During one of our road trips this last year, Ethan was reading from a "Time for Kids" magazine he brought home from school. It had various
Top 5 lists. The idea of holding a record or being ranked in some way really appeals to Ethan's competitive nature.
As we were driving through the vast plains of North Dakota, Ethan shared with us that North Dakota is listed on both the Top 5 hottest
and Top 5 coldest temperature lists. It's hard to believe isn't it? Apparently Steele, ND once recorded a temperature of 121 and (less hard to believe) Parshall, ND has a temperature of -60 on record.
I've been thinking about those lists a lot these last few days as we rode out a blizzard and are dealing with the aftermath - namely the cold, the shoveling, the snow plowing and utter inconvenience of it all. Living in the north pole really is about learning to deal with extremes and maybe learning to find the good in what at first seems to be bad.
This most recent snowstorm shut down the state - quite literally. The major North- South and East-West highways were closed for nearly 2 days. People either stayed home, stayed at work or stayed away from us all together. The North Pole was closed.
As the storm approached, locals began to prepare. Friends with travel plans either canceled or got out of town ahead of the storm knowing that they likely would be snowed out of their houses (and the state) for awhile.
As 20+ inches of snow fell and then was blown around by 30+ mph winds, we sat in our house listening to Christmas music, watching videos, eating cookies, drinking wine and unwrapping gifts. We read books, played games and checked the window occasionally - but mostly spent time together.
Once the storm passed, the boys were so excited to venture outside and play in all the new snow. As adults, we were dreading the clean-up. It's amazing what 20 years will do to your perspective on 2 feet of snow. When our boys look at this...
they see endless possibilities of sledding, forts, caves and fun.
When Dana and I saw it, all we thought of was this...
I prefer the kids' perspective.
Perhaps it's because I'm on Christmas break and don't have to be anywhere this week, or perhaps, like the Grinch, my heart has grown to three times its size; but I have been trying to have a different perspective these last few days and you know what ?
20+ inches of snow and 30+ mph winds can also do this..
and this...
and this...
come on - that's cool.
Would the North Pole be my first choice of places to live? Absolutely not. Am I miserable? Not a chance.
I've got this...
and this...
We are happy and having fun. We are growing and thriving in the dead of winter. The North Pole might actually be making me a better person. You should come check it out ... I'll let you know when we're open.
