Winter Wonderland

It's amazing how quickly you adapt to your environment.

I. Am. Freezing!!

But it's really beautiful. We started seeing the first signs of snow about an hour outside of Charlotte. Just an occasional patch here and there. By the time we hit the mountains of Virginia, it was everywhere. It was a nice drive actually. I've never driven down interstate 81 and 77 in the winter, and the snow just transformed those mountains. But Rachel's reaction was the best part. When you've lived all your life in South Carolina, more than a dusting of snow is a big deal. It's funny how you take something like the beauty of snow covered fields and mountains for granted. I looked at it with different eyes yesterday. I was about the same age as Rachel is when we moved from Alabama to Pennsylvania, and I remembered how awed I was that first time it snowed and the grass actually disappeared. It was an awesome reminder to take time to slow down and really soak in the beauty of creation. (Figuratively slow down I mean. It was me driving after all.)

It was dark by the time we finally pulled into Greencastle, so I didn't get a good look at the snow. But now I'm sitting at the kitchen table, looking out the window at a postcard-perfect scene. Mom is making a stew that smells fantastic. It's Christmas Eve and I feel.... content.

Pretty soon I'm going to wake Rachel up. The postcard perfect scenery is in desperate need of a good snowman or two.