I hadn't built a snowman in a long, long time. So long that I can't even remember the last time I built a snowman. After living in Indiana for 20 years now, I think of snow as a menace to have to deal with versus something fun and entertaining to get out and play in. Rudy and Louie generally see a snowy yard as a brand new thing to go out and explore, so we take them out and romp with them every now and then in the snow, but we haven't even been sledding or skiing in years. Winter generally isn't our friend.
So I wanted to challenge myself to get out and enjoy winter like a kid again. I remember, even as a teenager, my brother and I suiting up in our snowsuits and heading out with our sleds in hand to hike frozen creeks and spend weekend days sledding in our neighborhood. And, having grown up near San Francisco, CA, a trip to the mountains to play in the snow was a treat almost unparalleled in our childhoods. Funny how age and actually living in a place where you have to deal with the white stuff changes your perspective!
We got a good 6" of snow last Sunday - March1st - which meant it would probably be the last somewhat significant snowfall before Spring finally takes hold of the Midwest (hopefully!), so Monday night was snowman night. We suited up, and headed to the backyard, which the dogs thought was the biggest treat we could possibly offer them that evening - "humans playing with us in the snow...oh boy oh boy oh boy!". They romped, ate snow, got in the way, and just seconds after this final photo was snapped, they destroyed that snow dog (just in case he was going to be competing for any human affection or food!)
My birthday was last week, and she knows I love handcrafted gifts, so she put these awesome shadow boxes of some of our Looking Out Across America bicycle ride together! If you don't know about this, check out our trip website HERE. We can't believe it's almost been 2 years since we started off on that amazing journey, and creating something special to hang on our walls to remind us of this fun summer has been on my list of things to do from the moment we stepped foot back in our own home after the trip.
She completely surprised me with this gift, and it's definitely one of the best gifts I've ever received! We hung it in a place of prominence, right above the sofa in our living room, so we can be constantly reminded of how great that summer was, and inspired to get out and have more just like it!
