Minnesota! My love!

Our visit to Minnesota for Christmas was the crowning event of the holidays for me. I cannot describe adequately what it means to be living in the Midwest again. To be in Ohio means not so far from Minnesota and in many respects they are one in the same. The people are good and wholesome here. The land is cultivated, vastly open, and still. A slower pace of life exists here even though we are flanking the political hub of Ohio. This new experience of life has evoked the fond and cherished memories from my childhood long since forgotten. The day of the first big snow here in Columbus I leaned in against our back sliding doors and watched the flakes fall in glorious twisting and twirling patterns. It reminded me of lying in the snow as a child and the yearning to close my eyes for a time for the brightness of the sky and continual falling of snow provoked a natural drowsiness to fall over me. I felt excited for Emery and Addie to return home from school so we could take Dashle and play outside together. I would do for them what my parents did for me. I would show them it wasn’t just the white, wet, fluffy stuff that made putting on a heavy, layered, winter wear ensemble worth it. More than the snow falling, it is the knowledge there is someone else witnessing this miracle with you and as soon as they aren’t looking you might consider…NO! You will pummel them into the soft packed snow. Then you will laugh until they retaliate, and then you run, and they tackle you, and you laugh some more, and so on. And so it was, that I was longing to be seven again scooting my boots through a foot of snow in our back yard with mom and dad, sisters and brothers, in the dark of night with only snowflakes and stars above our heads. I didn’t make it outside that snowy day with my kids as I had intended. Obligations bound to me by nature of parenthood and marriage took precedence. The girls dashed outside excitedly after fifteen minutes of bundling preparation. I couldn’t help but smile at the joy on their faces. I was a bit disappointed, to say the least. I really was dreaming of a White Christmas… a white Christmas for which I could participate. So it was on Christmas morning in Minnesota that I gazed through the bay windows of my parents’ home and felt overjoyed to see flakes falling from the sky. After the gifts were unwrapped, the breakfast devoured, and the dishes hand washed, Shyler and I zipped the girls up in their winter gear, threw on some boots, coats, and pants over our pajamas and darted outside with my brother and sisters for some festive snowy fun on Christmas Day! I couldn’t stop smiling and lauging, even after we all returned inside, a bit cold and quite wet. I’m sure it was clear to Shyler what my favorite part of the day was since I couldn’t stop gushing about it for the remainder of our stay. I love you Jordan, Brandice, Haley, and Cortney! Thanks for a great memory that helped me feel a bit young again! It's refreshing for tired moms to run around once in while and act like their children! Not to mention smashing each one of your faces into the snow was super exhilarating!