A Fine Day for a Blizzard

Mitch-darling, the snow man.

We had made plans with some friends to do some snowshoeing on Saturday. So when that storm rolled in, we weren't about to throw in the towel. We did, however, compromise and head for a lower canyon.
It turned out to be one of our best snowshoeing excursions to date. We decided to leave the little boys at home for this one (something we've never done...but may again, as it turned out). Grace enthusiastically volunteered to babysit. (You would think trudging through the snow in a blizzard with the family wasn't her idea of fun or something. Go figure???)

It was really coming down. We all  had to keep brushing the snow off as it piled up on our jackets and back packs, to keep from being buried in it, or getting too wet as our body heat melted it. The melting snow froze zippers and pack straps. But it was BEAUTIFUL. I kept thinking how so many people would be hunkering down indoors on such a day...and how much they were missing.

We snowshoed farther up Neff's Canyon than we have ever gone in the past...which was awesome, since we brought some sleds along, and Mike and all the kids had a nice long ride back down. It was so much fun to jog along behind them, chatting with good friends, listening to the kids yelling and laughing ahead of us.

Ang looking surly

Thanks to J. we have a couple of pictures. We didn't bring a camera, but luckily, she had her  iPod.

Afterward, we loaded up kids and gear and headed to my new FAVORITE Vietnamese restaurant, which Mike and I discovered the night before, for some warm Pho ..and the best banh mi EVER. (You've got to try it.)

All in all, it was a great day to be alive.