Snowiest Winter Ever!

Now, I love snow, but it has got to stop!
Here are just some of the storms to hit Olney, MD this year...

Dec 18+19 dropped 23.5 inches which resulted in schools being closed for the three days before Christmas. This made it the longest and best winter break ever! Not to mention, a beautiful White Christmas. The beautiful scene didn't last long though because rain came and washed it away shortly after. Little did we know what 2010 would bring...
On Jan 30, 6 inches accumulated and Dawn and I bravely went out during the snowfall to visit Jenny for lunch! The venture turned into quite an adventure! With 95 closed for accidents, the drive from Columbia to Baltimore took over an hour on the BW Parkway, but we had a great time walking through the snowy streets. It then took me over an hour to drive home from Columbia to Olney.

February 2, the first of many more February snow storms arrived. 4 inches fell, causing MCPS to close for its 4th snow day on Feb 3. February 5, schools closed early to get ready for the big one.

The biggest storm took place from Feb 5-6. Over 28 inches fell in Olney, causing us to lose power. We drove over to Jon's parents for heat and entertainment because they, in their infinite wisdom, decided to go on a winter cruise and missed all of this mess! The photos below show the roads during the storm, virtually untouched with no plows in sight as we made our way to the house to check on the home and enjoy electricity.

When we first arrived, it was a trek just to make it to the Tippets house. The snow was still coming down and we had to park the car at the neighbor's house and dig our way down the street and up the driveway. Luckily I had a strong man with me and only one shovel. All I could do was take photos as my contribution! =) Here's what it looked like when we first arrived.



















February 6, the snow has stopped and the sun is out. There are blue skies ahead (or so we thought). The untouched snow and window patterns are gorgeous! I could have stared out the window for hours...





























However, the power is back on at home and there's a Superbowl to watch! We drive back to Olney and enjoy the roads all to ourselves.

A few days later from Feb 9-10 another 10.5 inches blanketed us. Even though it was less snow, the storm created blizzard conditions due to the high winds and white outs. Luckily, this time we didn't lose power, but we are losing room to put all this snow! The back to back blizzards shut down school all week, causing us to go 5 days over our "winter snow fund."

Yes, that would be a 7 foot tall snow pile in the "fire lane."

It is now President's Day February 15, and it is snowing again. The ice dams have caused water to leak through the siding and into the carpet and bathroom ceiling. The longest icicles have met their doom, but just check out these killer icicles that haven't fallen yet!

First NFL Game

Here we are, warm and cozy in our Redskins gear. December 6 was a chilly day, but definitely worth bundling up to see our first NFL game together. It had been almost ten years since I attended a couple Pro Football games in college. Jon has only been to a few himself, so it was great to surprise him with an early Christmas gift!

Before the game we met a hilarious older couple tailgating next to us. They shared their mutual hatred of Dan Snyder with us and the lady revealed her way of sneaking booze into the stadium to "stick it to him." Since they apparently charge $11 for Jack Daniels inside, she bought the same size bottles at the store and made velcro holders that she wraps around her legs! She said she has to waddle a little bit, but it is worth it. Funny the things people will do to have alcohol at a game!








Here we are in our great endzone seats, thanks to a co-worker. Redskins were leading for most of the first half, and now the game is tied up. And these photos prove that the Redskins were winning in the 4th quarter, but blew it in overtime.









I still can't believe we almost got to see the Redskins beat the Saints. Even with the sad season the Skins had, I'm happy we got to go to this game and see the future Superbowl Champs! I heart Drew Brees...but not as much as Jon, of course!

Hope the Redskins have better luck next season! And if anyone has tickets, let us know. We would love to go again and cheer for our team, win or lose!