Life Of a Snowbird

I grew up in sunny California. I specifically remember it snowing TWICE in the 30+ years I lived there. Going to the snow was a huge treat because it was not something I saw often. So when Rob and I bought a house 2000 feet above Reno I was petrified. Not only did we get a lot of snow up there but we had to drive 7 miles up and down the mountain on switchback roads. We moved in in February and the first Winter there was the worst. I remember many tears, gnashing of teeth and downright old fashion temper tantrums, trying to get my little Honda Accord to and from our house in several feet of snow. I got my car stuck on more than one occasion and couldn't believe we had actually paid money to live in an area that had snow on the ground October-June! But, after the first Winter and a "new" 4WD SUV, I learned to love the snow. I'd always get excited for the first snow fall and one of my favorite places to be when it was snowing was sitting in my big overstuffed chair with a cup of coffee or cocoa in hand, looking at the snow fall on the mountains. Although I always feared black ice, I grew to have a healthy respect for the snow covered roads without fearing them. (I did fear other drivers, however, once I got down the mountain) It wasn't uncommon to have 2 hr snow delays when there was a lot of snow coming down but I don't remember ever having more than 3 snow days a year in my 4 years of teaching and that only happened one year. Snow was a way of life in the high desert. People didn't think twice about it unless they had to.
Now that we live in the South I thought I wouldn't see snow again (unless visiting home). So I was very excited to know that snow was in the forecast for the first time in 4 years here! I went to bed last night, excited that we could possibly wake up to snow in the morning. Schools and state offices announced they'd be closed today because of the snow so I was thinking that, although there wouldn't be as much as back home, there'd be snow sticking to the ground. I woke up at 1:15am, 3:30am and 5:30am last night, looking outside every time in hopes of seeing snow. When Rob left for work at 6am I turned on the news to see that several roads had been closed because of the slick conditions. I thought, "Wow, it must really be coming down now since there wasn't any snow earlier." Wrong! There was barely a skiff of snow on the ground and the only way I knew it had snowed at all was because of our neighbor's roof. That's why I found it downright comical when I called the dr's office to ask if P could get in when Easton had his appt this morning and I was told that they were cancelling all appts because the doctors couldn't make it in due to the weather. WHAT? Thankfully one brave doctor made the treacherous trek into the office so my boys could be seen. (Along with the other people's kids who braved the horrible road conditions as well.) **Yes, those last 2 sentences were oozing with sarcasm.**
Now I will tell you that LA has the worst drivers in the nation even when the sun is out (That is not just my opinion but what a Geico rep told me when I asked why our rates were going to skyrocket after moving here). So when I pulled onto the main road and saw a car flipped upside down in the ditch I figured the roads were going to be horrible. Wrong again! It was just like driving in the rain. Imagine that! The freeway was closed so I had to take the backroads but I got to the dr's office in record time and even had enough time to spare for a quick trip into Walmart. While the boys were being seen I asked the doctor if she was going to leave early and she replied, "Oh yes. It's worse than previously forecasted and I need to get home before it gets really bad." I politely smiled, bit my cheek to keep from laughing and thanked the good Lord that He doesn't let it snow too often in LA.

P during the big 2014 snow storm in LA

Last year around this time in NV, when most of the snow had already melted.