will never forget…