Did We Miss Halloween??

It's been rather boring around here lately. I've been busy being a student and working on those papers that History majors can't avoid. Luke has been busy with constant growth spurts. Jeff has been busy with work. The typical life of an American family. But it's also a boring life for an American family who likes to live on the go.

That said, Wednesday was a little exciting around here! It was multiple times during the day that I had to look at a calendar, or two, because I was really starting to wonder if we missed Halloween. I can't prepare for the Holiday Season without getting completely through October first. I'm one of those people who gets Christmas shopping done early, but I despise seeing that Christmas stuff put up on the shelves in the stores in early September. Yes, that's right, little trees and all thing green and red were up on the store shelves by the second week of September. It's no wonder my poor body was confused!

But it's not just the stuff on the shelves that had me reeling. Colorado has had snow every month throughout 2009, though I admit the majority of that was in the High Country, above 12,000 feet. We have seen some flakes floating in the air, and a very slight dusting on our patio furniture, but I'm not sure I'd consider that the first snow of the season, even if it was on the last day of summer. And everything being encased in ice last week was quite the exciting moment (even the dog slid and fell a few times! Goofy beast thought it was fun and kept running & sliding on purpose), but it didn't really constitute the beginning of winter.

But Wednesday? THAT was definitely the first snow of the season! We were expecting to see more flakes in the air and a lot of water on the ground, but not expecting accumulation. It was cold, it was pouring down rain, we definitely got a lot of water, and it was a fun day at school because of it. Then came late afternoon and everything went white! By the end of it all there was 1.5 inches of snow on the ground at my house. 18-miles away in Penrose, where the ponies are, the sky had dumped 5 inches. Approximately 25-miles away straight out the front of my house in the Wet Mountain Valley town of Westcliffe there was a whopping 17 inches of heavy, wet snow sitting on the ground! Granted, the Wet Mountains are between us and them, but they're not that far away and at the same elevation.

(completely exhausted, but loving the snow!)

(looking out my garage as the sun was setting...well before the snow stopped falling!)

Luke loved it and was disappointed I wouldn't let him play in it, but he's struggling to get past a cold and I didn't think it would be wise. I, on the other hand, was loving it but seriously confused. Once I decided we most definitely hadn't missed Halloween, it made me feel better....