The Blizzard of 2013

That's right!  You read that correctly!  There's been a BLIZZARD in TUCSON, AZ!!!!!  And that is some exciting news for the desert dwellers!!!  Of course...any weather is pretty much exciting around these parts.  Don't get me wrong...our blue skies and sunshine nearly all the time make me happier than words can ever express.  What is NOT to love about that?!  But when a little weather rolls through...be it monsoon storms with dramatic lightning, or rain that creates a super cool inverted temperature scenario with the clouds, or a light shower that lights up the sky afterward with rainbows, or even a blizzard....well...the desert dwellers just kind of do an appreciative happy dance!  It happens to seldom that it just doesn't get under our skin.  Quite the opposite.  We grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, put our feet up and just watch it happen.  It's better than any TV show out there!  February has actually seen some really cool weather this year.  Cool...as in neat.  I mean...it's been cool too.  We are wearing coats several days a week...but not ALL days.  My Ben continues to wear shorts, God love him!  But the weather has been visually cool too!  Here are some pics of February...NOT starting with the blizzard!  Be patient!  It's coming!

We had an inverted temperature scenario here a couple of weeks ago, resulting in the clouds being on the ground with the mountains up above.  Very, very pretty and a different way to see the mountains we love!  So cool to see them shrouded in clouds from the bottom up!

And now....on to our "blizzard"!

And this would be my sweet Ben...completely inappropriately dressed for a blizzard, standing in the snow, no coat, eating ICE CREAM!!!  Pray for my children.  Sometimes the obvious things just don't occur to them (like dressing warmly).

Cooper LOVED the snow!  Could not keep his face out of the cold stuff!

We got a LOT!

This just seems so wrong in the desert!!!

Our yard looked like a winter wonderland!

This boy is in his happy place!!!  He LOVES the snow and cold!  And look!  He's put on a sweat shirt!  Ahh...the power of prayer!

The really never outgrow this, do they?!

Clara scraped together enough snow after the FIRST round to build a snowman!  We got about 4 waves of intense snow fall!  One while they were in school, one right after they all got home, one a bedtime and another in the night!

Our little abode....all snowy!

Cactus!

prickly pear collecting snow!

Talk about a scene you do NOT see every day!

So beautiful and weird at the same time!

I LOVED seeing my desert thrown into such an unusual state!

The morning after the blizzard.  The snow is STILL here!

It's amazing to see the snow on the mountains far away from us!  

SO cool!  Literally!

I think I could look at this all day!  However, in true desert fashion, it is melting QUICK!  I imagine it will be mostly gone by lunch time!  Not on the mountains...but definitely from the roofs and surfaces!

And there you have it!  Photo footage of the great Blizzard of 2013!  We are thawing out now!  But it was SO neat while it lasted!  I have to say... desert snow is my kind of snow!  It's so beautiful while it lasts, such a treat...but goes away so quickly!  Love it, love it, love it!!!!