Snowbound!

On Friday night we made plans to go out to dinner with some friends downtown.  After we got home, took care of Ripley, and changed, the weather had gone from 42 and sunny to 32 and snowing.  The weatherman that day had mentioned that there would be some snow on Friday night, but we didn't pay too much attention because the weatherman has been notoriously wrong about the weather all winter. Also, their prediction was 2-5 inches overnight, so in just a couple of hours we couldn't get THAT much snow, right?

The snow started to stick around 6-6:30.  We got to dinner around 7 and by the time we left dinner at 8:45, it was coming down hard.

In the less than two hours we were at dinner, three inches of snow had accumulated on our car.  We dug out and quickly headed home.  I think Andy was secretly excited that he had a couple of beers so I had to drive home, until he realized that being a passenger on the roughly ten mile journey home would be almost as terrifying as having to drive.

Andy took a video.  Check it out! The classical music we were listening to makes it seem less scary I think.

After driving in that for a couple miles, I decided I needed to get off the highway.  I couldn't find my lane and people were passing me (I felt like 25 mph was perfectly acceptable for those driving conditions and I was on the far right lane, but ANYWAY).  We made it back home on side streets, at times not being able to see the road or anything beyond our headlights.  We also dealt with other crazy drivers in huge pickup trucks zooming past us (only to get stuck up ahead) and some people even driving without their lights on.  I guess when you're fully committed to the official Alaskan pastime of texting and driving, you don't really need to see out of your windshield.  At least now I can check driving through a blizzard off my bucket list, because I'm never doing that again.

By the time we got home around 9:30, we had over six inches of snow on the deck.  By the time we went to bed around 11, we had over 13 inches! (and this is why we never listen to the weatherman).

We woke up in the morning to this view out our bedroom window:

That fence is about chest height on me.  

Ripley was not too excited about having to go outside to do his business.  I went on the deck, which was bare at 6pm the night before, and measured almost 21 inches of snow right before I took that picture.  Ripley is only 23 inches tall to the top of his back.  This makes peeing difficult.

Andy is standing in our driveway in this next picture.  The snow is over his knees...

Eventually Ripley started to bound around.

While poor Andy had to shovel.  By himself.  Sorry! Pregnant! Shoveling is off limits!

Doesn't that just look hard?  Poor Andy.

Ripley and I played in the snow while Andy toiled on the driveway.  He's standing up in the next picture.  Only his head peeks up!

At least the snow wore him out quickly.

I tossed the frisbee all over the yard.  The frisbee is a pretty good snow toy because it stays above the surface of the snow for the most part.  Look at his face in the next picture.  VICIOUS!

About 15 minutes into playing, he lost the frisbee.  I think he stepped on it and then covered it up, and we couldn't find it anywhere.  It'll be an extra special surprise when it surfaces sometime in May or June.

Sadface.

Without the frisbee to entertain him, Ripley used his time to monitor Andy's progress on the driveway. He's such a good foreman! 

Almost done! (yes, we have the world's longest driveway).

By the time Andy finished, the sun was coming out, and yesterday turned out to be a beautiful day with all the snow.

The plow man didn't come to our cul de sac until about 4 pm yesterday, so even with the driveway plowed, we couldn't have gone anywhere if we wanted to.  We took advantage of being snowbound and did some much needed spring cleaning and organized the closet in the baby's room.  Sometimes it's nice to be stuck inside!

This morning we woke up to more snow, and it's been snowing all day, but very lightly.  It's actually kind of welcome in the sense that we haven't had a very snowy winter and we need the snowpack.  Also, as painful as it is that it's snowing this much in March, at least it's not MAY (and god, I hope I didn't just jinx myself).  Tomorrow I'm off to Juneau for the week for work, so I should have some fun stuff to post from there! Happy Sunday!