"Blizzard 2009": The View in Virginia

As the snow began to settle on Sunday, Tom took this picture of Katie. The snow in the cherry tree gives a hint of the amount of snow that fell. This side of the house gets a lot of sun, so the snow was already compacting.

While this was one heck of a snowstorm, the word "blizzard" seems a bit over the top. We had very little real wind, and few drifts.

On the night before the storm, the roads were crowded as masses made their way to grocery stores and gas stations. Parking lots were so crowded that cars waited in lines in the street, just to enter the parking lots.

We're usually fairly well stocked at home, and we managed to host neighbors, Rod and Deborah, for bean soup on the first night of the storm, and we had an early Christmas with Carl, Susan, and Andrew on Sunday. They just needed a little push up the hill (due to ice) on their way home. The weather for Christmas Day is a bit suspect: a wintry mix is expected for Friday morning.

While the stores may have missed our last trip to the mall, a quick inventory indicated we really did have enough gifts for the girls and each other. We completed our Christmas letters and mailed them on Monday. We ran the dryer over and over, with snow clothes cycling in and out. We made the pasta dough for our holiday traditions (more on that in another post), and had a grand time at home.

College Bound -- Field Hockey Stick in Hand!

Carly is three for three on the college apps. When the first acceptance came, Tom laughed and said, "she's going to college." The first was nice, the second was nice, the third was the Big Thrill. It was the Early Decision Acceptance, and therefore binding.

On Thursday, December 3rd, I was the first one home, and I got the mail. There was a slightly thick envelope wth 61-cents postage. Postmarked December 1st. I probably haven't been so excited since I received my own acceptance letter. (OK, I'll fess up, I was excited about positive pregnancy tests ~ so this is the outcome?)

So, while on the phone with Tom, we had to wait for Carly to get home from school so she could open the letter. In the mean time, I held it to the light, flexed it a bit, and agitatedly waited.

So, she opened the letter and pulled out a sticker, then the acceptance letter, and then the deposit form. Lafayette generously sent a sticker for the car, which is, in effect, something like the very first tuition discount. Maybe.

Before the evening was out, Carly pulled out my checkbook, wrote the deposit check, and held it out for me to sign. I think she's excited!

Another milestone: Carly's Capitol Pegasus coach, Lloyd Conyers, has a tradition of announcing field hockey commitments. We've all see these milestones announced for others and it was a thrill to read Lloyd's email announcement on Monday, December 7th.

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Out of chronological order...

We spent most of Thanksgiving week in Palm Springs again. "Festival" is quite spectacular. It was truly the last of the uncommitted recruiting showcases for Carly. In her mind, she was already a Leopard, but we were there for great games and any other opportunities that might be needed and wanted. Tidewater Flash played well and they were coached by a very enthusiastic coach (thanks, Bill!). We had fun catching up with our CPeg Parent-friends, and will always have memories of those "Northern Virginia Girls": Carly, Kelsey, Kayleigh, Kim, Melanie, and Meghan.