Blizzard 2011

Blizzard 2011 came and went and left us with 22 inches of snow. Last Friday I was really just thinking to myself, "January is almost over with, and this Chicago winter hasn't been that bad." Then the word came... "Blizzard 2011" was approaching.

What an adventure we had. I'm not going to complain at all, because what I endured was nothing compared to what a lot of people did. The most treacherous part of the Blizzard for me what walking to the train on Tuesday just as the Blizzard hit the city. People were making human chains with the end person holding onto a building as they were waiting for the buses that never came so they wouldn't blow away. Signs that cautioned people of "falling ice" were blowing around like crazy. I couldn't see anything more than five feet in front of my face because all it was was snow falling. And there were no taxi cabs in sight. But once I made it to the train station I made it home okay. . . And that's where I stayed for the next 36 hours.

I am one of the lucky ones because I made it home safely unlike the 1,500 that were stranded on Lake Shore Drive for up to 12 hours. My electric didn't go out and leave us freezing like it did for thousands of other people in the city. I didn't have to even try to get to work like some people that have no choice like doctors or nurses. . . or the weathermen. I didn't have to cancel an awesome trip to Costa Rica because the planes were grounded like my boss did. And I have a home. I am really starting to worry about the regular homeless people that I see every single day. They weren't there today as I walked to work, I just hope they got somewhere safe.

So I can't say one bad thing about The Blizzard of 2011. I got to have a snow day which I never thought I would have. Dan and I had plenty of food and wine... we had quite the scrabble game and dance party in our living room on Tuesday night, and we took turns shoveling out of our house all day on Wednesday. We were like little kids taking the yard stick out every once in awhile to see how much it had snowed and after it was all over we walked all around the neighborhood and up to the main road just because we could. This is definitely something I will never forget, and I really wouldn't mind if I never get to see 22 inches of snow again, because I know I will be seeing these piles of snow for at least the next two months (we really hope the snow is gone in time for the wedding).

So I'm glad it's over. I'm glad things are getting back to normal. And I'm glad we got to witness the third largest Blizzard in the history of Chicago. Oh, and of course, my favorite part about all of this is that I can now be considered a true northerner because I have officially dug my car out!